Question reference: S6W-14574
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 2 February 2023
-
Current status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 February 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many local authorities have received funding in the last six months to provide free (a) bus passes and (b) rail cards to people seeking asylum.
Answer
The Scottish Government has not provided funding to local authorities in the last six months to provide free bus passes or rail cards to people seeking asylum and does not hold information on whether local authorities have received funding from elsewhere.
However, Refugee Survival Trust and partners have been provided with funding from the Paths for All Smarter Choices Smarter Places Open Fund. This has enabled them to begin a pilot scheme to provide free bus travel to people seeking asylum living in Glasgow through the provision of three month bus passes, along with information and digital support to access and use the pass.
The Pilot will run until summer 2023 and will help inform options on how to deliver our Programme for Government commitment to consider how best to provide free bus travel to people seeking asylum across Scotland.