A Capital Spending Review Framework document will be published on the Scottish Government website today and is available here: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781800040946

The Framework provides the basis for publishing a full Capital Spending Review later this year, which will set out multi-year capital budget allocations for the Scottish Government, and other public sector bodies. This Framework document supports transparency about the fiscal context and the financial assumptions which underpin the draft Infrastructure Investment Plan, while also setting out the parameters and priorities that will inform the budget allocations that will be made once the Capital budget outcomes of the UK Comprehensive Spending Review are known. It covers the 5 financial years of the next Parliamentary term, and sets out now how we have a full and realistic plan for around £33.5 billion of investment to deliver the ambitious National Infrastructure Mission.

Providing clarity on future capital spending plans will aid our response to the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, giving confidence to key sectors of the Scottish economy. Our capital spending will support employment and economic recovery through our large-scale infrastructure plans, while also moving us along the path to net-zero carbon emissions, and underpinning the provision of quality public services on into the future. We will support economic growth by investing directly in businesses to boost innovation and employment, funding research and development, and capitalising the Scottish National Investment Bank.

The four Chief Medical Officers of the United Kingdom have reviewed evidence and analysis on the communicability of COVID-19. They have concluded there is a low risk in some cases that an individual confirmed to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 may be capable of transmitting the virus between seven and nine days after the onset of symptoms. The four Chief Medical Officers have therefore each made the decision for their countries that the period of self-isolation required of people confirmed through a test to be infected and who are not admitted to hospital or are not in a care home should be increased from 7 days to 10 days. This clinical decision by the Chief Medical Officers is being announced and implemented on a four nations basis, and will go into effect from today.

Anyone who receives a positive test result from today onwards should follow guidance to isolate for at least 10 days, and for at least 48 hours after any fever subsides. People currently isolating should continue to follow the guidance in place when they began isolation: to isolate for at least 7 days, and for at least 48 hours after any fever subsides. If symptoms other than cough or anosmia persist beyond the isolation period or worsen phone 111, or if it is an emergency phone 999.

This change does not affect the isolation period for people who have tested positive and are in a hospital or care home setting where Health Protection Scotland guidance should continue to be followed and will be updated where appropriate. It also does not change the isolation period for people who live in the same household as an index case, are the close contact of an index case identified through Test and Protect, or have arrived in Scotland after travelling from a non-exempt country, which all remain at 14 days.

The latest Public Health Scotland report shows that the number of COVID cases is currently very low in Scotland. However, the virus has not gone away. It could return at any time, and it is vitality important that we all remain vigilant and all continue to follow public health advice.

The approach in Scotland to Surveillance and Response builds on well-developed and effective structures and processes. Strong and efficient data and intelligence; an effective Test and Protect system; measures to trace those who may come in contact with the virus; and good communication. Together this all helps inform and compliment the experience and actions of our public health teams and resilience partnerships.

The Scottish Government will later today publish its Covid-19 Surveillance and Response position statement. This document sets out how existing planning arrangements, structures and national Health Protection guidance will be applied to address the challenges of any COVID 19 outbreak.

The Advisory Group on Economic Recovery report Towards a robust, resilient wellbeing economy for Scotland will be published on the Scottish Government's website at 11.30am on 22 June 2020.

The Scottish Government today publishes an additional Summer Budget Revision, detailing both the indicative Barnett consequentials received to date and the funding allocations Scottish Ministers have made to support the COVID-19 response (Document no SG/2020/78).

Document is available here www.gov.scot/isbn/9781839607615 .

Given the constitutional significance of the UK Government’s actions, the Lord Advocate, representing the Scottish Government, intervened in Joanna Cherry QC MP and Others against the Advocate General for Scotland in the Inner House of the Court of Session and Gina Miller v the Prime Minister in the Divisional Court of the High Court in England and Wales before ultimately intervening in the subsequent appeals to the UK Supreme Court.

The Lord Advocate argued that the UK Government’s prorogation of the UK Parliament, at such a critical point in advance of 31 October 2019, had the effect of preventing, for five weeks, scrutiny of the UK Government by the UK Parliament and represented an abuse of executive power.

The Scottish Government therefore welcomed the Supreme Court’s ruling in September 2019 that the decision of the Prime Minister to advise Her Majesty the Queen to prorogue the UK Parliament was unlawful, and that the Order in Council which followed was similarly unlawful and had no effect.

Details of the expenditure incurred in relation to these cases are set out in the following table.

The Lord Advocate's expenses are not included, as Ministerial costs are routinely published by the Scottish Government. The cost of internal legal advice is not included as that is provided by Government lawyers who are civil servants as part of their normal duties supporting Scottish Government Ministers; and in line with usual practice, details of individual tasks carried out by civil servants, including the number of hours spent on them are not recorded, because there is no business need to do this.

The Scottish Government encourages and supports participation in local democracy and values the role of Community Councils who undertake a wide range of activities for the benefit of their community. Community councillors were among the thousands of people who got involved in Democracy Matters conversations about the future of local democracy in Scotland. We look forward to their continued engagement over the course of this year as we develop new decision-making arrangements which can further empower Scotland’s diverse communities.