2. To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it is offering to local authorities to respond to Covid-19 outbreaks among young people in school estates. (S5O-04518)

Local outbreaks are principally managed by local health protection teams, which provide support to schools around incident management. The Scottish Government is providing a range of assistance in terms of guidance and resources, to support schools and local authorities in the return to full-time schooling.

Thank you, Cabinet secretary. Parents and pupils throughout Scotland, including in the Lothian region, are rightly concerned about safety as pupils return to school. On 27 July, I wrote to the cabinet secretary about that, but his reply did not answer my question about what inspections and tests have been carried out on school plant, equipment, classrooms and systems. Is he now able to respond to my question and confirm whether guidance has been implemented?

I reassure Mr Lindhurst about the approach that has been taken within schools because I recognise the importance of the question that he raises and the necessity of assuring staff, parents and pupils of the safety of schools on their return.

Individual schools will have been required to undertake a risk assessment, to satisfy the requirements of the education recovery guidance. They will also have been required to follow the mitigating measures within the education recovery guidance to produce a safe environment. That work has been undertaken and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education has reported to me on the steps that have been taken to ensure that that is the case. In addition to that, as is its statutory right, the Health and Safety Executive carries out surveys of schools to satisfy itself that the appropriate health and safety measures have been taken by schools. The Health and Safety Executive is undertaking that work and will continue to do so. I hope that the presence of that work provides reassurance to families the length and breadth of the country.