Seòmar agus comataidhean

Good morning, minister and Mr Kellet. Can you expand on the success of community link workers in the most deprived areas? How do we ensure that they have the resources to engage with other key sectors, such as the third sector, which is really important? Moreover, how do we get the information back from the third sector to show that they are having that success?

We should write to the Deputy First Minister to draw his attention to the issues that are raised in the petition and ask that he consider adjusting the current eligibility criteria to allow Fornethy survivors, and other survivors with similar experiences of short-term respite or holiday care, to access the redress scheme.

Good morning, minister. What is the Government’s view on the group’s definitions? Does the minister see any issues with not being definitive? The reason that I asked that is because when I asked Kelly McBride about that point, the group acknowledged that there was no one set of agreed definitions that could be used as best practice. How does the Government see that working?

This is probably a key question for both petitions: does the Scottish Government have legislative competence to increase or abolish the 50MW threshold for renewable energy developments that can be considered by planning authorities and, if so, has that been considered? If it has not, have you spoken with the UK Government about devolving that power?

I would like to close the petition under rule 15.7 of standing orders, on the basis that the Scottish Government is not currently considering an outright ban on smoking in favour of vaping.

Does the Government agree that the commitments in the programme for government and the Covid recovery strategy can be more effectively delivered with routine use of participative democracy, and if so, how?

As a member of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, I can say that we are finalising our work programme just now, so I would like to refer PE1845, PE1890, PE1915 and PE1924 to that committee, in the context of the committee’s wider consideration of health inequalities.

With regard to all the actions and international best practice that makes sense for the definitions.

Many of the people I represent are in poverty, but they are in work. I have a question for Sharon Wright. What do we need to do to change employment law? A lot of people are on zero-hours contracts, for example, which is forcing them into poverty and they are stuck, because they cannot then go on to benefits.

The third sector is very successful in reaching families, individuals and communities—in many cases, it is far better than Government agencies. How has the Covid pandemic affected the third sector in relation to volunteers? The sector relies heavily on them and I know that, with two of the organisations that I have been involved in, the volunteers have not returned in the same numbers. I will ask Richard Meade about that first.