Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government’s latest Financial Sustainability Health Check was published on 31 July 2023. It collected data at a national level through provider surveys, and reported that 81% of funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) providers in the private and third sector were paying the real Living Wage to either all their staff or those delivering funded ELC.

The Scottish Government is working with COSLA and local authorities, including through the ELC Fair Work and Real Living Wage Implementation Group, to identify approaches to strengthen the evidence base on the number of funded ELC providers paying the real Living Wage.

The Scottish Government has provided funding to Angus Independent Advocacy since 2020, as one of the providers of the statutory children's advocacy scheme for children's hearings. The objectives of the funding are to develop, deliver and promote children's advocacy services to ensure those services are accessible to all children and young people who may have a Children’s Hearing. These objectives have been adjusted over the years since 2020.

The key objectives, as set out in the current grant letter 2023-24 are:

• Children's advocacy will be offered and, where accepted, provided at the earliest possible point.
• The rights and views of children and young people who come into contact with the Children’s Hearings System, or who are placed in residential children's care from another part of the UK under a Court authorised Deprivation of Liberty Order (DOL) in Scotland, will be taken into account in decision making by supporting children and young people to participate in decisions that affect their lives.
• High quality independent advocacy services will be promoted and provided to children and young people, to support them to exercise their rights to be heard and participate within their Hearings. Children and young people affected by DOL placements will be supported to understand their rights and engage in discussions to provide their views to the residential provider.
• Children and young people will be supported by children's advocacy workers who will be appropriately skilled and qualified, and supported through training and Continuous Professional Development.
• Continually informed developments and improvements of the provision to meet children and young people's advocacy needs and empowering children who need a stronger voice by enabling them to express their own needs and make their own decisions.
• Take steps to promote, respect, protect and fulfil the rights of children and young people and increase awareness of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) amongst staff and stakeholders.
• Will be expected to give regard to the Fair Work Framework.

Objectives in 2019-20 and 2020-21:

• To complete preparation work and activities to allow the organisation to deliver Children’s Advocacy services as part of the Scottish Government’s implementation of section 122 of the Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011, in a manner which gives cognisance to the: Scottish Government’s Advocacy Guidance; and National Practice Model for Advocacy in the Children’s Hearings System.

Objectives in 2021-22:

• The organisation will support the Scottish Government with the development, delivery and promotion of the national children’s advocacy in children’s hearings scheme as part of the implementation of section 122 of the Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011 and The Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011 (Children’s Advocacy Services) Regulations 2020, in a manner which gives cognisance to the: Scottish Government’s Children’s Advocacy Guidance (published in 2014), and National Practice Model for Advocacy in the Children’s Hearings System (published in March 2020).
• The organisation will promote high quality independent advocacy services to children and young people, to support them to exercise their rights to be heard within their Hearings and contributing to the recovery of children’s hearings from Covid-19 impacts towards stable service.
• The organisation will promote high quality independent advocacy services to brothers and sisters, to support them to exercise their rights to participate in the Hearings of their siblings on staying together/contact arrangements as introduced by section 25 of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 and related changes in Regulations made under section 177 of the Children (Scotland) Act 2011.
• The organisation will take steps to promote, respect, protect and fulfil the rights of children and young people and increase awareness of the UNCRC amongst staff and stakeholders. You will promote the UNCRC throughout the creation and development of the project, and related policies and procedures in relation to this funding.
• The organisation will support planning and future implementation of The Promise by improving experiences and outcomes for care experienced children and young people.

In 2022-23, the objectives repeated those applicable in 2021-22, with this addition:

• The organisation will promote high quality independent advocacy services to children and young people in cross-border DOL order placements. The advocacy offer, as detailed in the National Practice Model for Advocacy in the Children’s Hearings System, will be intended to support affected children to understand their rights (within Scotland’s laws) and provide their views to the residential provider - as to how their in-placement experience aligns with their child’s plan and how their welfare is being protected. This will be done in liaison with the child’s appointed guardian/advocacy organisation in the placing/implementing authority, in line with the welfare analysis submitted to the High Court when the placing authority first applied for the DOL order.
• In 2020-21, Angus Independent Advocacy also received expedited grant funding allocated under the Winter Plan for Social Protection Children's Hearings Recovery Project. This was to support greater safety in participation, and digital capacity for advocacy - to manage the impact of coronavirus on children referred to the Children's Hearings System. This was to support system recovery and meet the changing needs for children and young people to be able to participate in their children's hearings. It extended to, for example, personal digital devices that would both allow them to engage with advocacy but also assist with home schooling as required.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. You may wish to contact individual local authorities who may hold this information.

The Scottish Government places great importance on community sports and leisure facilities. They are crucial to the wellbeing of all our country and most importantly, for our children and young people to be healthy and active.

