Chamber and committees

(a) There is a longstanding commitment to explore plain packaging as set out in the 2008 Smoking Prevention Action Plan, Scotland's Future is Smoke-Free. In this the Scottish Government indicated a commitment to consider with the UK Government and other devolved administrations whether it would be desirable to move towards plain packaging.

The current UK wide consultation will explore whether there is evidence to demonstrate that the standardised packaging of tobacco products would have an additional public health benefit, over and above existing tobacco control initiatives. We will consider all responses and available information before agreeing the way ahead.

(b). In September 2010 Lord Bracadale dismissed Imperial Tobacco Limited's legal challenge against the ban on tobacco displays set out in the Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Act 2010. This judgement was upheld by the Inner House of the Court of Session earlier this year. Imperial Tobacco Limited have decided to appeal the Inner House's decision to the Supreme Court. Due to the ongoing legal challenge we have delayed implementation of the ban in large shops until a date to be announced in due course. The implementation date of April 2015 still stands for small shops. We are committed to defending the legislation and aim to implement across large shops at the earliest opportunity.

An independent Scotland will inherit the Common Travel Area which exists between the UK and Ireland and will remain outside of the Schengen Agreement.

The Scottish Government recognises the important role that supported businesses play in the economy, the community and to their customers. Supported factories and businesses have a valuable role in assisting people with disabilities to integrate into the labour market and in helping to improve their overall independence and wellbeing, which is crucial in building a healthier and fairer Scotland.

Currently, we are in the process of putting in place a reserved framework utilising Article 19 for use by the Scottish public sector. This will include goods and services for furniture, document management, signage and in addition textiles and personal protective equipment. We anticipate that the reserved framework will be in place by September 2012.

Data available from the Public Contracts Scotland (PCS) portal indicates that since October 2010 a total of nine contracts or framework agreements have been awarded to supported business by Scottish public bodies. These contracts and frameworks have a total estimated value of £13.7 million. We do not know whether these contracts were let under Article 19 and it is not possible to guarantee that the entire estimated value of a contract will be awarded to a supported business.

The latest financial data available confirms that Scottish public bodies spent £24.1 million with supported business during financial year 2010 to 2011.

<>Information on both quarterly and annual available staffed beds split by specialty and NHS board of treatment is published by Information Services Division (ISD) and is available at the link http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Hospital-Care/. Annual data is available from 2001-02 to 2010-11. Information for 2011-12 will be published at the end of September 2012.

There are a range of rail discounts available including UK wide railcards funded by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), local authority rail concessionary schemes and, tickets combining train travel with other public transport options. ScotRail season tickets are also available on most of its routes for a week, a month or any period over a month up to a year.

The proposals from the UK Government are currently subject to consultation and no final decisions have been made. The proposed changes are expected to result in a reduction of around £5 million per annum in the value of compensation to victims in Scotland.

The Scottish Government was not directly involved in the development of the UK Government’s proposals but we have been kept informed of developments. The Scottish Government hosted a stakeholder event on the proposals in Scotland and will respond to the Ministry of Justice towards the end of the consultation period.

I and John Swinney hosted a summit, attended by all the big six energy companies, voluntary organisations and Ofgem in November 2011, to discuss what more can be done to mitigate the impact of energy prices on consumers. Scotland’s six leading energy providers pledged that no vulnerable consumers in Scotland will be disconnected over winter for non-payment, with some going beyond and having a total no-disconnection policy unless on safety grounds. They further agreed to help vulnerable customers transfer to their most efficient tariff. There continues to be an ongoing and constructive dialogue with the energy companies working alongside consumer interest groups. The role of trusted intermediaries that vulnerable customers will go to for advice and support is something that all sides are examining.

The Scottish Government has a number of initiatives aimed at helping Scottish households in fuel poverty. I would advise anyone experiencing hardship to contact the Scottish Government funded Home Energy Scotland Hotline on 0800 512 012 to see what help is available to them.

The Scottish Government has a number of initiatives aimed at helping Scottish households in fuel poverty. Our flagship programme, the Energy Assistance Package (EAP), goes much further than the previous administration’s central heating programme and provides help to more groups than ever before. For EAP there are a number of criteria used to assess eligibility, covering the most vulnerable in society, including the elderly, families with children under 16, those with severe disabilities, the terminally ill and carers.

In addition, the Scottish Government also provides support to local authorities to deliver insulation measures through the Universal Home Insulation Scheme (UHIS). UHIS is a council-led programme and provides assistance to all households in a defined area. Criteria for the award of funding to councils under UHIS include a requirement for the council to provide evidence on the levels of fuel poverty in the selected area/neighbourhood it wishes to target under the scheme.

The Scottish Government does not pay salaries with reasons of tax efficiency in mind.