Chamber and committees

HMRC continues to be responsible and accountable for the efficient and effective administration of income tax for Scottish taxpayers.

When HMRC announced the next stage of their Building our Future transformation programme on 12 November 2015, the First Minister personally spoke to the second Permanent Secretary at HMRC to relay her grave concerns over job losses. Keith Brown, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, wrote to David Gauke MP, Financial Secretary to HM Treasury, on 5 July 2016, to relay the Scottish Governments concerns over the HMRC office closures.

We are fully committed to working with all interested parties at local, national and UK level, including the trades unions, to mitigate the impact of HMRC office closures and job losses in Scotland.

Yes. There are two types of time bar in personal injury cases – prescription and limitation. Claims for personal injuries sustained prior to 26 September 1964 were extinguished by the law of prescription after 20 years unless a claim was made or acknowledged before 25 September 1984. Claims for personal injuries sustained on or after 26 September 1964 do not prescribe after 20 years but are subject to a three year “limitation” period. Chapter 2 of the Scottish Government’s consultation on ‘The removal of the three year limitation period from civil actions for damages for personal injury for in care survivors of historical child abuse” (see http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/06/5970 ) explains the difference between these two types of time bar and their application to claims prior to 26 September 1964. See in particular, paragraphs 2.4 to 2.13 of the consultation paper.

For the reasons detailed in Chapter 3 of the consultation, whilst the Scottish Government gave serious consideration to a legislative solution to the application of the law of prescription on cases of abuse which occurred before 26 September 1964 the legal issues relating to the removal of the law of prescription for these cases proved too difficult to overcome. In particular, that the Scottish Government considers that it would not be compatible with Article 1 of the First Protocol (A1P1) to the ECHR to reverse the law that was put in place in 1984.

The STUC, and its affiliate trade unions, are key stakeholders with an interest in a wide range of government policy. The Government's Memorandum of Understanding with the STUC recognises the particular and important contribution that trade unions can make to the development and implementation of those policies, and it recognises our shared values and common goals. Unions members have for example played a key part in the Fair Work Convention, and the General Secretary of the STUC sits on the newly established Standing Council on Europe. I continue to maintain these relationships and will be meeting with the PCS later this month.

Social landlords can use a wide range of funding to pay for the investment needed to bring tenants’ homes up to the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH). This comprises Scottish and UK Government schemes including the Energy Company Obligation. The Scottish Government for example introduced a new £5m Home Energy Efficiency programme for Scotland (HEEPS) loan scheme in 2016 to assist Registered Social Landlords deliver the EESSH. Appropriate on-going levels of financial support will be considered during next year’s planned review of EESSH. This review will support the wider development of Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme the cornerstone of our designation of Energy Efficiency as a National Infrastructure Priority.

The Scottish Government is committed to protecting Scotland’s relationship with the EU, following Scotland’s unequivocal vote to retain the wide range of economic and social benefits membership provides.

Since 23 June, the First Minister has spoken to the Governor of the Bank of England, discussing implications of the EU referendum for financial markets and the economy.

In addition, Scottish Ministers, officials, and the Enterprise Network have been in regular contact with businesses, employers, trade unions, and social partners. This work will continue. Through the Enterprise Network we are gathering information from businesses across Scotland, and ensuring access to the information and support that companies need. The Federation of Small Businesses has suggested we establish an EU Business Hub to act as a single point of contact, and we will take that forward.

We welcome the statement issued jointly by Scotland’s main business organisations on 8 July, which confirmed that businesses need continued access to the single market and free movement of labour. The Scottish Government will continue to work with business bodies and sectors – as well as with individual companies – to share information, listen and understand business priorities and concerns, and make clear – here and internationally – that Scotland remains a stable and attractive place to do business, with a fundamentally strong economy.

The Scottish Ministerial code is clear that Ministers must not divulge either the source or content of legal advice. However, the Scottish Government has committed to being as open and as frank as possible – with the Scottish people, as well as with the Scottish Parliament – as it explores all options to protect Scotland’s relationship with the EU.

This Government established Scotland’s inquiry into the abuse of children in care with statutory powers and independence from the outset and this will continue.

As in this and all previous public inquiries, the Scottish Government has specific, focussed statutory duties, particularly under the Inquiries Act 2005. This does not change the independence of the Inquiry to deliver on its remit including, for example, in deciding what issues to pursue, what material to require from public authorities and others, and what witnesses to take evidence from.

The In Care Survivor Support Fund for people who were abused while in care as children has a total budget of £13.5 million over the next five years.

The consortium of organisations who won the tender to administer the fund, Penumbra, Health in Mind, The Mental Health Foundation and Glasgow City Health and Care Partnership will work together to deliver the fund. The fund is supported by a further 26 individual survivor support organisation from across Scotland.

The Survivor Support Fund for people who were abused while in care as children will not require vouchers to gain access.

The Scottish Government remains committed to tackling fuel poverty. Last year we designated energy efficiency as a National Infrastructure Priority, which will be delivered through Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP).We will now develop a longer-term approach to tackling fuel poverty as part of SEEP, and set this out in legislation by introducing a new Warm Homes Bill.

This new approach will be informed by stakeholders, in particular the Fuel Poverty Strategic Working Group and the Scottish Rural Fuel Poverty Task Force, which are both due to report by the end of 2016 and make recommendations on, among other things, the effective use of newly devolved powers (both obligations on energy suppliers and fuel poverty related benefits), the current definition of fuel poverty, and how to deal with the particular issues facing rural and remote households.