Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners’ Rights
Good afternoon. The first item of business today is portfolio questions. In order to get in as many people as possible, I would prefer short and succinct questions and answers.
Building Standards (Climate Change)
To ask the Scottish Government how building standards can be improved to help mitigate and adapt to climate change. (S4O-03971)
On adaptation, recent changes to building standards guidance will increase the resilience of new buildings to the possible effects of climate change. In particular, the guidance will address flood risk assessments, flood resilient construction, the control of surface water at source and construction that is resilient to wind-driven rain.
With regard to mitigation, energy standards that are being introduced in October 2015 will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by around 21 per cent for new dwellings and 43 per cent for new non-domestic buildings, when compared with the current standards.
Is the minister aware that local, Scottish-sourced timber for buildings embeds more carbon than imported photovoltaic equipment does, and that planners do not seem to give timber-constructed buildings preference?
What assessment has been made in order to compare the costs associated with the insulation properties of mass-built conventional housing with the potential of mass-built wooden homes in our fight against fuel poverty and to reduce heating costs for families across Scotland?
No assessments have been carried out through the building standards system to compare the energy efficiency benefits of different types of construction material. In general terms, the mandatory standards do not favour one form of construction over another. That helps to avoid issues related to European construction products regulations, under which favouring one form could be considered a barrier to trade. I would hope that planners were aware of that.
We recognise that current new-build energy standards and supporting guidance already make a significant contribution to mitigating fuel poverty. Their contribution will be further increased in October 2015 when the next set of standards is announced.
Poverty
To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to people facing poverty. (S4O-03972)
We are committed to tackling the long-term drivers of poverty through early intervention and prevention. That is why, over this session of Parliament, we plan to invest more than £1.7 billion in affordable housing and why, over a three-year period, we are spending around a quarter of a billion pounds on fuel poverty and energy efficiency programmes. It is also why we have contributed to collective investment of more than £274 million in the early years change fund.
Further to that, the First Minister outlined a range of actions to tackle poverty and inequality in the programme for government. As part of that, we are having to provide more than £104 million of devolved funding in 2015-16 to mitigate the welfare cuts that are being imposed by Westminster.
I thank the minister for that answer and welcome all the measures that she outlined in it.
Does the minister agree that local authorities play a very important part in delivering some of those front-line services? Is she as horrified as I am at South Lanarkshire Council’s proposals to cut the befriending services run by Community Volunteers Enabling Youth, funding for advice services, and teacher and nursery teacher numbers? Now the council leader has thrown her toys out of the pram by refusing to set a budget when budget-setting time comes.
I agree with Christina McKelvie that local authorities have a responsibility to deliver services, and the local government settlement is a good settlement through which to do that. However, individual local authorities are responsible for managing their own budgets, and when doing so they allocate the resources that are available to them according to local needs and priorities while at the same time recognising their statutory obligations.
We encourage councils to use their resources to address poverty and inequality. We also encourage them to engage actively with communities in the democratic process of deciding their spending priorities.
Does the minister recognise that 20 per cent of families that contain a disabled adult live in relative poverty, whereas the figure for families without a disabled adult is only 14 per cent? Has she made an assessment of the impact on disabled adults of rising care charges in recent years? In particular, will she promise to get rid of Scotland’s unfair care tax?
The Scottish Government has announced that we are looking at care charges with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. The Government has outlined a programme to tackle poverty in disabled and other families, including our child poverty strategy. In response to Christina McKelvie’s question, I spoke about what we are doing in general about poverty. We are also continuing with our social wage, which is helping families throughout Scotland, including families with disabled children.
Equal Pay (Dumfries and Galloway Council)
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with Dumfries and Galloway Council and Unison regarding equal pay claims from 2005. (S4O-03973)
Equal pay for local government staff is the responsibility of councils as employers. The Scottish Government has therefore not had any engagement with Dumfries and Galloway Council and Unison about equal pay claims from 2005.
