Chamber and committees

Family Fund administers the Take a Break Scotland fund on behalf of the Scottish Government. Currently, it is one of four programmes which make up the annual £3 million voluntary sector Short Breaks Fund. During the period 2011-12 to 2021-22, 21,131 Take a Break Scotland grants have been provided to carers (please see the breakdown below for each year). The higher numbers of grants in 2020-21 and 2021-22 is due to additional funding provided to meet extra demand during the pandemic. It must be highlighted that this is the number of grant applications funded, and there may be more than one carer benefiting from each grant.

Number of Short Break grants provided by the Take a Break Scotland fund.

Future transport investment decisions, such as the reopening of the former stations at Glasgow Cross and Glasgow Green, are being considered within the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2). As concluded in the Initial Appraisal: Case for Change for the Glasgow City Region, the re-opening of disused rail lines and associated stations within Glasgow City Centre was one of the interventions recommended for the next stage of appraisal, together with wider proposals for a Glasgow Metro.

The appraisal process for STPR2 is considering the performance of all options against the transport outcomes we are seeking, the Transport Planning Objectives, which are aligned to our National Transport Strategy priorities and outcomes. The interventions will seek to contribute to our vision of a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system helping deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for communities, businesses and visitors.

Therefore, we need to consider the social and economic benefits and impacts based on performance against these objectives and the five Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance criteria, to determine the overall Value for Money. This also takes into account risks, uncertainties and other factors such as affordability, deliverability and the wider acceptability of options. This will be an important consideration given pressures on current and future public finances.

Also underpinning STPR2 is the Sustainable Investment Hierarchy where we will aim first to reduce the need to travel unsustainably, make better use of and enhance existing infrastructure, before investing in new capacity. This hierarchy is also central to Infrastructure Investment Plan. STPR2 will conclude later this year, with publication of recommendations for investment and an appropriate statutory consultation period.

Our priority is to ensure a successful, safe and secure COP26 in November and Ministers and officials are working with UK Government counterparts, our partners in Glasgow and the relevant public health bodies to achieve this.

We are continuing to work closely with the UK Government, Glasgow City Council, and all our partners to ensure that strong COVID mitigation measures are in place that will support the full and active participation of international delegates, and protect public health.

Further details on vaccine certification for registered COP26 delegates will be announced shortly.

The Scottish Government is aware that East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership, along with many areas across the country, is experiencing extreme pressures due to increased demand for care and staffing pressures, due to annual leave, sickness and self-isolation of staff. The partnership has taken the difficult decision to temporarily relocate the bed capacity and staff from Edington Hospital to East Lothian Hospital to maintain safe staffing levels and provide safe and functional care. The partnership also has plans to open 10 additional interim care beds at Crookson Care Home within 3 months, which will provide additional step-down capacity and help improve the flow through hospital.

East Lothian Integrated Joint Board has established a Care Homes and Community Hospital Change Board, to oversee the developments and look at the longer term options for community hospitals in East Lothian, Including Belhaven and Edington hospitals.

We are working with Health Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships to address current workforce issues and improve hospital flow and discharge arrangements across Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02718 on 24 September 2021. 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’s policy is to replace vehicles when they reach the end of their operational life cycle, with fully electric replacements, wherever possible.

During the last 3 years we have procured 63 Ultra Low Emitting vehicles (ULEV’s). 40% of the purchases were zero-emission electric vehicles.

This replacement strategy allows us to increase the number of electric vehicles on the fleet, year on year, implementing the targets set out in the 2019-20 Programme for Government, where we outlined our commitment to phase out the need for all petrol or diesel cars in the public sector fleet by 2025 and for all other new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.

The Scottish Government and all associated agencies, are currently working towards the targets set out in the 2019-20 Programme for Government, where we outlined our commitment to phase out the need for all petrol or diesel cars in the public sector fleet by 2025 and for all other new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.

The Scottish Government has committed to deliver the National Transitions to Adulthood strategy as part of the 2021 Programme for Government and within this Parliamentary term. Our priority is to start early discussions with disabled children and young people to have their voices clearly heard across developing policies that impact on their daily lives, which we plan to undertake by January 2022. In addition we will review responses to the National Care Service consultation on the inclusion of children's social work and social care services as a route to reduce complexity and improve transitions and support for those that need access to a range of services.

We will carry this out in the context of wider work that has a direct impact on these children and families including United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) / United Nation Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD), Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) Refresh, the Promise, the Review of Additional Support for Learning Implementation on Support for Learning: All our Children and All their Potential , Fair Work, and Mental Health.

The cost of energy remains a significant issue in terms of tackling fuel poverty and can discourage switching to electric zero emissions technologies for heating. As energy pricing and obligations are reserved, we must see action by the UK Government if we are to meet both our emissions and fuel poverty targets.

The Scottish Government is engaging broadly to raise our concerns for the people and businesses of Scotland. A letter has been sent this week from the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport to the BEIS business secretary highlighting the need for affordable energy and Ministers are engaging with industry and consumer groups, including fuel poverty organisations.

We note the publication of Shelter Scotland’s Understanding the True Cost of Evictions in Scotland report and will study the details as part of our wider consideration of evidence around this area. We have reservations about the report’s treatment of rent arrears costs as part of the analysis and will engage with Shelter Scotland to gain an understanding of the work that has been carried out.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that eviction for rent arrears is a last resort. A social landlord must have exhausted all attempts to resolve rent arrears with the tenant before taking action to evict. The Scottish Government and Social Landlords reaffirmed our joint commitment to supporting people to keep their homes and avoid eviction where tenants are struggling through no fault of their own to manage their rent in our Shared Statement: Social landlords working together with tenants to avoid evictions: https://www.gov.scot/publications/joint-working-on-evictions-social-housing-shared-statement/ published on 25 June 2021.