Chamber and committees

The First Minister announced on 10 August measures to support and stimulate the economy in the wake of the EU referendum and highlighted that capital spending on projects to support and create employment would be accelerated, with an additional £100 million of funding in this financial year. In launching the Programme for Government, the First Minister confirmed that one of the sixteen projects that formed the £100 million capital investment package would be £10 million to support capital investment in local economic development projects.

The detail of the specific projects will be announced shortly and will be focused in areas where there has been economic challenge and company closure and will help increase economic resilience, supporting future growth and helping to create and retain jobs in local communities. We are currently working with local authorities to confirm the projects that are to be supported through these capital resources which need to be committed this financial year.

There has been no formal application process as the resources have been focused on accelerating existing priorities. The projects that are being considered are those that have been identified as priorities through our joint work with local authorities. They will support employment and business activity and will develop infrastructure assets and improvements which will make a significant contribution to the future prosperity in these communities. Key assessment criteria have been growth, including an assessment of the impact on short-term economic growth and business activity and inclusion, including the impact on geography and fit with wider Scottish Government priorities.

The Scottish Government recognises that switching energy tariff or supplier can provide significant savings for consumers. However, the Competition and Markets Authority’s recent energy market investigation has highlighted that consumers in Scotland are less likely to be active in the market than when compared with consumers in England and Wales.

In response to this, the Scottish Government is examining collective switching models and group buying of energy to inform our approach in this area. We will evaluate existing models and identify key elements of successful methods and interventions that may be helpful in promoting Scottish consumer engagement in the energy market. As part of this work, we are engaging with a number of organisations that have operated recent collective switches in Scotland to understand their experiences and those of their consumers - both positive and negative - which will grow our evidence base as we consider our next steps and inform the development of policy within our draft Energy Strategy for Scotland.

In support of this work, we will also be undertaking a survey to establish the extent of switching and the barriers that consumers face, and use the results to identify the characteristics of different types of switchers, such as those on low incomes, with the aim of developing targeted policy interventions.

Our aim is to better understand within the Scottish context, the potential to increase consumer engagement in the energy market through the promotion of collective switching schemes and the potential for innovative models to reach the most vulnerable and disengaged Scottish energy consumers, in line with the Scottish Government’s call for a fair deal for all Scottish energy consumers.

In Scotland’s Economic Strategy we said we would address long-standing barriers in the labour market so that everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their potential. Fairer working practices can help utilise more effectively the skills and talents of groups who do not always get the best deal in the labour market and contribute to inclusive economic growth. This is the context in which we are scoping arrangements for the fund, which will be announced in due course.

It is estimated that the capital stimulus package funding of £100 million will support around 800 full time equivalent Scottish jobs, with just over half of those in construction.

The impact on economic growth in 2016-17 will not be known until the projects being funded have been taken forward. However, it is anticipated that this investment will deliver a vital boost to the economy, helping retain skills and activity in key sectors as well as enhancing Scotland's asset base.

The Scottish Government allocates funding to Skills Development Scotland (SDS) on an annual basis for delivery of training programmes and other activities, including the Employability Fund (EF). In the Budget Bill 2016-17, published on 29 January 2016, SDS was allocated Grant in Aid of £176.1 million which will be used to meet its commitments in 2016-17 including the delivery of 11,650 Employability Fund training places plus £6 million in-year transfers from the Scottish Funding Council to Skills Development Scotland to support delivery of the college ring-fenced places within the sector.

Since its launch in 2013-14, EF has supported 52,030 training starts as shown below:

2013-14 = 17,370

2014-15 = 17,339

2015-16 = 17,321

The Scottish Government is committed to improving rail services and connectivity within Dumbarton. We have, through the ScotRail franchise, increased the frequency of passenger services between Glasgow and Dumbarton from four to six services per hour and have continued this level of service following the completion of the Glasgow Queen Street tunnel improvements. Passengers in Dumbarton are now able to enjoy a more frequent level of service to and from Helensburgh, Balloch and Glasgow with improved journey times on the Balloch services.

The Scottish Government recognises the extremely important role of unpaid carers and the valuable contribution they make within their local communities. The Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 provides local authorities with a statutory discretionary power to support carers in their own right. This assessment should focus on the personal outcomes of the carer and can lead to services for the carer or the supported person.

Through the Self-directed Support in the Right Direction Fund, five projects are receiving over £440,000 during 2016-2017 to provide support and information to unpaid carers.

To support individuals who have been made redundant, or are at risk of redundancy, in the oil and gas industry and other sectors affected by the downturn, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) organised four high-profile PACE events held in Aberdeen in March, June and September 2015 and also in June 2016, with three,165 unique individuals attending these events.

As part of a wider programme of engagement through the Energy Jobs Taskforce, SDS has also provided in-depth support to individuals affected by the downturn in the sector and who have taken up an offer of support. This amounts to an estimated 1,620 individuals. This support includes workshops on CV preparation, careers guidance interviews, one-to-one employability support and coaching.

The Honourable Member may also be aware of the £12 million Transition Training Fund to support individuals and help the sector retain talent. The latest figures show more than 500 people have had applications approved from the fund, with more than 650 applications currently being processed, we expect this number will increase substantially.

The Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 became Scotland’s approach to social care on the 1 April 2014. It places firm duties on local authorities to offer a range of options for how social care support is delivered. The Statutory Guidance that accompanies the Act states that all options must be described in full and that all options are equal.

The Self-directed Support, Scotland, 2014-2015 report highlighted data recording issues which the Scottish Government’s analytical services is working with local authorities to improve.

Empowering people to have choice and control of their social care support is a long term cultural and systemic change. Since 2011 the Scottish Government has invested £58.8 million to aid the implementation of self-directed support across Scotland. This has included:

£32 million to local authorities to support system and culture change.

£12.7 million to the support in the Right Direction Fund to ensure people are supported in setting their personal outcomes and able to make informed decisions (34 organisations received a share of £2.8 million in 2016-17).

£8.6 million to the Innovation Fund to enable third sector social care providers to deliver flexible and creative support and promote culture change through the workforce (21 projects received a share of £1.1 million in 2016-17).

£2.8 million to embed self-directed as the approach to social care across the workforce.

£2.7 million on various projects including engagement, evaluation and independent living.

The Scottish Government, COSLA and Social Work Scotland are currently carrying out a survey of local authorities about their implementation. The finding of this will inform a structured improvement programme.

The Social Care (Self-directed Support) Act 2013 is founded on the principles of dignity, empowerment and collaboration. It places firm duties on local authorities to offer a range of options for how social care support is delivered and to give individuals the support and information required to enable them to make informed choices. This includes the option of a direct payment. The Statutory Guidance that accompanies the Act states all options must be described in full.

Through the support in the Right Direction Fund the Scottish Government has invested £12.7 million since 2011 in third sector organisations to support people to set their personal outcomes and to make informed decisions about their social care support. This includes information on option one, direct payments, and support to manage direct payments if this is the chosen option. The current fund of £2.8 million per annum is currently supporting 34 organisations. In the six months between October 2015 and March 2016:

3,200 people were supported to access their existing community resources;

2,400 individuals received training and development support;

1,000 people received brokerage support;

950 people were helped to set up and manage their care packages;

800 people were helped to employ and manage personal assistants.

These 34 projects continue to receive a share of £2.8 million in 2016-17.