We have asked sportscotland to undertake a review of the facilities estate which will provide vital information in understanding the sport and leisure facilities provision in the long term. In addition, sportscotland and Scottish Swimming have recently published a detailed research study into the condition of Scotland’s swimming pools. The Future of Swimming Facilities in Scotland - sportscotland the national agency for sport in Scotland

We are fully aware that local authorities are facing challenging financial circumstances, particularly in the maintenance and operating of facilities, largely due to energy costs and other cost of living pressures. sportscotland will continue to work with its local partners to help them assess the impact of any potential facility closures across the country. In addition, the Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Sport and officials engage regularly with Community Leisure UK to discuss the local public facilities landscape.

In recognition of the importance of access to sports and leisure facilities, our Programme for Government sets out our intention to convene a working group, including representatives of sports organisations, community organisations and CoSLA, to explore how community access to community facilities, such as the school estate, can be enhanced.

There is no record of any Scottish Government funding being provided to the Multi-Cultural Elderly Care Centre since 2019.

The Scottish Government, in its Scottish Connections Framework, committed to continue to engage with key heritage events around the world such as New York Tartan Week.

We work with key partners, led by VisitScotland, as part of the Brand Scotland strategic partnership, and through our international offices to position Scotland as an inclusive, year-round destination.

Key milestones in the cultural calendar, with St Andrew’s Day in November and Burns Night in January, along with Tartan Day in April in North America, provide the Scottish Government international network with invaluable opportunities to promote Scotland’s international interests, showcasing Scottish traditions, the best of Scottish produce, culture and values, and Scotland as a great destination for tourism. Teams in the Scottish Government international network also engage with local diaspora communities in country specific activities such as Highland Games and historical celebrations.

Those activities include, but are not limited to the following examples and evolve depending on local opportunities.

The Scottish Government in the USA has long been a key supporter of the diaspora led activity that constitutes Tartan Day and Tartan Week. Ministerial attendance throughout the week is leveraged towards promoting trade, investment, tourism, culture and higher education. VisitScotland attend Tartan Week and hold events to promote tourism with the general public, and specific events working with tourism and hospitality companies. With the support of the Scottish Government, Tartan Week has grown to be bigger than ever, with multiple Scottish business, culture and heritage organisations present last year, and planning to attend again this year. The team also host and participate in events around local Highland Games throughout the year, as well as St Andrew’s Day and Burns Nights across the USA, host events for alumni of Scottish Universities, and partner with diaspora organisations to deliver the strongest possible suite of events across the country, all aimed at promoting Scotland as a place to live, work, study, visit and do business.

The Scottish Government in Canada works in partnership with major Scottish/St. Andrew’s societies across Canada to promote Scottish tourism and place VisitScotland marketing collateral at their events including Burns Suppers, St. Andrew’s Day as well as at Highland Games in the summer. Video content on their Instagram channel is mainly drawn from VisitScotland and Scotland is Now campaigns. The team has also supported VisitScotland and their work with Canadian airports that host direct flights to Scotland.

The Scottish Government in China works in partnership with stakeholders including Scottish and Alumni Societies to promote Scotland and tourism, building connections with diaspora who help to propagate our messaging. Recent examples include Burns Nights, either hosted or supported by the team, hosting a St Andrew’s Day reception, and supporting the National Gallery of Scotland’s opening of a major exhibition of surrealist art from its collection at Museum of Art Pudong in Shanghai.

The team in China works closely with VisitScotland to maximise the opportunities that events and activities offer to promote tourism and Scotland more generally; and in building links with key stakeholders to support tourism. One example is the direct flight route between China and Scotland (Hainan Airlines announced in late December it would run its direct Edinburgh-Beijing route in 2024 with extra flights compared to the first run in 2023). The team uses its social media platforms to maximise impact and reach a wider audience across China, currently with 275k followers.

The Scottish Government in France works closely with Scottish diaspora organisations across France, regularly attending and participating in their events. This year they attended and supported several Burns Suppers organised by diaspora organisations, in Paris and beyond, such as Aubigny-sur-Nère: a town with a rich historical connection with Scotland.

The Scottish Government in Germany promote tourism to Scotland and showcase VisitScotland content through a number of channels, including regular online newsletters, social media posts, and events such as concerts and literature showcases, as well as Burns Night and St Andrews Day events. They regularly work with VisitScotland and Showcase Scotland to promote festival and cultural tourism especially. A 2023 St Andrew’s Day reception, in partnership with VisitScotland focused on promoting cultural and music tourism to Scotland.

The Scottish Government in Ireland are speaking to St Patrick’s Festival in Dublin regarding their ‘Abair - Bothy/Bothn’ which will bring together artists from Scotland and Ireland to explore shared traditions and folk customs

The hosting of annual Burns Night and St Andrews Day events, in which the promotion of Scottish arts, culture, food and landscapes to a Nordic audience are a key objective for the Nordics team in Copenhagen, alongside engagement with Scotland’s locally based diaspora communities.

Scotland House London are organising a week-long Scottish literature festival with Scottish diaspora organisations, with whom they have a group but also a range of events, such as a Ceilidh and annual gala with Princess Anne as the royal patron, throughout the year.

