Chamber and committees

This information is not held by the Scottish Government. The Academy for Healthcare Science is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) , which demonstrates that it has achieved the PSA standards in governance, standard-setting, education and training, management of the register, complaints handling and equality, diversity and inclusion. It is the register itself that is accredited by PSA, not the practitioners who register with it.

The Scottish National Investment Bank does not consider ‘applications for funding’. Rather, it makes commercial debt and equity investments to deliver on the three Missions set for it by Scottish Ministers. The Bank is operationally independent of Government and the Government does not hold the information sought.

The latest estimated take-up rate for Young Carer Grant in Scotland in 2022-23 is 75%. Social Security Scotland routinely publish Official Statistics on the number of carers receiving a payment for Young Career Grant. Whilst these statistics include information by local authority area, we do not currently include information by Scottish Parliament constituency.

The latest statistics show that, as of 31 March 2024, 875 Young Carer Grant payments with a total value of £285,143 had been issued to clients living in the Fife local authority since its launch in October 2019. Of these, 280 payments with a total value of £99,217 were made in the 2023-24 financial year.

The latest statistics publication for this benefit can be found at: Social Security Scotland - Young Carer Grant: high level statistics to 31 March 2024 and estimated take-up rates are available at: Analysis of Take-Up Rate Estimates - Take-up rates of Scottish benefits: November 2023 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

The Bank receives funding through Grant in Aid which it uses to cover operating costs and fund its investments. From launch in November 2020 to the end of March 2023, the Bank received a total of £325m and has invested £304m. The annual breakdown is detailed below. The amount of cash invested in 2023-24 will be confirmed in the Bank’s audited Annual Accounts which will be published in the coming months.

The Scottish National Investment Bank is operationally independent of Government. It makes commercial debt and equity investments to deliver on the three Missions set for it by Scottish Ministers. The Scottish Government will provide the Bank with £174m of budget for investment during 2024-25. Some of that budget will support existing investment commitments with the remainder available for new and follow-on investments.

The Scottish Government was liable for paying all compliant claims submitted by Lead Partners. The figure at 31 December 2023 was £73.7m.

At no time were payments to those Lead Partners who submitted a fully compliant and verifiable claims paused. All audit findings were resolved with both programmes being successfully lifted from suspension by the European Commission.

The final European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) expenditure figures and reimbursements will not be known until the second half of 2025 when the figures will be published.

Social Security Scotland services were designed in consultation with clients and stakeholders. In shaping the design and Policy underpinning the service, staff consulted with the Disability and Carers Benefits Expert Advisory Group. As benefits launched the Agency Implementation Group and latterly the Operational Reference Group were created to ensure that they continually learn from those who interact and use their services. Social Security Scotland has also engaged with the clients that use the service, initially through Experience panels and then as benefits launched, the Client Experience panels. Their Inclusive Communication Group worked with clients to understand the challenges they face in dealing with Organisations and the barriers to getting the support they need. Through this direct feedback, and understanding of client’s needs, Social Security Scotland have built a client led, flexible service that supports clients in a way that meets their individual needs.

Making reasonable adjustments to meet client’s needs is intrinsic to the design of Social Security Scotland.

Client choice in application routes, appointment type, length and time of appointments are all things agreed in discussion with the client on the pre-call Client Support Advisers have with clients before an appointment.

All staff meeting clients in their home go through an extensive training routeway when joining Social Security Scotland. Training focusses on the technical skills required for their role, and the personal skills needed to support vulnerable clients, such as Trauma Informed Practice, Clients at Risk of Harm, Managing Risk and Mental Health Awareness. This is supplemented with communications training to provide insight and understanding of the impacts a condition can have on a client’s ability to communicate. Given the wide range of conditions that clients can have, staff work closely with Social Security Scotland’s own Health and Social Care Practitioners to gain more specialist knowledge and understanding of medical conditions. Training is supplemented with a consolidation period to ensure learning has been fully understood .