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We currently have no plans to extend the statutory free bus schemes to include the Glasgow Subway.

We are, however, undertaking a Fair Fares Review that will look at look at the range of discounts and concessionary schemes which are available on all modes including bus, rail and ferry.

Rooms for Refugees is a hosting service run by Positive Action in Housing. Scottish Government officials met with representatives from PAIH on 30 June to discuss their experience of running a matching service.

The Scottish Government is opposed to the use of mosquito anti-loitering devices and does not believe the use of these devices is consistent with our approach to tackling antisocial behaviour which seeks to promote strong and supportive communities where the rights of individuals are recognised and respected.

We believe the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 currently provides sufficient measures to help police and local authorities deal with antisocial behaviour wherever it arises.

We take young people’s complaints and safeguarding of their rights seriously and understand the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland’s concerns on the use of mosquito devices and young people’s rights and have taken action which is within our current powers to minimise the impact that these devices have on children and young people. This has included contacting the main public sector bodies to discourage the use of these devices on their estates. Use of these devices appears to be very limited in Scotland. We understand that none of the main public sector bodies use them on their sites and, last year, Police Scotland advised that they were not aware of them being used in any premises across the country.

We have additionally lobbied the UK Government to take action on these devices – but there appears to be no current UK action planned to regulate, license or otherwise prevent the sale of anti-loitering devices.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-09757 on 2 August 2022. 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

This uplift in the minimum hourly rate of pay for adult social care workers, delivering direct care, is being delivered through Local Government contracts and funding to deliver this took effect from 1 April 2022; with the Scottish Government transferring £200 million to Local Government to support investment in social care, including to deliver the £10.50 minimum hourly rate for these workers.

The Scottish Government and COSLA have set up mechanisms, through discussions with the Fair Work in Social Care Group, to establish and address any issues or exceptional delays in relation to delivering the funding for the uplift to providers and subsequently eligible workers.

We have regular communications with Scottish Care, the Coalition of Care and Support Providers Scotland (CCPS) and Trade Union representatives to discuss any concerns or questions around implementation of the uplift and have worked together to resolve these quickly. Through this process to date, we have not had any examples brought to our attention of private care providers not paying the £10.50 minimum hourly rate.

However, despite the apparently good levels of compliance, we are currently working with key stakeholders to establish a webpage with details for members of the adult social care workforce to make contact with local commissioning teams directly if they are not receiving the £10.50 per hour rate so this can be investigated.

The Scottish Government also encourages and receives communications from members of the workforce directly. To date, we have received one case where members of the workforce are not receiving £10.50 and this is currently being looked into.

The law on employment rights and duties is reserved to the UK Parliament and so the Scottish Government do not currently have the legal powers to set mandatory minimum rates of pay or a stand-alone right to take legal action to ensure this minimum hourly rate for workers providing direct adult social care, in commissioned services, is delivered.

This uplift is instead being delivered through Local Government contracts and local commissioners have delivered funding for this uplift through a contract variation process with adult social care providers. This process is a means to ensure that providers who accepted the funding for the pay uplift contractually agreed to pass on that funding to eligible workers. In the event that funding is not passed onto the workforce to uplift pay, it will be for local areas commissioning teams to engage with providers to resolve and disputes where contractual obligations are not being met.

The Scottish Government has accepted the recommendation by the independent Doctors and Dentists Pay Review Body (DDRB) of an annual pay uplift of 4.5% for NHS medical and dental staff for this year backdated to 1 April 2022. This is for all NHS Scotland medical and dental staff, general medical practitioners and general dental practitioners.

The law on employment rights and duties is reserved to the UK Parliament and so the Scottish Government do not currently have the legal powers to set mandatory minimum rates of pay or a stand-alone right to take legal action to ensure this minimum hourly rate for workers providing direct adult social care, in commissioned services, is delivered.

This uplift is instead being delivered through Local Government contracts, and local commissioners have delivered funding for this uplift through a contract variation process with adult social care providers. This process is a means to ensure that providers who accepted the funding for the pay uplift contractually agreed to pass on that funding to eligible workers. In the event that funding is not passed onto the workforce to uplift pay, it will be for local areas commissioning teams to engage with providers to resolve any disputes where contractual obligations are not being met.

To support this, the Scottish Government and COSLA have set up mechanisms, through discussions with the Fair Work in Social Care Group, to establish and address any issues or exceptional delays in relation to delivering the funding for the uplift to providers and subsequently eligible workers.

We have regular communications with Scottish Care, the Coalition of Care and Support Providers Scotland (CCPS) and Trade Union representatives to discuss any concerns or questions around implementation of the uplift and have worked together to resolve these quickly.

We are currently working with key stakeholders to establish a webpage with details for members of the adult social care workforce to make contact with local commissioning teams directly if they are not receiving the £10.50 per hour rate so this can be investigated.

ScotRail advise that between 6 January 2019 [the start of 2018-19: reporting period 11] and 25 June 2022 [the end of 2022-23: reporting period 3], there were 336 full cancellations and 54 part-cancellations on the Borders Railway as a result of infrastructure issues. As the member will know, Rail Infrastructure is a reserved matter.

While full or part-cancellations as a result of track congestions are not reported separately, ScotRail also advise that there were a further 32 full cancellations and 20 part-cancellations to ScotRail services as a result of the actions of other train operating companies.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with COSLA to find a way forward on the introduction of a Scottish Recommended Allowance for foster and kinship carers.