Seòmar agus comataidhean

Section 11 of the Homelessness etc. (Scotland) Act 2003 requires a landlord to notify the local authority when proceedings for possession are raised providing information prescribed in Schedule 1 of The Notice to Local Authorities (Scotland) Regulations 2008. Local authorities produce templates in line with Schedule 1. The Scottish Government does not require local authorities to provide these templates for validation so if any local authorities have amended the section 11 notice form to include information not prescribed within Section 1 of The Notice to Local Authorities (Scotland) Regulations 2008, the Scottish Government is not made aware of this.

(a) – The relevant part of the Homelessness etc (Scotland) Act 2003 can be found under Section 11 of the Homelessness etc (S) Act 2003 at Homelessness etc. (Scotland) Act 2003 (legislation.gov.uk)

(b) – Schedule 1 of the Notice to Local Authorities (Scotland) Regulations sets out the form of notice that must be provided to the LA under section 11 of the 2003 Act at The Notice to Local Authorities (Scotland) Regulations 2008 (legislation.gov.uk) . As this is a statutory notice, local authorities must require notice to be provided in this form.

We are considering carefully the Joint Committee on Human Rights report along with the responses to our recent questionnaire on the issue of historical adoption.

This will help to determine the next steps and will also provide more understanding of what support is needed to help the people affected by historical adoption practices.

In line with our published workforce statistics up to March 2022, which includes our directly employed staff and contingent workers staff, our staffing headcount has increased from 1777 in September 2021 to 2611 up to and including March 2022. This is an increase of 834 staff.

Our next workforce figures will be published in September 2022 and will include staffing levels up to June 2022.

The responses are still currently being analysed and considered carefully. This will help to determine the next steps and will also provide more understanding of what support is needed to help the people affected by historical adoption practices.

In the meantime, we have started the process of establishing specialist support and peer support groups for those affected. We have also introduced a working group to assist with the implementation of peer support groups where we are working with partners to scope and develop the support service.

Following completion of an innovative co-creative process with the community, work to assess four route options, including the community’s preferred route option, is ongoing. A preferred route is expected to be announced later this year. Once a preferred route option is announced a timetable for the statutory processes will be set. It is necessary that the correct statutory process is followed to ensure a fair and transparent assessment of options and impacts on local communities and road users.

Work is ongoing to determine the most suitable procurement options, when the statutory process is complete, for the remaining sections of the A9 dualling. This is a complex exercise which looks at a number of factors including how the project can be delivered most efficiently by the industry, whilst minimising disruption to road users and helping to support economic recovery post-COVID. An update on the outcomes of this complex piece of work will be provided when the work is completed.

The Programme for Government 2021-22 commits the Scottish Government to consult on legislation to extend the new framework that came into force on 1 September 2021 for the licensing of animal welfare establishments, dog, cat and rabbit breeding and pet sales to performing animals and animal encounters.

We are engaged in initial discussions and information gathering with stakeholders in this area and plan to consult further in the coming months.

In 2021-2022, the Scottish Government invested over £12 million to support free income maximisation, welfare and debt advice services and has allocated the same amount in 2022-2023. This overall figure includes frontline and second tier advice and debt services.

We also invest in a range of other services that provide advice and information to people on specific issues including Housing, Consumer, Additional Support for Learning, Kinship Care, NHS Patient Support and Fuel costs. In 2021-2022, we invested over £17.5 million in these services and have allocated over £20 million in 2022-2023.

The Scottish Government’s Social Enterprise Strategy was launched in 2016 and sets out a wide-ranging, ambitious and long-term programme to develop the potential of Scotland's social enterprise sector. The latest Social Enterprise Action Plan was published on 24 th March 2021 and covers the period 2021-24.

In 2021-22 we spent £7.1M in supporting social enterprise and expect to spend £6.6M in 2022-23. £15M was distributed through COVID support funds in 2021-22.

Funding is provided to third sector organisations, including social enterprises, from across Scottish Government portfolios and is not collated centrally.

Under the provisions of Curriculum for Excellence education authorities and schools have the flexibility to decide upon the content of their own lessons at the local level, this includes for activities offered in physical education (PE) lessons, taking into account the local needs and circumstances of all children and young people, including boys and girls.

The Scottish Government does not hold information about how many schools offer access to football as a part of their PE lessons or afterschool clubs, however schools can offer football training where is a demand for it.

Active Schools aim to provide more and higher quality opportunities to take part in sport and physical activity before school, during lunchtime and after school, and to develop effective pathways between schools and sports clubs in the local community. sport scotland works in partnership with all 32 local authorities to invest in and support the Active Schools Network.

All Active Schools teams are working to deliver their mainstream extracurricular programmes with an inclusive focus whilst targeting those groups in greatest need of inclusion. This allows for local teams to use their local data to determine who the inactive are for their school communities to ensure that they can tailor delivery on a need led basis.Specific activities such as football, and the structure of these activities, provided through Active Schools are at the discretion of each local authority/Active Schools team.

I understand that sport scotland will write to Mr Ruskell separately to highlight various opportunities that girls and young women have to take part in sport and physical activity – including Active Schools, and more widely across club and community sport. sport scotland are currently processing the 2021-22 Active Schools data. Data on girls and young women’s participation in football through the Active Schools programme will be shared with Mr Ruskell by sport scotland once available.