Chamber and committees

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.

People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.

People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.

Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The “Hear for Welfare” project was funded to support Welfare Rights provision based in Glasgow and to employ a Welfare Rights Officer and administrative support. The project covered 12 local authority areas in Scotland and worked with and on behalf of people suffering from hearing loss. The provision delivered benefits and welfare advice in a community setting and in beneficiaries’ homes ensuring they had the right access and opportunity to maximise their income and enhance their financial capablity and inclusion. More specifically the outcomes were listed as:

• 80 deaf or hard of hearing people would engage fully with the service
• meetings would be held locally to discuss personal circumstances with preferred communication support
• 1 Information session would be held in each local authority area per annum
• Income maximisation reports would be produced
• 50% of beneficiaries would report having an increase in disposable income
• Deaf and hard of hearing people would have an increased awareness and management of individual rights, benefits and services available to them, their families and carers

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The Helping Survivors of Torture to Recover and Integrate in Society project was funded to enable Freedom from Torture help survivors of torture to overcome severe trauma and experience improved mental health, build supportive social networks within local communities in Glasgow and successfully integrate with society through a community engagement project entitled “Healing Neighbourhoods”. The majority of clients would be asylum seekers and refugees, and those with families, who have experienced or witnessed torture, rape and sexual violence, and who experience marginalisation and inequality.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• Increased capacity for Survivors of Torture to improve mental health and well-being by accessing psychological and welfare support to engage in a process of rehabilitation.
• Survivors of torture and local community members are supported in their rehabilitation and empowered to integrate into society through increased social connections and community participation.

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The Faith in Community Dundee project was funded to:

1. Develop the Fairness Conversation – involve faith communities, ethnic groups, people with protected characteristics in the Fairness Conversation in Dundee.

2. Increase community cohesion – through training (developing womens’ volunteer roles/skills sharing within faith community projects) and building partnership working.

3. Develop current and new initiatives to increase community cohesion - the Wonderbox Initiative and other faith community initiatives.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• Faith communities, and other protected characteristics, have increased participation in city-wide Fairness Conversations and can better influence local and city-wide actions.
• Improve community cohesion through increased skills and knowledge within faith communities, leading to more effective community engagement.
• Improve community cohesion through increased capacity of, and engagement with, faith community projects in areas of multiple deprivations.

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The “Developing Management and Leadership Skills” (DMLS) in Public Life, Education and Employment Programme was funded as a positive action measure to reflect the fact that Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) men and women were absent in leadership roles at all levels of public life, education and employment.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• BME programme participants demonstrate improved leadership/management ability and improved career and public life aspiration, including education and employment, resulting in better representation of communities in all aspects and levels of public, work and community life
• BME Programme participants feel more able to access all levels of employment, community and public life opportunities resulting in public life, including education and employment, being more representative of our communities and fewer barriers to full participation in society
• BME Programme participants demonstrate satisfaction with the goals of the programme

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

(a) Good Community Relations

The Good Community Relations Project (GCRP) was funded to enable to WSREC to continue to undertake work to; reduce barriers to discrimination by offering advice and information to European and other migrant communities; increase awareness of hate crime legislation and support victims of hate crime in the West of Scotland; and balance representation of minority ethnic groups in Renfrewshire in all aspects of life including education, employment, social and civic integration.

Using a combination of awareness raising at a wider level, tailored group support and indepth one to one empowering WSREC would continue to ensure its activities worked towards the advance of equal opportunities and building resilient communities by offering person/group centred activities to diverse minority ethnic communities.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• European and other migrant communities in the West of Scotland have increased their opportunities by challenging negative service and social issues reducing discrimination and isolation.
• Minority ethnic communities in the West of Scotland are of aware of and challenging hate crime and discriminatory practice.
• Minority Ethnic Communities in Renfrewshire are visible, integrated and represented in the fabric of society

(b) Living Equality project.

The Living Equality project was funded to support WSREC to address inequalities and support people and communities to engage and participate with both services and civic society. Work would be undertaken across the West of Scotland, focusing in Glasgow and other local areas, to support; increasing equal opportunities for diverse minority ethnic women, introducing them to mainstream services, civic life and engage in inter-cultural dialogue; creating a platform for dialogue, skills development and raise awareness of the democratic process; establishing a collective voice from disadvantaged communities with additional barriers of falling under multiple characteristics; and supporting public, voluntary and community organisations gain insight and access to women ready to participate in civic life.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• Diverse minority ethnic women across all 'protected characteristics' in the West of Scotland have increased opportunities to access democratic processes and civic life.
• Diverse minority ethnic women across all ‘protected characteristics’ in the West of Scotland have increased confidence in being part of civic and democratic processes.
• Through mainstreaming equalities; Public, Voluntary and Community Organisations across urban and rural areas improve opportunities for minority ethnic women to contribute to civic life.

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The Professional Online Training in Specialist Interpreting and Working with Deaf People project was funded to support Queen Margaret University to improve access to public services and remove barriers to participation experienced by Deaf people. The intention was to develop online modules at postgraduate level for two key audiences: (a) BSL/English interpreters wishing to advance their practice in specialist areas of interpreting; (b) professionals working with Deaf people in diverse settings, who require a deeper understanding than is currently available through generic BSL awareness sessions.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• Improved competence of BSL/English interpreters working with Deaf BSL users in specialist domains of work (eg healthcare, mental health, legal, education, the arts)
• Improved competence in professionals working with Deaf BSL users ensuring that the needs of this population are better understood and addressed

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

The Scottish Government remains committed to implementing a high quality and clinically safe thrombectomy service. We have invested £39 million to date on expanding access to thrombectomy. While we continue to face significant financial challenges, we are committed to further expanding the service, ensuring access is as equitable as possible.

We have provided funding for thrombectomy nurse posts in spoke sites with high rates of ischaemic stroke, including NHS Highland, and this will support maximising access to thrombectomy across Scotland. Part of the investment in thrombectomy is to support the Scottish Ambulance Service as they work in partnership with NHS Boards to deliver patient transfers.

Procurement of a national artificial intelligence imaging tool is also underway and, once implemented, this will help improve detection of patients with strokes suitable for thrombectomy.

We know there is more to do, and I have asked my officials and NHS planners to work at pace on developing a plan for the next steps for service expansion.

Local Government have the statutory responsibility for education so this information is not held centrally.

I regularly meet with youth organisations such as Youth Scotland, YouthLink Scotland and Scottish Youth Parliament.

The First Minister of Scotland and other Scottish Minister’s also regularly meet with youth organisations. This includes a summit on 12 June attended by the First Minister of Scotland that brought together experts and grassroots youth organisations to discuss how to tackle youth violence.

Information on Ministerial engagements is published on the Scottish Government website and can be found at: www.gov.scot/collections/ministerial-engagements-travel-and-gifts/. The engagements are published three months in arrears.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

SPS recognises that where the Court supports a claim, the appropriate compensation should be paid. This may include incidents where the belongings of someone in custody have been lost or damaged, where an injury has occurred or in the limited occasions where someone has been detained in error.

SPS can confirm that in the last five years, prisoners have been awarded compensation. Compensation has been awarded for reasons such as personal injuries, damaged or lost property and unlawful detention, however we are unable to release the specific reasons for individual compensation payments, as this could lead to the indirect identification of the person involved.