Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government and the partnership that will provide the new national throughcare service (consisting of Sacro, Access to Industry, Action for Children, Apex Scotland, Barnardo’s, Circle, Families Outside and Turning Point Scotland) are committed to delivering a smooth and supported transition for those currently receiving assistance through the Shine and New Routes programmes.

We are working closely with Shine and New Routes around the decommissioning process to ensure there is no gap in service provision resulting from the transition.

Where relevant, there are clear communication and engagement plans for those individuals who are currently accessing throughcare support and wish to be transferred to the new provision.

Additionally, where possible, staff across Shine and New Routes will be transferred to the new service, ensuring continuity of a skilled and experienced workforce.

At present, the existing Public Social Partnerships Shine and New Routes provide support to around 1750 individuals each year. It is anticipated that the level of funding provided to the new service will allow an additional number of people to be supported, including men leaving a period of remand, who will be eligible for throughcare support for the first time.

The number of people supported will depend on the volume of eligible population of prisoners, and an assessment of individuals’ required level and duration of support.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information

The measures and indicators which will be used to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness and value for money of the new third sector national throughcare service are in the process of being developed. This work is being done in consultation with the partnership of organisations that will deliver the service (consisting of Sacro, Access to Industry, Action for Children, Apex Scotland, Barnardo’s, Circle, Families Outside and Turning Point Scotland) and Community Justice Scotland, who will be responsible for monitoring the new service on behalf of the Scottish Government.

This includes the consideration of what, if any, data will be made publicly available.

Social Security Scotland recognises that clients have complex and varied accessibility needs for communicating with us. Clients have told us that they require a choice in how we communicate with them. For example, some clients may prefer to engage with us through paper-based communications and some clients may prefer digital communications to allow them to use assistive technology.

All of our applications can be made online, on paper, over the phone or face to face with our Local Services team. Clients can contact us to discuss their circumstances and payments by phone, face to face or via webchat. Communications are sent to clients by letter, email and SMS.

Plans are in place to expand the use of email and SMS as a communication channel as initial testing in this area has proven that this is something that clients want and need. The approach to how clients' communication preferences are captured is being carefully considered to ensure that digital communications are available to those clients who would benefit from this without excluding those for whom digital communications are not accessible.

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

The use of common good funds (CGF) within Scottish prisons aligns with the Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM) and is governed via the SPS Financial Policy and Guidance Manual.

The SPS Financial Policy Guidance Manual itself details accountability, sources of income and approved areas of expenditure on the use of the CGF.

Compliance with this guidance is mandatory and only Governors in Charge (GICs) are authorised to approve expenditure, which must benefit all, or groups, of prisoners within their establishment.

Information on the number of incidents involving illegal drugs in schools is not held centrally. The recorded crime official statistics include data on crimes of drug supply and drug possession, however this does not specify the type of location where the crime occurred.

The Scottish Government is committed to strengthening the involvement of parents and carers as we reform the education system, which is why we provided £60,310 of funding to the Scottish Assembly of Parents and Carers in 2024-25. We welcome the publication of this report and encourage all local authorities to meet their statutory duties to promote the involvement of parents, carers and families in their child’s learning as set out in the Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006.

We continue to listen and work with stakeholders to ensure this engagement is further strengthened, which will remain a central focus of our work.

Scottish Government recognises the financial pressures that many households are experiencing, including debts to public sector bodies. However, it is important to be clear on the role and responsibilities of all partners in relation to public sector debt and to recognise that local authorities have independence to make decisions particularly regarding their approach to collection of council tax arrears and school meal debt.

Scottish Ministers have consistently encouraged public bodies to share good practice on debt assistance and collection and to show empathy and dignity when working with people struggling with debts. This includes using the Good practice principles for managing school meal debt[1] published by COSLA in February 2023 following engagement with local government partners.

The Scottish Government and COSLA recognise that there are opportunities to improve collection practices in Council Tax. The ‘Joint Working Group on Council Tax Reform’, which is co-chaired by COSLA, is undertaking work to encourage better practices in debt collection. This includes ensuring that councils are furnished with the information they need to improve practices, and identify those in need of support.

In addition, Social Security Scotland is committed to delivering a debt management service that is responsive to clients’ needs while protecting the public purse. This includes an approach for vulnerable clients that includes training debt officers to identify and sensitively handle potential hardship and vulnerable clients, as well as signposting them to support and advocacy groups.

The Scottish Social Housing Charter sets outcomes that social landlords need to meet. An outcome on tenancy sustainment states; that tenants get the information they need on how to obtain support to remain in their home; and landlords ensure suitable support is available, including services provided directly by the landlord and by other organisations. This includes tenants who may be at risk of falling into arrears with their rent. Where a tenant is struggling to pay their rent they should seek support immediately from their landlord.

[1]Good-Practice-Principles-for-School-Meal-Debt-Management.pdf (cosla.gov.uk)

Regardless of the technology used to produce food, the food business operator must abide by the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 on general food law and the hygiene requirements, Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 and Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs of animal origin. Food Standards Scotland (FSS) provides guidance on the general food safety and hygiene requirements, which includes the need for a food safety management system based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles, guidance on the specific rules covering products of animal origin, if they apply depending on the nature of the food. Also, if the food falls within one of the Regulated Products categories, then there is free online guidance to support businesses in applying for the appropriate type of authorisation.