Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government recognises the significant impact of Storm Babet on people, businesses and communities. The Government has been working closely with affected local authorities on a package of support to help people whose homes and businesses were flooded. This package includes extending the Bellwin scheme’s application window to help all Councils, including Argyll and Bute, cover eligible expenditure for urgent repairs.

The Scottish Welfare Fund also provides emergency support to those on low incomes in Scotland, including in Argyll and Bute. Support may be provided through the provision of Crisis Grants and Community Care Grants, including to those who have experienced a disaster situation, such as a flood. Residents can apply to the Scottish Welfare Fund through their Council.

This support is in addition to Scotland’s longer-term investment in flood resilience, where we have committed £150m over the course of this Parliament to deliver improved flood resilience, in addition to the £42m provided annually to councils for flood resilience through the general capital grant.

The Scottish Government is clear there is no place for Islamophobia or racism in our schools, colleges or universities. Discrimination or prejudice of any kind is unacceptable and must be addressed quickly whenever it arises.

A consistent and uniform approach to recording and monitoring incidents of bullying in schools was introduced in 2019. Guidance for local authorities and schools on recording and monitoring bullying incidents was produced to support the approach. The Bullying and Equalities Module on SEEMiS, the schools management information system, was updated to reflect the new approach. The list of characteristics that can be reported on within SEEMiS includes incidents where race or religion was a factor.

Our Behaviour in Scottish Schools research, which published on 28 November 2023, provides information on the frequency with which staff are dealing with racist incidents towards pupils or themselves. Our work on Racism and Racist Incidents, which is part of the Anti Racism in Education Programme, will provide further guidance for schools on recording and monitoring racist incidents, including incidents of Islamophobia.

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) published a report earlier this year, which asks higher and further education institutions to address the most pressing persistent inequalities in the tertiary education system, including islamophobia, by contributing to a set of National Equality Outcomes (NEOs). We expect higher and further education institutions to prioritise, and demonstrate progress against these NEOs, in line with their reporting requirements under the Public Sector Equality Duty.

Additionally, in 2021-22, the Scottish Government supported the Fearless Glasgow collaborative in a pilot on the use of Report and Support, an online reporting system for incidents of islamophobia, gender-based violence and other issues, which is now in use at a number of universities across the UK.

In September 2023, organisations in receipt of the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Grant funding were informed that this would be extended until the end of September 2024.

A commitment to further grant funding was made in the Mental Health & Wellbeing Delivery Plan and an update will be issued in coming months.

The Scottish Government is not aware of any plans to move the Scottish National Pain Management Programme from its current site. We are working with stakeholders to ensure that the delivery of the SNPMP is sustainable and the services offered still meet the needs of people in Scotland living with chronic pain.

The Third Sector plays a key role in providing perinatal mental health support and we are working with stakeholders as we develop this next stage.

Since 2020, over 10,000 people have been supported by the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Main Fund and Small Grants Fund. Between December 2019 and March 2023, over £2.8 million was distributed to 34 organisations to support families across Scotland.

Further details on Perinatal and Infant Mental Health grant funding beyond September 2024 will be issued in coming months.

The Ask for ANI scheme is an initiative led by the Home Office, and as such they oversee the UK wide rollout alongside key partners. This includes in Scotland, where Ask for ANI is currently operational in 430 pharmacies.

A campaign ‘UK Says No More’ encourages pharmacies to sign up to the scheme, however geographical variations will exist as it’s a voluntary scheme and for each pharmacy to decide upon participation. The member may wish to note that Ask for ANI is available in Highland locations such as Fort Willian and Ullapool, but also on Scottish Islands locations, including Lerwick, Shetland.

The following table presents the total number of fatal and serious accidents for 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. However, the information on the total number of fatal and serious accidents for 2023 are only available up to the date stated in the following table.

Date Extracted – 06-12-2023

Source: Transport Scotland Accident Manager Database

Notes: Statistics for Police Scotland

Date Period: 01-04-2021 – 01-11-2023 (latest date available for serious)

Please note that the information provided is based on the current figures available at the time of retrieving the data from Transport Scotland’s accident manager system. The following are potential reasons for an accident not appearing on our system:

• Transport Scotland only holds accident information which is provided to us by Police Scotland.
• Transport Scotland does not hold information relating to damage only accidents (i.e. not involving an injury).
• The accident information Transport Scotland holds is subject to change. E.g. we receive late returns from Police Scotland, who are responsible for recording details of injury accidents.
• Annual Scottish accident figures are published by Transport Scotland on a yearly basis and can be found by entering Reported Road Casualties Scotland into your search engine.
• From summer 2019, Police Scotland introduced a new system for recording traffic collisions. Due to improved recording and categorisation processes, it is expected that there will be an increase in the number of casualties and accidents on Scottish roads that are classified as serious. This increase would not reflect an actual change in the severity of accidents occurring on Scottish roads, but would instead reflect more accurate recording.
• Statisticians within the Department for Transport have devised a method for adjusting the road casualty figures to ensure that they can be compared over time on a consistent basis. Transport Scotland’s Key Reported Road Casualties and Reported Road Casualties statistics publications will present both adjusted and unadjusted figures.

A table containing the average daily traffic flows on the A96 in each year since 2017 has been lodged with SPICe, BIB number: 64765

Impact assessments for the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in Scotland have been updated to reflect the most recent set of regulations passed by the Scottish Parliament. The impact assessments will be updated again once Defra have confirmed the final design of their scheme.

LED parapet lighting installations are currently in place and attached to the Carnoustie Street, West Street and Eglinton Street flyovers on the M74 motorway in Glasgow.

Transport Scotland’s Operating Company for the Glasgow area, Amey Ltd, has identified some faults in these assets as part of their ongoing inspection regime. Amey is currently developing a programme for these repairs and I have asked officials at Transport Scotland to provide with a further update by the end of January.