Commonwealth Games, Sport, Equalities and Pensioners’ Rights
Good afternoon. The first item of business is portfolio questions. As ever, in order to get as many people in as possible, short and succinct questions and answers would be appreciated.
Equality Issues (Co-operation across Local Authorities)
To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages co-operation across local authorities on equality issues. (S4O-03601)
Local authorities are directly responsible for equality issues within their remit, including compliance with legal requirements. It is therefore for authorities themselves to identify and develop any suitable opportunities for co-operation in relation to equalities. Scottish ministers aim to create conditions for better collaborative working and co-operation across sectors, including local authorities, to improve performance against the public sector equality duty.
I recently met a senior local authority official to discuss Gypsy Travellers, and that individual commended to me the fact that a needs assessment was being done for the local authority area. I asked what collaboration there was with adjoining authorities, because clearly, by the very nature of that community, Gypsy Travellers are not resident in one place. I was surprised to learn that there was no co-operation at that stage, although I think that the situation has since been rectified. What is the Government doing to ensure that that does not happen, in respect of both local authority and health issues?
If the member wants to write to me with more information about the local authorities concerned, I will certainly look into the matter. It obviously makes sense for local authorities to work together across such issues. The work that is under way to develop the new strategy and action plan for Gypsy Travellers offers an opportunity to ensure that the issues are addressed. If he writes to me with more details, we can ensure that those issues are picked up both with the local authorities and as we take forward the strategy over the next few months.
I call Hanzala Malik.
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to stem the reported decline in the number of female students—
I am sorry, Mr Malik. I think that you are ahead of yourself. I thought that you wanted to ask a supplementary, but that might be for the next set of questions.
Question 2, from Annabel Goldie, has not been lodged, and an understandable explanation has been provided.
Single-tier Pension (Discussions with United Kingdom Government)
3.
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the United Kingdom Government regarding the level of the single-tier pension. (S4O-03603)
The Scottish Government has not yet had any formal discussions regarding the level of the single-tier pension. However, recent announcements at the Conservative Party conference suggest that the UK Government will set the single-tier pension at a level that is lower than our expectations. I have therefore written to the Minister of State for Pensions seeking urgent clarification.
I, too, was concerned to hear the figure of £142 quoted by UK ministers recently, as it is far below the £160-a-week offer contained in the white paper, which would have ensured better pensions in an independent Scotland. Does the cabinet secretary agree that the offer needs to be upped by the UK Government and that the best way forward would be for pensions to be devolved to this Parliament?
Yes, I agree with that. The level is significantly lower than the Scottish Government’s expectations. However, the reference may be to the indicative starting rate set out previously by the UK Government, rather than a final determination of the level of the new pension. That is why I have written to the UK Government seeking urgent clarification. We argued in the referendum campaign that a starting rate of £160 per week for those with full entitlement would be fair and sustainable, helping those reaching state pension age to have a decent retirement.
Our view, which we have expressed in our submission to the Smith commission, is that we maintain that decisions on welfare, including pensions, are best made by the Scottish Parliament, as the member has said, in line with the needs of Scottish pensioners.
Disabled People (Fair Treatment)
The cabinet secretary will be aware of the blue badge scheme for drivers or passengers who have mobility problems. Although there was support for the tightening of the regulations to address occasional inappropriate use of the badge, I am still being contacted by constituents who are concerned that, although they have mobility problems, they are refused the badge, and are refused again when the appeal comes around. That happens particularly at the point when the badge is being renewed. Has the cabinet secretary had any discussions with the Minister for Transport and Veterans or the Minister for Local Government and Planning about such concerns and the impact on people who have disabilities?
I will be happy to have those discussions with colleagues, and I am aware of some issues arising from blue badge applications. Some significant improvements have been made, particularly around abuse of the system, and they are to be welcomed. If the member so wishes, she can write to me with a bit more detail about the issues that she has raised. In the meantime, I will be happy to speak to colleagues who have more direct responsibility for the blue badge scheme. I will do that after this meeting.
