Chamber and committees

The allocation of this significant enhancement in resources will help enable councils to allow adult social care workers, including in the independent and third sector, to be paid the living wage of £8.25 an hour. This assumes that private and third sector providers will meet their share of the costs.

It is accepted that councils have no such direct leverage in respect of care providers offering services exclusively to self-funding clients. However, progress in achieving the living wage through care commissioned by local authorities will be an important influence on the wider care market.

In correspondence to chief executives of local authorities, regarding the local government settlement, I said that this investment assumes that private and third sector providers will meet their share of the costs. I did not stipulate a specific contribution expected from providers. We would expect a more finely grained analysis of the situation regarding wages and fair work within contracted out care services at integration authority level and that is why the target date has been extended to 1 October 2016 rather than implementation by 1 April 2016.

Partnership working between the Scottish Government, local government and our stakeholders, including the third and independent sectors, is key to ensuring we achieve the intended outcomes of this additional investment.

This has been the approach we have followed during the past year in which, following extensive dialogue with local authorities and providers, we made available £12.5 million in 2015-16, as part of a tripartite agreement worth £25 million to improve the quality of care by jointly investing to encourage fair work practices for care workers, including progress to the living wage.

The significant increase in resources being made available through the budget will build on this success.

We have not stipulated a specific contribution expected from providers in regards to the 2016-17 local government settlement. We would expect a more finely grained analysis of the situation regarding wages and fair work within contracted out care services at integration authority level and as part of the negotiations on the National Care Home Contract – that is why the target date has been extended to 1 October 2016 rather than implementation by 1 April 2016.

The Scottish Government routinely publishes details of ministerial visits overseas. Details can be found at: http://www.gov.scot/About/People/14944/travel/visitsoverseas.

Overseas visits during the period to May 2016 will be published three months in arrears in line with the ministerial code.

The funding provided last year to improve quality of care through fair work practices, including paying the living wage, used a tripartite model where care providers and local government each provided a 25% contribution of the investment agreed.

In correspondence to chief executives of local authorities, regarding the local government settlement, I said that this investment assumes that private and third sector providers will meet their share of the costs.

We have not stipulated a specific contribution expected from providers in regards to the 2016-17 local government settlement. We would expect a more finely grained analysis of the situation regarding wages and fair work within contracted out care services at integration authority level and as part of the negotiations on the National Care Home Contract – that is why the target date has been extended to 1 October rather than implementation by 1 April 2016.

We will work in partnership with stakeholders in the coming months to achieve our shared goal, that being to help raise the status and public image of social care as a profession to help improve the quality of care in Scotland.

The package of funding the Scottish Government is providing for the financial year 2016-17 to local government will enable councils to increase the pace of reform and improve public services to communities across the country. Taking into account the addition of the £250 million to support the integration of health and social care, next year’s reduction in local authority overall estimated expenditure is less than one per cent. I believe that such a reduction should have minimal impact on the jobs or services as Scotland's councils should be able to address these challenges from a healthy base as local government funding has been rising in Scotland in recent years with core funding protected and new money provided for additional responsibilities.

The package of funding the Scottish Government is providing for the financial year 2016-17 to local government will enable councils to increase the pace of reform and improve public services to communities across the country. Taking into account the addition of the £250 million to support the integration of health and social care, the strong but challenging financial settlement for local government represents the equivalent to a reduction in local authority overall estimated expenditure of less than one per cent in 2016-17. I believe that such a reduction should have minimal impact on the jobs or services as Scotland's councils should be able to address these challenges from a healthy base as local government funding has been rising in Scotland in recent years with core funding protected and new money provided for additional responsibilities.

The Scottish Government has always attached the highest priority to maintaining public sector employment.

The package of funding the Scottish Government is providing for the financial year 2016-17 to local government will enable councils to increase the pace of reform and improve public services to communities across the country. Taking into account the addition of the £250 million to support the integration of health and social care, the strong but challenging financial settlement for local government represents the equivalent to a reduction in local authority overall estimated expenditure of less than one per cent in 2016-17. I believe that such a reduction should have minimal impact on the jobs or services as Scotland's councils should be able to address these challenges from a healthy base as local government funding has been rising in Scotland in recent years with core funding protected and new money provided for additional responsibilities.

The package of funding the Scottish Government is providing for the financial year 2016-17 to local government will enable councils to increase the pace of reform and improve public services to communities across the country. Taking into account the addition of the £250 million to support the integration of health and social care, the strong but challenging financial settlement for local government represents the equivalent to a reduction in local authority overall estimated expenditure of less than one per cent in 2016-17. I believe that such a reduction should have minimal impact on the jobs or services as Scotland's councils should be able to address these challenges from a healthy base as local government funding has been rising in Scotland in recent years with core funding protected and new money provided for additional responsibilities.

The Scottish Government recognises the severe challenges facing the oil and gas industry, which is why our focus is on what we can do to support the industry and the work force.

We continue to do all that we can within devolved powers to help the sector. In 2015, we set up the Energy Jobs Taskforce, which has already helped to support more than 2,500 individuals and 100 employers through the current downturn, and will continue to support the industry to improve collaboration, co-operation and innovation. We have also announced a £12 million Transition Training Fund, which will offer grants to individuals to support their redeployment through retraining or further education.

The Scottish Government continues to monitor the impact that low oil prices is having on the oil and gas industry and its wider supply chain and this will be discussed at the next Energy Jobs Taskforce meeting, which will take place on 23 March 2016.