Fair Work, Skills and Training
Good afternoon, everyone. The first item of business this afternoon is portfolio questions. In order to get in as many people as possible, I would be grateful for short and succinct questions and answers.
Scottish Business Pledge
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in encouraging businesses to sign up to the Scottish business pledge. (S4O-04518)
Ninety-nine companies, large and small, have made a pledge in the three months since the launch, which is roughly equivalent to an employer in Scotland signing up every day. That positive start signals the growing enthusiasm of the business sector to share the Government’s vision of an innovative, entrepreneurial Scotland that grows in a fair and sustainable way.
The cabinet secretary may be aware that I recently corresponded with the Government regarding seasonal zero-hours contracts being used by a company in St Andrews in my constituency. Can she advise how signing up to the business pledge could be beneficial for small organisations such as that one and what is being done to encourage small enterprises to register with the scheme?
The member is probably aware of the figures that have been released today in respect of the prevalence of zero-hours contracts in the United Kingdom. Some 1.9 per cent of people in employment in Scotland are in a zero-hours contract. That compares with 2.4 per cent across the whole of the UK, so there are some signs that firms in Scotland are not using such contracts to anything like the same extent.
Zero-hours contracts and poor working conditions, in effect, motivate employees to find new and better jobs and to leave those firms that insist on using those forms of employment, with high recruitment and retention costs and big productivity challenges.
The business pledge celebrates Scotland-based companies that want to engage in empowering their employees and be exemplars for other workplaces. They recognise that fair work and innovation can make jobs attractive and rewarding, make recruitment easier, lower staff turnover and boost productivity and competitiveness. Those are all pluses for businesses, and I hope that everyone in the chamber agrees that they are to be welcomed.
The business pledge quite rightly has at its heart a requirement to pay the living wage. I am sure that we all want that to be a meaningful living wage that is not taken away by sharp practices such as those of some restaurant chains that have been under fire for creaming off tips from their employees. That has received significant attention in recent weeks. Can the cabinet secretary confirm that businesses that employ such practices would not be eligible to sign up for the business pledge if they bring their employees down below an effective living wage after clawing such money back from them?
The criteria for the business pledge are published on the website and are clear. They do not go into the detail of issues such as that, but I will have a look at the question, which is a fair one. It raises with us the possibility that some companies might find loopholes. From our perspective, the living wage that we are talking about is the true living wage and not any ersatz living wage that might be discussed in another place.
Living Wage (Public Sector Workers in Rutherglen)
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in introducing the living wage to public sector workers in Rutherglen. (S4O-04519)
Workers in Rutherglen, like those across Scotland, will be benefiting from the substantial progress that we are making on the living wage.
In the local area, South Lanarkshire Council and NHS Lanarkshire pay the living wage to nearly 27,000 employees in total. As Peter Kelly, director of the Poverty Alliance, has highlighted, Scotland now has the highest public awareness of the living wage and a faster rate of growth of the number of accredited living wage employees than any other part of the UK. I commend accreditation to all employers, whether they are in Rutherglen or anywhere else.
Does the cabinet secretary agree that payment of the living wage in both the public and private sectors brings benefits in motivating and retaining staff? Does she support my call for the soon-to-be-opened McDonald’s restaurant in Rutherglen to ensure that all the staff are paid the living wage, ensuring that they are rewarded adequately and also giving the McDonald’s business the bonus of motivated staff who are more likely to continue working for the company?
I whole-heartedly join the member in making that call, not just for McDonalds but for every employer. The member will have heard my response to Roderick Campbell about the big benefits that employers will get if they set about paying the living wage and introduce proper fair work practices. They can reduce recruitment, get better morale and productivity and have a better all-round workplace atmosphere. As I said, that is something that we all want.
What is the cabinet secretary’s view of Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne’s appropriation of the language of the living wage for what is effectively a supplement to the national minimum wage?
The member might have heard my use of the word “ersatz” in response to Patrick Harvie and jumped to the conclusion that that was what I was referring to. Indeed it was.
Obviously we will welcome any rise in the national minimum wage, but what is proposed is not a living wage. That ought to be calculated according to the basic cost of living and take into account the adequacy of household incomes for achieving an acceptable minimum living standard. Frankly, regardless of what it is called, what is proposed is not a true living wage.
Youth Unemployment (Glasgow Provan)
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to tackle youth unemployment in Glasgow Provan. (S4O-04520)
The Government has invested in a wide range of employment initiatives that are directly helping to create sustainable employment opportunities for young people in Scotland, including Glasgow Provan. Those initiatives include modern apprenticeships, community jobs Scotland and the youth employment Scotland fund.
Opportunities for all is the Scottish Government’s commitment to an offer of a place in education or training for all 16 to 19-year-olds to ensure that all young people develop the skills that they need to progress into employment.
I welcome the minister’s response, but many of the challenges that my young constituents face relate to the financial support that they need to get into work in the first place. Particularly in relation to travel, can the minister be specific about the financial assistance that is provided to those 16 to 19-year-olds?
As I said to the member, there are a number of initiatives. He will be aware of the Glasgow guarantee, which is delivered by Jobs & Business Glasgow and provides every young person in Glasgow with support in the form of apprentice training at work. It also provides financial support to help businesses to grow. Glasgow City Council benefits from a range of Scottish Government funding to help local people get into employment and to support economic recovery.
There are some travel options for young people, and I am happy to write to the member with further details on them.
We are making progress in tackling youth unemployment but there is more to do, which is why we are investing £16 million this year in implementing our youth employment strategy. Any progress can be illustrated by the most recent labour market statistics that show the highest levels of youth employment since the period April to June 2005 and the lowest levels of youth unemployment since the period April to June 2008. We are making progress, but we recognise that there is more to do.
Youth Employment Scotland Fund
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the youth employment Scotland fund. (S4O-04521)
Following the launch of the youth employment Scotland fund in June 2013, the Government has allocated up to 10,000 employer recruitment placements to local authorities. Further to the update that I provided by letter to Mr Brown on 24 June, we have recently commissioned an evaluation of the programme and it is envisaged that the report will be available this autumn.
Of the 10,000 placements that were funded over that two-year period, approximately—to the nearest 1,000—how many are still in employment?
I do not have the figure for the number who are still in employment. One of the reasons for doing the evaluation is that there are some issues around how the fund has been working, not least of which is the fact that we have discovered that a number of employers who have taken on individuals under the scheme have not claimed the money for the wages, which means that they are not entitled to be counted as part of the scheme.
We are evaluating the programme at the moment. Of course, the member will be aware that we have brought in a new employer recruitment initiative to deal with what were seen as some of the inflexibilities and bureaucracy in the original programme.
The precise figures that Gavin Brown is looking for are not available at present. One of the issues is that it is up to local authorities to deal with the matter. I see the sceptical look on Gavin Brown’s face but, given that we are accused of being in Stalinist control of everything in Scotland, I am always slightly amused when we are attacked for not being in Stalinist control enough.
How does the number of young people in employment in Scotland compare with that in the rest of Europe?
My colleague referred marginally to that issue earlier. We are doing extremely well in terms of youth employment. In quarter 1 of 2015, Scotland had the third highest youth employment rate of the 28 European Union countries at 54.3 per cent. Only Denmark and the Netherlands had higher youth employment rates.
The youth employment rate for the United Kingdom in quarter 1 was 47.8 per cent.
Since the fund was extended to people aged 25 to 30, how many have been helped in total, and how many have been helped in targeted groups such as working mothers, care leavers and disabled people?
I will need to get back to John Pentland on the specific figures that he is asking for. They would need to be ingathered from all the councils that are dealing with the programme.
Secondary School and Employer Partnerships (Dundee)
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendation by the commission for developing Scotland’s young workforce, how many secondary schools in Dundee are paired with an employer. (S4O-04522)
The Scottish Government does not collate that information, but we know that there are good examples of partnerships between secondary schools and employers in Dundee, such as Michelin’s work with Braeview academy, of which I expect that Jenny Marra is already aware.
As part of developing the young workforce, we are making good progress in developing the infrastructure to encourage and support partnerships between schools and employers. Developing the young workforce regional groups are being established across the country, and Dundee is part of that process.
We have produced guidance for school-employer partnerships, with input from employers. That will be available later this month.
It is a slight concern to me that, since her ministry is putting that effort into creating those guidelines and providing that support for schools and employers that are pairing up, the cabinet secretary has not sought information from Dundee City Council about how successful that has been so far.
It is a year since the Wood commission reported. The partnership between Michelin and Braeview predated the Wood recommendations, and I urge the cabinet secretary to find out whether her efforts in this area are bearing fruit on the ground.
