Chamber and committees

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The New Migrants Action Project was funded support work to counter the uncertainty that was facing European Economic Area (EEA) nationals living in Scotland. The project was intended to provide excellent, up-to-date, accessible and impartial advice, information and support on welfare rights, residence rights and housing and homelessness rights. Its service was intended to reach out to otherwise “easy to ignore” EEA nationals to prevent crises of poverty and homelessness as far as possible and tackle crises effectively where they arise.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• EU nationals, especially Romanian Roma people, will better understand and be more able to assert their welfare rights, maintain tenancies and fulfil their responsibilities.
• EU nationals, especially Romanian Roma people, will better understand and be more able to assert their housing and homelessness rights and fulfil their responsibilities.
• EU nationals, especially Romanian Roma people, will better understand and be more able to assert their UK residency rights.

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The LGBT Age Project was funded to provide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people over 50, including those coming out later in life, with support, social groups and activities. The voices and experience of older LGBT people would be at the centre of the project, including its work to create a platform to raise awareness of the needs of older LGBT people and promote greater inclusion both within the LGBT community and more widely in services working with older people.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• Older LGBT people have developed new and improved social connections and relationships leading to improved mental and emotional wellbeing and reduced isolation
• Older LGBT people are more involved in their community and are more able to access and influence services
• Services working with older people are more inclusive and better equipped to respond to the needs of older LGBT people

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

The Scottish Government has today (18 June) published the Grangemouth Industrial Just Transition Plan, following a public consultation on the draft plan. The Plan sets out our vision for the Grangemouth Industrial Cluster and will act as the framework for all activity that supports Grangemouth’s transition. It identifies 21 actions which will help us achieve our vision, including short term actions in the next 12 months and longer term actions over the next three to five years.

The Plan has been developed with industry, the community, public sector partners, Unite the Union and the workforce at Grangemouth. The Grangemouth Future Industry Board (GFIB), with members from across these sectors and led by Scottish Enterprise, will take the lead on delivering the actions set out in the Plan.

The Grangemouth Industrial Just Transition Plan is backed by our £25m Grangemouth Just Transition Fund.

Over the last ten years we have increased the Consultant Radiologist workforce by 27.7% (from 304.5 WTE as of March 2015 to 388.9 WTE as of March 2025).

Scottish Government is committed to supporting NHS staff, including radiologists, through the provision of over £2.5 million in annual funding dedicated to staff wellbeing initiatives. This funding provides our workforce with access to psychological interventions and therapies, self-service resources through the National Wellbeing Hub and the National Wellbeing Helpline delivered by NHS 24. Registered staff also have access to confidential mental health services through the Workforce Specialist Service (WSS).

These resources play a vital role in helping the workforce manage mental health challenges, supporting their return to work and enhancing the quality of care they can provide.

Whilst Scottish Ministers are responsible for determining the strategic policy of the NHS in Scotland, NHS Boards are responsible for delivering their services, including making decisions to outsource NHS contracts to the independent sector where appropriate to meet the Board’s needs.

We have expanded the Clinical Oncology and Medical Oncology specialty training programmes since 2014. The Scottish Government is working directly with NHS Education for Scotland (NES) to increase supply into Clinical and Medical Oncology and promote these options as an attractive career choice by future applicants.

Further, we have been expanding Internal Medicine Training (IMT) numbers, for example, which is a pre-requisite for various higher specialties including Clinical and Medical Oncology. This will increase front-end supply into several higher-level specialties including Oncology. The IMT programme has filled at 100% for the past five years.

Zero Waste Scotland undertook an options appraisal in 2024/25 to assess the impact of introducing kerbside collections for plastic film and flexibles in terms of recycling tonnage, carbon impacts and costs. This will be published later in 2025.

At a national level, the analysis projected that collecting film and flexibles loose with other plastics as part of existing collections would lead to a saving of £680k per annum due to reduced disposal costs, as recycling films and flexibles is cheaper than current costs for disposal. Alternatively, the options appraisal projected that if plastic film and flexible packaging is collected within a bag (to aid segregation at a material recovery facility), this would result in additional costs of £1.4million per annum nationally due to the cost to local authorities to purchase and provide bags to households. These estimates do not include costs related to modifications that may be required at waste transfer stations to segregate these materials.

The cost to local authorities for introducing household collections for recyclable plastic film and flexible packaging will vary between authorities, based on the approach they take to collecting these materials, existing service set-up, contractual arrangements and the reprocessor gate fee they are able to negotiate.

Scottish Government officials, supported by Zero Waste Scotland, are in regular contact with representatives of public agencies as well as private sector businesses to help ensure readiness for the forthcoming ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste.

This engagement will continue, in order to ensure the effective implementation of the ban as part of our progress towards achieving our net zero ambitions.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The ‘Gaining Recognised Employment and Training’ project was funded to provide an employability service for Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) women including: a) sector specific English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes for women who speak English as a second language (six weeks), followed by a placement with a local employer (eight weeks); b) accredited training courses; c) one to one advice on cv writing, application forms, interview skills, etc.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• Women from BME and Migrant Communities will have increased access to employment through the provision of vocational ESOL classes and supported volunteer placements with local employers
• Women from BME and migrant communities will have improved opportunities to gain qualifications and move towards employment through the provision of accredited training
• Employers in Dundee will become more confident to employ women from BME communities

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The ‘Equalities in Advice’ project was funded to contribute to reducing discrimination against people with protected characteristics by widening access to advice and support. Dundee Citizens Advice Bureau (DCAB) would continue with and develop further targeted out-reach advice clinics in partner agencies that provide services in Dundee for people with protected characteristics such as older persons, people with a disability or long-term health condition, people with mental health issues, and minority ethnic people. As well as out-reach clinics home visits would be offered to people unable to access the main Bureau or out-reach clinics because of a physical or mental health issue. Information, advice and support and where appropriate representation would be provided on any issue, so that people are more informed of their rights and responsibilities, thus enabling them to engage more fully in civic society.

Advice Support Workers told staff the out-reach clinics which would be provided through both open door drop-in or appointments. Home visits would be arranged to suit the person seeking advice. Staff of partner agencies would signpost or refer users of their services to the out-reach or home-visiting advice service. Individuals would also be able to access the service directly without being signposted or referred in.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• There will be improved access to advice, support and assistance to people with protected characteristics which will assist them to fully engage in civic society
• There will be an improvement in partner agencies ability to meet the wider needs of their service users

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The Volunteer and Project Coordinator project was funded to enable Stirling Citizens for Sanctuary to continue to employ Continue employment of a Volunteer and Project Coordinator (VPC) to manage and support a growing body of volunteers; ensure checks on background prior to acceptance as volunteers; deliver induction and regular training; and monitor and support volunteers. This is critical to our ability to deliver, through our volunteers, sensitive and effective support to refugee families who have fled violence in their country and whose friends and extended families are still in camps or relocated to other countries

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• Syrians will feel confident in their new surroundings and be aware of local services and facilities and how to access them
• Syrian families, both adults and children, will become integrated into the community and be involved in local activities
• Develop Volunteer Skills for supporting vulnerable refugees

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf