Chamber and committees

The regulation of financial services is reserved to the UK Government and as such Scottish Ministers are unable to directly intervene in the commercial decisions made by financial services companies or comment on individual complaints. Scottish Ministers engage regularly with their UK counterparts and we engage with the industry via the Financial Services Industry Advisory Board (FiSAB) as well as meeting regularly with representative bodies.

The Scottish Government stands ready to work constructively with the UK Government, banks and other stakeholders to ensure that customers, local communities and businesses have access to the banking facilities they require.

There is a significant and increasing interest in co-operative business models in Scotland. Co-operative models are collaborative vehicles that play an important role in creating sustainable growth. They enable employees, businesses and communities to work together to fulfil shared interests. This unlocks creativity and capacity and there is growing evidence that they increase productivity, innovation and growth whilst achieving wider societal benefits.

Co-operative Development Scotland (CDS) is the arm of Scottish Enterprise working in partnership with Highlands and Islands Enterprise and South of Scotland Enterprise to support company growth through collaborative co-operative and employee ownership business models. CDS raises awareness of the value of co-operative and employee ownership models, and provides specialist advice. Its services are integrated to those of Scottish Enterprise (SE), Highlands & Islands Enterprise and Business Gateway.

Scotland for EO is the industry leadership group (ILG) for employee owned businesses in Scotland, established in 2018 to empower the employee owned sector to direct its own development. Led by industry working in partnership with the public sector, the group champions employee ownership in Scotland and drives industry-wide collaboration and alignment.

Working with the industry leadership group the Scottish Government is committed to increasing the number of employee owned businesses in Scotland to 500 by 2030.

We are committed to meaningful engagement with UK Government and with the devolved governments. The Scottish Government has frequent and ongoing engagement across the Four Nations. The First Minister has been taking part on a weekly basis in four nations ministerial calls – until the UK government cabinet reshuffle last month these were chaired by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (as Minister for the Cabinet Office) and they were also attended by first ministers from the other devolved governments. We are now re-configuring these calls with Mr Gove in his new role as Minister for Intergovernmental Relations. The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care also takes part in weekly meetings with counterparts from the UK Government and other devolved governments. We are working extensively with the UK and Welsh Governments and Northern Ireland Executive and seeking to make decisions on a ‘Four Nations’ basis where possible and appropriate. However, it is wholly right and appropriate that we respond to the virus in a way that is right for Scotland, that works in our context and offers us the flexibility to adapt to our changing circumstances. Similarly, UK Government is entitled to make their own decisions on measures that they introduce in England, but it is important to remember that these decisions apply in England only. This includes on Plan A and Plan B.

Scottish Government officials have been, and continue to be, in daily contact with Police Scotland on recent reports of spiking. Police Scotland are pursuing every single report of spiking through a Gold command established on this issue and led by an Assistant Chief Constable - which is reaching out to universities, licensed premises, Public Health Scotland, and victim support organisations. Police Scotland have also established connections with the Scottish Ambulance Service to ensure that any spiking cases are brought to their attention.

I will be chairing an urgent roundtable with partners and representatives from across the sector on 4 November to discuss how we can achieve the right balance of targeted and universal intervention.

The Scottish Government welcomes the Scottish Prison Service Annual Report and Accounts for 2020-21 which published on 28 October. The report recognises the achievements made by our prison service in 2020-21 in response to the unprecedented challenges of a pandemic.

The Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000 requires Scottish Ministers to lay a copy of the accounts and the auditor’s report before the Parliament and to publish the accounts and auditor’s report no later than 31 December 2021.

The Management of Offenders (Scotland) Act 2019 received Royal Assent on 20 July 2019. Since then a number of sections have been commenced (3, 4, 8, 9,15,40-43, 45-47, 50(3), 52, 53(2) and 3(b), 54, 16(1) partially, 17-39, 44, 48, 49, 50(1)(2)(4), 53 (1) and (3)(a), 55-57, 59-61 and schedule 1 (paragraphs 1, 3, 4 and 5).

The provisions in section 5-7 relate to making electronic monitoring a condition of licence. Electronic monitoring is already a feature of post-release sentence management as a condition of licence, for uses such as Home Detention Curfew. The Parole Board currently have an ability to recommend licence conditions which can include an element of electronic monitoring. These sections of the Act consolidate existing legislation in this area to allow for a continuation of these uses, with the addition of a new use of monitoring of temporary release licence.