What support is available for schools in areas of high deprivation and low employment to pair with employers, where they might not be as ready or available to engage with the Wood commission process?
In my initial answer, I indicated that DYW groups are being rolled out across the country. One group is currently being discussed for Dundee and Angus. They are employer-led groups that will look specifically at the local jobs market, including the issues that the member raises.
I do not have a precise date for the Dundee and Angus regional group being brought on stream, but it will happen this year. It is currently being discussed and I hope that the member will engage directly with the group when it is announced.
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recommendation 12 of the report of the commission for developing Scotland’s young workforce, what progress it is making in ensuring that there is a focus on STEM subjects to help young people into employment. (S4O-04523)
We are making excellent progress with our developing the young workforce programme and I am encouraged by the focus on STEM that is emerging in colleges and schools.
We have seen increases in the number of science, maths and engineering full-time-equivalent students in our colleges since 2006-07. Developing the young workforce reinforces the priority that colleges have long placed on responding to the need for STEM courses in their regions.
Interest and attainment in STEM subjects at school remain healthy. Maths, chemistry and biology are among the most popular subjects at higher, being in the top six, with physics only shortly behind. Education Scotland and the Scottish Schools Education Research Centre provide a strong package of support for STEM in schools.
The first annual report on progress on developing the young workforce is due to be published later in the year, when we will have a parliamentary debate.
That is all fine, but the minister will be aware that, despite the overall increase in entries to highers this year, there was a 4 per cent reduction in entries to STEM subjects, including maths, biology, chemistry, physics and computing science. Surely that will hamper progress on the youth employment strategy, will reduce opportunities in STEM careers for young people and, if training opportunities are not improved rapidly, could damage the huge economic contribution that such industries make to Scotland.
If we look at the overall picture, we see that, since 2007, there has been a 12 per cent increase in the number of entries to STEM highers and a 15 per cent rise in the number of passes over the same period.
On going forward with our seven-year youth employment strategy, we have taken up all of Sir Ian Wood’s recommendations and there is a focus of activity in our schools and colleges. Through our regular monitoring and annual progress reports, we will ensure that the progress that we all wish to make and that we all—including the member—recognise is important for the future of our economy is made at the rate that we foresee.
Disabled People (Access to Work)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its strategy for supporting access to work for disabled people. (S4O-04524)
The Scottish Government’s ambition is that people with disabilities who can and want to progress towards, and move into, mainstream employment do so. We are very clear on that. We want everyone, including disabled people, to get fulfilling jobs that are suitable to their skills. To that end, we provide a variety of different types of support—for example, through the supported employment model, by helping supported businesses and by working to ensure that the general employment services that are offered are flexible and integrated to support individuals with particular needs.
As we plan for the devolution of employment support services, we will ensure that we have a more people-centred approach with a focus on individual needs, rather than the situation that obtains at present with respect to the work programme and work choice.
The minister will be aware that I had the pleasure of hosting Catriona Johnson, the first intern in the Inclusion Scotland internship in the Parliament, which a number of my colleagues later got involved in as well. It was clear from that experience that the way to help disabled people into work is to offer support and flexibility.
Does the minister agree that those values should be at the heart of our welfare system, rather than the heartless and punitive reforms that Iain Duncan Smith wants to introduce, which will no doubt create additional anxiety and stress for the people whom the welfare system is designed to help and not hamper?
I was pleased to be able to attend—albeit briefly—the reception that the member had to celebrate the success of the cross-party internship for young disabled graduates. I commend him and all those involved for the assistance that they provided with respect to that.
The current supported employment model is a person-centred approach in that it identifies what the individual wants to do and can do. That is at the heart of the support that is provided. We will continue to support and promote that evidence-based model, which supports people with disability into employment. We are clear that we will take those fundamental principles into our planning for the devolved employment support services. There is no place for the inhumane policies of Iain Duncan Smith in the Scotland that we wish to see.
The minister will be aware that around 8 per cent of the population have a disability but only around 1 per cent of people entering an apprenticeship have a disability. That proportion is far lower than in other parts of the United Kingdom. What will she do to address barriers to access to apprenticeships for disabled people in Scotland?
I agree that there is more work to be done and we are determined to do it. The member might be aware from previous debates in the chamber that Skills Development Scotland is currently working on the equalities action plan that we have discussed. It is anticipated that the action plan will be published shortly. I hope that, after that, we will have a debate on where we go from there, but we are very determined to make progress and the action plan will signpost the way forward to ensure that a far higher percentage of young disabled people are able to take up modern apprenticeships.
Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners’ Rights
United Kingdom Social Security Reforms (Mitigation)
To ask the Scottish Government how much it is spending in 2015-16 to mitigate the United Kingdom Government’s social security reforms. (S4O-04528)
The Scottish Government has provided £104.2 million in 2015-16 to mitigate the worst effects of the UK Government’s welfare cuts. That funding is part of a total of £296.4 million that is being provided across 2013 to 2016.
With nearly £1 billion more cuts to welfare benefits to come every year from the UK Tory Government, the cost of mitigating the full brunt of those cuts cannot be borne entirely by the Scottish Government. How can we seek to protect the most vulnerable and poorest people in our society from the appalling austerity policies that are being inflicted on the people of Scotland?
As I have outlined, the Scottish Government is providing significant mitigation resources but recognises that it is impossible to fully mitigate the cuts. The Scottish Government will always do what it can to protect the poorest and most vulnerable people in our society, but responsibility must lie with the UK Government and its unfair austerity agenda, which we will continue to oppose. We will do all that we can with the new powers that are coming to the Scottish Parliament to improve outcomes for the people of Scotland.
I welcome the minister’s comments. As well as mitigating the UK social security reforms, will the Government promise to use the powers that it already has, as well as those that are coming, to help—for example, to help the disabled and the elderly in Scotland?
Yesterday, the First Minister outlined her plans for legislation, including a bill on social security in the coming year. Will the minister undertake to use that bill to abolish the care tax in Scotland with the powers that the Government already has?
As Ken Macintosh will be well aware, the Scottish Government is currently having discussions with stakeholders and the people of Scotland on how to take forward the new powers and on how to use some of the powers to make things better for those who are disabled and on social security. We will continue with those discussions and we will report back at the beginning of next year on the outcome of those discussions about how we create a fairer Scotland and reduce inequalities across the country.
Prejudice towards People with Faith
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that enough is being done to tackle prejudice towards people with faith. (S4O-04529)
The Scottish Government is clear that there is no place in Scotland for any form of religious prejudice. Statistics that were published in June 2015 showed that the number of religiously aggravated crimes is at its lowest level since 2004-05, but we are not complacent. Even one incident is too many.
The First Minister is hosting an interfaith summit this month, which will raise the profile of interfaith activity and recognise the importance of dialogue and building relationships between communities. The Scottish Government has provided funding of more than £3.1 million to organisations working towards race and religious equality for 2015-16. That includes £145,000 to Interfaith Scotland, which works across Scotland to develop and support interfaith relations and assist faith communities in engaging with civic Scotland.
I am very pleased to hear that the interfaith summit is going to take place this month. That is a very positive development. Can the minister tell me whether the summit will deal with religious freedom in its broadest sense and whether he is supportive of my proposal for a cross-party group in the Parliament on religious freedom or faith?
The agenda for the interfaith summit has been set in partnership with the participants. Religious freedom is not on the agenda per se, but it is certainly implicit in the subject matter that the summit will be dealing with.
The Presiding Officer will want me to be clear that cross-party groups are creatures of Parliament, not Government. However, ministers are always keen to work constructively with CPGs and we are always supportive of any efforts to highlight the important positive role that faith and belief can play in public life.
Scotland Bill (Welfare and Employment Support Powers)
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to use the additional welfare and employment support powers proposed in the Scotland Bill. (S4O-04530)
First, I congratulate the Deputy Presiding Officer on his recent wedding. I have not had the opportunity to do that before now. I am sure that everybody else in the chamber would want to congratulate him, too.
As set out in our programme for government, we will take forward a comprehensive and ambitious programme to help deliver our commitment to reducing inequality and stimulating sustainable economic growth.
We do not believe that the Scotland Bill delivers on the spirit or the letter of the Smith agreement. We are continuing to negotiate with the United Kingdom Government to amend the bill, so that we have a fuller range of powers over welfare.
In the meantime, we are consulting widely on what to do with the new powers, which is the right thing to do. Where we can, we are moving quickly to implement them. We are working with the Department for Work and Pensions on changes to how the universal credit is paid in Scotland, and we are developing an alternative to the DWP’s contracted employment support programmes that will be in place from 1 April 2017.
Thank you for your good wishes.
I congratulate the minister on the cheerful nature of the opening to his answer. However, his response went downhill as he carried on. Will the minister flesh out not only how he would like to use the powers but how he is likely to finance the changes that are coming? This Government has given the clear impression that additional welfare powers will be used to distribute significant additional levels of support. If that is the case, which some doubt, there will be a cost. Will that be financed through cuts in other services or by using the powers that are coming his way to increase taxes?
As part of the overall package of implementing the Smith recommendations—or, in the bill’s case, less than the Smith recommendations—a fiscal framework must be agreed between the Scottish and UK Governments. That is part of the discussion on how we fund welfare. We want to make sure that we do not end up in the same position as the UK Government has put Northern Ireland, where the Executive has been landed with £70 million of responsibilities that have not been funded by the Treasury or in any other way. Therefore, the fiscal framework will answer the question put by Alex Johnstone.
Citizens Advice Scotland (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners’ Rights last met Citizens Advice Scotland and what was discussed. (S4O-04531)
I met Margaret Lynch, chief executive of Citizens Advice Scotland, on 27 May as part of the Scottish leaders welfare forum. Previously I had met Citizens Advice Scotland along with the Secretary of State for Scotland on 11 March, after a meeting of the joint ministerial working group on welfare. At both meetings, I discussed progress to date with the Smith proposals, welfare mitigation and how CAS might get involved in discussions around the new powers.
When the cabinet secretary next meets the joint ministerial working group, will he discuss CAS’s view, which was published in August 2015, that some sections of the Scotland Bill do not appear to meet the Smith agreement’s intent on social security and tribunals? Is he concerned that, without changes being made to the draft clauses, there are clear risks of detriment to citizens advice bureau clients rights across the country?
I absolutely agree. CAS’s response describes a concerning rise in the number of employment cases that bureaux are dealing with on pay and poor—often illegal—workplace practices. Its report highlights in particular the situation with employment tribunals. It says that new fees that have been introduced by the UK Government have been causing problems for many people on low incomes who feel unable to challenge unfair treatment.
As the First Minister outlined yesterday in the programme for government, we intend to abolish the tribunal fees, and make access to tribunals much fairer for employees as well as employers.
United Kingdom Benefit Sanctions Regime (Promotion)
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the recent admission by the UK Government that it used fake quotes to promote its benefit sanctions regime in Scotland and across the UK. (S4O-04532)
Sadly, that is unsurprising from the United Kingdom Government, which brought in the discredited sanctions system. We know the problems that the current sanctions regime is causing. It is clear that the system is not working, and no number of made-up public-relations case studies can demonstrate otherwise. This further highlights the failings in the whole system and the flawed approach of the UK Government. That is why we believe that the current regime should be suspended pending an urgent review. It is a discredited system that needs a complete overhaul, and we support the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee’s call for a full and independent review of the system.
I thank the minister for her response. Does she agree that the time to end the sanctions regime is now? Every MSP in this chamber will have had constituents in their offices telling horrendous tales that have been brought about by the sanctions. Does the cabinet secretary—I am sorry, I am promoting Margaret Burgess. Does the minister agree that we need a welfare reform programme that helps people into work instead of penalising them for being out of work?
I absolutely agree with George Adam. Unfortunately, I have heard a number of such tales in my constituency office. I am sure that there is no member of this Parliament who has not had similar experiences. They are not isolated cases, and that is what makes the situation so tragic. As I said, the current system is flawed. There should be an independent review of the entire system, and we firmly believe that the Scotland Bill does not go far enough and that all social security powers should be devolved to the Scottish Parliament. It is clear that, if we want a fair and effective social security system that treats people with dignity and supports people into work, it should be in the hands of this Parliament.
Town Centre Regeneration (Central Scotland)
To ask the Scottish Government how it supports town centre regeneration in Central Scotland. (S4O-04533)
Scotland’s town centre first principle, which is agreed with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, together with the measures that are set out in the town centre action plan, set the conditions and underpin activity that is designed to tackle the key issues in town centres across Scotland.
Local authorities remain responsible for local regeneration and local economic development. They are best placed to respond to local circumstances, working with their communities to develop the right vision for their town centres, in partnership with the wider public, and with the private and community sectors.
Furthermore, in 2015-16, we will provide £1.7 million funding directly to local community organisations through the town centre communities capital fund.
