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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 It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.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 Scottish Older People's Assembly (SOPA) project was funded to support the Scottish Older People's Assembly to use inclusive communication in different towns to;

• partner with Scottish Council on Deafness, Retired Police Association and Trading Standards Scotland, hold 3 facilitated conversations with older people with sensory impairment and physical impairments to examine experience of hate crime and fear of crime, and inform Lord Bracadale’ review of hate crime legislation and the Scottish Government’s Justice department to increase public confidence, reduce fear of crime and strengthen community engagement and resilience.
• partner with Trust Housing Association (Equalities), Citizens Advice Scotland and Faith in Older People, facilitate 4 conversations with older people from minority communities to examine their experience of health and social care services and improve their chance of receiving effective healthcare appropriate to their needs and have fewer inequalities in their life.
• partner with Women’s Aid, Action on Elder Abuse Scotland, RNIB and Soroptomists International, facilitate 6 conversations with the older LGBTI community to hear about their experience of domestic violence and elder abuse, and prevent ill health, improve their chance of receiving better coordinated support and being less isolated and lonely.

The specific outcome to be achieved was:

• Older people with sensory and physical impairment, and from the minority communities will be supported to better influence policy and service developments and be recognised for their contributions.

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 Equalities Project was funded to enable Maryhill and Possilpark Citizens Advice Bureau to broaden volunteering opportunities for protected characteristics individuals to increase confidence, skills/knowledge, aspirations, and community cohesion by ensuring equal participation and representation in public life. Volunteers with the CAB would gain workplace experience to access paid employment and/or further education/training. It was intended that the CAB would continue to strengthen its partnerships with local equality organisations and Glasgow CABx to address the needs of protected characteristics individuals.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• People from equalities groups have increased access to quality advice and information services and are enabled to inform service design and delivery.
• People from across the protected characteristics will have increased opportunities to access quality volunteering opportunities, training and support which will increase their skills, knowledge and experience to enhance employability and representation in public 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 Equality Engagement project was funded to support a tailored mentoring program (the PLC scheme) and a shadowing scheme to provide support to Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) individuals to access public life and increase their engagement. All the activities would be inclusive, aimed at both BME men and women equally. Joint work would be carried out in partnership with major political parties at the grassroots level. Initiatives would be undertaken to get BME individuals involved in local democracy and community councils in West Lothian, Midlothian and East Lothian. IN addition, a pilot study would be carried out to determine the level of participation of the BME community in the Scottish Parliament’s committees/activities. That research aimed to raise awareness on current BME representation in the Scottish Parliament and encourage policy makers to work towards more positive actions towards BME representation.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• Increase the engagement of the BME community into Public Life
• Increase representation of BME communities in the political process
• Increase awareness on barriers to engagement among key public agencies and organisations

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

The project is being delivered by Amey through the Network Management Contract as emergency works. As design and construction are progressing concurrently, there are few mechanisms to penalise later than expected completion under the terms of this contract.

Transport Scotland has an experienced Project Board in place to oversee the governance of the project. The Project Board provide financial oversight and evaluate performance. They also monitor project progress and decision making with scrutiny of Amey and the internal project team. Gateway reviews have also been undertaken, in consultation with Scottish Government’s Internal Audit and Assurance team, to ensure successful project delivery.

Transport Scotland also has the Performance Audit Group (PAG) who ensure value for money through auditing, monitoring and reporting on the financial, technical and performance aspects of this project. In addition, further support is provided by Turner and Townsend, who apply expert scrutiny of the programme and project risks.

The procurement process for the replacement Intercity rail fleet is ongoing. Releasing any details related to the live procurement would substantially harm economic interests of ScotRail, thus affecting the Scottish Government’s ability to secure a good value for public purse.

Information on the procurement of a replacement Intercity fleet has been published on the Public Contracts website and can be found here: View Notice - Public Contracts Scotland

An economic assessment was carried out based on the scenario of a prolonged full closure in order to inform decision making in managing these important viaducts, which indicated significant detriment to the Scottish economy if the viaducts had to be closed.

An economic assessment reflecting the current traffic management arrangements, of two lanes open in each direction, has not been undertaken.

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 Maryhill Integration Network project was funded to support the Maryhill Integration Network (MIN) to design and deliver a varied, inclusive and user-led, weekly programme of activities focusing on community cohesion, participation, and the development of social bonds. This programme of activities would run alongside advice & support, outreach partnership projects and regular community events across the city, and beyond. MIN would focus on the arts as a tool for integration, environmental awareness and building community resilience. Through developing a weekly programme, community events, and partnership projects, MIN would enable people with the protected characteristics of race, religion, age and sex, to reduce barriers to community participation, increase access to skills development volunteering opportunities, and experience safer and more confident communities in Glasgow.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• Increased opportunities to engage in activities promoting positive community cohesion for those with the protected characteristics of race, religion and sex
• People with protected characteristics of race, religion and sex have increased opportunities to access community learning and volunteering to help them to progress into further education and employment.
• Communities are better equipped to take preventative measures to reduce instances of poverty, discrimination and hate crime based on the protected characteristics of race, religion and sex

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 Ethnic Minorities Law Centre was funded to support the provision of a culturally sensitive legal advice and representation service for people from Minority Ethnic communities in Edinburgh and the Highland region, respectively. The project would deliver a range of specialist client centred services that would be targeted towards individuals and families from Minority Ethnic communities, and existing advice agencies and local organisations in those areas.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• The project will continue to work diligently towards the elimination and abatement of all forms of discrimination which impacts on the lives of the Minority Ethnic population through legal representation, advice, information and education so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• The project will support minority ethnic people and communities to participate in and engage with services and civic society ensuring that they contribution is recognised and community cohesion is increased.
• The project will work to address current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life including education and employment to better reflect our communities. The project provide access to information, advice and representation.

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