Seòmar agus comataidhean

The next round of allocations will be confirmed and dispersed to local authority areas shortly. We will provide further information once the allocations have been confirmed.

Vaccination is the best way to keep you, your friends, family, and community safe and we encourage everyone to consider getting the vaccine. In the vast majority of cases a successful route to safe vaccination can be found.

If vaccination is not straightforward, support is available to help people achieve the benefits of protection from the Covid-19 vaccines. Local vaccination centre can help answer questions about the vaccine and can advise what arrangements may be put in place to enable safe vaccination. In the rare cases where that support does not lead to vaccination, the offer of an exemption will be a part of the process.

A person who is identified as clinically unable to safely receive the vaccine will receive a secure paper exemption certificate in the post.

Working alongside Disabled Peoples Organisations, the STUC, and representatives from the third, public and private sectors, the Scottish Government is currently developing a refresh of ‘A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People: Employment Action Plan’.

The refreshed action plan will set out how we will build on the progress we have made in tackling inequalities as we recover from the pandemic. We expect the plan to be published in Spring 2022.

The Scottish Government routinely publishes official labour market statistics for disabled people in Scotland and uses these to analyse how labour market barriers and outcomes for disabled people are changing over time and how they have been impacted by COVID-19.

Latest data are published at:

Labour market monthly briefing: October 2021 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

We know, for example, the disability employment gap in Scotland - the difference between the employment rates of disabled and non-disabled people - narrowed over the latest year to July 2020 – June 2021, to 32.0 percentage points.

Analysis is also published as part of the annual progress report of a Fairer Scotland for Disabled People: employment action plan - our plan to at least halve the disability employment gap in Scotland by 2038.

Latest report available here: Fairer Scotland for disabled people - employment action plan: progress report - year 2 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02957 on 12 October 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

We are committed to working with Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) to ensure that the refresh of ‘ A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People: Employment action plan’ is informed by the lived experience of disabled people.

The short life working group overseeing the development of the refreshed action plan is co-chaired by the Glasgow Disability Alliance (GDA). GDA and other DPOs will engage directly with their members and disabled people for input and views with regards to the refreshed action plan to ensure their views are heard and seen.

More broadly, we are committed to working together with DPOs to ensure disabled people’s input is represented in Scottish Government’s strategic and policy development in relation to achieving a fairer Scotland for disabled people. For example, the direct involvement of disabled people’s organisations and their members has played a key role in shaping the next phase of No One Left Behind, our strategy for placing people at the centre of the design and delivery of employability services.

The report ‘ How Should Scotland Manage its Scrap Steel?’ is the first in a series of reports being produced by Zero Waste Scotland looking at the circular opportunities for the energy transition in Scotland. I very much welcome the work being done by Zero Waste Scotland in this area and look forward to seeing the follow up reports, which will help inform our policy going forward. The report is very timely given the emphasis from COP26 in helping energy intensive industries like the steel sector as they move towards net zero.

Instrumental music tuition is now available free of charge in all Scottish local authorities following agreement between Scottish Government and local authorities as part of the implementation of the Scottish Government's100-day manifesto commitments.

The Scottish Government has provided funding of over £7m in the 2021-22 academic year to sustain provision at current levels and is committed to working with local authorities to develop a model for a long-term sustainable instrumental music tuition service which includes sustainable funding arrangements.

The Scottish Government does not collect this data.

Data on local authority instrumental music services is collected by the Improvement Service. Their reports can be found at www.improvementservice.org.uk .

The 2020-21 Arts Alive programme received 52 applications and 42 were successful.

The applications comprised of:

• 32 applications for school sessions, from 31 applicants, covering 35 schools. 32 applications were successful.
• 20 applications for school residencies, from 20 applicants, covering 31 schools. 10 were successful.

Broken down by Local Authority Area: