Chamber and committees

Scottish ministers are proud of the actions we have already taken to extend free school meals to more children and young people in Scotland than ever before and in time we will look at ways of expanding current provision.

Supporting the provision of welfare rights and money advice is a key aspect of the Scottish Government’s approach to tackling poverty. The Achieving our Potential budget funds national infrastructure for the sector, this year for example:

Citizens Advice Direct continues to receive core funding of £400,000 and an additional £80,000 to provide telephone benefit checks to those people referred through the Energy Assistance Package and Home Insulation Scheme;

The Child Poverty Action Group provides a second tier advice service and has received £408,000 this year to deliver the Second Tier Advice, Information and Training services, and the Benefits for Students Training, Advice and Information service. This offers advice, training and support to frontline staff that are in contact with households that are likely to be entitled to benefits and tax credits, and

MATRICS (a collaboration between Citizens Advice Scotland and Money Advice Scotland) will receive £191,600 towards training and support for the money advice sector.

The Scottish Government has also invested in a number of innovative local services, for example:

Link Housing Association are receiving £300,000 to continue their Older People’s Advice service, which provides an outreach support and advice service in Glasgow, Falkirk, Clackmannanshire, North Lanarkshire and West Lothian to vulnerable older people with a particular emphasis on clients who have health problems, or who live in remote areas, and

Macmillan Cancer Support has been allocated £406,500 this financial year to continue to provide benefits advice and support across the five cancer treatment centres in Scotland and in two NHS boards for patients with long-term conditions.

In addition, a number of organisations and initiatives receive Scottish Government funding to provide a wide range of support to individuals and families which includes welfare rights and money advice, for example the Lone Parents Helpline, Parenting in Scotland, Contact-a-Family, National Debtline and the Family Nurse Partnership programme.

Responsibility for the delivery of local money and welfare rights advice lies with community planning partnerships and a comprehensive and responsive range of support and intervention services exists across the country funded through the Local Government Settlement.

I met with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport on 27 January 2011 and also on 23 February 2011, when I opened the new park and ride facility at Croy. We discussed a range of issues, including the subway modernisation.

Work on the modernisation of the subway has already begun, including the upgrading of Hillhead station and the introduction of improved ticketing infrastructure across the network.

We continue to provide capital funding to Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, of which at least £6 million is for the subway modernisation in 2011-12.

As noted on the Scotland Performs website, progress on the solidarity target is “performance maintaining”, following the publication of the Scottish figures from the Family Resources Survey in May 2011. The share received by the three lowest deciles has remained constant at 13 to 14% since 1998-99.

We welcome the work of the Poverty Truth Commission, and have noted the challenges in its recent report, particularly those directed at government. Eradicating poverty is a priority for the Scottish Government.

The cities strategy provides the mechanism to identify city priorities and the forthcoming spending review will provide the opportunity to ensure budgets are aligned with these priorities.

The review of Lets Make Scotland More Active strategy completed in 2009 aims to influence Scotland’s inactive population and Scottish ministers have welcomed significant ongoing progress and in particular:

An increase of 2% adult physical activity levels since the publication of the strategy.

Scotland’s activity levels for adult men and women are now higher than those in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Scotland is one of the few countries in the world who have seen an increase in adult physical activity levels.

The Scottish Government supports and promotes the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) and the Glasgow Film Festival through our partners Creative Scotland. In addition, the EIFF also receives support through the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund. In 2011-12, this is £100,000.