The next set of commencement regulations planned for the Act will likely now be early 2022. The provisions for sections 5-7 will be given a commencement date at that point. Those commencement regulations will also bring into force some of the court based uses of electronic monitoring already included in section 3 of the Act. A range of justice partners, including: COPFS, Police Scotland, justice social work and SCTS have been taking forward preparations for those uses and the exact list of disposals and timing of regulations will be dependent on partner operational readiness.

The Electricians Working Group was established in 2017 with a membership reflective of industry, safety, and consumer interests. This group has explored the challenges of ensuring the safety of electrical installation and discussed proposals that aim to protect consumers, protect scrupulous traders, and maintain an environment that allows competition within the provision of electrical services in Scotland.

To date, this work has culminated in the publication of the Regulation of Electricians in Scotland: Research Report (7 June 2019), the Consultation (23 November 2020), and the Consultation Analysis (23 March 2021). Throughout these discussions, the UK Government has been informed of the proposals developed by the Scottish Government. Further detail on these discussions and the outcomes of the consultation are contained within responses to related questions S6W-03566, S6W-03567, and S6W-03568 on 29 October 2021

The Scottish Government continues to hold discussions with key stakeholders in relation to the improvement of the quality and safety of electrical installations in buildings. In addition to the above, officials have maintained robust engagement with Certification Scheme Providers who provide optional certification of electrical installations subject to a building warrant. In June 2021, a certification strategy was approved through the Building Standards Futures Board . Working with delivery partners, including the Electrical Contractors' Association of Scotland (SELECT) and the National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC), we will encourage greater uptake in use of certification of construction as a further means of supporting improvement to the quality and safety of electrical installations in Scotland.

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

All buses are required to be compliant with the Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR) which are a matter reserved to the UK Government.

We are however aware that the Department for Transport (DfT) have granted some time limited exemptions to home to school transport and rail replacement bus services.

The UK Government, through their published National Bus Strategy for England “Bus Back Better”, included a commitment to complete a review of PSVAR by the end of 2023. This review should ensure that the accessibility of bus and coach services continues to be informed by the needs and expectations of disabled passengers for the foreseeable future.

All trains which run in Scotland must meet the Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Non-Interoperable Rail System) Regulations 2010 (RVAR 2010) and the requirements in the Persons of Reduced Mobility National Technical Specification Notices (PRM NTSN). These regulations are reserved to the UK Government and regulated by the Office of Road and Rail.

The UK government (DfT) Access for All and Mid-Tier Programmes will deliver step-free access at Anniesland, Croy, Dumfries, Johnstone, Port Glasgow, Uddingston and Anderston between 2019 and 2024. The Scottish Government also remains committed to improving access, as part of wider rail investments, beyond the UK government programmes and over the same period Scottish Government will provide funding for step-free access at Aviemore, Pitlochry, Nairn and Kingussie stations in addition to making all new stations fully accessible.

accines are approved through an established four nations basis framework and the current approved vaccines are those used by the NHS as part of the UK rollout, as well as those approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or from an eligible country using the Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or Janssen vaccines. We do not currently accept others such as the Sinopharm vaccine at this time. This is based on clinical advice and represents a consistent approach across the four nations.

To qualify under the fully vaccinated rules for travel to Scotland, you must have been fully vaccinated with a full course of an approved vaccine under:

• the UK or UK overseas vaccination programme
• the United Nations vaccine programme for staff and volunteers
• an approved programme in one of the programmes found on the link below

Approved COVID-19 vaccines and countries with approved COVID-19 proof of vaccination - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Those who do not meet the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility criteria must continue to take a pre-departure test, self-isolate for 10 days upon arrival and take day 2 and 8 tests. All arrivals from red list countries must continue to book and stay for 10 days in a managed isolation hotel.

Travel restrictions are in place to prevent cases of COVID-19 being imported to Scotland. Travel restrictions will be in place as long as they are required and Scottish Government will continue to liaise with affected groups and stakeholders over any restrictions and exemptions that may apply.

To qualify under the fully vaccinated rules for travel to Scotland, you must have been fully vaccinated with a full course of an approved vaccine under:

• the UK or UK overseas vaccination programme
• the United Nations vaccine programme for staff and volunteers

Approved COVID-19 vaccines and countries with approved COVID-19 proof of vaccination - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

In November 2020, we announced that the Rural and Island Housing Fund would be extended beyond March 2021 with up to £30 million made available to support development of affordable homes in rural and island areas across Scotland in the current Parliamentary term.

The fund is part of the wider Affordable Housing Supply Programme which supports delivery of affordable homes across Scotland including in rural and island areas.