The key measures from Nicola Sturgeon’s statement explained

Nicola Sturgeon set out her Programme for Government today

Independence

A draft bill will be published before the end of the current Parliament next May setting out the "terms and timing" of a second independence referendum. The move provoked immediate opposition criticism, but marks an attempt to turn next year's Scottish election into a de facto "referendum on a referendum" focussing on whether a repeat of the 2014 vote should be staged.

Coronavirus

A new NHS contact tracing app is to be launched later this month to help fight the virus. The NHS Louisa Jordan hospital at the SECC in Glasgow will open through winter and eligibility for the flu vaccine will be extended to "everyone over the age of 55, social care workers and those who live with shielded people".

Social Care

An independent review is to consider the idea of a national care service. The review, a Programme for Government commitment, will aim to ensure Scotland provides consistently excellent support for people who use these services, as well as their carers and their families.

Youth Guarantee

Young people will be guaranteed a job, education or formal training under a new Scottish government scheme. Ms Sturgeon said the "youth guarantee" was aimed at ensuring young people do not carry the "economic scars" of coronavirus into adulthood.

Home Working

A new Centre for Workplace Transformation to look at how and where work takes place, and what support employees and businesses need to make this work. It is expected many Scots will want to continue working from home after the crisis.

Digital Exclusion

50,000 people on low incomes are to receive an electronic device, such as a Chromebook or laptop, by the end of 2021, as part of the Connecting Scotland initiative. It will also include two years of digital support and training to assist those who would otherwise be without digital access.

Green Investment

A £1.6 billion fund of green investment will support green jobs, reprioritise road space for public transport use, plant trees, and transforming how buildings are heated. Overall investment in decarbonising heat - which will in itself be more than £1.5 billion over the next parliament - will help improve energy efficiency.

Video GP consultation

Video consultations are to become the "default position" across the NHS, after 17,000 took place in the final week of June - compared with just 300 a week before COVID.

"While we recognise that video consultations will not be appropriate for every patient or situation, I can confirm that we intend to move to the position where ‘Near Me’ is the default option for patient consultations," Ms Sturgeon said

Domestic Abuse

A new Domestic Abuse Bill will be introduced, legislating for emergency protection orders to better safeguard those at immediate risk of domestic abuse.

Children

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child will be fully incorporated into Scots law, meaning all public authorities will be required by law to act in ways compatible with the Convention’s requirements to

recognise, respect and be accountable for the rights of children in what we do.

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