Chamber and committees

A scoping study of the food aid landscape in Scotland was commissioned by the Scottish Government in mid-August 2013.

The study is being conducted by the Institute for Housing, Urban and Real Estate Research Centre in the School of the Built Environment at Heriot-Watt University.

Publication of the final report and research findings is expected sometime in November 2013.

Whilst I have been assured by Lord MacLean, Chairman of the Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry that good progress is being made, Lord MacLean advises that he requires additional time for the warning letter process and to fully consider all evidence to ensure a robust report.

The timing of the report is entirely a matter for Lord MacLean.

I recently received a progress report from Lord MacLean, Chairman, Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry in which he indicated that he will now endeavour to publish his final report by 31 March 2014.

The Scottish Government fully recognises the value of keeping children within the family unit, minimising disruption in their lives and reinforcing the child’s sense of identity and self-esteem. Published research as well as on-going engagement with kinship carers has heavily influenced our policy making and that is why we have, through the Children and Young People Bill, introduced additional support to kinship carers and families in the early stages of distress.

The Scottish Government believes that the needs of children should be the determining factor behind decisions about placements and what support is provided. This is set out in our 2007 strategy Getting it Right for Every Child in Kinship and Foster Care.

We are committed to ensuring that children receive personalised care, which meets all of their needs, regardless of whether they live in a kinship care or foster care arrangement. That is why we are putting elements of Getting it Right for Every Child change programme on a statutory footing through the Children and Young People Bill, making the wide range of children’s services more responsive and better coordinated around the needs of the child.

The Annual Population Survey (APS) provides estimates of employment across Scotland; however the only data available for those specific conditions requested covers those who have any learning difficulties or disabilities. The latest APS data covers the period from July to June 2013.

Number of people aged 16+ with learning difficulties or disabilities in full-time and part-time employment, Scotland

Source: Annual Population Survey, Office for National Statistics.

Notes:

1. Level rounded to nearest thousand.

2. The sub-group of interest here is relatively small therefore this estimate is not as reliable as those for the total population aged 16+.

3. Figures exclude those who did not state whether they were in full-time or part-time employment.

4. Learning difficulties and disabilities includes conditions such as dyslexia or dyscalculia; mental impairments or mental handicap.

5.*denotes disclosive value.

The Scottish Government notes the report and will consider the relevance of its conclusions for disabled people in Scotland.

The entitlement criteria for the council tax reduction (CTR) scheme replicate, as far as possible, entitlement to the previous council tax benefit and will depend upon the demography, the employment rate, levels of council tax, wage levels and hours worked. Currently the only available estimates of potential entitlement to CTR are the Department of Work and Pensions’ forecasts for Council Tax Benefit, available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/222849/ctb_country_statgroup_autumn12.xls, which indicate that 556,000 will be eligible in 2013-14 and 544,000 in 2014-15.

However, the Scottish Government, with local authorities, have implemented monitoring arrangements for the new CTR scheme which will be used to inform future policy development and evaluation of the scheme, including forecasting caseload and expenditure.

Our draft Budget includes a commitment to roll forward the Scottish Government’s contribution of £23 million in 2014-15 to continue to mitigate the estimated £40 million gap in funding from the UK Government for Council Tax Benefit successor arrangements. COSLA leaders agreed on 27 September 2013 that local government will again contribute £17 million. This joint commitment will enable us to maintain our support for the most vulnerable households in Scotland.

The Scottish Government has encouraged ScotRail to lead in efforts by train companies to reduce the period of notice they ask is given by disabled passengers for booking assistance. ScotRail recently reduced the recommended notice from 24 to 4 hours, being one of the first train companies in Britain implementing this service improvement.

ScotRail staff aim to assist any passenger asking for help regardless if they have booked assistance in advance, but the reliability and quality of service they can provide is significantly enhanced if passengers pre-book the assistance they require.