Chamber and committees

Our Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan requires a rolling programme of electrification to meet its target date of 2035. We continue to make good progress, including the current electrification work on the Barrhead and East Kilbride routes. Early development work for further routes is currently underway as part of our project pipeline approach and we will make further announcements on these at an appropriate stage of development.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-04734 on 13 December 2021 . All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

As was the case for the disposal of the former HMP Peterhead site, SPS will dispose of the site at HMP Barlinnie in accordance with Scottish Government policy which is set out in guidance within the Scottish Public Finance Manual.

Thereafter, it will be for any potential purchaser to determine the future use of the site in conjunction with the relevant Planning Authority.

The Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (NDRHI), which supported district heating development, closed to new applicants on 31 March 2021. However provisions were made to allow some applicants to commission up to 31 March 2022, in response to disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Through the Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP) we have awarded over £20 million of capital grant funding to help unlock seven heat network projects, all of which intended to apply for the NDRHI. Since the closure of the NDRHI to new applications the LCITP has provided grant support for the development of Investment Grade Business cases for zero emission heat networks being taken forward without RHI support.

A Non-Domestic Rates Relief of 90% for new heat networks run by renewable sources was introduced in April 2021, around the same time that the Non-Domestic RHI closed to new applicants. This relief will remain in place until 31 March 2024. This is in addition to the existing 50% relief for all heat networks which has been extended to remain in place until 2032.

As set out in our Draft Heat Networks Delivery Plan, we are committed to providing capital support to heat networks. The successor to the LCITP will launch this year, and we have committed to investing at least £400 million through this programme for large-scale heat infrastructure including heat networks.

The SPCB is not the employer of MSPs’ staff.  The SPCB’s responsibility is to fund the provisions of the Reimbursement of Members’ Expenses Scheme, including the Staff Cost Provision, which funds MSPs to employ their staff.  MSPs, as the direct employers of their staff, are responsible for ensuring that they meet their legal obligations as employers and that staff are treated fairly, with dignity and respect.

Notwithstanding this, the SPCB has put in place a wide range of measures to support MSPs to adopt good employment practices, including a training and development programme which includes career management guidance and support; fair, consistent and competitive pay ranges and job families, underpinned by a commitment to ensure that MSPs are able to pay their staff at least at the rate of the Living Wage; support with recruitment and policies that aim to support a positive workplace culture.  The SPCB also provides dedicated HR resources to support MSPs in their capacity as employers. 

The SPCB understands that various parliamentary groups have entered into agreements with trade unions that represent their staff and that some MSPs are applying the principles of the Fair Work Framework.  The SPCB, through the People and Culture Group, will continue to support MSPs to do so.  In particular, the SPCB has committed to a strategic objective to support MSPs to attract, recruit and retain skilled, motivated and engaged staff who are recognised for their contributions and skills and who work in a positive workplace culture. 

To date, the Scottish Government has committed 393m of European Social Fund (ESF) grant support towards projects that boost smart and inclusive growth across Scotland. The expenditure of the 2014-2020 ESF programme, which is based on paying claims that meet the condition of grant from organisations who deliver projects, is currently 125.6m. Many organisations continue to deliver ESF-supported activities across Scotland and the Scottish Government expects expenditure to increase to meet our 393m commitment before the programme ends in December 2023.

The de-commitment from the original allocation at the start of the ESF Programme is 78.3m, however no money has been returned to the European Commission as unspent or de-committed. The EC, as part of their usual management and governance cycle, automatically de-commits fund allocations from ESF and ERDF Programmes that have not met financial targets during a calendar year. This process applies to all Managing Authorities across the UK and Member States throughout the EU.

It will be possible to fully assess the financial performance of the Programme in summer 2024 when all ESF-supported activities are complete, all claims have been paid and verified and the final declaration is submitted to the EC.

The vaccine offer is universal in Scotland. For asylum-seekers who have received COVID-19 vaccines in Scotland, they can request their record of vaccination be sent to them by calling the Freephone COVID-19 Status Helpline on 0808 196 8565.

These paper certificates are fully equivalent to the certificates provided via the app, and can be used for access to domestic venues and will also permit smoother inbound entry to the UK. The Scottish Government have published ‘ Vaccine certification scheme – information for business and event organisers ’; ‘ Vaccine certification scheme – information for customers ’; and a ‘ toolkit ’ which provides guidance and example certificates, so venues are fully aware that they should be accepting the certificate issued to medically exempt individuals for entry to their venue or event.

Security features of the COVID Status Certificate App includes an automated user identification and verification process to allow access to sensitive personal medical information. If a user does not have the required photo ID they cannot use the app.

A representative may support someone with the process of accessing proof of COVID-19 vaccination status. However, the person requiring a certificate will ultimately need to confirm their identification either via the App or by calling the Covid Status Helpline on 0808 196 8565.

To support accessibility, we have created Easy Read, Audio and British Sign Language versions of the guidance explaining what information the Certificates contain and how to use them. These can be found on NHS Inform. Translations of the guidance into community languages have now been completed and are available.

We are working to implement our ‘ Framework on Recovery and Rehabilitation from COVID-19’ , which puts in place clear principles, priorities and objectives to support planning to meet increasing demand and provide high quality person-centred rehabilitation in different settings. A National Advisory Committee on Rehabilitation has been convened to oversee the implementation of the ‘Recovery and Rehabilitation Framework’. The board meets regularly, and minutes of these meetings can be viewed on our webpage here .

The rehabilitation programme has undertaken a significant scoping exercise through a self-assessment process to understand the current status of rehabilitation services in Scotland, from the perspective of the staff working in them.

The self-assessment tool has been circulated to all NHS Boards, Health & Social Care Partnerships, COSLA, third sector organisations, and Leisure Trusts as part of Local Authorities. The outputs from the self-assessment tool along with demand and capacity data will help us shape priorities, understand challenges and opportunities and inform funding decisions.

We will develop and implement a rehabilitation plan that will ensure everyone who requires rehabilitation will be able to access it, including those with a neurological condition.