- Asked by: Drew Smith, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 March 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 20 April 2015
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish details of the water contract that it has awarded to public sector bodies.
Answer
The Scottish Government-led collaborative contract for water and waste water services has not yet been awarded. The tender exercise is in the ‘standstill period’ which gives bidders time to consider some additional feedback on their submissions. Once the tender exercise is complete and the contract awarded we will share the results. The end date of the standstill period is not set but all bidders will be given at least seven days’ notice before the standstill period ends.
- Asked by: Drew Smith, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 March 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 2 April 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what advice the Expert Ferry Group has given to (a) Transport Scotland and (b) Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited on the future design of Scottish ferries.
Answer
Although no formal advice has been provided to either Transport Scotland or Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited, discussion about the future design of Scottish ferries took place at the 5 November 2014 meeting of the Expert Ferry Group. The agenda and minutes of each meeting of the Expert Ferry Group, including the 5 November 2014 meeting, are available on the Transport Scotland website.
- Asked by: Drew Smith, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 March 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 2 April 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Expert Ferry Group (EFG) regarding the (a) invitation to tender documents and (b) contract specifications for Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS) from October 2016 and whether it will publish any advice that it receives from the EFG or individual members of the group on the (i) contract specifications or (ii) procurement process.
Answer
No discussions have taken place with the Expert Ferry Group regarding (a) the invitation to tender documents and (b) contract specifications for Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services from October 2016. The agenda and minutes for each meeting of the Expert Ferry Group are published on the Transport Scotland website.
- Asked by: Drew Smith, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 March 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 2 April 2015
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Expert Ferry Group met in February 2015 and, if so, whether the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services contract was on the agenda.
Answer
There was no meeting of the Expert Ferry Group in February 2015. The group last met on 17 March 2015, and the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services contract was not discussed. The agenda and minutes of each meeting are published on the Transport Scotland website.
- Asked by: Drew Smith, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 March 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 13 March 2015
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the locally-funded schemes that use the youth employment funding it announced on 3 March 2015 are monitored to confirm that they do not discriminate on grounds of gender, race, disability or other protected characteristics.
Answer
On 3 March 2015, the Scottish Government announced the local authority distribution of £6.5 million to support the Developing the Young Workforce programme which underpins our youth employment strategy.
Activity in each authority will support the programme’s ambition to reduce inequality of access to education and training. Local government are full partners in this seven year national programme on which we will publish an annual report, including on advancing equalities, at the end of 2015.
- Asked by: Drew Smith, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 March 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 13 March 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of the youth employment funding that it announced on 3 March 2015 will be allocated to the provision of childcare to support young parents in accessing employment or training.
Answer
On 3 March 2015, the Scottish Government announced the local authority distribution of £6.5 million to support the Developing the Young Workforce programme which underpins our youth employment strategy.
Local government are our full partners in this programme, and it is for individual local authorities to deploy funding to best meet local needs and circumstances. Activity in each authority will support the programme’s ambition to reduce inequality of access to education and training.
- Asked by: Drew Smith, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 March 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 12 March 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to local authorities to ensure that disabled young people receive appropriate support to access employment, education or training.
Answer
Local authorities and their partners work together to support young people, including those with disabilities to plan for their next move beyond the compulsory school leaving age. The Policy and Practice Framework Opportunities for All: Post-16 Transitions: Supporting all young people to participate in post-16 learning, training or work published in 2014 provides local authorities and their partners with guidance on delivering this transition planning.
In addition guidance is provided to local authorities on the delivery of activity agreements, the education maintenance allowance and on the local authority paid work experience element of the Youth Employment Scotland programme.
- Asked by: Drew Smith, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 March 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 12 March 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to local authorities to ensure that the most disadvantaged young people receive appropriate support to access the labour market.
Answer
Our policy and practice framework Opportunities for All: Post-16 Transitions: Supporting all young people to participate in post-16 learning, training or work published in 2014 provides local authorities and their partners with guidance on delivering transition planning which supports their access to employment, education or training, and which meets the needs of all young people, particularly those disadvantaged in accessing the labour market.
In addition guidance is provided to local authorities on the delivery of activity agreements, the education maintenance allowance and on the local authority paid work experience element of the Youth Employment Scotland programme.
- Asked by: Drew Smith, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 20 February 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what criteria it uses when considering whether to publish information in languages other than English or Gaelic.
Answer
The Scottish Government is required to meet its legal duty under the Equality Act 2010 in ensuring access to information for everyone. This does not mean however that there is a requirement to automatically translate all publications into a wide range of languages and each case has to be considered on its own merits. Consideration is also given to whether alternative approaches, such as translating a summary of the document, or using an interpreter to provide information to a group of people, might be more appropriate.
- Asked by: Drew Smith, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Burgess on 20 February 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what support it expects operators of the Tenancy Deposit Scheme to provide to service users whose first language is not English.
Answer
The Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011 require scheme administrators to put procedures in place, including an appropriate customer service facility, to handle enquiries and deal with complaints from landlords, tenants and the general public. There are no specific requirements covering the provision of support to assist those whose first language is not English. In practice, each scheme provides language support tailored to the needs of their customers which includes the provision of interpreters or translation of support materials.
