Chamber and committees

Disability Equality Scotland, which is the umbrella body for Scotland's Access Panel Network, were informed on 3 February 2020 that their application for funding under the section 10 grant scheme had been approved.

From 8 January 2021 the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 were amended to limit the number of people permitted to attend a marriage ceremony in a protection level 4 area to 5 people. This is the minimum number required under the law for a marriage to be solemnised and is made up of the couple getting married, the two witnesses and the local authority registrar or the religious or belief celebrant. If an interpreter is needed, they can attend in addition.

This change was one of a number of additional actions the Scottish Ministers considered necessary to minimise further spread of the virus. These decisions reflect the public health advice.

While up to 20 people are still able to attend funeral services, with effect from 8 January, wakes must not take place in a protection level 4 area.

Funeral services are an essential part of the bereavement process and vital to people’s wellbeing. They cannot be delayed. Our decision on marriage ceremonies reflects that the right to marry is an important one, but also that a wedding can be postponed if a couple want a wedding with more people attending. The current restrictions give couples who want to get married now the chance to do that, whilst minimising the risks of transmission at the marriage ceremonies that do proceed.

We appreciate that this is an extremely difficult time for businesses of all kinds across Scotland, including in the bakery sector. We have allocated almost £3 billion to support businesses in response to COVID-19.

The £30 million discretionary fund introduced in November 2020 targets businesses which are affected by COVID-19 restrictions but do not meet the criteria for other funds. The fund allows local authorities to allocate grants at their discretion to support businesses including those in the supply chain.

To help businesses deal with the impact of coronavirus, the Scottish Government introduced extra rates relief for non-domestic properties from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021. This includes 100% relief for properties in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors where the property is wholly or mainly used for a purpose, or purposes, set out in Schedule 1 of the Non-Domestic Rates (Coronavirus Reliefs) (Scotland) Regulations 2020.

We recognise the economic impact and strain that the current restrictions are having on both the businesses that are required to close and businesses that remain open, including businesses in the cleaning sector. On 28 January we announced we are doubling the discretionary fund from £30 million to £60 million. The Local Authority Discretionary Fund was specifically designed to target small businesses and the self-employed who have not received direct financial support through other Scottish Government financial support schemes, such as supply chains. More information on how to access this fund will be available on local authority websites.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of a consistent approach being taken forward in the community to support people with the management of their condition across Scotland, which includes accessing the right support and services. Throughout our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, where an urgent or essential clinical need has existed, access to Allied Health Professionals has been available.

Work is underway through the National Advisory Board for Rehabilitation to implement the Framework for Supporting People through Recovery and Rehabilitation during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic . The Framework is aligned to the Re-mobilise, Recover, Re-design: the framework for NHS Scotland, and puts in place clear principles, priorities and objectives to support planning to meet increasing demand and to provide high quality person-centred rehabilitation in different settings.

Fair Start Scotland aims to support those further from the labour market towards employment, and provides 12 – 18 months of pre-employment support. As participants join each month, not enough time will have passed to present a complete picture of employment outcomes for many of them. Time must then also be taken into account to allow participants to reach 3, 6 and 12 months employment. Each quarterly release of statistics presents a developing picture of employment outcomes for year two of the service, which will increase as more participants move through the service into work, and sustain that work over time.

The most recent statistics published on 25 November 2020 show that, of the 27,076 people who started on Fair Start Scotland, 8,329 participants (33%) went on to start work.

The statistics also show that the majority of participants who started a job went on to sustain them for at least 6-12 months:

- 71% of people starting work went on to sustain employment for 3 months;

- 78% of those who sustained employment for 3 months reached at least 6 months; and

- 77% of those who sustained employment for 6 months went on to reach at least 12 months.

Fair Start Scotland is an entirely voluntary service where people are not driven to take part by the fear of benefit sanctions. Participants retain the right to leave at any time as they can face a range of challenges and barriers, due to changes in their circumstances, health or for personal reasons. We know from previous research on the transitional employment services (Work First and Work Able Scotland) that participants often leave as a result of a temporary deterioration in their physical or mental health.

As part of our continuous improvement activities over the coming year, we will continue to explore ways to reduce the volume of participants leaving the service early, including improvements to specialist support for those who need it and the introduction of a “right to re-referral” for participants who left early or completed their support without moving into work. Our next FSS evaluation report, due to be published in Autumn 2021 will also include an in depth focus on early leavers and we will ensure that any learning from the results is promptly put into practice throughout the contract extension period.

In line with the values of dignity and respect inherent to Fair Start Scotland, participants continue to be positive about their experience of the service. Of those surveyed for the Year 2 evaluation report:

- 91% of people who have used the service feel they were treated with dignity and respect;

- 80% of people felt the service took account of their individual needs and circumstances; and

- 81% of people felt the service offered support to improve their general quality of life and wellbeing.

The figure of 27% quoted only represents the first quarter of Year 3, from April to June 2020.

In the most recent quarter (July – September 2020) there was a large increase in the proportion of unknown equalities monitoring data gathered by FSS Service Providers, therefore it is not possible to report on the change in the proportion of disabled people during this time.

We recognise the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Fair Start Scotland where people with health concerns or disabilities have become less inclined to engage with services during this time. This has also had an impact on collection of the equalities monitoring data.

While there has been a drop in the overall percentage of people with disabilities joining the service, the proportion (27%) remains broadly in line with the Scottish unemployed population as a whole, 30% of whom report having a disability. ( Source: ONS, Annual Population Survey, Jan-Dec 2019).

As part of our continuous improvement activities with FSS Service Providers over the coming year, we aim to extend the reach of the service to disabled people, ethnic minorities and other groups as suggested by our evaluation feedback and performance data.

The Scottish Government remains committed to at least halving the disability employment gap in Scotland by 2038, and statistics show that there has been a steady growth in employment rates for disable people in between 2014 and 2019 from 41.5% to 49% (Source: ONS, Annual Population Survey, Jan-Dec data).

Fair Start Scotland’s key priority is to ensure participants receive a quality service in their journey to finding and sustaining employment, through tailored support that meets their needs and takes into account their personal circumstances.

Eligibility for Fair Start Scotland (FSS) is open to people with a range of barriers, however it is aimed that those for whom work is a realistic prospect within 12-18 months. Participants develop an action plan which sets out their goals and the pace at which they want to achieve them.

For participants with more significant barriers, up to 18 months pre-employment support is available. During this time Providers can commission any specialist support required to help participants move towards becoming work-ready, including work experience and placements to help build up to working longer hours where that meets the participant's longer-term goals.

As part of Fair Start Scotland contracts, Service Providers are paid when job outcomes reach 13, 26 & 52 weeks. These milestones are used to drive good job quality and increase income for participants, in line with Scottish Government Fair Work principles. Providers are only paid for outcomes where participants are working more than 16 hours per week as this more likely to provide a secure income however, there is no expectation that participants will work to this level if it’s not what they want to do.

Through the in-work support offered as part of the service, Providers continue to work with participants for a further 12 months after entering employment to further develop their skills, increase their confidence and ensure the job continues to fit their needs.