The continuing authority to determine the most appropriate staffing structures rests with the Accountable Officer within each Agency which is in line with the delegation of civil service terms and conditions of service by the Minister for the Civil Service under the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992. For those Agencies which are staffed with employees on Scottish Government Main (SGM) terms and conditions of employment, the evaluation and grading of posts takes place via Scottish Government People Directorate guidance. Table 1 below details the current pay and grading structure within SGM. Table 2 details the Agencies within SGM showing the number of staff at each level. Promotion is available between all pay ranges within the SGM pay and grading structure from A3 onwards.

Table1 - SGM Pay and Grading structure with effect from 1 April 2020

It is the responsibility for agencies, such as WICS, to determine their own travel policies. The Scottish Government has accepted that the Commission’s current policies are consistent with the business needs of the organisation and expects the Commission to keep these policies under review. I refer the member to the answer to S5W-30847 on 13 August 2020 for information on how WICS offsets the carbon footprint of its activities.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-31231 on 26 August 2020. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-31231 on 26 August 2020. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Public bodies operate independently from Scottish Ministers for their procurement activities. Responsibility for purchasing PPE to protect their staff sits with each public body, but they must comply with all relevant legislation and guidance. Therefore, questions about the standard of PPE acquired by a public body should be addressed to the public body in question as we do not hold this information centrally.

Health & Safety is a reserved matter and all employers must comply with the relevant legislation, undertaking risk assessments as required. That legislation has been used to develop guidance on PPE for health and social care settings in Scotland. It is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-infection-prevention-and-control/covid-19-personal-protective-equipment-ppe

Public bodies operate independently from Scottish Ministers for their procurement activities and are therefore responsible for running their own tendering exercises and for the decisions they take as part of those exercises. It is their responsibility to ensure that any PPE they acquire is fit for purpose. Therefore, questions about the standard of PPE acquired by a public body should be addressed to the public body in question as we do not hold this information centrally.

To further support public bodies and ensure that PPE standards were clear, in March 2020 the Scottish Government issued a policy note to raise awareness on handling certain procurement related issues that arose as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. This contains information for public bodies relating to urgent purchases and can be seen at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/procurement-regulations-during-covid-19-outbreak-sppn-4-2020/ .

Public bodies operate independently from Scottish Ministers for their procurement activities, and the responsibility for purchasing PPE and making sure it is fit for purpose lies with each public body. Therefore, questions about the standard of PPE acquired by a public body should be addressed to the public body in question as we do not hold this information centrally.

Health & Safety is a reserved matter and all employers must comply with the relevant legislation, undertaking risk assessments as required. That legislation has been used to develop guidance on PPE for health and social care settings in Scotland. It is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-infection-prevention-and-control/covid-19-personal-protective-equipment-ppe

Public bodies operate independently from Scottish Ministers for their procurement activities and are responsible for running their own tendering exercises and for the decisions they take as part of those exercises. Therefore, questions about the volume, value and origin of PPE acquired by a public body should be addressed to the public body in question as we do not hold this information centrally.

Under section 46 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, around 180 public bodies listed in The Climate Change (Duties of Public Bodies: Reporting Requirements) (Scotland) Order 2015 must report annually to the Scottish Ministers on compliance with the climate change duties placed on them by section 44 of the Act.

The format of the required report includes whether public bodies have plans or strategies covering specific climate change topics, including business travel, as well as any targets for transport and travel.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an economic challenge on an unprecedented scale. The Scottish Government continues to take a holistic and inclusive approach to the mitigation of COVID-19’s economic impacts.

We established an independent Advisory Group on Economic Recovery, and published a response and implementation plan on 5 August 2020. Our response focusses on protecting jobs and supporting business recovery and sustainable green growth. In addition to our ongoing analysis and modelling, we continue to press the UK Government for additional resources and necessary changes to the Fiscal Framework.

Further economic policy measures, to support businesses and employees, will feature in the forthcoming Programme for Government as well as in our Infrastructure Investment Plan and our Climate Change Plan update. However, Scotland's established Zero-Covid approach remains the best way to address the risk of a second wave and the associated economic impacts.