Chamber and committees

The pardon provided for under the Miners’ Strike (Pardons) (Scotland) Act 2022 recognises the disproportionate impact felt by former miners and those closest to them, as a result of taking part in the strike. The purpose of the pardon is to remove the stigma of a conviction, to restore dignity, and to help the mining communities heal old wounds. Due to the lack of surviving records, it was not feasible to require people to formally apply for the pardon. That is why the pardon was designed to be collective and automatic for those who consider that the qualifying criteria set out under the 2022 Act are met. This is a pardon for people to own for themselves or for their loved ones.

Given that there is no application process nor any requirement on an individual to notify the Scottish Government that they have successfully met the criteria, the Scottish Government has no information as to how many people have undertaken a self-assessment. However, it should be noted that data published at Westminster after the strike had ended indicates that 720 people were convicted in Scotland in respect of 993 offences relating to the strike.

The Scottish Government has produced guidance to assist people to self-assess whether they are eligible. The guidance is available at www.gov.scot/publications/miners-strike-pardons-scotland-act-2022-pardon-eligibility-self-assessment-guide/ and confirms the types of offences included in the pardon and who may be eligible.

The Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing is administered by Crown Estate Scotland who are responsible for completing the process of due diligence in line with relevant guidance.

Crown Estate Scotland advises that all INTOG applicants were required to confirm their compliance with all legal obligations regarding human rights. INTOG applicants were also required to make specific commitments ensuring that they, their group companies, and their supply chain partners have the appropriate policies and mechanisms in place regarding human rights.

Crown Estate Scotland reserves the right to void any application which is found to have provided false information in these commitments. If any companies have been found to have made false declarations on these matters Crown Estate Scotland will take the appropriate action including termination of Exclusivity Agreements.

The Scottish Government is clear that both public authorities and private enterprises have a responsibility to ensure human rights are respected and protected in the workplace. Scottish Ministers remain committed to defending the vitally-important legislation which protects human rights in Scotland and in the UK – including both the Human Rights Act 1998 and the constitutional protections built into the Scotland Act 1998.

Bullying of any kind is unacceptable and must be addressed quickly and effectively. Our national approach to anti-bullying, Respect for All , provides guidance on, including an explicit commitment in relation to prejudice based bullying. All schools are expected to develop and implement an anti-bullying policy, which should be reviewed and updated on a regular basis.

Each local authority is responsible for the care, safety and welfare of pupils in school in the authority area. All adults who work in schools have a responsibility to ensure the mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing of the children and young people in their care, including those with disabilities and hearing impairments.

The Scottish Government does not collate the number of bullying incidents at a national level. In 2019, in support of the Respect for All approach, the Scottish Government introduced a consistent approach to recording and monitoring incidents of bullying across all schools in Scotland and guidance was published. All schools and local authorities are expected to use this approach. Recording and monitoring locally helps organisations identify recurring patterns, which enables early intervention and appropriate support at a local level.

In February 2023 Education Scotland published the results of a thematic inspection of recording and monitoring bullying incidents in schools. We take the findings of that report very seriously and have put in place a range of actions immediately to respond. This includes beginning a review of the national anti-bullying guidance, Respect for All , which will include further consideration of the current guidance on prejudice-based bullying.

The Scottish Government have been urging the UK Government to recognise the valuable role that Scotland's culture sector plays for both the Scottish and wider UK economies. While this funding from the UK Government for two of our many major and world-class festivals is welcome given the extraordinarily challenging economic climate, this is another example of the UK Government bypassing this Parliament and intervening in devolved policy without consultation.

The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting Edinburgh and Glasgow festivals with up to £3 million of funding available in financial year 2023-24.

The Scottish Government has provided funding for Edinburgh’s Festivals through the EXPO programme of £1.8 million annually since 2007, and the PLACE programme of £1 million annually since 2018.

The funding allows them to develop international opportunities for artists, promote Scotland and its culture, and provide invaluable schools and community programmes, both during festivals and all-year round. The Scottish Government also made an additional £2.1 million available for the 75th anniversary festivals in 2022 (Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe & Edinburgh International Film Festival) through an additional PLACE Resilience Fund.

The Lochaber businesses continue to perform well and support jobs in the region. GFG has created 40 new jobs in Lochaber since 2016 – increasing direct employment in the complex to 200 jobs and supporting a valuable supply chain with hundreds of associated jobs.

In line with the 2021 Programme for Government commitment, the Ministerial Working Group on Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development (PCSD) reconvened and met on 29 June 2022. Going forward, the Ministerial Working Group will support and input to the Wellbeing and Sustainability Bill scheduled to be introduced in 2024 under the stewardship of the Deputy First Minister.

The following Minister’s attended the 29 June 2022 meeting:

Then Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development, (Chair) Neil Gray

Then Minister for Equalities and Older People, Christina McKelvie

Then Minister for Public Health, Women's Health and Sport, Maree Todd

Then Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity, Lorna Slater

Then Minister for Children and Young People, Clare Haughey

Then Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, Ivan McKee

It should be noted the Working Group, apart from being Chaired by the Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development, has no fixed membership as Ministers are invited to attend as, and when, areas within their ministerial portfolios are discussed. Our approach is for responsibility for PCSD and its delivery to reside across all Ministerial portfolios, with the Group providing Ministers with the opportunity to reflect on how their portfolios shape and influence these issues, and what is required to improve policy coherence, not just within but across portfolios.

The Scottish Government’s Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) attended the Home Office ESMCP Programme Board on 22 March 2023.

a) At ScotRail, First Aid requirements are assessed on a First Aid Needs Assessment that aligns with Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance. This has highlighted the importance of engineering locations due to the level of risk of employee injury and likely severity of possible injury at these locations should an accident happen.

ScotRail has provided the following data which shows the figures at each depot:-

Following the closure of the Edinburgh Filmhouse last year, the Scottish Government continues to engage with Creative Scotland and other stakeholders to explore options for cultural cinema programme activity in Edinburgh, as well as ways to support the recently announced 2023 edition of the Edinburgh International Film Festival, with the associated opportunities for employment and audiences those will bring.

The administration process for the Edinburgh Filmhouse is still ongoing, so it would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment on these proceedings.

This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who reply in writing within 20 days.