Key Issues for Session 6: COVID, Climate and Constitution | Scottish Parliament

Key Issues for Session 6: COVID, Climate and Constitution

Author: SPICe Research and SPICe Data Visualisation Team

PDF Published: Wednesday 12 May 2021 (SB 21-25)

There have been 226,729 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 24,578 hospitalisations, 10,097 deaths and there an estimated 79,000 cases of long COVID.

Image: Health harms from COVID-19 in Scotland

In April 2020, GDP had fallen by almost 23% before gradually improving over the year to -8.4% in January 2021.

Image: GDP cumulative percentage change since February 2020

Net zero means, total greenhouse gas emissions minus emissions that are removed.

Image: What does "net zero" mean?

The Scottish Government anticipate that emissions will fall to 18.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2032.

Image: Anticipated Emissions Reductions 2020 - 2032 in Scotland’s Climate Change Plan Update. MtCO2e - million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent

Key reports in recent years show nature is in decline in Scotland and globally.

Image: A nature crisis in Scotland and globally

The SDGS aim to provide a global shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet.

Image: The UN Sustainable Development Goals

Image: The devolution settlement post EU exit and UK relations

Hospital costs remain higher than the costs of primary (family health) and community care.

Image: NHS health service total operating costs by sector

This chart shows the relative proportions of spending on health care and social care, showing that health spending has been steadily rising whereas spending on social care has remained static.

Image: Health and social care expenditure

This shows that 29% of people reported high levels of psychological distress 24% reported high levels of depressive symptoms, 17% reported high levels of anxiety symptoms and 10% reported having suicidal thoughts this rose to 26% of young people.

Image: Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health

This chart shows that the number of children and young people referred to CAMHS fell significantly in April 2020 but rose almost to pre-pandemic levels in the Autumn.

Image: Number of referrals to CAMHS October 2019 - December 2020

This shows that the number of calls has risen from September 2020 with January 2021 being the busiest month. The target of answering 80% of calls in 30 seconds has not been met and was under 40% in May, July, August and September 2020.

Image: Number of calls to breathing space and percentage of calls answered in 30 seconds.

After nearly 1,200 people legally changed their sex in 2005, the number has been between 200 and 400 each year.

Image: Number of Gender Recognition Certificates granted since 2005

This infographic shows the 2021-22 budget and caseload for benefits in payment by May 2021 and directly administered by Social Security Scotland. The largest is the Scottish Child Payment, with a £68m budget and 130,000 children covered.

Image: Social Security Scotland benefits as at May 2021

This timeline shows child disability payment starting in 2021 and adult disability payment in 2022. The Scottish child payment is extended to under 16s by the end of 2022 and interim child poverty targets must be met by 2023-24. An independent review of adult disability payment is expected in 2023 and the charter must be reviewed in 2024.

Image: Timeline of transfer from DWP to Social Security Scotland

This infographic lists the benefits that Social Security Scotland is expected to be administering by 2025, showing budget and caseload for each, and assuming devolved benefits are transferred from DWP as planned. The largest budget by a very long way is Adult disability payment at £2.4bn. The largest caseload is Winter heating assistance at c.1m households.

Image: Social Security Scotland benefits by 2025

The civil and political rights we have under the Human Rights Act, the economic, social and cultural rights proposed for incorporation, and where there is some overlap.

Image: Civil and political rights, economic, social and cultural rights

Image: Violence and harassment experienced by women

Colleges are organised into 13 regions and there are 19 universities in Scotland.

Image: The College and University landscape

The number of funded hours of ELC in 2002 was 412.5 hours. This increased to 475 hours in 2007, 600 hours in 2014 and 1140 hours in 2021.

Image: Change in the number of funded hours of early learning and childcare

14% of children accessing funded hours were receiving the equivalent of 600 annualised hours. 21% more than 600 but fewer than 1,140, and 65% 1,140 hours.

Image: Snapshot of the expansion in February 2021

This infographic shows that 19% of flats in Scotand (18,100) are pre-1919 tenement flats. In 2018, 71% of pre-1919 homes had any disrepair to critical elements compared to 31% of post 1982 homes.

Image: Condition of older homes in Scotland

Image: The choice between marriage, civil partnership or living together

This infographic shows the Scottish Government's 11 National Outcomes. These cover outcomes across a wide range of policy areas including health, environment, the economy and society.

Image: National Outcomes

This infographic illustrates four tool functions of the NPF: measuring what matters, shining a light, drilling down and levering additional resources.

Image: NPF tool functions

Since 2000 there have been ten strategies, plans, and frameworks to develop Scotland’s economy.

Image: Where next for an economic strategy?

This chart shows the changing value of tax powers as a share of the Scottish Budget since devolution. It shows that currently around 40% of day-to-day spending derives from taxes set by the Scottish Parliament.

Image: How have the tax powers of the Scottish Parliament evolved?

