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The Scottish Government carried out a full policy review after five years of operation of the home report. The findings of a public consultation were published on the Scottish Government website on 7 May 2014, and of a research study on 7 January 2015. We have no plans to undertake a further policy review at this stage.

A full five-year policy review of the Home Report was launched on 5 December 2013 and consisted of a public consultation (the findings from which were published on 7 May 2014) and a research study (published on 7 January 2015). Overall, the Review found that the home report is supported and valued. A clear majority of the respondents to the consultation felt that the home report was continuing to meet its original objectives and that these remained appropriate. The review found that while the home report had an impact on buyers and sellers, the impact on the wider housing market was more limited.

Businesses are required under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments to ensure disabled people do not experience substantial disadvantage compared with nondisabled people.

The duty is ‘anticipatory’. An organisation cannot wait until a disabled person wants to use its services, but must think in advance (and on an ongoing basis) about what disabled people might reasonably need.

Examples of reasonable adjustments would include ramps and stairway lifts, making doorways wider, installing automatic doors, more lighting and clearer signs. If a disabled person would be at a substantial disadvantage compared with a nondisabled person, not providing reasonable adjustments would be unlawful discrimination and could result in a discrimination claim under the act.

More examples are provided on the EHRC’s website at: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/multipage-guide/reasonable-adjustments-practice

A meeting of the Road Maintenance Strategic Action Group has been scheduled to discuss the Group’s response to the recommendations of the Audit Scotland report. We will continue to co-fund the Roads Collaboration Programme and use that forum to engage with all councils in Scotland to explore opportunities to share services.

With regard to funding, the Scottish Government has allocated over £10.3 billion to local government for 2016-17. It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectives.

On 22 August 2016, the Deputy First Minister and I hosted a groundbreaking Transport Summit in Dumfries at which a variety of important issues were discussed including the condition of both national and local roads in Dumfries and Galloway. We have committed to publishing a draft report of the summit within four weeks.

The Scottish Government is funding Network Rail’s on-going development and detailed design of options to enhance Carstairs junction to improve line speeds and increase capacity and performance levels. Final decisions on investment will be subject to confirmation of the business case and affordability as well as agreement on a suitable funding model to reflect the distribution of financial benefits, the vast majority of which will accrue to UK Government sponsored cross-border franchises.

The Scottish Government is committed to making rail services more affordable for all and encourages ScotRail to offer innovative ticketing products to passengers. In addition the Scottish Government supports the Young Persons Concessionary travel scheme. More information regarding this scheme can be found at: http://www.transport.gov.scot/young-scot-national-entitlement-card

Enforcement is the role of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (a statutory body established under the Equality Act and accredited by the UN) and we will not, therefore, be carrying out a review.

 

Information is provided in the following table on the number of finished admission episodes for patients resident in Scotland who have received healthcare from the NHS in England in each of the last five years.

Year	Finished Admission Episodes
2010-11	7,811
2011-12	7,574
2012-13	7,449
2013-14	7,201
2014-15	7,020

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

The Scottish Government has an ambitious land reform programme, including implementing the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016 and establishing the Scottish Land Commission to consider the effect of law, policies and practices in the management and use of land in Scotland to help from a wider evidence base for future land reform measures.

Through Forestry Commission Scotland, we are helping to empower communities across Scotland to use, manage and own woodlands.

The Scottish Government have committed to completing the devolution of the arrangements for the management of forestry in Scotland. As announced in June 2015 by the then Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, this will involve the transfer of Forestry Commissioners’ powers and duties, as they relate to Scotland, to Scottish Ministers.

The Scottish Government has been working closely with the UK Government and also the Welsh Government through a Forestry Governance Project Board to consider options to achieve this outcome. This has included issues related to legislative options to enable the transfer to happen, financial arrangements and the future of functions currently undertaken on a cross-border basis, such as forestry science. Further details will be made known in due course.