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures the fair treatment of disabled people. (S4O-03604)
The Scottish Government is actively engaged in a programme of work to improve outcomes for disabled people across all areas of daily and public life, using domestic legislation and international treaties to lever change and to measure improvement. We are committed to working in co-production with disabled people and have provided funding of almost £2.4 million over the period 2012 to 2015 to build the capacity of disabled people’s organisations in Scotland.
Pension Credit Scheme (Uptake)
To ask the Scottish Government how it will improve the uptake of the pension credit scheme. (S4O-03605)
As the member will be aware, pension policy is currently reserved to the United Kingdom Government. Nonetheless, Scottish ministers are committed to ensuring that all Scottish pensioners receive the support to which they are entitled. The Scottish Government has already provided funding to support Age Scotland’s helpline, which ensures that older people have access to quality-assured information and assistance across a range of topics such as money and benefits. We have also agreed an additional funding grant for 2013 to 2015 to support Age Scotland in its partnership with the Silver Line and to extend the scope of the current helpline service. I met Age Scotland this morning, and am encouraged by its commitment to the issue. I will continue to work with Age Scotland and other stakeholders to consider how we improve uptake.
Does the cabinet secretary support the work of Rights Advice Scotland in developing a benefit calculator for older people to encourage the uptake of pension credit, which is claimed by only one in three eligible pensioners? Across Scotland, as we enter the winter months, thousands of pensioners face a bleak and hard choice between having enough to eat and keeping warm. What action plan does the cabinet secretary have to increase the uptake of pension credit?
I certainly support the work of Rights Advice Scotland, in addition to that of Age Scotland and Citizens Advice Scotland. All provide important information to pensioners. As I said, we particularly support Age Scotland and its helpline, which has received a huge number of calls from people for information. We encourage people who are entitled to pension credit to apply for it, and we will continue to do so.
In our submission to the Smith commission, we have set out that we will continue to argue the case that decisions on pensions are best made here in the Scottish Parliament, in line with the needs of Scottish pensioners. I am sure that if we can get control over pensions through the Smith commission, we can do more for our pensioners, including those who are on pension credit.
Tax Breaks for Sports Clubs
Liz Smith makes a reasonable point; the issue is about knowing about the tax relief that is available. Sportscotland has a huge amount of information on its website, but I will ensure that it proactively informs clubs that they can apply for relief.
There are some developments on the horizon that are important to those clubs, such as the changes to water and sewerage charges. From April next year, exemptions to those charges will be awarded, subject to certain conditions, to all charities with an income of less than £200,000. That could make a big difference to clubs’ overheads.
There is a debate around tax powers and the Smith commission, and the Parliament may well debate additional tax powers once we know what those powers are. In the meantime, it is important that sportscotland informs clubs about rates relief, and I will make sure that that happens.
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will investigate tax breaks for sports clubs. (S4O-03606)
The Scottish Government, through sportscotland, the national agency for sport, has invested significantly in Scotland’s sports clubs. That investment is central to the development of a world-class system for sport in Scotland.
In addition to that direct financial support, we encourage all eligible sports clubs to make full use of the range of tax breaks and other options that are available, including business rates relief. In Scotland, mandatory business rates relief of 80 per cent is granted to registered charitable sports clubs and registered community amateur sports clubs. In addition, councils have discretionary powers to grant further relief of up to 100 per cent. Of course, further investigation of tax breaks would be a real option only if full fiscal levers were devolved to Scotland.
The cabinet secretary will know that the Parliament has had several debates on the legacy of the Commonwealth games and the Ryder cup, and that some of those debates focused on the financial benefit legacy that can be left, particularly to some of our smaller sports clubs, which often find it difficult to survive. I note what the cabinet secretary says about some of the advantages—she spelled that out—but what facility does the Scottish Government have to allow those sports clubs to know which benefits they can take advantage of?
