Chamber and committees

Where trade unions are recognised, evidence of the collective element of effective voice will be their recognition agreement. We expect in such cases that employer organisations will work with their trade unions to evidence meeting the other aspects of the new requirements and any wider Fair Work First commitments.

Our Fair Work First guidance provides an overview of some acceptable forms of evidence for employers to demonstrate effective voice and real Living Wage conditionality.

Grant recipients are asked, both at the application stage and on conclusion of the grant, to provide a statement confirming they are meeting all the Fair Work First criteria, this should be signed by a trade union representative or a worker representative where there is no formal trade union recognition agreement. It will be for the relevant grant administrator to monitor and ensure compliance, in line with normal grant management practice.

The Scottish Government has invested £5,793,617 on the management and maintenance of the A77 since January 2023. This figure includes all aspects of maintenance including major resurfacing, drainage improvements and routine maintenance activities such as vegetation clearance and grass cutting. It also includes targeted road safety measures, maintenance of bridges and structures and winter service.

Between January 2007 and December 2022, the Scottish Government has invested £64 million in five separate major capital schemes on the A77. These schemes are:

A77 Haggstone Climbing Lane & A77 Glen App Improvements - £18.7m

A77 Park End to Bennane - £5.5m

A77 Symington to Bogend Toll - £10.6m

A77 Maybole Bypass - £29m

There has been no expenditure on these schemes in 2023.

Ground investigations for the slope stability works at A77 Glengall have been completed and initial design work to find a solution for slope stability have been undertaken. Further design work is now ongoing which is currently programmed to conclude in September 2023. Works on the slope will be programmed thereafter depending on the progression of the design adopted.

A new Detect Cancer Earlier campaign – Be The Early Bird – was launched on 6 th March 2023 and ran for four weeks, aiming to reduce fear of cancer and empower those with possible symptoms to act early. The campaign has been developed with primary and secondary care clinical input and will be independently evaluated. We have a dedicated page on our NHS inform website, which highlights the causes, symptoms and treatment for bladder cancer .

We know that the earlier cancer is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat and even cure, which is why we continue to invest in our Detect Cancer Early (DCE) Programme. Since DCE launched, positive shifts have been noted. Our new earlier cancer diagnosis vision in Scotland is due to be published shortly as part of our ambitious new 10-year cancer strategy, which will outline the future of the DCE Programme.

The Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan, backed by £70 million investment, was published on 30 November 2021. The Plan focuses on key areas such as clinical pathways, workforce training and development and innovation.

In partnership with the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD), we are committed to developing and implementing clinical pathways that optimise the value of endoscopy and urology diagnostics in each patient’s care. This includes refreshing ‘Once for Scotland’ clinical pathways to prioritise demand for cystoscopy, including where bladder cancer is suspected.

NHS Tayside cancer services are currently operating at a stable level with mutual aid from other Health Boards for Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapies for breast cancer. The health board continues to pursue all recruitment opportunities and positive discussions are ongoing about possible future appointments.

The Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022 is a response to the impact of the cost crisis on those living in the rented sector. The Act introduced a temporary rent cap and a temporary moratorium on the enforcement of evictions, along with simplifying the process for claiming unlawful eviction damages and increasing the level of damages that can be awarded.

The Act was initially due to expire on 31 March 2023, however Scottish Ministers used the powers available to them to extend Part 1 for a further period of 6 months to 30 September 2023.

In addition to being time limited, the Scottish Government has also made clear it will retain and use the provisions within the Act only for as long as they are necessary and proportionate. As a result, where it has been possible to do so, provisions in the Act have been suspended or expired when they have fulfilled their purpose and the Scottish Government has examined available evidence and views and both supported a change in approach.

The ongoing cost crisis continues to place people across Scotland in a precarious economic position. Renters, in particular, have lower household incomes, higher levels of poverty and are more vulnerable to economic shocks. Over the period from 2018-2020, 63% of social rented households and 40% of private rented households did not have enough savings to cover even a month of income at the poverty line, compared to 24% of households buying with a mortgage and 9% of households owning outright. Thus rented sector households entered the cost of living crisis in a more vulnerable position than owner occupiers.

