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Currently there is no sectoral prioritisation of workers, other than frontline health and social care workers. We are inviting those of working age in all sectors for vaccination, in line with advice on clinical risk of severe disease and hospitalisation.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) priority lists represents 99% of the preventable mortality from COVID-19 and throughout the delivery of the vaccination programme. The JCVI advice is that an age-based approach is the best way to quickly protect those who have not yet had the vaccine but who are at increased risk due to occupation or other factors.

The Scottish Government has met its target to offer all of those in JCVI groups 1 to 9 an initial dose of COVID vaccine, with over 99 per cent of those aged over 50 having received their first dose. Those aged over 40 are now in the process of being invited for vaccination. Beyond that we will aim, supplies permitting, to have offered first doses to the entire adult population by end July, rather than September as previously anticipated.

We continue to keep all measures under close review. Live background music is currently permitted at wedding receptions operating at 1 metre physical distancing from level 2, but full live band entertainment is only permitted in settings operating under performing arts or events guidance at 2 metre physical distancing from level 2 at this time. Dancing is not permitted at this time, except for the first dance by the marrying couple and the parents of the marrying couple where they reside in the same household. Physical distancing requirements are a key factor in determining when these activities can fully return to wedding receptions and as the First Minister confirmed in the statement to Parliament on 11 May, a review of this is currently underway and will report back shortly.

The Scottish Government supports the development of carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) as a common whole-system decarbonisation infrastructure with the flexibility to adapt over time to play a central role across the decarbonisation strategies of key sectors such as heat, industry and power. A proven technology, there are more than 50 CCUS facilities worldwide, with an estimated combined capture capacity of 96 million tonnes of CO2 per annum.

The Committee on Climate Change describes CCUS as a “necessity, not an option” to achieve net-zero emissions; indeed, the swift development of CCUS as a cornerstone of our energy transition is vital to achieving Scotland’s net zero emissions reduction targets.

Scotland is the most cost-effective place to begin CCUS in the UK, with existing oil and gas infrastructure available to repurpose for CO2 transport and storage. The development of CCUS could offer a range of transition opportunities for Scottish oil and gas firms and domestic supply chain companies.

We are already supporting efforts to deploy CCUS in Scotland, including through our Emerging Energy Technologies Fund, which will provide £80m over the next five years to support the development of CCUS and negative-emissions technologies. We have also provided funding and policy support to the Acorn CCS project in Aberdeenshire, considered the most advanced CCS project in the UK.

The Scottish Government expects all local authorities to comply with the school food and drink Regulations which are based on up to date scientific evidence and dietary advice about what energy and nutrients children and young people need in order to grow and develop healthily. The Regulations provide detailed specifications that must be met as food and drink is offered in schools and the accompanying guidance ‘Healthy Eating in Schools’ provides practical advice about how to meet the Regulations. The Regulations and guidance include specifications for and advice on meat provision in schools.

As long as the Regulations are being met, it is for local authorities to decide what meals to include on menus and as such the Scottish Government do not routinely monitor school menus. We have not been contacted by parents from Dumfries and Galloway about this matter. If parents do raise concerns about school menus we advise them to provide feedback to their local authority who can take this into account as they develop future menus.

Throughout the pandemic NHS patients, including new mothers, have been able to receive care and treatment, including aerosol generating procedures (AGPs), through one of 75 urgent dental care centres in Scotland. We have taken a precautionary approach to the remobilisation of NHS dental services but work has been carried out at pace to improve our understanding and risk management of COVID-19 transmission in dental settings, and since 1 November 2020 dentists have been able to provide the full range of NHS care and treatment to patients.

The Scottish Government does not analyse statistics on waiting times for NHS dental examinations within General Dental Services (GDS) as this service is delivered across around 1100 dental practices, each with local differences in patterns of prescribing and service delivery.

Infection control requirements have meant that practices are still working at considerably reduced capacity, necessitating the triage of patients according to clinical need to some extent, including the availability to dental check-ups for individuals with historically poor oral health.

The Scottish Government does not carry out its own analysis on dental treatment patterns and the associated impact on oral health. Evidence to inform policy is derived from a range of sources with specific sectoral interest, including Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP), as commissioned by the Chief Dental Officer on behalf of The Scottish Government.

Similarly, for children’s oral health findings from primary research, including the National Dental Inspection Programme (NDIP) will be used along with evidence from recently published studies and systematic reviews from a range of sources to inform policy decisions as we move forward through remobilisation and system reform. Whilst infection control requirements have meant that practices are still working at considerably reduced capacity, oral health considerations for children are prioritised as part of the clinical triage process.

The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people is a priority for the Scottish Government and schools play a key role in supporting positive mental health and recognising when children and young people may need additional support.

Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we established a mental health in schools working group made up of expertise within the sector. The working group has developed a new mental health professional learning resource for all school staff to support the wellbeing of children and young people within their schools. The resource covers topics such as body image, self-esteem, and talking to children and young people about mental health and wellbeing. This free online professional learning resource will be available in June 2021 and will be open to anyone who wishes to enhance their knowledge and skills. It is primarily aimed at school staff, but anyone who wishes to upskill their knowledge and understanding will be able to access the learning resource.

In addition to this, the National Review of Eating Disorder Services published their recommendations in March 2021, which included recommendations on ensuring that key stakeholders, such as school staff, could identify the signs and symptoms of all eating disorders. We are currently developing our approach to implementing these recommendations.

Due to the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken a two phased approach to the second Strategic Transport Projects Review. Phase 1 recommendations, which were published on 3 February 2021, identify short-term investment priorities in line with the five year spending review; to help ‘lock in’ some of the sustainable travel choices observed over the past year and provide a step change in investment which supports the priorities and outcomes of the second National Transport Strategy.

Phase 2, which looks beyond the spending review period, is aligned with National Planning Framework 4 highlighting the critical nature of transport and land use interaction. As such Transport Scotland will complete the review in Autumn this year, thereafter it will be published for formal public consultation.

Connecting Scotland is delivered in partnership with the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO). SCVO set up and manage the application, assessment, contracting and distribution of devices. Local authorities assess applications from public and third sector services and organisations, who identify eligible customers and provide frontline Digital Champion support to end users.

A total of £26.6 million has been allocated to Phase 3, with the potential to provide 23,000 devices and data packages. Every Connecting Scotland customer is allocated a Digital Champion and has access to one on one training and support if they want it. So far a total of 2,700 Digital Champions have been trained through the programme. Interim results from our follow-up survey indicate that around half of Connecting Scotland customers found this support helpful in improving their digital skills.