Chamber and committees

As required by the Grant Agreement, ScotRail has consulted its May 2023 timetable with statutory consultees including Regional Transport Partnerships, Transport Focus and other public transport operators such as Calmac. No specific objectives are set by the Grant Agreement for consultation with statutory consultees. The May 2023 timetable is an interim position which seeks to deliver as reliable as possible a service for customers with the resources ScotRail currently has available, specifically traincrew.

ScotRail has developed further timetable proposals for Ayrshire, Inverclyde, Glasgow South Electrics and Edinburgh to Glasgow via Shotts routes and aims to publicly consult these in the coming months. The objectives set for the public consultation are:

1. To encourage customers and stakeholders to have their say and help shape the future of Scotland’s Railway.

2. To promote the proposed timetable changes and consultation as a positive step in the railway’s road to recovery.

Tackling poverty and protecting people from harm is one of three critical and interdependent missions for the government – alongside our focus on the economy and strengthening public services.

The Scottish Government is taking a wide range of action to tackle and reduce poverty, with almost £3 billion allocated both last year and this to support policies which tackle poverty and protect people as far as possible during the ongoing cost of living crisis.

Key actions, which will benefit people from a minority ethnic background, include continued investment in the delivery of more affordable homes, providing free transport for over two million people in Scotland and delivering five family payments including the Scottish Child Payment, which was increased in value to £25 per child per week as of November 2022.

In addition to these key anti-poverty actions, we are also taking action targeted to supporting people from a minority ethnic background. This includes f unding local community organisations such as BEMIS, CEMVO and SAREC, who work predominantly with minority ethnic householders, and have been able to offer targeted support to vulnerable households. This includes issuing direct hardship payments and ensuring they are supported to access welfare support they are entitled to.

The Scottish Government also published ‘A Fairer Scotland for All: An anti-racist strategy’, in December 2022, which includes guidance, advice, and examples of good practice for employers in order to address the issues and disadvantages experienced by people from racialised minorities. The strategy is a key component to reaching the ambition of a becoming a leading Fair Work Nation by 2025.

Public bodies are autonomous bodies and each one has a clear framework which balances operational autonomy and accountability to the public. Any processes in relation to disputes with service users, including in relation to debt to that body, are between the service user and the body, with established dispute resolution processes in place. There are established rights of review and appeal in relation to Social Security Scotland and Council Tax liabilities.

Scottish Ministers have consistently encouraged public bodies to share good practice on debt assistance and collection and to show empathy and dignity when working with people struggling with debt.

Specifically in relation to Council tax, whilst this is a local tax and each council is financially and administratively accountable to their electorate, we recognise the desirability of the best practice in council tax collection being adopted by all local authorities. Ministers raised the issue of Council Tax Debt and Recovery, including highlighting the recommendations of the Improvement Service and Stepchange Scotland’s May 2022 report on Collaborative Council Tax Collection, with the COSLA President, Vice President and Resources Spokesperson at a recent meeting of the ‘Joint Working Group on Sourcing of Local Government Funding and Council Tax Reform’.

Tackling poverty and protecting people from harm is one of three critical and interdependent missions for the government – alongside our focus on the economy and strengthening public services.

As set out within ‘ Best Start, Bright Futures’ , the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan: 2022-26, the Scottish Government is taking a wide range of action across the three drivers of poverty reduction – income from work and earnings, costs of living and income from social security and benefits in kind – as well as taking action to improve the wellbeing and outcomes of people across Scotland.

In delivering action, we are focused on ensuring that interventions deliver for those at greatest risk of poverty, including people from a minority ethnic background. In doing so we will help to reduce poverty for these groups whilst delivering significant progress on our wider equality and human rights ambitions – particularly in relation to advancing equality and human rights for women, disabled people and minority ethnic people.

The Scottish Government meet regularly with representatives of local government in order to progress shared priorities which tackle poverty. This includes in relation to delivery of employment support through our No One Left Behind approach, which is tailored to the needs of people from a minority ethnic background, delivery of more affordable homes, tackling child poverty and delivery of the wide ranging action set out in our refreshed Fair Work Action Plan.

The Scottish Government also meet regularly with the UK Government on areas of shared interest, which are key to tackling poverty, including in relation to social security and employment.

Local Authorities have a duty to investigate light pollution complaints under the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA). The Scottish Government engages with local authorities through the Environmental Health Officers network and relevant working groups, where any emerging issues on light pollution could be raised.

I recognise the unavailability of the Corran Ferry is causing major disruption for communities, businesses and visitors to the area.

While the operation of transport links across the Corran Narrows is the responsibility of the Highland Council and any decisions on maintenance, upgrades, or options to replace ferries is for them, I recently met with the Highland Council to hear more about their plans for the route. I would be happy to visit Lochaber to learn further about The Highland Council’s plans and to meet the local community.

The Scottish Government recognise the valuable role that sport and physical activity can play to the overall health of the nation.

Encouraging people to take part in sport at all levels, including in newer sports such as pickleball, is key to getting more people more active more often, and can create wider benefits in areas such as health, education, communities and the economy.

In the last 20 years, sportscotland has invested over £235 million of Scottish Government and National Lottery funding in clubs, communities, and leisure trusts across Scotland to improve the places where people take part in sport and physical activity. As a sport that’s primarily played on a badminton court, we already have fantastic facilities across the country where pickleball can be played.

Through sportscotland’s Community Sport Hubs’ programmes, local community organisations are beginning to explore opportunities to develop links with pickleball clubs and to promote the sport. There are now five pickleball clubs across three local authorities that are part of the Community Sport Hub programme and these numbers are expected to grow as the sport continues to develop.

I have engaged with a number of stakeholders across the energy sector since taking on my new role. These include meetings with a range of stakeholders in Aberdeen on 4 April 2023, including Aberdeen South Harbour; OPITO; Net Zero Technology Centre; Opportunity North East and ETZI; and Aberdeen Grampian Chamber of Commerce.

I also met INEOS on 19 April 2023, and Forth Ports Grangemouth.

I refer the member to the answer to S6W-16506 on 5 May 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers