Chamber and committees

The existing Franchise Agreement between the Scottish Ministers and Serco Caledonian Sleepers Limited predates the implementation of the Fair Work Framework.

However, the opportunity has been taken under the current amended contractual arrangements for the pandemic period (Emergency Measures Agreements) to specify that Caledonian Sleeper should deliver against a set of Staff Engagement and Wellbeing Targets.

As contractual arrangements for the pandemic period draw to a close, Caledonian Sleeper has committed to engaging with the Scottish Government in adopting the Fair Work Framework under updated contractual arrangements.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-05572 on 10 February 2022. 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 National Transition Training Fund (NTTF) was established in October 2020 as a key intervention to mitigate the projected rise in unemployment resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic and was positioned to help fill a gap in how we supported individuals, aged 25+, who had lost their job or whose jobs were at risk as a result of the pandemic.

In response to recent Parliamentary Questions and in the NTTF / Young Person’s Guarantee Debate on 9 November 2021 we committed to publishing a report summarising the outcomes of Year 1. The report on Year 1 of NTTF has been published on the Scottish Government Website at http://www.gov.scot/ISBN/978-1-80201-962-9 .

The Scottish Government owning the Steelworks for a short period of time enabled all parties to achieve what they required from the sale and purchase of the business. The Scottish Government in doing so, supported the recommencement of Steel Production in Scotland and protected the livelihood of families across the Lanarkshire Steel communities.

The Dalzell Steelworks were owned for a short period of time by the Scottish Government to assist in the facilitation of the transfer of ownership of the Steelworks between TATA Steel UK and Liberty House.

Scottish Government agricultural officials are consulted on woodland creation proposals, including the planting on prime agricultural land or whole farm schemes, to ensure the interests and livelihoods of farm businesses are not unduly impacted and where possible they actually benefit and impacts are mitigated.

In addition the Scottish Government supports a farmer and crofter-led initiative, which has a network of farm woodland demonstration sites across Scotland, showcasing how growing trees can boost farming businesses.

We are committed to significantly increasing annual rates of peatland restoration in Scotland. We have committed £250 million for peatland restoration over the period 2020 to 2030 and this sends a clear signal of the Government’s intent to restore peatlands to help address the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Peatland Action, a Scottish Government-funded programme delivered by NatureScot and other delivery partners, provides technical and logistical support to land owners and land managers to support their scale-up and delivery of peatland restoration. We are developing further support to drive this new industry in rural areas and engage with crofting communities; we are also gathering evidence on how to target restoration activity to ensure maximum value for money, emission reduction savings and a just transition.

The North East Economic Recovery and Skills Fund (NEERSF) launched in August 2021. Projects will continue to September 2022 and following this, we will provide a report on the full period.

The first interim performance reporting from the delivery partnership was received in December 2021. These reports covered progress from 7th October to 30th November, when delivery remained in early stages. In that initial two month period 490 individuals and over 40 businesses were supported.

Legal aid applications are prepared by an applicant’s solicitor, who provides all the details of the case to the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB). Solicitors have professional duties not only to their client, but to SLAB and to the court; therefore it would not be professionally appropriate for a solicitor to submit an application for legal aid if they were of the view that a client’s case was “spurious”.

Legal aid is granted only if the applicant meets the strict eligibility criteria set out in legislation, which apply to all civil cases, including family law matters. This includes the merits of a case. Applicants need to demonstrate that they have a sound legal basis for their case, and that it is reasonable for legal aid to be made available. When looking at the reasonableness test, The Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) considers a range of factors including whether the application is premature and whether there are reasonable prospects of success. If the criteria are not met then legal aid will be refused.

Opponents will generally be notified when an application for legal aid is submitted and have the opportunity to make representations to SLAB prior to legal aid being granted. Opponents can also provide any additional information which may affect the merits of the case during its lifetime after legal aid has been granted and does not require legal representation.

The Scottish Government has issued a letter to the Scottish Law Commission on 10 January 2022, commissioning a Law Reform Project to provide a draft Bill that would implement the recommendations of the Scottish Parliamentary Group on Tenement Maintenance.