In carefully considering this wider economic context, the Scottish Government have decided that it is necessary and proportionate for Part 1 of the Act to be extended for a further, and final, 6 month period to 31 March 2024.

Subject to approval by Parliament, regulations have been laid today that would mean:

• Most in-tenancy private rent increases would continue to be capped at 3%;
• Alternatively, private landlords could apply for increases of up to 6% to help cover certain increases in costs in a specified time period where these costs can be evidenced;
• Enforcement of evictions would continue to be paused for six months for most tenants, except in a number of specified circumstances; and
• Increased damages for unlawful evictions of up to 36 months’ worth of rent would continue to be applicable.

A Statement of Reasons has been published alongside these regulations, setting out the evidence why the Scottish Government believes it is necessary and proportionate to extend Part 1 of the Act beyond 30 September 2023.

Part 1 of the Act can only be extended in its entirety and not on a provision by provision basis. Any provisions that should not be extended therefore need to be expired or suspended through separate regulations. In addition, throughout the proposed six month extension period, if provisions are deemed to no longer be necessary during that time then they must be suspended or expired early. A suspended provision could subsequently be revived if this was considered necessary and proportionate in connection with the cost of living.

Therefore, proposing that Part 1 of the Act be extended at this time does not guarantee that all provisions covered by the extension would remain in place until 31 March 2024, and we will continue to review – and report on - whether the provisions remain necessary and proportionate in connection with the cost of living.

Rainforest expansion and restoration is a key Scottish Government priority. Scottish Forestry manages the Woodland Carbon Code which offers opportunities to expand and restore Scotland’s rainforests in line the Scottish Government’s Interim Principles for Responsible Investment in Natural Capital, which can be found at https://www.gov.scot/publications/interim-principles-for-responsible-investment-in-natural-capital/ .

Whilst there are no imminent plans to commission a report similar to the one for peatland, Scottish Forestry have also just appointed a new Rainforest Action Co-ordinator and one of the tasks is to develop a framework of potential funding sources. Part of that work will be to further encourage private investment where possible, working closely with partners and stakeholders such as the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest, and commission work as required.

Our key priority throughout the stocks and negotiations is always to protect Scottish interests by securing sustainable catching opportunities.

Bluefin tuna quota is allocated to the UK via International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and for 2023 the UK Government intends to trial a small-scale commercial fishery for Bluefin tuna in UK waters with 39 tonnes set aside quota for this purpose. All UK vessels, including the Scottish fishing fleet, will be able to apply for the trial this year.

My officials have been fully involved in discussions within the UK to ensure that, upon the opening of the application process, applicants will be assessed in a fair and transparent manner to select who will be issued with one of the 10 Bluefin tuna licences. Each licence will regulate the maximum quota which may be fished for the period of the 2023 trial, and which will also be non-transferrable. Under this scheme, Bluefin tuna quota is therefore currently managed at a UK level, rather than being apportioned between UK Fisheries Administrations.

Prior to the commencement of the trial, it is essential that a precautionary management approach is fully developed to ensure that Bluefin tuna fishing is sustainable, and that vessels are fully compliant with all relevant measures.

We published the data on 23 March 2023 here:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/low-carbon-heating-in-domestic-buildings-technical-feasibility-archetype-appendix/

Any healthcare products being used by NHS Scotland require the undertaking of due diligence to ensure the safety of everyone concerned. This involves seeking clinical advice and undertaking a full health technology assessment (HTA).

In the first instance, all health technologies must be registered with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) before being placed on the market.

Following that, we refer enquiries around health technologies to the Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG), who are part of Healthcare Improvement Scotland. SHTG undertake HTAs, providing evidence support and advice on the use of new and existing health technologies. This includes analysing the benefits, costs, ease of implementation as well as considering any unintended clinical consequences which may arise.

It is ultimately for the 14 Territorial Health Boards across Scotland to decide whether to procure and apply this intervention as part of their treatment for patients. Health Boards receive support from Healthcare Improvement Scotland and SHTG in making such decisions.

The SHTG has not provided advice on the use of Trucheck to date.