New-start rates relief is an important part of the town centre action plan, and is designed to help businesses into vacant new-build properties. Information that I had to obtain through freedom of information requests shows that only six of Scotland’s 32 councils have granted new-start applications in the first two years of the scheme. What is the Government’s view about the level of successful applications, and does it share my concern that new-start rates relief is not supporting regeneration in the way that it should?
Everything should be done to encourage new-start businesses as part of the regeneration strategy in all our town centres. In particular, I would like to point out the work that has been done by the Carnegie Trust, which has, in a number of towns the length and breadth of the United Kingdom, been working with entrepreneurs and young people who are setting up new businesses, and it has deliberately located those new businesses in vacant premises in town centres. The Carnegie Trust reports a success rate of 80 per cent in survival and expansion of those businesses. That is a very good example of how we can make new businesses—and, in particular, the dynamism of young entrepreneurs—part and parcel of the overall solution for developing our town centres and making them fit for the 21st century.
Town Centre Communities Capital Fund
To ask the Scottish Government what process communities should follow to apply for funding from the town centre communities capital fund. (S4O-04534)
Communities can access details and full guidance about the town centre communities capital fund on the Scottish Government website. The fund is open to community organisations to support capital projects in town centres across Scotland. The deadline for applications is 29 September 2015.
The cabinet secretary will be aware of my interest in town centre regeneration and my support for the Scottish Government’s previous scheme. Although the funding for the new scheme is welcome, I worry that the amount of money that is available will be oversubscribed, as was the case with the previous scheme. Will the cabinet secretary give some more information about the criteria that will be used to judge applications and to make awards of money?
The £1.7 million fund is not the only one that is available for town centre regeneration. As you may remember, Presiding Officer, in the past month we announced a £4 million fund that has been tailored specifically to bring disused properties in our town centres into use as housing.
The main issue regarding the criteria is that the money that is applied for must be used for capital spend and must be committed by the end of March 2016. It does not necessarily have to be spent by then, but under Treasury rules it must be committed by then.
Patricia Ferguson will be able to access the more detailed criteria on the website. I do not have time to go through them here.
Will the town centre communities capital fund encourage transport-based projects that include town centres?
If an appropriate application is made, in principle there is no reason why a transport project could not be supported, provided the money is for capital expenditure and is clearly part and parcel of a town centre regeneration plan.
Housing (Brownfield Sites)
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to encourage developers to build housing on brownfield sites rather than bring forward plans for using agricultural and green-belt land. (S4O-04535)
Scottish planning policy requires that development plans promote sustainable development and consider the re-use or redevelopment of brownfield land over greenfield sites.
My constituency currently has a proposal for housing on green belt that will turn a village into a suburb of a town. We need more private and social housing, but there are several brownfield sites that are not being developed. Will the minister consider what else can be done to encourage brownfield development?
As John Pentland will be aware, how land is zoned for housing development is a matter for local authorities and their local development plans. We say in the guidelines that local authorities should look first at brownfield sites, but how they zone their land for housing development is up to them.
The minister will be aware that there are many brownfield sites in the constituency that I represent, which is Clydebank and Milngavie. What can be done to encourage owners to release those brownfield sites for development?
Gil Paterson raises a good point. However, brownfield sites often have complications that can delay their release for development. The Scottish Government and local authorities are working with the private sector across Scotland to find solutions to the challenges that are being faced. For example, progress is being made in West Dunbartonshire Council to secure infrastructure investment to make significant brownfield sites in Clydebank such as Queens Quay more readily available for development. The progress has started, but we still have some way to go.
As a Central Scotland MSP, I echo John Pentland’s concerns regarding green-belt development in that area. How many brownfield sites have been redeveloped since 2007?
The 2014 Scottish vacant and derelict land survey showed that 319 hectares of derelict and urban vacant land on 250 sites had been reclaimed since the previous survey in 2013, and that 30 per cent of derelict land and 54 per cent of urban vacant land was reclaimed for housing.
Planning (Local Participation and Decision Making)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to increase support for local participation and decision making in planning applications outside of local development plans. (S4O-04536)
Through changes in planning legislation, opportunities are available for everyone to engage in the development decisions that affect them. We continue to support people’s engagement in the planning system, through the charrette mainstreaming programme and core grant funding for Planning Aid Scotland.
Please be brief, Mr Buchanan.
I do not have a supplementary question, Presiding Officer.
Many thanks. That concludes portfolio questions. I apologise to members whose questions I have not been able to take.