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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.

Any consultation on mandatory calorie labelling for food and drink purchased out of home would consider all relevant matters.

The Scottish Government welcome the Audit Scotland report, and we are pleased that it recognised the swift actions of Scotland’s public sector partners to respond to the significant and unprecedented challenges presented by Covid-19. The Scottish Government agrees with Audit Scotland that we need to learn from this pandemic and bring that learning both into planning for future pandemics, and into our long term procurement strategy. This work is already underway. Officials are working across the public sector including with the NHS to learn the lessons and take them into future PPE procurement.

To address environmental concerns surrounding PPE, the Scottish Government has funded a Small Business Research Initiative £310,000, with Transport Scotland providing additional funding, to assess and evaluate prospective reusable PPE solutions and technologies to assist in decontaminating PPE. This initiative, led by NHS Tayside on behalf of the Scottish Government, supports companies to develop more environmentally-friendly PPE by providing funding to enable them to undertake vital research and development of their prospective solutions.

The Scottish Government has also established a PPE Innovation Working Group with partners across Scotland. The purpose of this Group is to oversee the implementation of positive changes to the provision of clinical PPE in Scotland. As part of this work, the Group will consider potential work streams and opportunities which surround the environmental impact of PPE and how manufacturers with innovative PPE solutions can better collaborate with NHS Scotland in the future.

The guidance to support the provision of the £400 one-off payment to teachers is available on the Scottish Government website at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-employers-on-one-off-gbp400-payment-for-teachers/

This exceptional payment is being made in recognition of the additional workload for teachers who have supported the delivery of the Alternative Certification Model (ACM) in the unique circumstances brought about by Covid-19 in 2020/21.

This will be paid through a grant arrangement to education authorities and directly from the Scottish Government through a grant to independent and grant-aided schools, further to claims being received.