Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-14754 on 27 February 2018. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

Carer’s Allowance is a taxable benefit and therefore Carer’s Allowance Supplement will be taxable, as the legal definition of income for tax purposes remains reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Government does not have the power to change this as set out in the Fiscal Framework, which states at section 89: Any new benefits or discretionary payments introduced by the Scottish Government will not be deemed to be income for tax purposes, unless topping up a benefit which is deemed taxable such as Carer’s Allowance. Any changes to reserved taxation legislation require to be made by the UK Government.

Third sector organisations who represent patient views were involved in shaping the design of the funding programme. The assessment panel also included representatives from the NHS and third sector.

The liquidation of Carillion has been a massive blow to the UK construction industry. The work on the contract will continue through the 2 remaining construction partners, namely Balfour Beatty and Galliford Try. However, we are continuing to work closely with Aberdeen Roads Limited to identify and assess any impacts on delivery following Carillion’s announcement.

The intention remains to open the project roads in the coming months. This is in line with the initial timescale announced by Ministers in 2012. Notwithstanding the Carillion announcement, this target remains challenging and will depend upon many factors including favourable weather.

Carillion employed 128 Modern Apprentices (MAs). The following figures reflect their destinations as of 9 February 2018:

50 of those are continuing training, either completing their MA or gaining employment. 78 required support to continue their MA have either gone on to positive destinations or are currently being case managed by Career Information Advice and Guidance staff from Skills Development Scotland

We continue to work closely with the official receiver and their special managers PWC to obtain accurate numbers of jobs supported by Carillion in Scotland.

Carillion’s corporate structure and systems are making it difficult for the Official Receiver to determine a definitive number of jobs supported. Nonetheless, we are working with UK government to press the Official Receiver and their Special Managers PWC to gain clarity as soon as possible on the total number of jobs that might be affected.

For those working on the AWPR Aberdeen Roads Limited, the project contractor, has been able to confirm that there are 76 Carillion staff directly employed working on the project. We also understand that a further 101 staff and 90 operatives are engaged through a labour only sub-contract through a Carillion subsidiary.

We continue to work closely with the official receiver and their special managers PWC to obtain accurate numbers of jobs supported by Carillion in Scotland.

Carillion’s corporate structure and systems are making it difficult for the Official Receiver to determine a definitive number of Scottish employees.

Nonetheless, we are working with UK government to press the Official Receiver and their Special Managers PWC to gain clarity as soon as possible on the total number of jobs that might be affected.

For those working on the AWPR Aberdeen Roads Limited, the project contractor, has been able to confirm that there are 76 Carillion staff directly employed working on the project. We also understand that a further 101 staff and 90 operatives are engaged through a labour only sub-contract through a Carillion subsidiary.

Since the liquidation of Carillion, the Scottish Government has continued to liaise closely with Skills Development Scotland to ensure appropriate support for affected employees and apprentices.

Support is being put in place, for example, through our initiative for responding to redundancy situations, Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) and Adopt and Apprentice which financial incentive to cover the wage and recruitment costs of taking on a Modern Apprentice who has been made redundant from another employer.

With SDS, we are also working with wider partners such as the Construction and Industry Training Board to continue both monitor and respond to developments in relation to Carillion’s liquidation

Construction work has progressed at pace across the site despite the Carillion announcement and the new road is now clearly visible to local communities. Although contractually, the situation with Carillion does not in itself extend the project delivery timescales, given the nature of the issue, we are working closely with Aberdeen Roads Limited to understand whether in reality there will be any impact on the delivery programme. We need to allow the remaining contractors an opportunity to take stock and to resolve any supply chain concerns as a matter of priority. Meanwhile, we will continue work closely with ARL to mitigate any impact where possible.

The Scottish Government has been liaising with Cabinet Office, the Official Receiver and PricewaterhouseCoopers to ensure that information on support through our initiative for responding to redundancy situations, Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) is available for Scottish based employees affected by developments at Carillion.

By providing a range of support, PACE aims to minimise the time individuals affected by redundancy are out of work. The package of support is tailored and includes one to one counselling, information on rights and entitlements, financial advice, skills development and help with job search.