Commonwealth Games Legacy (Disadvantaged Young People)
To ask the Scottish Government what the legacy of the Commonwealth games will be for disadvantaged young people. (S4O-03607)
Legacy 2014 has young people at its heart. There are many examples of Scottish Government programmes that use the games as a catalyst to support disadvantaged young people in overcoming barriers and achieving their full potential.
Sport Relief and UNICEF UK are using the power and inspiration of sport to improve the wellbeing of vulnerable young people, both at home and in the wider Commonwealth, empowering them to make positive changes to their lives. Programmes such as Scotland’s best are providing those young people furthest removed from the labour market with new development opportunities that will support them into employment, further education and training.
I encourage Jayne Baxter and other members to visit the legacy 2014 website for more information on those legacy programmes.
I welcomed the efforts that were made, for example, to provide free tickets to allow disadvantaged young people to access events at the games. However, that in itself will not create the long-term change that is needed.
I appreciate the cabinet secretary’s comments on the efforts that are in place, but will an independent assessment be made of the effectiveness of the legacy actions that she has outlined?
Yes. I confirm that there will be comprehensive analysis of all the impacts of the games, from the economic impact through to the legacy impact. There will be a very comprehensive post-games legacy report in summer next year. I will be happy to keep Parliament updated on that.
Sport and Legacy Budget (Priorities)
To ask the Scottish Government what the priorities are for the sport and legacy budget in the next financial year. (S4O-03608)
I am delighted to say that the Scottish Government will continue to make significant investment in 2015-16 to build on the fantastic successes of this year, including £2 million of funding specifically for legacy, to ensure that we capitalise on the inspiration generated by the Commonwealth games. There will be investment of £24 million in the national performance centre for sport, and £6 million will be invested in a national parasport centre, which recognises the importance of equality of opportunity and the success of Scotland’s para-athletes in the games.
More than £4 million will go to sportscotland’s institute of sport to continue to develop Scotland’s world-class system for sport, and £14 million will be invested in more than 50 Scottish governing bodies of sport, to the benefit of clubs and athletes in communities across Scotland.
How does resource spending for the elite athletes programme in 2015-16 compare to spending in the current year?
Sportscotland’s budget has remained frozen and is the same as it was in the previous year. Sportscotland’s elite athlete programme is also supported by lottery funds, of which sportscotland receives a substantial amount.
We are in discussions with sportscotland about the elite athlete programme. Commonwealth Games Scotland is also part of those discussions, which are to ensure that team Scotland receives the support that it requires when it competes in the Gold Coast in 2018. Those discussions are still under way, but elite athletes can be assured that they will receive the support that they require to perform at their very best.
Equality Issues (Discussions with European Commission)
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the European Commission regarding equalities issues. (S4O-03609)
The Cabinet Secretary for Training, Youth and Women’s Employment met the European Commission director general for justice, Ms Françoise Le Bail, on 19 May 2014. Ms Le Bail leads on equality issues for the Commission. The focus of the discussion was the Commission’s most recent report on equality between men and women, published in April 2014.
Does the minister agree that it is important that all European Union workers have equal rights? That applies as much to those, like me, who come from Europe to fill the skills gaps in our buoyant economy—in the north-east, in particular—as it does to our young people who decide to work abroad in Europe.
I agree with the member. There are 160,000 people from other EU states who have chosen to live and work in Scotland. They make a massive contribution to Scotland’s economy and culture. The Scottish Government greatly values the contribution that EU migrants bring to our economy and society and the benefits of freedom of movement that are enjoyed by our citizens, who can live, study and work in all EU countries.
EU migrants who move to Scotland, exercising their right to free movement within the terms of European law, have a legitimate reason to be here and will always be welcome, not only for their contribution to our economy but also for the vibrancy and diversity that they bring to our nation.
I very much agree with the member. That is a sentiment that we would want to send out from this Parliament.
