Chamber and committees

Health and Wellbeing is one of the eight curricular areas in Curriculum for Excellence. Learning in Health and Wellbeing is designed to ensure children and young people develop the knowledge and understanding, skills, capabilities and attributes which they need for mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing.

While the Curriculum for Excellence framework is set at a national level, it is up to local authorities and schools to determine how they will deliver the curriculum to best suit the children and young people in their area. Local authorities and schools will use a range of approaches and resources to support children and young people with their mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing in line with local needs and circumstances. This can include learning and teaching about cardiovascular health for which there are existing learning experiences and outcomes in Health and Wellbeing and Sciences where this learning can be delivered.

Health and Wellbeing is also about the whole approach of the nursery, school, college or other setting. The concept of health and wellbeing as a responsibility of all emphasizes that everyone, including educators, parents, and community members, plays a crucial role in promoting and supporting health and wellbeing of children and young people.

The Scottish Government remains committed to implementing a high quality and clinically safe thrombectomy service. We have invested £39 million to date on expanding access to thrombectomy. While we continue to face significant financial challenges, we are committed to further expanding the service, ensuring access is as equitable as possible.

Whilst the Scottish Government cannot currently provide a timeline for expanding the service, Scottish Government officials and NHS planners have been asked to work at pace on developing a plan for the next steps for service expansion.

We have provided funding for thrombectomy nurse posts in spoke sites with high rates of ischaemic stroke, including NHS Borders, and this will support maximising access to thrombectomy across Scotland.

Procurement of a national artificial intelligence imaging tool is underway and, once implemented, this will help delivery of the service by improving detection of patients with strokes suitable for thrombectomy.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The Refugee Health Policy and Strategy Action Group project was funded with the intention that refugees in Scotland would develop a greater understanding of the policy landscape and would be advocating for better and appropriate mental health and wellbeing support for themselves and their peers. By incorporating lived experience refugee voices at national and regional forums, knowledge and understanding in local areas across Scotland of refugee health needs would be improved and local action to support this will be led by refugee groups.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• Refugees living in Scotland are active advocates for mental health and wellbeing both locally and nationally
• Local and national health and civic society agencies are engaged in refugee led prevention and support approaches to service planning and provision
• Statements and dialogues on mental health and wellbeing are being initiated and led by refugees in places and spaces across Scotland

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The Scottish Pensioners' Forum (SPF) project was funded to enable SPF to work with the STUC, particularly through their equality structures, to engage and consult with trade union members in communities throughout Scotland to provide older people with a democratic voice and the opportunity to influence decisions that affect their daily lives, particularly around health and social care, social security, pensions and transport.

SPF would also utilise the STUC equality structures to engage in specific activities around ageing and the impact that this has within many minority frameworks including LGBT, disability, Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) and youth and would place particular emphasis on women and the focus of inequality in state pensions.

Meetings and consultations undertaken would be used by the SPF to gather evidence on the views and needs of older people, making sure that their voices were heard and that their needs were taken into consideration. This would help them to develop stronger community connections and be more aware of services available to them in their local areas.

Through consultation, the SPF would also work with trade unions and other older people's organisations to inform government policy in key priority areas; care and care homes, social security, transport and health and social care and how they relate to loneliness and isolation in older people.

SPF would also develop intergenerational work between older and younger trade union members to share experiences of the world of work, ageing, and transition into retirement and how the Fair Work Framework can deliver for the ageing workforce .

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• People with protected characteristics are confident in asserting their rights on ageing in society, and in the workplace, and feel confident in challenging inequality in pensions and other issues that potentially have an impact on the quality of their retirement.
• Older people have the confidence to have their say on issues affecting them in their local communities and are supported to share the views on future design and delivery of public services at local and national level that can improve their lives.
• The SPF increases and improves engagement with Scottish Government on public policy affecting older people, retired trade unionists and workers by taking their views forward and ensuring that they have access to information on all activities the SPF carry out as representatives on their behalf which will result in less social isolation and more active participation when making the transition from working life into retirement

