Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government recognises the difficult situation that the culture sector is facing currently.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6O-01744 11 January 2023. The answer to the Oral Question can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-11-01-2023?meeting=14081 .

The Scottish Government remains keen to conclude some work on multiyear funding, and will discuss this with Creative Scotland, even if economic uncertainty means that the figures for later years can be at most only indicative. The outlook, following the recent Autumn Statement by the UK Government, is even more challenging for the later years of the Resource Spending Review period.

In the academic year 2020-21, there were 33,761 applications to the Higher Education Discretionary Funds across colleges and universities. The Discretionary Funds include the additional Covid Fund, introduced to support students during the pandemic.

27,500 applications were successful.

These figures come from the financial returns provided by colleges and universities, and reflect the applications made to them. The overall total applications number is not disaggregated into individual students’ applications - it could include several applications being made by the same individual student.

Data for 2021-22 is not yet available, and is due to be published in the annual SAAS Statistical Publication in August.

Work is underway to consider options for changes to Council Tax, reflecting the current circumstances created by the cost crisis. Central to this, the Programme for Government 2022-23 committed to establishing a working group to oversee deliberative engagement on local government funding, including Council Tax.

The Joint Working Group has commenced its work and within its remit has begun to consider the provision of powers to allow local authorities to increase the rate of Council Tax on second and empty homes to support best use of existing housing stock. We will take account of the Group’s conclusions in developing proposals for public engagement and consultation on the matter.

Alcohol duty is a reserved tax which is set and administered by the UK Government. We are not aware of the UK Government having made any assessment of the impact of the extended six-month freeze on alcohol duty on Devolved Administrations, nor did they consult with us on this decision.

We believe the UK Government must provide long-term clarity for the alcohol sector beyond the six-month rates freeze. Businesses have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, as well as the uncertainty surrounding the freeze which was announced, cancelled, then re-announced, all in a three-month period.

When setting alcohol duty rates following the freeze, the Scottish Government would strongly recommend that the UK Government considers public health as part of this. We remain committed to reducing alcohol related harms, in line with the World Health Organization’s focus on affordability, availability and attractiveness of alcohol.

Alcohol duty is a reserved tax which is set and administered by the UK Government. We are not aware of the UK Government having made any assessment of the impact of the extended six-month freeze on alcohol duty on Devolved Administrations, nor did they consult with us on this decision.

We believe the UK Government must provide long-term clarity for the alcohol sector beyond the six-month rates freeze. Businesses have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, as well as the uncertainty surrounding the freeze which was announced, cancelled, then re-announced, all in a three-month period.

When setting alcohol duty rates following the freeze, the Scottish Government would strongly recommend that the UK Government considers public health as part of this. We remain committed to reducing alcohol related harms, in line with the World Health Organization’s focus on affordability, availability and attractiveness of alcohol.

Alcohol duty is a reserved tax which is set and administered by the UK Government. We are not aware of the UK Government having made any assessment of the impact of the extended six-month freeze on alcohol duty on Devolved Administrations, nor did they consult with us on this decision.

We believe the UK Government must provide long-term clarity for the alcohol sector beyond the six-month rates freeze. Businesses have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, as well as the uncertainty surrounding the freeze which was announced, cancelled, then re-announced, all in a three-month period.

When setting alcohol duty rates following the freeze, the Scottish Government would strongly recommend that the UK Government considers public health as part of this. We remain committed to reducing alcohol related harms, in line with the World Health Organization’s focus on affordability, availability and attractiveness of alcohol.

Each Scottish Government international office submits a monitoring and evaluation report every financial year. Offices use a range of both qualitative and quantitative indicators to measure their performance; monitor their effectiveness; ensure they are achieving their strategic objectives and that they are providing value for money.

We are committed to ensuring our international work is measurable, transparent and available to the public. From this year onwards, we will publish an annual report explaining how our international offices work to promote our values, objectives and priorities across the globe.

The Scottish Government recognises that outcomes are not uniform across all communities, and effective interventions need to take specific experiences into account. This understanding must be evidence based and we are clear that a “one size fits all” singular approach will fail to deliver.

In its approach to developing and embedding race equality and anti-racism, the Scottish Government is clear that significant inequalities remain in many areas of life for people from minority ethnic communities. We regard the causes of these inequalities as systemic and deep-rooted, and that reversing them will take time and effort, as well as a Scottish Government commitment that is maintained going into the future.

We acknowledge the existence of formal and informal structural, institutional and cultural processes that disadvantage minority ethnic and migrant groups within Scotland. Our approach aligns with the equality legislation that is in place in Scotland, and takes a human rights and rights-based perspective that is committed to involving people with expertise and lived experience of issues in the design and development of policy. Scottish Government policy draws from, and is informed by, a range of different theories and frameworks, including critical race theory, to take action that is effective in advancing race equality.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6O-01744 on 11 January 2023. The answer to the Oral Question can be found at: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-11-01-2023?meeting=14081 .

Scottish Ministers have a statutory duty to manage and maintain the trunk road network in line with the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984. There is no legal requirement for Scottish Ministers to pay compensation for loss of business, inconvenience or additional motoring costs as a result of road closures required for road maintenance.