Chamber and committees

A multi-stakeholder task group has been established to progress the most effective route for implementation of the strategy. As well as a subgroup of experts to investigate and a define place criteria for roads that are appropriate for 20 mph speed limits.

Recognising the need to identify the number of roads affected and the financial implications, the Scottish Government has supported local authorities with an additional £1.4 million in funding to undertake the necessary roads assessments. This work is scheduled to conclude in Spring 2023 and will enable the multi-partner 20 mph Task Group to then scope the next steps and options for implementation.

Communication plans are being developed, with research underway to shape a national campaign that will focus on promoting the benefits of lower speeds and encourage behaviour change pre and post implementation.

As the intention is to work with existing land owners, NatureScot do not anticipate that the investment will contribute to increased land values as a result of the sale or purchase of land. However, investing in natural capital may increase land values as it improves the condition of the land and subsequently increases the potential for land managers to generate revenue from the sale of ecosystem services. This is an unavoidable outcome of delivering our nature restoration targets.

Community benefits, such as those referred to, will be explored during the design phase of the project.

The terms of reference are in draft format and will not be finalised and agreed until following the first meeting of the Taskforce. The Scottish Government will proactively publish the agreed terms of reference in due course.

The draft terms of reference sets out its proposed scope on a series of specific issues, though is not intended as a fully inclusive list, as further issues may surface in the context of discussion. Nonetheless, the existing list of identified issues reflect clear themes around Culture and Leadership, Wellbeing, Attraction, Education and Development, and Retention – all in aid of the development of a sustainable workforce that enables the implementation of safe staffing legislation.

The Investing in Communities Fund will support over 100 organisations receiving a share of £27 million over the three years 2023-24 to 2025-26.

There was significant interest in the fund, with a total of 801 applications submitted which were assessed in line with the process that was set out in the fund’s published guidance, concluding with the Independent Assessment Panel.

The assessment process fully allocates the available budget and as such the fund’s guidance made clear that the Panel decision was final and there is no appeals process.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15841 on 24 March 2023 . All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

The Scottish Government funded a national Childhood Bereavement Coordinator project, which concluded in September 2022 with the publication of the final report ‘Growing Up Grieving’. The Co-ordinator’s report included 7 recommendations, which span a number of portfolios across Scottish Government. The publication of the report coincided with that of the UK Commission on Bereavement, and many of the principles in the UK report align with those of the Scottish National Childhood Bereavement Co-ordinator. The Scottish Government is considering how best to implement the recommendations.

The evaluation of the Deferral pilots will be published in May 2023. The report has been slightly delayed to allow for an extended recruitment and data collection phase of the research, as the response rate was lower than expected during the original phase.

The Programme for Government sets out that a Circular Economy Bill will be introduced in 2022-23 and we remain on track to meet that deadline. Further, the Deposit Return Scheme remains on track to go live in August 2023.

All applicants were advised to demonstrate and evidence how their proposal would deliver against all four areas of action for the fund, and that these were the criteria against which their application would be assessed. The criteria are:

• tackling poverty and inequality, including child poverty
• developing and sustaining place based approaches
• community-led regeneration
• ensuring a just transition to net zero

All applications were assessed equally against the criteria and organisations were advised that previous support through ICF did not guarantee a future award.

Meeting frequency will be determined by the Taskforce when it meets. We envisage that there will be a series of meetings and separate subgroup meetings focusing on the key themes within the terms of reference, and the frequency will vary by workstream, and as work progresses.