I am grateful for that confirmation.
Many classroom assistants and special needs assistants in Dumfries and Galloway received notification from their union last week of the settlement of their long-running equal pay claim, which the union has been pursuing against the council. Inevitably in such a rural area, many employees did not hear about their ability to claim. I have already heard from a number of my constituents, whose colleagues received sums ranging from a few hundred pounds to several thousand pounds, whereas they will receive nothing, and they have been told by the council that any further claims will be time barred.
I am sure that the cabinet secretary will agree with me that that is not fair, and that it is most certainly not equal. Are there any steps that the Government can take to intervene in the situation? Will he agree to meet me to discuss it?
I absolutely agree with the member. In my own area, the Labour-controlled North Lanarkshire Council has spent thousands of pounds fighting the workers who are fighting for equal pay. That is outrageous.
I am more than happy to meet the member. Although I have very limited statutory responsibilities in the area, I certainly think that maximum political pressure should be applied to all the recalcitrant local authorities that are not playing fair with their own employees.
Town Centre Regeneration (Dumfriesshire)
To ask the Scottish Government how it will support town centre regeneration in Dumfriesshire in 2015-16. (S4O-03974)
We published the report “Town Centre Action Plan—One Year On” last November. The report, which was debated in the chamber, sets out the range of actions that the Government is taking to support town centre regeneration. That includes expanding fresh start rates relief for small businesses, increasing opportunities for town centre living and agreeing the town centre first principle with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.
Local authorities are best placed to respond to the local needs of their communities and to work with them to develop the right vision for their town centres. The town centre action plan sets the conditions for that to happen. We call on the wider public, private and community sectors to take action to help address the issues that are faced by our town centres.
Regeneration initiatives involving community groups, housing associations and the local council are under way in several towns and villages in my constituency, but I note that none has been successful in achieving funding through the regeneration capital grant fund.
Can the minister advise me what support is available from the Government to support regeneration in smaller communities? What opportunities is it providing to enable the sharing of good practice in achieving funding?
The town centre regeneration fund was one of the most successful initiatives ever undertaken by the Parliament, which gave it unanimous support. The fund spent £60 million on projects, including some in Dumfries and Galloway. Ideally, I would like to rekindle such projects but, unfortunately, because of the capital cuts from Westminster, we have been unable to do so.
That said, there are a range of funds that local groups can apply for, depending on the nature of the projects. I will be happy to ask my officials to send the member a list of all funds that may be open to applications.
The Scottish Government previously indicated that both the new start and fresh start relief schemes could support town centre regeneration. However, in response to a written question, I was told that data on the uptake of those schemes is “not held centrally.” How is the Government monitoring the effectiveness of the new start and fresh start schemes?
As is normal, from time to time we do a full-scale evaluation of all those schemes, in co-operation with the local authorities involved. If we monitored everything centrally and collected all the information, we would need another army of officials. It is much better to do a proper evaluation on a timeous basis, either as part of a quinquennial review process or, if that is too long a period, before a quinquennial review, as an independent evaluation task.
Youth Homelessness
To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made on preventing youth homelessness. (S4O-03975)
Preventing homelessness among young people is a priority for the Scottish Government, and the work is overseen by the homelessness prevention and strategy group. Homelessness applications to local authorities from 16 to 24-year-olds have fallen from around 15,000 a year between 2003-04 and 2010-11 to under 9,000 a year during 2013-14, which is primarily due to the person-centred housing options approach that is being taken forward by local authorities. The Scottish Government also provides funding for a range of third sector projects that are working to prevent homelessness among young people.
The minister will be aware that family breakdowns, addiction issues and mental health problems are most commonly behind youth homelessness. There is also an employability challenge for young homeless people, as a perceived stigma is attached to homelessness. What housing advice, information or support is being provided to homeless young people, and particularly to those who have been in care, to ensure that their complex needs are being met? What steps is the Scottish Government taking to address the significant obstacles to employment, training and education that young homeless people face?