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The Connexions project was funded to enable the work done by the agency, mainly in Kirkcaldy, to be ‘rolled out’ into areas of East and West Fife. In addition to services such as language support, information, advice and advocacy, assisting people access rights and employment the project would, through Participatory Action Research, address more determinedly that migrant communities share ownership and integrate with local communities. Cross-community action would help address the demographic changes in Fife and Scotland.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• There will be a significant increase in uptake of information and advice across a range of human rights issues within Fife from members of migrant communities
• People from migrant communities will demonstrate an increased feeling of belonging to local areas and ownership of public places, civic institutions and commit to stay in Fife rather than leave due to uncertainty of status following ‘Brexit’
• More people from migrant communities will move from low paid, low skilled employment (reflecting qualification and skill) and will show an increased willingness to stand for public office

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The ‘True Colours’ project was funded to help young people who experience racial bullying in schools. The project’s focus was to implement a peer education programme, tackling issues of bullying, prejudice and discrimination, whilst promoting equality and good relations among students within schools in Edinburgh area. The project supported the input of numerous young volunteers for them to gain new skills and hands on work experience thereby increasing their employment prospects.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• Improve knowledge and awareness of up to 25 young volunteers on equality, human rights, discrimination, hate crime and bullying; Improve their research, public speaking, social media and presentation skills.
• Enhance confidence amongst young people and school workers by increasing their awareness and knowledge in relation to equality, with particular emphasis on prejudice-based bullying, stereotyping, racism, gender equality and homophobia.
• Promote anti-bullying culture in schools trough creating anti-bullying videos, encouraging creativity, empathy and interpersonal skills.

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The ‘Building Bridges not Barriers’ project was funded to support the strategic exchange of information and knowledge in order to better support those with protected characteristics. The project would specifically focus on providing access and connecting young people with accurate information on faith groups; developing more supportive connections between the elderly with dementia and/or living alone and their faith communities; and between faith communities, services and civic society.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• Religious prejudice among young people is reduced
• Fewer barriers to participation of the elderly in their faith communities
• Increased engagement and participation between people and communities with services and civic society

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The Interfaith Glasgow project was funded to support Interfaith Glasgow to improve community cohesion, reduce the ignorance and prejudice that leads to discrimination and hate crime, and increase civic participation. This would be done by organising activities and events that promote friendship, encourage cooperation and provide opportunities for dialogue to occur between people of all faith and belief traditions. Interfaith Glasgow would also continue to build relationships with different faith communities and wider civic society to make Glasgow a safer, more harmonious city for all.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• Glasgow’s religious diversity is valued and there is increased social interaction, communication, and friendship between people of different religions and beliefs
• People of different religions and beliefs have developed greater mutual understanding and respect through focused dialogue activities challenging ignorance, prejudice, and misconceptions
• People of different religions and beliefs are working cooperatively with each other and engaging in civic society to address inequalities

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

The Scottish Government does not support the manufacture of munitions - nor do our public agencies. The support provided is focused on helping firms to diversify and develop civilian applications for their technology and ensure Scotland continues to benefit from the thousands of jobs in the defence, aerospace and shipbuilding sectors.

Our Guidance on Due Diligence: Human Rights sets out recommendations on how the Scottish Government, our executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies should undertake appropriate due diligence on companies, including their human rights record, before entering into an investment relationship with them. In operationalising our guidance, Scottish Enterprise’s Customer Due Diligence Procedure sets out the process that it follows to undertake human rights due diligence checks on companies it works with.

In line with the Scottish Public Finance Manual, general grants are discretionary and intended only for the delivery of policy aims/objectives and/or national outcomes.

The Scottish Government does not provide full funding for the provision of affordable homes. Homes are funded through a mixture of Scottish Government grant through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) as well as borrowing or other investment by grant applicants.

Through the AHSP, we deliver a range of housing including new build, off the shelf purchases and rehabilitation projects. The Scottish Government publishes quarterly figures on all homes delivered through the programme by tenure and build form, which can be found online here: Housing statistics quarterly update: new housebuilding and affordable housing supply - gov.scot

Details on the number of homes that have been approved, started or completed that have received funding through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) each year since 2007 by local authority are also published here: Affordable Housing Supply Programme - More homes - gov.scot. This includes information on grant levels which are also published in our annual out-turn reports.