One Scotland Equalities Campaign
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its equalities campaign, one Scotland. (S4O-03610)
The one Scotland equality campaign was initially launched on 28 July to enable the Scottish Government to communicate about equality issues with a single voice and purpose. That was supported by the launch of the new one Scotland website: www.onescotland.org.
Following the forced marriage phase of the equality campaign, which was launched on 30 September, the next phase will focus on race and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex equality and will be launched on 6 November.
BEMIS is one of the key partners in the campaign. In its submission to the Smith commission, it suggested that, if equalities legislation were devolved to the Scottish Parliament, it would make sense also to fully devolve powers over welfare and employment. Will the minister reiterate her support for that analysis and outline what benefits that would bring?
I am pleased that BEMIS and others have made submissions to the Smith commission arguing for that point. It is important that equality legislation is devolved to this place, alongside welfare policy and employment policy. That will not only enable us to do more around some of the work that we are already doing; it will give us the ability to do even more to ensure that the sentiments behind the one Scotland campaign are felt by everyone, in practice. By having powers over those matters, we can take much more action to ensure that people in Scotland have absolute equality of opportunity.
I welcome the minister’s remarks with regard to the devolution of equalities. Does she support the devolution of the ability to legislate for gender quotas? If so, would she use that power?
I think that we have made our position on that pretty clear. In our submission to the Smith commission, we are clear that we want the power over equalities legislation in Scotland for a purpose, and that that purpose is to ensure that we build on the good work and progress that has been made with regard to women in public life, particularly with regard to their visibility—I have always said that people cannot be what they cannot see. That is an important point. Of course, we would be able to use the power over equalities legislation to transform public life and to be a leading example for other sectors in Scottish society.
Training, Youth and Women’s Employment
Employment in Dundee (Impact on Women and Young People)
To ask the Scottish Government what impact the reported 11 per cent fall in employment of people of working age in Dundee between 2011-12 and 2013-14 has had on women and young people. (S4O-03611)
The latest data from the annual population survey—July 2013 to June 2014—shows a drop of 5.6 per cent in employment levels between 2011-12 and 2013-14. The employment level for women in Dundee decreased by 2.5 per cent over the same period, while the youth employment level increased by 5.9 per cent. However, the latest data from the labour force survey shows a clear and sustained strengthening in the Scottish economy, with the number of women in employment at the highest level since records began and youth unemployment at a six-year low.
Unemployment is falling and Scotland’s economy is growing thanks to the hard work of both of Scotland’s Governments. However, does the cabinet secretary agree that there is still a lot of hard work to do to ensure that all our local economies benefit from the progress? In light of the statistics, what steps will the Scottish Government take to support Dundee in achieving its target of more and better employment opportunities for young people and 68,000 people of working age in employment by 2017?
Yes, indeed. Let me be absolutely clear that, although the national indicators for women and young people throughout the country are moving in the right direction and Scotland is outperforming the rest of the United Kingdom, as the economy strengthens and improves we need to ensure that nobody is left behind.
Alison McInnes might be interested to know that modern apprenticeship starts in Dundee increased from 238 in 2008-09 to 714 last year. Community jobs Scotland, the youth employment Scotland fund and the employability fund are all well used in Dundee. She might also be interested to know about a vocational English as a second language course in Dundee that is targeted at women. It focuses on various sectors, such as tourism, hospitality, bioscience, finance and customer service, as well as the early years in education.
As the cabinet secretary stated, we have the highest number of women in employment since records began. With youth unemployment at a six-year low, does she agree that, even with the limited powers over the economy that are at our disposal, Scotland’s economic health is improving?
The figures speak for themselves. The economy has grown for two years and output has now passed pre-recession levels. However, I am acutely conscious that, although youth unemployment is at a six-year low, it still remains too high at 16.7 per cent. Indeed, youth unemployment pre-recession in Scotland was at 13.2 per cent, so our ambitions must be far greater than returning to pre-recession levels of economic performance and youth unemployment in particular.