As we learn more about our diaspora and increase our Scottish Connections we will continue to explore new opportunities for engagement.

As part of our ongoing statutory duty to keep the provisions of the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022 under review, a series of reports have been published setting out the evidence as to why the Scottish Government believes the Act remains necessary and proportionate. You may wish to note that the most recent report was laid in Parliament on 12 January 2024.

To inform the development of this series of reports, Scottish Ministers issued regular ‘Calls for Evidence’ to a wide range of rented sector stakeholder groups in respect of the social, private and student rented sectors – including institutional investors such as the Scottish Property Federation and UK Finance, who were able to share the Call for Evidence with the investor community. Responses to the Calls for Evidence helped inform Scottish Ministers’ statutory ongoing review of the necessity and proportionality of the provisions.

In addition, I am aware that representatives from the Scottish Property Federation and UK Finance are members of the Scottish Government’s Private Rented Sector Stakeholder Group and have been able to feed in their views on the impact of the emergency Act via that forum for some time.

A well-regulated private rented sector is good for both tenants and landlords – whilst also being compatible with investment. We are working to develop a long-term model of rent control that works for Scotland, and I recognise how important it is for this Government to work with the housing sector and others to foster confidence and trust. We will therefore continue to work with stakeholders across landlord, tenant and investor groups to understand their perspectives. The Minister for Housing and I are due to hold a round table with a range of institutional investors later this month.

The delay regarding the MV Caledonian Isles is regrettable and I recognise the frustration felt by communities as a result. The responsibility for operational decisions regarding ferry services lies with CalMac as the operator. I spoke with CalMac’s Chief Executive on 26 February to convey my concern, and make clear that everything must be done to address capacity and provide assurances for the Arran community and others across the network – particularly as we look towards the Easter break and beyond.

MV Isle of Arran is operating out of Ardrossan and there continues to be additional sailings via the islands secondary route Claonaig/Lochranza. This government will continue to do everything possible to ensure that new vessels enter service as quickly as possible, to deliver the service improvements upon which our islands depend. Delivering six new major vessels to serve Scotland’s ferry network by 2026 is a priority for this Government and currently there are no capacity issues.

The second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2), published in December 2022, recommended a series of active travel interventions to encourage and sustain a rise in active travel across Scotland. For the South West Scotland this built on earlier work done as part of the South West Scotland Transport Study, published in January 2020, that proposed the development of Strategic Active Travel Network in the South West of Scotland to better connect communities to key destinations with cycle paths parallel to trunk roads and improvements to the National Cycle Network (NCN).

Although the Scottish Government has had no direct involvement in any scheme to extend the NCN route 73 between Stranraer and Cairnryan, Transport Scotland has funded Sustrans with £18.4 million in 2023-24 to continue development of the National Cycle Network. The NCN in Scotland is managed by Sustrans who gave intentions to explore improvements to NCN 73 in the south west which are included within Sustrans’ 30 year National Cycle Network Plan.

The active travel budget is currently supporting infrastructure being delivered by Transport Scotland on the trunk road network to encourage modal shift and to improve active travel connectivity. As part of this, Transport Scotland is currently investigating the feasibility of a new shared use path along the A77 from the south of Cairnryan to the A77/ A751 junction.

Background information required for the design of this shared use path is currently being gathered. Transport Scotland’s operating company Amey requires to carry out vegetation clearance in advance of a topographic survey, subject to environmental investigations. Land purchase will also be required, and this can only commence once the design has identified the full land extent necessary.

Construction between the A751 and Cairnryan is currently programmed for the fourth quarter of FY24/25. This is however subject to available budgets and conclusion of the land purchase which may delay construction. Subject to available ongoing funding, Transport Scotland will investigate the upgrading of the existing path from Stranraer to the A751.

The UK Autumn Statement was a worst-case scenario for Scotland and confirmed that the Scottish Government Capital Block Grant is forecast to contract by almost 10% in real terms over 5 years (2023-24 to 2027-28). Capital spending pressures across the Scottish Government far exceed available funding This means that it will take longer to deliver all our capital commitments, and difficult decisions were required in order to achieve a fiscally sustainable capital budget. As such, we targeted the limited capital funding available towards supporting employment and the economy, achieving our net zero ambitions and maintaining high-quality public services across Scotland.

A significant proportion of the expenditure in the portfolio is legally and contractually committed, and the budget ensures that those commitments are met in full in this budget as well as allocating funding to support critical maintenance and renewal expenditure to ensure that the people of Scotland have access to a safe and reliable transport system.

The budget process also considered equalities and fairer Scotland duties and progress towards our statutory targets for climate change and child poverty in prioritising the budget available to me. I refer to the Equalities and Fairer Scotland Budget Statement and Carbon Assessment published alongside this budget.

Officials continue to engage with SPT on the implications of the budget decision along with the impact on future spending plans, and SPT are invited to advise Transport Scotland on any impacts of budget decisions on risk to service provision.

There is no record of any Scottish Government funding being provided to Milngavie Old People's Welfare Committee since 2019.