The Scottish Government published its A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People: Employment Action Plan Annual Progress Report on 30 March 2020. The report is available on the Scottish Government website in a range of accessible formats including Easy Read, BSL and audio file.

This report highlights some of the key successes in working to close the disability employment gap, including through support for business and enterprise, the publication of the Scottish Government’s Recruitment and Retention Plan for Disabled People, alignment of work and health agendas, and the establishment of our Public Social Partnership - created to develop and test solutions to the barriers employers may face in recruiting and retaining disabled staff.

The report also outlines the priority actions we propose to undertake in the coming year to continue to work towards achieving our ambition to at least halve the disability employment gap. This includes announcing that, in conjunction with the Department for Work and Pensions, we will establish an Access to Work stakeholder group to ensure that disabled people have a formal mechanism through which to shape and improve this vital support. We have acknowledged however that some activity may need to be reprioritised in light of the emerging COVID-19 response.

The impact of Covid-19 on cancer patients has been a priority in all of our planning, and we must ensure that all appropriate measures are undertaken in the present situation to protect those living with cancer.

We have been clear that vital cancer services will remain in line with clinical priority. However, we recognise that for some cancer patients treatment and management plans may have to change over the coming weeks and months due to the new risks associated with Covid-19. This must be clearly communicated with each patient and should never comprise patient care and outcomes.

An information leaflet for cancer patients was disseminated through the NHS on 20 March 2020 and an updated version is currently being produced for dissemination this week which reflects new public advice around COVID19.

Yesterday (25 March 2020 ) I wrote to NHS Chief Executives to share the nationally agreed clinical guidance for the management of cancer treatments during Covid-19.

This guidance has been agreed through the National Covid-19 Cancer Treatment Response group. This guidance will remain under review as the situation changes over the coming weeks and this group will meet again tomorrow (27 March 2020).

The Scottish Parliament Corporate Body currently utilises a contract which provides services for the secure removal of data, reuse, recycling and disposal of computers that are no longer suitable for corporate use.

The emphasis for this contract is re-use of equipment, which the contractor reported was 33% over a two-year period.  Where equipment cannot be re-used or components and parts recovered, items are separated into base materials for recycling in the UK.

The company currently providing these services is a Supported Business which means that at least 30% of their workforce is employed from disabled and disadvantaged backgrounds. Last year this figure stood at 48% which positively impacted local society.

I am pleased to confirm that the Scottish Government has reached an agreement with the Scottish Green Party to deliver a Scottish Budget. This will support the wellbeing of the people of Scotland and enable crucial action to respond to the global climate emergency, including investment of £1.8 billion in low-carbon infrastructure.

This Budget delivers a record £15 billion for health and care services, provides over £3 billion of social security payments, delivers £201 million to secure the full roll-out of increased early learning and child care provision, invests over £180 million to address the poverty related attainment gap in schools, provides £20 million for the Scottish Child Payment to support our wider action to address child poverty, and supports the vital delivery of local services.

This agreement will deliver an additional £123 million of resource and £50 million of capital investment, including:

• an increase of £95 million of resource to support local government;
• an additional £13 million resource and £5 million capital to support our police services and enhance community policing taking the total uplift next year to £60m;
• £15 million to support preparations to introduce new concessionary free bus travel for young people aged 18 and under, with the aim if possible to begin in January 2021;
• a further £45 million capital to support our net-zero ambitions, including £15 million for local government to support further investment in cycling, walking and safer routes, taking the total investment in active travel to £100 million, £25m for investment in local energy efficiency projects and £5m to explore rail enhancements.

This is a Budget which will deliver for all of Scotland and I encourage its support by all Members.

The Scottish Government received information regarding the suspected presence of the parasite Bonamia ostreae at a shellfish farm located in the west of Scotland. There is no risk to human health associated with the disease, however it can cause mortality in native oysters.

Movement restrictions were immediately applied to the suspected site. Scottish Government’s Fish Health Inspectorate conducted an epidemiological investigation and has confirmed presence of the parasite at:

Confirmed Designation Notice

• Sgeir Liath (Loch Nell Oysters)
• Lamb Holm (Orkney Shellfish Hatchery (OSH) Ltd) – stock culled.
• Dornoch Firth West (Heriot Watt University - DEEP Oyster Restoration)
• John Muir Building (Heriot Watt University) – stock culled.
• Initial Designation Notice [Presence suspected]
• Dornoch Firth East (Heriot Watt University - DEEP Oyster Restoration)
• Loch Craignish Native Oyster Restoration Project [to be revoked].

Confirmed Designation Notices have been published on the Fish Health Inspectorates website and can be viewed here;

https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/marine/Fish-Shellfish/FHI/monitoring/recent

Protection and surveillance zones have been established around two sites, Sgeir Liath and the Dornach restoration project, controlling the movement of native oysters into and out of those areas to reduce the risk of spread of the disease. Movements of pacific oysters are not affected.

The disease is not new to Scotland and is present in other parts of the UK, however we are committed to protecting Scotland’s disease free status to support trade and the health of the small native oyster industry and remaining wild populations. We will continue to work with Defra, the other devolved administrations and Crown Dependencies and the Scottish shellfish farming industry to promote biosecurity, reduce spread of the disease and minimise impacts to business’ where possible.

Since the inception of the Erasmus+ programme in 2014, around 11,700 EU students have come to study in Scotland. This excludes students who are writing-up or on sabbatical.EU students make up typically around 90% of incoming ERASMUS+ students to Scottish HEIs. Students from Erasmus+ partner countries make up the remainder of the total.

Recent Higher Education Statistics Agency data suggests there were 2,935 incoming ERASMUS+ students at Scottish universities in 2018-19. Of these, 2,655 were EU (non-UK) domiciled.

Scotland continues to perform relatively well compared with other UK nations, Scottish organisations have competitively won almost 687 million from Horizon 2020, since the programmes launch in January 2014 up to December 2019, this reflects our research excellence and international outlook in Scotland.

Scotland’s higher education institutions continue to attract the majority of funds in Scotland, securing almost 75% (around 515 million) of the total funds awarded.

Scottish organisations are eligible to continue to fully participate in Horizon 2020 for the duration of the programme.