Siobhan McMahon outlines very well some of the difficulties that young homeless people face. The purpose of the housing options approach, which is a person-centred approach, is to take into account the individual and all the circumstances around homelessness in order to prevent someone from becoming homeless. That includes providing support on a range of issues—for example, referring people to addiction services, or providing money advice support or support with a new tenancy.
There is a statutory duty on local authorities to provide support and advice services to certain homeless people, and that certainly includes young people.
On young care leavers, we strengthened the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 to ensure that they can continue to get services and after-care services up to age 26. Homelessness teams are also working hard in local authority areas to ensure that young people have a smooth transition from care to settled accommodation. It should be a planned process, through the housing options approach, and young people leaving care should not have to make a homelessness application.
Poverty (Highlands and Islands)
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to tackle poverty in the Highlands and Islands. (S4O-03976)
In reply to Christina McKelvie, I outlined the national approach that we are taking to tackling poverty. However the challenges of living in rural areas are well understood. Increasing travel and fuel costs and difficulties with access to digital services can often have greater impact in rural areas such as the Highlands and Islands. We are working with others on research to share our understanding of how we can better target support to the rural areas of greatest need. In response to the “2014: Rural Scotland in Focus Report”, we are also refining socioeconomic index tools that will better measure poverty and disadvantage across a rural area. That will help us to better target support to the rural areas of greatest need.
The minister will be aware of the incredible 139 per cent increase in claims to the Scottish welfare fund in Highland last year. She will also be aware that the cost of basics is much higher in rural areas, including heating fuel costs, which she mentioned. That means that fuel poverty is much higher in off-gas-grid areas. Will the minister reinstate targeted fuel-poverty funding and ensure that that assistance is available in off-gas-grid areas?
The Scottish Government home energy efficiency programmes for Scotland—HEEPS—initiative is based on areas of deprivation and rurality as well as on the number of people in fuel poverty, and rural areas got extra funding last year for that.
We recognise that there is a problem in off-gas-grid areas, and we have made that case to the United Kingdom Government on more than one occasion. Fergus Ewing has written to the UK Government to ask that the price of fuel in rural areas be looked at. I wrote to Ed Davey to ask him to increase the warm homes discount, and to ensure that it is paid out of central funds and consider how it impacts on rural areas. Although the UK Government is not going to increase the warm homes discount, it has, in the new scheme, taken on board the fact that there is a greater problem in rural areas, and the Scottish fuel poverty forum is represented on the working group.
The 2p per unit electricity surcharge in the Highlands and Islands contributes a fair bit to poverty in my constituency. Will the minister respond to my energy survey? It showed that 95 per cent rejected the 2p surcharge, and nearly 99 per cent of the 1,700 replies that I received backed public ownership of electricity production and supply.
As I said in my previous answer, the Government is concerned about the level of energy bills throughout the country, and especially in the north of Scotland. Fergus Ewing has raised the issue of high electricity bills and charges with the chief executive of the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets, and he has written to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change to highlight our concerns about the impact of the current charging arrangements and the apparent slow progress of Ofgem’s further investigation into the matter. We will continue to press for a timely and effective solution.
Third Sector (South Scotland)
To ask the Scottish Government how it will support and develop the third sector across the South Scotland region. (S4O-03977)
The Scottish Government recognises the critical role that the third sector plays in addressing issues of inequality and the needs of disadvantaged communities, and it is committed to supporting the sector across Scotland, including in the South Scotland region. The 2015-16 Scottish Government budget will enable us to continue to invest significantly in the third sector as a key social partner, and we will maintain funding of £24.5 million towards direct support of the third sector.
The cabinet secretary may be aware that funding difficulties that have been encountered by Action on Hearing Loss Scotland have meant that the excellent hear to help initiative is coming to an end across Ayrshire and Arran and the Borders in March. We know that service users potentially face isolation without the support of the initiative. Does he agree that, as we move towards integrating health and social care, health boards need to look at their services to ensure that best use is made of the extra reach and resource that third sector organisations such as Action on Hearing Loss Scotland provide in supporting people with hearing loss in their communities?