The Scottish business base grew by 53% since 2000, compared to a rate of 72% at a UK level. Scottish businesses are 6% of the UK total. The majority of Scottish businesses (74%) have no employees. One in five Scottish businesses are in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Image: Some characteristics of the Scottish business base

Currently, 87% of the Scottish Government's capital investment budget is determined by the UK Government, with amounts for future years yet to be determined

Image: Who determines the capital investment budget?

The headline unemployment rate from 2008 to 2020 Q3 in Scotland, the UK and selected European countries, as well as the EU average. The UK and Scotland entered the crisis with one of the lower unemployment rates, experienced lower peaks than most peers, and saw unemployment return and even exceed to pre-crisis levels relatively quickly. The most recent data shows some of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, although different approaches among Governments mean that the affect is not necessarily directly comparable.

Image: Unemployment rates in selected European countries, 2008 to 2020

The UK and Scottish youth (aged 16-24) unemployment rates between 2004 and 2020 Q3. Before the 2008-09 financial crisis the youth unemployment rate was slightly lower in Scotland, but both labour markets saw rates rise to above 20 per cent between 2011 and 2013. The rate of youth unemployment fell steadily between 2013 and 2017 in Scotland, and remained below the UK rate from 2015 through until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Image: Youth unemployment in Scotland and the UK, 2004 to 2020

Underemployment has been measured since 2013, and shows a steady decline in Scotland and the UK. In general the rates in Scotland and the UK have moved in tandem, and since 2019 appear to have levelled out.

Image: Underemployment in Scotland and the UK, 2013 to 2020

This infographic shows the headline unemployment rates for Scotland and the UK, as well as some of the segments. The female unemployment rate has risen slightly more than the mail rate in the year leading to February 2021, while the unemployment rate for those aged 16-24 has risen far more than any other age group.

Image: Unemployment comparison between Scotland and UK, February 2021

This chart shows the total number of employments either partially or fully furloughed in Scotland between July 2020 and February 2021. The total number of employments furloughed in Scotland fell from a high of almost half a million at the start of July to a low of 209,300 on the 23rd October 2020. Since then, the number of furloughed employments rose gradually, before increasing sharply when the second nationwide lockdown started in December. The number of employments furloughed in the second lockdown peaked on 19th January at 393,400, and has reduced slightly to 364,100 at the end of February 2021.

Image: Total number of jobs supported through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in Scotland, July 2020 to February 2021

Image: The Local Governance Review and beyond - where now for the local government - Scottish Government relationship?

Image: Great expectations - setting the scene for change in Session 6?

The increase in the number of assets in community ownership each year since 2001. Includes dates of significant legislation, including the 2004 Land Reform Act and the implementation of Part 5 of the Community Empowerment Act 2015. The number has increased steadily from around 100 in 2001 to almost 600 in 2019.

Image: Number of community owned assets since 2001

A breakdown of assets in community control by SIMD quintile in 2019. The most deprived 20% of communities own 9% of all community assets in Scotland, the second most deprived 15%, the middle quintile 51%, the second least deprived 22% and the least deprived 3%.

Image: Community owned assets by SIMD quintile, 2019

The location of Town Centre Improvement Districts across Scotland

Image: Town Centre Improvement Districts in Scotland

This chart shows the legislation which is central to understanding devoution in Scotland.

Image: Key legislation to understand the devolution settlement

Image: All eyes on Glasgow – what COP26 means for Scotland and the Parliament

There are several different schemes under the Common Agricultural Policy in Scotland. In Pillar 1, the majority of funding goes to income support, and secondly to greening. In Pillar 2, the largest areas of support are for hard to farm areas, forestry, and environmental management, followed by smaller budgets like food and drink business support and community projects.

Image: Types of support under the two ‘pillars’ of the EU Common Agricultural Policy in Scotland. The size of the circle is relative to the proportion of the budget allocated to that type of support.

There are a range of pressures on the marine environment relates to physical disturbance to habitats, climate change and changes in land management and land use change. Examples include fishing activities, ocean warming and acidification, coastal land use change and human developments.

Image: Key Pressures on Scotland’s marine environment

Scotland’s marine protected areas now cover 37% of Scotland’s seas.

Image: Scotland’s Marine Protected Area Network

Infographic showing the carbon stored and annually sequestered (in megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year) in Scotland's blue carbon, split into biological habitats and marine sediments, and Scotland's terrestrial carbon, split into forestry, peatland and non-peatland soils. This is shown alongside Scotland's annual greenhouse gas emissions. Scotland’s blue carbon environments store 9,636 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, which exceeds the carbon stored in Scotland’s land-based ecosystems megatonnes of carbon dioxide

Image: Comparison of blue carbon storage and sequestration with terrestrial carbon, and Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions

A jigsaw showing the many different policy areas relating to food, including environment, economy, human rights, people and communities, education, health and social security.

Image: Links between food and other policy areas

This chart shows the proportion of trips made annually in Scotland, between 2007 and 2019, by car, on foot, by bike, bus or rail.

Image: Proportion of trips by main mode of travel 2007 to 2019

This map shows the location of the Scottish Government's 8 international offices and Scottish Development International's 34 international offices.

Image: Scotland's global footprint

Last Updated: 1/10 10:09pm

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