Chamber and committees

Supported Businesses make an important contribution to the Scottish economy. Not only through the goods and services they deliver, but also by providing meaningful employment, training, and social support for those who may otherwise be excluded from the workplace.

The Scottish Government values the role of Supported Businesses and is committed to helping them achieve commercial sustainability.

In December 2016, the Scottish Government published the coproduced ‘Scotland’s Social Enterprise Strategy’, in March 2017, the then Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities launched the first of three underpinning action plans, and in March 2021, the then Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government, launched the second plan. The second action plan[1] describes our priorities for 2021-24, and details how we will work across the public sector and with partners to build forward and put the social enterprise model at the heart of Scotland's recovery. The action plan includes the following actions:

• We will bring forward a programme to help improve collaborative commissioning and the role of social enterprise in the delivery of public services.
• Review our support for procurement and how we best support mechanisms that will enable social enterprises to prepare, bid, win, and deliver public sector contracts.
• Take continued action to realise the potential of supported businesses to access public contracts, through the use of reserved contracts and other mechanisms.

Procurement officials are working with Supported Businesses and the public sector to make it easier for supported businesses to access public sector contracts.

A multi-supplier Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for Requirements Reserved for Supported Businesses provides Scottish public bodies with a route to market for a range of goods and services which can be provided by Supported Businesses.

Having sought the views of both affected suppliers and buyers and considered feasibility of the various commercial options with procurement leads from each centre of expertise, it is evident that a blended approach to Supported Businesses represents the best way forward. A blended approach comprises:

• a new national collaborative solution;
• scoping of opportunities for sectoral commercial arrangements; and
• non-collaborative interventions to support local contracting activity.

This will be coupled with work already underway to raise the profile of Supported Businesses and make the process of identifying them easier for public bodies.

The Requirements Reserved for Supported Businesses Dynamic Purchasing System commenced on 07 September 2023 for a two-year period, following a detailed stakeholder consultation process. Further information on the DPS can be found within the Scottish Government’s contracts directory.

[1]Social enterprise: action plan - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

As well as continuing to seek further legislative powers from the UK Government that will allow us to create a more efficient consenting system, we are also working closely to review consenting processes for larger scale energy proposals, in line with the commitments set out in the UK Government’s response to the Electricity Networks Commissioner’s recommendations.

The Scottish Government are engaging with the UK Government, Ofgem and the Electricity System Operator (ESO) on the implementation of the Transmission Acceleration Action Plan (TAAP) and the Connections Action Plan (CAP). We continue to push for reform, ensure that the proposals in the TAAP and CAP are robust, fit for purpose and tailored to the needs of Great Britain as a whole.

Within the Scottish Government we are increasing staff numbers in the Energy Consents Unit to aid processing times for all Section 36 and Section 37 applications. Additionally, the unit continues to progress a number of efficiency measures and improvements and we are continuing to work closely with stakeholders to improve timescales further; specifically, through implementation of the commitments made in the Onshore Wind Sector Deal and the Transmission Network Short Life Working group.

Following the award of the construction contract for HMP Highland in April this year, the construction is progressing to plan on site and is scheduled to complete in 2026.

The Scottish Government does still plan to publish the recommendations of the Transmission Network Short Life Working Group (SLWG).

Alongside this, we will also publish the Terms of Reference of the Transmission Steering Group (TSG), which have recently been finalised by the group. The TSG has been established in order to implement priority actions in the SLWG Report and monitor their progress.

Both documents are currently being assessed for accessibility compliance and are currently due to be published on the Scottish Government website in the week commencing 30 September 2024.

Historic Environment Scotland will continue to consider all options available to sustain and enhance the sites across its estate as it develops its Properties in Care strategy. However, it is important that we recognise climate change effects have been accelerating, and the increased rainfall and variations in temperature have continuing impacts on both Scotland's natural and built heritage.

I have asked Historic Environment Scotland to write directly to the member to update him of the position.

Assessments of revenue impact will be taken in the course of the Scottish Budget using up to date data relating to the non-domestic rates tax base and inflation. Indicative revenue changes of the result of a 1p change to the basic, intermediate and higher property rates were published in Scottish Tax – changes for 2023 to 2024 ready reckoners which can be found here : Summary - Scottish Tax - changes for 2023 to 2024: ready reckoners - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

Transport Scotland has already allocated over £145 million of our 2024-25 budget to delivery partners across both Active Travel infrastructure and behaviour change. 2024-25 is the first year for a local authority and Regional Transport Partnerships led delivery model for infrastructure and behaviour change programmes that will encourage a shift towards more walking, wheeling and cycling. This funding remains in place.

The utmost importance is placed on balancing the Scottish Government’s budget each financial year. The Scottish Government and the whole of the public sector face a financial position that is extremely challenging. As with all programmes across Scottish Government, further active travel funding will need to be considered in this context for 2024-25. As the active and sustainable travel funding referred to in the Cabinet Secretary for Finance’s Pre-Budget Fiscal Update had not been allocated, no organisations nor local authorities will see their previously confirmed 2024-25 funding reduced as a result.

The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people is an absolute priority for the Scottish Government.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) holds the national licence for Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid: Young People- (SMHFA:YP). Following COVID, PHS took the decision to pause the delivery of the SMHFA: YP, due to the content of the course being considered out of date, given changes to the social and cultural context in which young people live in Scotland (for example, content in relation to alcohol and drugs and bullying). There are no current plans to update the content or reverse the current pause on this programme; as many alternative and up-to-date sources of advice are available to adults who support children and young people.

A new professional learning resource for school staff, supported by the Mental Health in Schools Working Group, was published in 2021. The resource provides essential learning required to support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. The resource is free and can be found at: CYPMH – Professional Learning Resource. A number of education resources linked to Curriculum for Excellence are also available to support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people in schools and other settings. Just this week, a new resource will be launched – One Good Adult:Job Description. This was designed by children and young people to help those around them provide the support they need.

In addition, Public Health Scotland and NHS Education for Scotland have developed further digital resources aimed at those supporting the mental health, self-harm and suicide prevention needs of young people. These can be found at: Informed level of practice | Turas | Learn (nhs.scot)

Interactive training is also available on specific topics. For example, Self-Harm Network Scotland provides free training sessions, in-person or online. Anyone can sign up for these sessions, and there are a range of options offered, with more in-depth sessions for professionals. Since these started in early 2023, the service has already trained over 2,500 people.

These sources of advice complement expanded provision of supports and services for children and young people – with access to counselling available through every secondary school; over 300 community-based mental health and wellbeing supports for children and young people now in place across Scotland; and advice for young people themselves available through the investment we have made in the likes of Young Scot’s Aye Feel website.

The Just Transition Fund has allocated £75 million to date, supporting projects and communities across the North East and Moray to create jobs, support innovation, and secure the highly skilled workforce of the future.

We have not identified buildings with a specific sleeping risk, however buildings on the pilot are residential.

The Single Building Assessment (SBA) must result in a report on any risk to human life that is (directly or indirectly) created or exacerbated by the building’s external wall cladding system and what work (if any) is needed to eliminate or mitigate that risk.

There are 107 entries in the pilot phase of the Cladding Remediation Programme. Entries in the pilot can comprise a single block or building, or a development, or part of a development consisting of multiple blocks or buildings. Pilot assessments have been undertaken for 30 of the pilot entries. A pilot assessment includes any assessment carried out prior to the publication of the SBA specification on the 21 June 2024.

These numbers relate to known pilot assessments only as developers, home owners or other organisations could have commissioned assessments without informing the Scottish Government and therefore the true numbers may be higher and could increase as further information becomes available