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Reflecting on the success of the vaccination programme, our revised strategic intent is to work “to suppress the virus to a level consistent with alleviating its harms while we recover and rebuild for a better future.” Deciding when to remove COVID-19 restrictions will be informed by conditions based on clinical advice. These conditions will ensure that the virus remains sufficiently under control in Scotland and that enough people are protected by two doses of the vaccination. At present, our current analysis of the state of the epidemic indicates that the lifting of Level 0 restrictions should not happen until at least all adults over 40 years of age have been protected by two doses of the vaccine. We expect this to happen by 9 August. However, in order to maintain the progress we have made in returning to more normality, it will be important that people continue to stick to a set of baseline measures to stop the virus resurging and to protect those who do not have protection from vaccination.

I want us to get to a position where we do not have to think about Covid in our day-to-day lives in any respect. However, if we want to continue our progression towards that time, we might all have to accept baseline protective measures for a longer period, and we will work with stakeholders on what these should be.

But ultimately, we are dealing with an unpredictable virus, and we have to respond to what the data is telling us at the time.

In the academic year 2019-20, the latest for which we have complete data, there were around 60,000 students from outside the Common travel area enrolling at a Scottish University, with around half this number (30,000) beginning a new course and the other half returning for a further year. The Scottish Government does not hold information about how many of these students were resident in Scotland prior to enrolment. We estimate a similar number could be studying in Scotland in the academic year 2021-22.

Test and Protect will change as the population becomes more protected by vaccination, but will still play a role in mitigating clusters and outbreaks where they arise, slowing infection spread and protecting populations at risk.

Contact tracing and testing of close contacts will continue as we move forward through the pandemic, including beyond Level 0.

We are following the clinical trials on daily contact testing closely, and will review Scottish Government policy in light of the evidence as it emerges. Any change to Scotland’s self-isolation policy continues to be informed by clinical and scientific advice, and would be subject to MHRA approval of lateral flow tests for ‘test to release’ purposes.

We will continue to consider the appropriateness of existing public health guidance on self-isolation in light of the emerging evidence regarding the efficacy of the vaccine in preventing infection and onwards transmission of Covid-19.

The Scottish Government’s position is that cruises may dock at Scottish ports when all of Scotland is in level 1. If the evidence supports the planned lifting of restrictions at the next review point, domestic cruising will be allowed from 19 July. Further information on this can be found in the Guidance: Coronavirus (COVID-19): travel and transport - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

The number of Senior Civil Servants working in core Scottish Government and its Agencies who have requested approval under the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) rules in the last 5 years is provided in the following table:

The board has met on nine occasions between March 2020 - May 2021. The next meeting of the board will take place on the 5 th of August 2021 followed by two further meetings before the end of the year.

The Scottish Government does not process business appointment applications from former Ministers. These are considered by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) which publishes details of its advice in relation to appointments it is aware have been taken up, or announced, on its website: Advisory Committee on Business Appointments - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) .

The Scottish Government is satisfied that the industry protocols developed by the UK Chamber of Shipping represent current best practice. These have been fully considered by the Scottish Government and approved for use as part of our Guidance for domestic cruise operators which can be found here: Coronavirus (COVID-19): travel and transport - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

Cruise must however be considered in the wider health context and due to the upward trajectory in Covid cases, concerns around the more transmissible Delta variant and the potential to transfer Covid (that has a relatively long asymptomatic incubation period) to multiple touchpoints across different locations, even with the use of near-person testing regimens, the Scottish Government has recommended that cruise start when all of Scotland reaches level 1. Once cruising can commence, these protocols will stand the industry in good stead, allowing for a quick and safe resumption of activity.

Between 1 May 2021 and 30 June 2021, Marine Scotland have inspected 11 Wrasse fishing vessel catches and found no infringements of the license derogation conditions.

The Scottish Government publishes summaries of the latest key economic statistics and analysis on the Scottish Economy in its Monthly Economic Brief, available at:

https://www.gov.scot/collections/monthly-economic-briefs/

The Scottish Government’s last outlook for the economy was published in the December 2020 edition, before the furlough scheme was extended to September. However, the latest analysis from the Bank of England is for unemployment to peak at 5.5% in 2021 as the furlough scheme ends, broadly in range with the latest forecasts from other independent forecasters.

The next set of forecasts for the Scottish economy will be published by the Scottish Fiscal Commission on Thursday 26 August.