Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of antisocial behaviour cases reported since 1999.

Since its formation as a national force in 2013/14, Police Scotland publish information on the number of publicly reported antisocial behaviour incidents. This is provided in the table below though should be interpreted with some caution as it is drawn from a live operational database, and not produced as Official Statistics. As the Highlands & Islands division was not added to Police Scotland’s National Command and Control system until 2018/19, data for this year onwards is not comparable with preceding years. Furthermore Police Scotland have noted that the reported increase in 2020-21 is mainly due to the exceptional circumstances of the pandemic, with a rise in complaints and neighbour disputes relating to potential breaches of Covid-19 restrictions.

As not all antisocial behaviour is reported to the police, measuring change over time is best done using population-based statistics. The Scottish Crime & Justice Survey shows the proportion of adults who feel people behave in an antisocial manner in their area has fallen from 46% in 2008-09 to 33% in 2019-20 (with no change identified between 2018-19 and 2019-20).

Trading Standards Officers are employed by Scotland’s local authorities. Local authorities are independent corporate bodies, responsible for the management of their workforce. The outcome and response to the findings of the SCOTSS survey is therefore a matter for councils and their national body, COSLA. However, in recognition of the sustainability challenges facing the service, we understand that SCOTSS and COSLA continue to engage on developing a workforce strategy for the future.

The following table contains details of instances over the last five financial years where the Scottish Government has waived the Right to Recover Housing Association Grant on previously grant funded projects and where the grant was not recycled within the Affordable Housing Supply Programme.

This Government has a strong track record in encouraging and supporting more and new people into crofting. In 2019-20 there were over 830 new entrants into crofting - 44% were women, and 32% were under 40 years of age. We have now appointed the islands-based Crofting Development Officers who will work with crofting communities and strengthen links between the Commission and the communities it serves, building constructive local relations and a greater understanding of the Commission’s role within the crofting community.

The Commission has also expanded its Residency and Land Use Team, to enable it to increase its work in addressing absenteeism and bringing crofts back into productive use. We will monitor this activity closely and consider what more might need to be done in this regard during the lifetime of this Parliament.

The Scottish Government has not and does not plan to hold any discussions with the Scottish Funding Council on this matter unless approached or asked for support by our partners in local government. Scottish Ministers routinely engage with COSLA which provides an opportunity for areas of concern for local government to be raised.

Trading Standards Officers are employed by Scotland’s local authorities and it is therefore a matter for them, as independent corporate bodies with responsibility for the management of their workforce, to ensure that there is sufficient capacity to meet their future needs and requirements.

Our Alcohol Framework 2018: Preventing Harm is in line with the World Health Organization’s recommended approach of reducing the availability, attractiveness and affordability of alcohol. On treatment, our Rights, Respect and Recovery: alcohol and drug treatment strategy clearly sets out that individuals have the right to health and life - free from the harms of alcohol and drugs, are treated with dignity and respect and are fully supported within their communities to find the type of recovery which works for them.

We are undertaking a range of work to improve Alcohol Treatment Services, including implementation of the UK Wide Clinical Guidelines for Alcohol Treatment.

While the Scottish Government keeps legislation under review, we have no current plans to introduce a social responsibility levy.

I last met with Water Safety Scotland representatives on 11 August 2021 during a meeting that I chaired with a range of key stakeholders on water safety. My officials are regularly in discussion with Water Safety Scotland representatives and their partners as part of our Building Safer Communities work.

The Scottish Government takes the issue of water safety very seriously. We work closely with Water Safety Scotland (WSS) and other partners, including local councils, police and SFRS to implement and support initiatives that can help raise awareness of the hazards around water and reduce deaths from accidental drowning.

The Scottish Government also provides annual grant funding to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents to deliver its annual home and water safety programme, which includes providing a secretariat to Water Safety Scotland.

I am grateful to my colleague, Mr Cameron MSP, for raising this matter relating to the £500 thank you payment for social care staff. The bonus payment recognises the particular debt we all owe to health and care staff, who have been – and continue to be – on the very front line of this crisis, helping to save lives and to protect us all.

Policy colleagues worked extensively with sector representatives in establishing eligibility criteria and guidance for social care provider staff. These representative organisations included Scottish Care and the Coalition for Care and Support Providers (CCPS) in Scotland; trade unions including Unison, Unite and GMB; and colleagues in CoSLA representing local authorities. The former Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, Jeane Freeman, previously wrote to CCPS on 29 March 2021 regarding the eligibility of third sector staff who are not registered with the Care Inspectorate.

In this letter, she confirmed the Scottish Government's position that the £500 payment relates to staff directly covered by NHS payment and remuneration arrangements or staff in organisations delivering adult social care or children’s residential care registered with the Care Inspectorate. In Scotland certain care services by law must register with the Care Inspectorate, and it is only these services that are eligible. Unfortunately, if an organisation is not already registered to provide these services their staff will not be eligible for the £500 payment. For other staff, it would be for their employers to determine their remuneration and any additions to existing pay which may be appropriate.

The Scottish Government remains committed to reforming crofting law and we will set out how we intend to do that in due course. A consultation was held in the last Parliament on what changes were required to the current legislative framework and the outcome of that consultation will form the starting point for this work.

The Crofting Consultation 2017 received 122 responses, and provided the Scottish Government with detailed and varied feedback on the options for a new crofting Bill, current legislative issues and how they might be addressed and other aspects of crofting. The consultation analysis and responses are available at: Crofting Consultation 2017 - Scottish Government - Citizen Space .

Following the final report from the independent Fireworks Review Group recommending a fundamental shift in how fireworks are accessed and used in Scotland, the Scottish Government intends to implement the recommendations from the Group as a matter of urgency to ensure positive change is in place for communities going forward.

This includes a recommendation that mandatory conditions are introduced before the general public are able to purchase fireworks. Mandatory conditions may include, for example, the successful completion of an online safety test and payment of a fee, to ensure that fireworks are used safely and appropriately.

The Scottish Government recently sought views through a public consultation which included a proposal that mandatory conditions of sale could be implemented through a fireworks licensing system. The consultation closed on 15 August and received over 1700 responses from members of the public and stakeholder organisations. The responses are being independently analysed and the results will inform next steps and development of legislation relating to fireworks and pyrotechnics.