The health boards and the new partnerships need to take care of the priorities, and assisting people with hearing difficulties must be a priority. However, I say gently to Jim Hume that if his colleague Danny Alexander had not sliced the Scottish Government’s resource budget by 10 per cent, we would have far more money to help the third sector not only in South Scotland but throughout the country.
Empty Properties
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to help bring empty properties back into use as housing. (S4O-03978)
We are bringing empty properties back into use through the support of the Shelter-led Scottish empty homes partnership, the £4.5 million empty homes loan fund and other funding programmes. Scotland’s network of empty homes officers have reported that more than 500 empty homes will have been brought back into use in 2014-15, which is up from 278 in 2013-14. We have recently extended the partnership for a further three years, at the end of which we expect that 1,200 homes per annum will be brought back into use.
We are also finalising details on a new £4 million town centre empty homes fund to provide grant and loan funding to increase the supply of housing. It will focus on problem empty homes, which cause blight on their community, and on the conversion of empty commercial space into residential accommodation.
The minister will know that there are significant rural housing pressures. What action is being taken to bring empty properties back into use in rural areas?
Action is being taken across Scotland to bring empty homes back into use. I saw a great example of that at first hand in the rural town of Kirriemuir, where the empty homes loan fund has helped to turn a disused church hall into nine units of affordable housing. There are more empty homes loan fund projects in rural areas, and the town centre housing fund also welcomes bids from rural towns.
Fair Work, Skills and Training
Modern Apprenticeships (Disabled Young People)
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve access to modern apprenticeships for disabled young people. (S4O-03981)
The commission for developing Scotland’s young workforce recognised the need for more action to support young disabled people and made specific recommendations to achieve that. In response, “Developing the Young Workforce: Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy” sets out the framework for how we intend to tackle the issue. For example, Skills Development Scotland is working with Barnardo’s, Remploy and training providers to increase the take-up of modern apprenticeships by disabled young people. Skills Development Scotland has also met the BRITE—Beattie resources for inclusiveness in technology and education—initiative and Capability Scotland to discuss ways in which the accessibility of SDS’s My World of Work web service can be improved to ensure that it is accessible to all customers.
With less than 0.5 per cent of modern apprenticeships secured by disabled people, we have a long way to go. The commission that the minister mentioned highlighted that
“The learner journeys of young disabled people are often disjointed and can take longer to complete.”
The commission concluded that funding levels and funding rules
“should be adjusted to give them the best possible chance of succeeding”.
Will the minister update us on what adjustments have been made to those funding levels and funding rules?
The specific recommendations that have been incorporated in the refreshed youth employment strategy are being actively worked on. It might interest the member to know that there are a number of funding streams. About £3 million has been allocated directly in response to the recommendations of the commission on developing Scotland’s young workforce to address wider underrepresentation across our employability programmes. [Annabelle Ewing has corrected this contribution. See end of report.] The Scottish Government has provided £2 million for the targeted employer recruitment incentive, to facilitate transitions to sustainable employment. There is also the community jobs fund, which the Scottish Government delivers in partnership with the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations and which creates targeted opportunities for those who face additional barriers to employment, including those with a disability.
Of course, more can always be done. The Scottish Government is determined to do all that we can to improve access for disabled people to apprenticeships and therefore to the world of work.
The minister outlined the Scottish Government’s plans to tackle underrepresentation in the modern apprenticeship programme. Does she agree that, crucially, disabled people need adequate money to live on in the first place and that therefore continued welfare cuts of successive United Kingdom Governments are holding back disabled people completely?
As a former member of the Parliament’s Welfare Reform Committee, it is clear to me that the UK Government’s changes to the welfare system continue to cause hardship for a significant number of people in Scotland, with disabled people suffering disproportionately. That is unacceptable.