I agree with Angus MacDonald’s point that full fiscal responsibility for the Scottish Government would enable us to do more.
Given the rates of youth unemployment in Dundee and the effect on women, what is the cabinet secretary doing to turn round the situation in which nearly 6,000 students were unable to get a place at Dundee and Angus College this autumn to train for the skills that they need?
I point out to Ms Marra that the youth employment situation in Dundee is improving. Last year, the youth employment rate for Dundee was 47.8 per cent; it is now 51.1 per cent. That is an important move in the right direction, but there is far more to do, not only in Dundee but the length and breadth of Scotland.
I would be happy to consider any specific information that Ms Marra has about further education in Dundee and to share that with the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning. However, there is no doubt that the college sector is delivering for more young people, who are studying more on full-time courses that lead to recognised qualifications that improve their overall employability and work prospects.
There is a lot of interest in the topic, so I make a plea for short and succinct questions and answers to match.
Part-time Vocational Courses (Decline in Number of Female Students)
The substantial drop in women taking up part-time places across the board is mirrored in vocational courses. A constituent who came to my office is struggling to find a suitable training opportunity to fit in with her caring responsibilities. Can the cabinet secretary assure me that action will be taken to increase economic involvement by providing females with the means of obtaining education while balancing a family and/or part-time work in future?
As I indicated in my original answer to Mr Malik, we are continuing to invest in part-time places—there is an additional £6.6 million this year and next year. I remind Mr Malik that there is an all-age career service that is available to everyone, irrespective of gender or age, via Skills Development Scotland. I do not know the particular details of his constituent’s case, but I am happy to receive information regarding the lady that he seeks to represent.
Does the cabinet secretary agree that, through the Wood commission recommendations, we can develop a world-class vocational education system that matches the best-performing economies in the European Union?
The recommendations from the young workforce commission are indeed very important. They will help us to build on the great progress we have made in schools, in the college sector and in our careers sector to reach world-class vocational education. An important aspect of vocational education is that it is very closely linked with low levels of youth unemployment. It is also crucial that, with the right approach to vocational education, we can address the needs of all young people and young women in particular; we can address the barriers that women face in the workplace and issues such as occupational segregation.
Question 3 from Dennis Robertson has not been lodged, for understandable reasons.
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to stem the reported decline in the number of female students studying part-time vocational courses. (S4O-03612)
Women form the majority of college students. Students can benefit from record levels of financial support of more than £104 million this academic year in bursaries, childcare and discretionary funds. That includes an entitlement payment of up to £1,215 per year to help lone parents with childcare costs. Additionally, we invested £6.6 million in 2013-14 and are doing so again in 2014-15 for additional part-time opportunities.
Youth Unemployment (Dumfries and Galloway)
On whether south-west Scotland is to benefit from European Union funding through the youth employment initiative, has the cabinet secretary received any response from the United Kingdom on adopting the European youth guarantee to ensure faster intervention with unemployed young people to help them into work?
Joan McAlpine raises two important issues. The south-west of Scotland, including Dumfries and Galloway, will indeed benefit from youth employment initiative funds. We are meeting our local authority partners to progress that and to discuss roll-out of that rather substantial fund.
It is no secret that the Government and I are whole-heartedly in favour of the European youth guarantee. Parliament also voted in favour of that position. I have written to the UK Government a number of times to make it clear that the work programme and the youth contract are failing to intervene early enough. The most recent reply that I received was from Esther McVey on 24 October, just last week, in which she said:
“We do not think that the UK endorsement of this initiative would either be necessary or cost-effective.”
I strongly dispute that view. We must prevent youth unemployment from becoming long-term unemployment, which means acting from day 1 of a young person’s unemployment.
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address youth unemployment in Dumfries and Galloway. (S4O-03614)
This Government has invested in a wide range of employment initiatives that are directly helping to create sustainable employment opportunities for young people in Dumfries and Galloway. Those opportunities include more than 2,500 modern apprenticeship starts in the past three years; 145 young people being supported through community jobs Scotland in the past three years; the creation of 341 new jobs for young people through the youth employment Scotland fund in the past two years; and almost 1,000 starts on the employability fund between this year and the last.
In June 2012, the cabinet secretary convened a youth action summit in Dumfries. Can Ms Constance advise members what region-specific actions she subsequently took—or indeed intends to take—as a result of that summit to address unemployment and indeed underemployment of young people in the region, as both youth unemployment and underemployment remain higher than the Scottish average?
I appreciate that the claimant count is marginally higher in Dumfries and Galloway than it is in the rest of the country, although the youth employment rate in Dumfries and Galloway has increased substantially over the year. It is now at 63 per cent, which is above the national average.
Nonetheless, the member is right that underemployment is indeed an issue for young people, particularly in rural areas. That was one of the reasons why we went the length and breadth of the country holding discussions in many parts of Scotland, because there are unique challenges in rural parts of Scotland. That approach has certainly helped to inform our views about how we progress with vocational education training to meet the particular needs of rural areas and has particularly informed the work that we are doing in the strategic group on women and work.
There is also the need for added flexibility, bearing in mind that, for some young people in rural areas—this point applies to young people with disabilities as well—their transitions can be disrupted. Therefore, where we can, we have extended the offer of national schemes from people aged 16 to 24 to people aged 16 to 29—for example, with the youth employment Scotland fund.
Employment (Young People with Learning Disabilities)
To ask the Scottish Government how it helps young people with learning disabilities into employment. (S4O-03615)
The Scottish Government recognises that young people with disabilities can face additional barriers to entering employment. Our aspiration is that, with the right support, they can find suitable and fulfilling jobs in mainstream employment.
By providing support for young people with learning disabilities, such as activity agreements that provide tailored learning, targeted employer recruitment incentives, and employment and training opportunities through Community Jobs Scotland, we ensure that Scotland’s most vulnerable young people, including those with learning disabilities, have the support and the skills that they need to be successful in the workplace.
The cabinet secretary is aware of the young Scotland’s got talent programme, which is run by the Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability. It is an initiative that I know she supports. Will she commit to funding the programme in the future, given the fantastic results that it has achieved in giving young people their first opportunities in employment?
I have attended two young Scotland’s got talent events—I even have a T-shirt to prove it. If I had known that Ms McMahon was going to ask a question about the programme, I would have worn that T-shirt today. The events were tremendous and absolutely blew me away. They were great networking opportunities for young people with learning disabilities, who were able to show proudly what they can and do achieve in the workplace.
I have already provided £31,000 to support the events. I cannot make any promises, given that finances are always tight, but if we find as we progress through the financial year that there is scope for providing further support, we will do that.
Employability Fund (Support for Women)
From my experience, and the figures that I have seen, women make up about a third, or 36 per cent, of people throughout the country who receive support from the employability fund. I accept that there will be regional variations, and it is interesting to look at the reasons for them.
The employability fund took over from the get ready to work and training for work programmes, which tended to be used more by young men. It is true, therefore, that that is still reflected in the figures for the employability fund. Fewer women are referred to the programmes because more young women leaving school have positive destinations. However, Skills Development Scotland published its equality impact assessment for the employability fund earlier this year, and it is committed to looking at a more diverse participation and less gender segregation in the programme.
The NEET—not in education, employment or training—figures show that young men tend to fall out of education and training more than women, but I am particularly conscious that, although the figure for young men has fallen, the figure for young women NEETs has remained static. There are issues that we need to address, and we need to dig behind the headline figures.
To ask the Scottish Government how the employability fund supports women into work. (S4O-03616)
The employability fund was introduced with the fundamental aim of improving outcomes for unemployed women and men throughout Scotland. The fund allows training providers greater flexibility to adapt provision to individual client and local labour market needs, and it will deliver 17,150 starts each year.
I have a breakdown here of the employability fund figures. Only 861 women over the age of 25 have been able to access the fund—less than 5 per cent of the total number. The number of women who have received support in Perth, East Lothian and Aberdeenshire can be counted on one hand. How, therefore, can the Government claim success in getting women back to work when so few have received support from the employability fund?
Training Courses (Support for Women)
To ask the Scottish Government how it supports women in taking up places on training courses. (S4O-03617)
The Scottish Government recognises that women can face challenges in accessing training and is taking a range of steps to address them. For example, in implementing the recommendations of the commission for developing Scotland’s young workforce, the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council and Skills Development Scotland have been asked to take action to reduce gender segregation in their courses and programmes, and to report on progress.
Since the Government came to power, the number of women who access college courses has fallen dramatically while childcare costs have risen to among the highest in Europe. Does the cabinet secretary agree that one of the first priorities should be the provision of childcare places to any parent who has a child under five and who is seeking to access a college course?
Drew Smith needs to recognise that women are not underrepresented in our colleges: 53 per cent of college students are women and 52 per cent of full-time students aged between 16 and 24 are women. We must also recognise that, in the year ending June 2014, Scotland had the highest percentage in the United Kingdom of women with national vocational qualification level 3, or equivalent qualifications, at 63.3 per cent. We have to be proud of that achievement but, of course, we want to continue to take action to reduce the barriers that women still face.
My commitment and the Government’s commitment to universal childcare is absolutely clear. I just hope that Drew Smith will join us in trying to get the full range of fiscal and welfare responsibilities to achieve that.
Skills Needs (West of Scotland)
I am afraid that that concludes the time that is available for questions.
To ask the Scottish Government what it considers the skills needs are of the west of Scotland economy. (S4O-03618)
The Scottish Government is committed to working with partners to increase sustainable economic activity across the regions of Scotland, including the west of Scotland. Responding to the skills needs of employers and businesses across Scotland is absolutely crucial to maximising our potential.
Through Skills Development Scotland, we have committed to establishing a robust and evidence-based understanding of Scotland’s strategic workforce skills requirements. SDS will shortly publish a series of regional skills assessments, which will be developed with local partners to inform future skills planning and investment. In that way, we are ensuring that our skills and education system remain closely aligned with the needs of employers and regions across Scotland.
Does the cabinet secretary agree that skills needs vary across Scotland and that we need to ensure that regional skills needs are being met? We have had cuts of 140,000 college places across the country, so will she agree to analyse the impact that those cuts in training opportunities has had in places such as Renfrewshire and other areas in the west of Scotland?
The regional skills assessments for local areas are important. They will be developed in collaboration with the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council, Scottish Enterprise, local partners and local authorities, and will need to be aligned with the outcome agreements for colleges and community planning partnerships.
To focus on some positive news, Mr Bibby might be pleased to know that the youth employment rate in Renfrewshire has increased to 59.1 per cent and that the claimant count for young people in Renfrewshire has decreased, such that 500 fewer young people are claiming jobseekers allowance and related benefits, which should of course be good news. The claimant count is now lower than pre-recession levels, which is evidence that the Government’s policies are working.
Stuart McMillan can ask a brief supplementary.
I welcome those comments from the cabinet secretary. I also welcome the Scottish Government’s action in securing a buyer for Ferguson’s shipyard in Port Glasgow. Does the cabinet secretary agree that closure of the yard would have resulted in the loss of valuable jobs and skills in the west of Scotland, and in particular the Inverclyde area?
Of course I agree whole-heartedly that had Ferguson’s closed, that would have resulted in the loss of valuable skills, not only in the west of Scotland but across Scotland as a whole, and there would have been a devastating impact on families and communities. Instead, thanks to the investment and ambition of Clyde Blowers Capital, Ferguson’s will remain an integral part of the Inverclyde community.
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