Seòmar agus comataidhean

Please refer to my previous answer to question S6W-13027 for the details of which organisations failed the technical checks process and the reasons for this.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The Scottish Government has received correspondence from business representative organisations and individual businesses within the retail, hospitality or leisure sectors, or their elected representatives.

Prior to the publication of the Scottish Budget 2023-24, the number one ask of business organisations was to freeze the non-domestic rates poundage, which we have delivered, saving businesses £308 million compared to an inflationary increase, along with a package of reliefs worth £744m. We expect around half the properties in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors to be eligible for 100% Small Business Bonus Scheme relief next year. Properties in these sectors may also be eligible for the transitional relief schemes set out in the Budget.

The value of payments made by our Fuel Insecurity Fund delivery partners varies substantially, from the cost of fuel vouchers to energy bill debt write-offs. Each payment is awarded on an individual case by case assessment, as to the most appropriate support and intervention that can be provided to help achieve a sustainable outcome.

We use a range of measures to monitor the wellbeing of the workforce taking into account the diverse nature of the workforce operating in a range of roles and geographies, the broad spectrum of wellbeing needs at both a professional and personal level and different reporting arrangements across sectors. Our approach reflects a combination of the following measures; the annual iMatter survey, feedback from local and national staffside and other stakeholder channels, academic research, data collected by regulators and partners and evaluation of nationally-led initiatives. In addition, the Wellbeing Champions Network is now well-established to provide feedback on areas of priority need, and to share best practice across health, social care and social work organisations.

We are continuing to work with leaders across health, social care and social work, as well as hearing directly from staff, to understand where the current pressures are, and what further actions can be taken to mitigate their impact on staff. We are working on a range of local initiatives designed to meet the basic and practical needs of staff, and their teams. This includes access to quiet spaces to support health and wellbeing, and the installation of lockers.

When the Connecting Scotland programme first launched, its early aims were to support people shielding or vulnerable to Covid-19. This allowed for devices, connectivity and skills to be provided alongside guidance and information on how to access health and care services such as Near Me video appointments or finding information on NHS Inform.

Our digital in care homes programme was launched to complement Connecting Scotland and saw over 75% of all adult and children's care homes in Scotland take up the offer of digital devices, data packages and skills. These homes cover over 90% of all residents in Scotland with devices being used to help residents to remain connected to friends and family and to access key services such as the NHS.

The Scottish Government have set out plans in the Digital Health and Care Delivery Plan to launch a new digital inclusion in health and care programme by March 2022 that will look to support people in housing and mental health with greater access to services.

Connecting Scotland is also working closely with the Digital Lifelines team to identify opportunities and further enhance digital services to support people with multiple and complex digital needs. The digital lifeline programme aims to connect individuals and support services to prevent drug related deaths, or reducing the risk of harm.

The Trade and Investment Envoy network was established in 2017 and is made up of appointees who work on a volunteer basis to provide Ministers with strategic business insights and connections. We do not directly measure their contributions, however their programme of activities, which are agreed with the Scottish Government, do make a valuable contribution to building strategic relationships for Scotland.

The network has had great success in opening doors, and identifying strategic opportunities to support our export, capital investment and foreign direct investment efforts. Envoys provide critical business insights, intelligence, introductions and advocacy focused on building trade, as well as inward and capital investor relations, with a particular focus on high growth markets in technology, life & chemical sciences, financial & business services and energy. Envoys have supported numerous Ministerial visits including the Dubai Expo 2020, facilitated Government to Government engagement, assisted Scottish companies expand overseas, participated in various (Ministerial) steering groups and supported GlobalScot network expansion.

Envoys, along with GlobalScots were vital in the development of National Strategy for Economic Transformation, Sector Export Plans as well as supporting the delivery of Scotland’s Inward Investment Plan.

Given the above we are confident that our Envoys have contributed towards Scotland retaining its position as the leading UK destination for inward investment outside of London for the past seven years, landing 122 new projects in 2021 according to the EY Annual Attractiveness Survey 2022.

That decision is still under review by the Risk Management Committee; however they are examining a range of other options to accommodate public and third sector bodies who do not currently use the energy frameworks.

This Government firmly believes that every child growing up in Scotland, regardless of their background or gender, should have an equal chance of attending university and participating in higher education.

To date we have made progress on work to support fair access to higher education. The number of students attending university from the most deprived areas in Scotland is at a record high and we have exceeded the Commission on Widening Access target to have 16% of students from the most deprived areas at university by 2021. We recently appointed a new Commissioner for Fair Access, Professor John McKendrick, to continue to progress this important agenda.

Scottish universities are covered by the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), which requires them to, amongst other things, report on mainstreaming the equality duty; publish equality outcomes and report progress; and assess and review policies and practices.

As part of its March 2020 Memorandum of Understanding with the EHRC, the Scottish Funding Council developed a National Equality Outcomes framework to address the most persistent inequalities in further and higher education (HE) that institutions are asked to consider and report on as part of the 2021-25 PSED reporting cycle.

Sex, as one of the nine protected characteristics under The Equality Act (2010), is considered as part of the National Equality Outcomes, with outcomes including sex imbalance on courses and mental health support for male students.

The Scottish Government is committed to the production of a Student Mental Health Plan to support all students in further and higher education throughout their learner journey.

The Student Mental Health Plan will sit within and link to the wider actions across Scottish Government, including our Suicide Prevention Strategy, ‘ Creating Hope Together ’ which was developed and published in collaboration with COSLA in September 2022, and our forthcoming Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

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

It is anticipated that the majority of the women living at Cornton Vale will transfer to HMP & YOI Polmont during the interim period where there is already a comprehensive range of services and interventions available for them.

Every effort has been made to ensure the care of the women is not compromised or reduced during the transition period and each woman will engage in an individual case discussion supported by Health Care and Social Work colleagues to identify the most appropriate transfer location for them.

A dedicated area within Polmont has been identified and work is currently underway to increase the number of available ‘safer rooms’ ahead of any relocations taking place. A number of staff who currently work with the women will also relocate to Polmont to provide continuity of care. This will be supplemented by ongoing support from partner agencies including NHS Forth Valley, Social Work Services within Stirling and Falkirk local authorities and Voluntary Third Sector Partners.

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

As of Friday 20 January, 15 women had transferred from Peebles House in Cornton Vale to either HMP & YOI Polmont, The Lilias Centre or The Bella Centre.