The Scottish Government will continue to do what it can to help those who are most affected, but it is clear that, whatever the exact nature of the powers that may come to the Parliament, they will come with a 20 per cent cut across the board that Westminster will impose. It is sad that, for the Westminster parties, spending £100 billion on new nuclear weapons takes precedence over providing a safety net for some of the most vulnerable people in our country.
Work Programme
To ask the Scottish Government how it will roll out the work programme once it is devolved. (S4O-03982)
Following the publication of the United Kingdom Government’s command paper, we are taking forward discussions with the UK Government, through the joint ministerial group on welfare, on the devolution of the work programme and the other employment services that are currently contracted by the Department for Work and Pensions. Meaningful devolution of those services could provide an opportunity to offer far greater support into work for the unemployed in Scotland, and especially for those who face the greatest barriers to work. Once we have greater clarity from the UK Government on the details of its legislative proposals, we will engage with colleagues from across the chamber and civic society to maximise the opportunity that is afforded in our future services.
As the cabinet secretary knows, many companies are desperately looking for young people to work in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics sectors. How can the work programme be used to boost opportunities in the STEM sectors?
I say with the greatest respect to Mary Fee that we do not yet know what will be available to us in the work programme once it has been devolved. The things that she discusses will be for us to consider once we are aware of exactly what will be available. At present, it looks as if what is proposed will relate only to the longer-term unemployed—those who have been unemployed for longer than a year—and there are some restrictions regarding the disabled as well.
Until we are aware of what we will be able to do and what powers we will have, it is difficult to answer specific questions. However, I have given a commitment to come back to the chamber and engage with members on specific aspects once we know the detail.
What scope does the Scottish Government have to go down a different route from Westminster’s, given that, as I understand it, the work programme contracts have been extended despite the Smith commission recommendations?
In some senses, my answer to John Mason is similar to the answer that I gave to Mary Fee. It looks as if there might be scope to redesign services for the long-term unemployed in Scotland, which would better align future delivery with the Government’s policy objectives, but we understand that limitations exist—primarily conditionality and sanctions—that will remain reserved to the UK Government. The UK Government’s command paper limits the devolution of contracted services to those that last longer than a year, which appears to unduly restrict the further devolution of any services.
We continue to discuss the position on the work programme extension in Scotland through the joint ministerial welfare group. We will press for a resolution that meets the needs of the unemployed in Scotland and delivers the spirit and letter of Smith, but it is a little premature for me to be able to go into the detail that members undoubtedly want to know.
Question 3, in the name of Jamie McGrigor, has not been lodged, but a satisfactory explanation has been provided.
Jobs Fund
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to establish a future jobs fund for Scotland. (S4O-03984)
The Government has invested in a wide range of employment initiatives that are available from day 1 of unemployment and directly help to move our young people into sustainable employment opportunities. Through the youth employment Scotland fund, we are providing support, in partnership with local authorities, to move 10,000 young people into sustainable employment, and through our community jobs Scotland programme, we have supported more than 5,000 young people into job training placements in the third sector.
As members are aware, we recently published “Developing the Young Workforce”, which presented our refreshed youth employment strategy. Given all that work, there are no current plans to establish another jobs fund in Scotland.
Is the cabinet secretary aware of North Lanarkshire Council’s youth investment scheme, through which the council has invested over the past three years £7.5 million to secure 5,000 jobs for young people in my region? Does the Scottish Government have any plans to investigate the success of that scheme and are there any plans to roll it out across Scotland?
I would always want to investigate any schemes that are brought to my attention. If we see successful schemes—by the sound of it, this might very well be one—it is important that we consider whether lessons can be learned in other areas. Of course, that is a decision that local authorities can take. As well as the Government looking at the scheme, local authorities can look at its success and consider it for their areas. I will engage with Mark Griffin on the specifics of the scheme if he wishes to discuss it further.
Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making on implementing the recommendations of the commission for developing Scotland’s young workforce. (S4O-03985)
We are making good progress against the milestones set out in our implementation plan, “Developing the Young Workforce: Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy”, which was published in December 2014 and was the subject of some of my responses to earlier questions. I am particularly looking forward to the inaugural meeting of the national advisory group tomorrow, which I shall chair jointly with Councillor Douglas Chapman, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities spokesperson for education, children and young people, at which we will discuss progress.
The commission recommended that
“The Scottish Government, working with the proposed new Apprenticeship Supervisory Board, should ring-fence a proportion of all Modern Apprenticeship starts for STEM frameworks. This proportion should be significant and should be above the current level. These STEM apprenticeships should be actively promoted to employers and young people.”
Given that the oil and gas sector faces a significant level of retirement among its workforce, what discussions have taken place with the industry to plan for future workforce needs? How many science, technology, engineering and mathematics apprenticeships does the Scottish Government envisage that there will be?
The delivery of apprenticeships in Scotland requires a partnership between employers, colleges and schools. STEM apprenticeships, engineering apprenticeships and information technology apprenticeships are all things to which we afford a great deal of priority. As Nanette Milne is aware, a great many conversations are taking place about the situation in north-east Scotland. It is important that all employers, including those in areas such as the north-east, engage actively in the work that we are doing, because apprenticeships require employers to take on the apprentices and to continue offering jobs.
I hope that the specifics of the regional difficulties that can arise, such as have arisen in the north-east, will also be addressed through our invest in young people groups. At some point in the near future, I hope to discuss a regional group for north-east Scotland, where the issues that Nanette Milne raises would be a prime area of discussion.
Engineering Apprenticeships
To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages engineering apprenticeships. (S4O-03986)
Through Skills Development Scotland, we have exceeded our ambitious target to deliver more than 25,000 modern apprenticeship starts each year, with 77,402 new opportunities delivered over the past three years. The number of apprentices starting engineering frameworks has gradually increased in recent years. There were almost 500 more engineering apprentice starts in 2013-14 than in 2010-11.
In August 2014, Skills Development Scotland published the skills investment plan for the engineering and advanced manufacturing sector. Developed in partnership with industry, the skills investment plan provides the necessary blueprint for addressing skills supply issues in the sector, including a specific action to better meet employer demand through the promotion of modern apprenticeships in engineering.
I thank the minister for that answer, which I will have to read closely, because there was so much in there. Is she aware of the excellent work of the East Kilbride and District Group Training Association, and that the first two apprentices in sign making ever trained in Scotland, entirely through the good work of the training association and their respective employers, recently received their certificates? Will she, and perhaps the cabinet secretary, too, visit the East Kilbride and District Group Training Association during apprenticeship week to see the innovative work that is carried out there?
It is kind of Linda Fabiani to extend the offer of a visit. I am always happy to visit examples of local good practice. Whether I do so during apprenticeship week would depend on my diary commitments, but I shall ask my office to get in touch with her. I noted the member’s motion on the subject, and I offer my congratulations to the young apprentices who have completed their sign making apprenticeship and wish them the very best for their future careers.
I also acknowledge the efforts of private training providers such as East Kilbride and District Group Training Association in supporting the Government’s ambitions for the modern apprenticeship programme and, indeed, the ambitions of our young people. The target to which I referred, which we have exceeded, is not where we are going to sit. We have set a further, more ambitious target of 30,000 modern apprenticeship starts by 2020.
Glasgow College Region Curriculum and Estates Plan
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that the Glasgow curriculum and estates plan’s proposed transfer of activity to the city centre does not have a detrimental effect on the training needs of people from deprived communities in Maryhill and Springburn. (S4O-03987)
The Glasgow Colleges’ Regional Board is responsible for planning college provision that meets the needs of learners and employers, and it has a legal duty to exercise its functions with a view to improving the economic and social wellbeing of the city. We understand that the Glasgow curriculum plan proposes a 2.5 per cent increase in activity in community locations, including access level courses, supporting more students who live in the most deprived areas, those with low or no qualifications and those who are furthest from the labour market.
I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer and for the information about access courses, which is welcome. However, a great deal of uncertainty has been caused by a lack of clarity in the plan, as it suggests that some specialties or skills and training opportunities will not be available in the local communities where they are most needed. I would be grateful if the cabinet secretary was able to reassure me that that unwanted scenario will not, in fact, transpire.
The colleges in Glasgow have carried out an extensive review of the region’s curriculum offer. A wide range of stakeholders has already been consulted on the plan, and the regional board has endorsed the direction of travel. It is an ambitious plan that recognises the collective resources that are available in Glasgow. The aim is for the transfer of activity not to take place until August 2015.
There is a huge opportunity for college education in Glasgow to be the jewel in the crown and it is important that the many positives for learners and employers are not overshadowed by difficult questions, such as the one that Patricia Ferguson rightly raises. Overall, colleges have always delivered strongly for deprived communities in Scotland, so I hope that I am able to reassure the member that that will continue to be the case in Glasgow.
Students from deprived areas benefit from free full-time education and record bursary support and the results for colleges speak for themselves. Two thirds of those from the 20 per cent most deprived areas studying for recognised qualifications at college successfully completed their courses, which is up on 2012-13. The latest figures show that 26.6 per cent of students come from the 20 per cent most deprived areas.
That is the backdrop against which the plan that Patricia Ferguson is talking about will be set. I hope that fairness will always be a major consideration, regardless of what aspect of the roll-out we are talking about.
Information Technology (Careers)
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to promote the information technology industry as a career choice. (S4O-03988)
An underpinning theme of the information and communication technology and digital technologies skills investment plan, which was published in March 2014, is to raise the profile of careers in the IT sector.
To help to achieve that, Skills Development Scotland is working in partnership with the industry on a multichannel marketing campaign that is aimed at highlighting the opportunities that are available through a career in IT. The campaign will begin in spring 2015 and will complement the wider careers information, advice and guidance that is already available through the my world of work website.
I hope that that answer is also of interest to Nanette Milne.
The cabinet secretary might be aware of an event that was hosted by the Oracle academy last week, entitled future job framework, at which the Oracle academy and New College Lanarkshire presented on their joint working. Does she agree that that is an excellent example of the IT industry engaging with local colleges and, in so doing, expanding knowledge and the variety of opportunities in Scotland?
Yes, I agree with Clare Adamson. That type of collaborative working is a step in the right direction to ensure that people who are entering the labour market are equipped with the knowledge and skills that such a fast-paced and dynamic sector requires.
The Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council currently supports seven early-adopter college regions to explore and develop senior-phase vocational pathways. Focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics and regions of importance, that activity will bridge the gap between school, college, university and employment for 15 to 18-year-olds.
The pilot projects from Skills Development Scotland will begin to improve representation and will identify best practice that can be shared and replicated. It is of interest that one of those pilots is a partnership project in West Lothian to encourage women into STEM subjects.
Employment Conditions (Scottish Government Agency and Contract Staff)
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that the agency and contract staff it employs enjoy fair terms and conditions. (S4O-03989)
Agency staff are not directly employed by the Scottish Government. The agency staff suppliers are responsible for pay and other terms and conditions of service. However, the Scottish Government works with them throughout the contract period to ensure that the best terms of supply are available.
How many people who are employed by the Scottish Government’s contractors and subcontractors are employed using so-called umbrella company contracts?
It would be difficult to establish the exact figure, because the nature of those contracts means that people are set outside the normal employment patterns.
I am aware that there is a members’ business debate this evening on precisely that subject. It has been a matter of some concern. I have a meeting in respect of the umbrella contract position this afternoon, and another meeting, which has been rescheduled, with the Labour front bench spokesperson on the matter. We wish to discourage all unfair or unacceptable uses of contracts such as umbrella contracts where possible.