Chamber and committees

Thanks, convener, and thank you to the panel—it is good to have you with us. I have a couple of questions.

We have touched on some of the priority groups already, such as single-parent families. Do you feel that the delivery plan has done enough to support employment for the priority groups? Do you feel that the Scottish Government has utilised its devolved powers fully in the plan? In your view, could efforts be enhanced further with the devolution of employment law? I put those questions to Bill Scott.

That touches on one of my supplementary questions. You mentioned that employers are becoming a little bit more flexible in accommodating employees who might have childcare commitments or other issues—for example, by ensuring that people in poverty have financial support to enable them to afford the tools or clothes that they might need in their workplace or to get to work.

Can you reaffirm whether you feel that that is happening just now? Are employers giving that extra support and coming round to opening up those barriers for people?

That was helpful. Obviously, there is a real focus on employability, but families in poverty must still be able to see their children, and a universal basic income would open up a bit more flexibility in that respect.

I ask Philip Whyte and Emma Congreve to answer the same question.

Thank you, Bill—you are pre-empting my questions, because my next question is about hybrid working. I absolutely agree with you. There are issues with different types of employment. Retail, for example, can be quite inflexible. We need to focus on covering all areas of employment so that there is flexibility across the board.

Thank you, Alison. I do not believe that anybody else wants to come in on that, so I will move on.

Witnesses have mentioned an emphasis on more and warmer social housing and more affordable housing, but are any other measures that could address child poverty missing from the plan for housing? That question goes first to Bill Scott.

I absolutely agree. I have real concerns about people who are on key meters and who do not even have the option not to pay the electricity bill—they will go without completely. It is scary.

My next question was whether the panel feels that it would benefit householders if renewable energy that is generated in Scotland was not sold back to the National Grid but instead remained in Scotland. Again, Bill Scott has just answered that, so I have no further questions.

Do the witnesses feel that the policies that are included in the “Warm affordable homes” part of the plan have enough of a focus on tackling child poverty? For example, there is funding from Home Energy Scotland, which is going to provide £42 million in grants and loans to help with making homes warmer. However, we are now seeing what appears to be an ever-increasing cost of living and increasing fuel costs. To what extent might the policies be counteracted by those increases? I put that question to Alison Watson.

I will keep this brief, because many of my questions have already been answered.

Does meeting the 2030 targets require a radically different approach from the one that has been taken to meet the 2023-24 targets? Would the concepts of a minimum income guarantee or a universal basic income be feasible options, in terms of affordability and effectiveness, that the Government could explore to tackle poverty?

I put that question to Jack Evans first.

Given the rising cost of living, does the First Minister welcome the announcement yesterday that the newly publicly owned ScotRail will be slashing off-peak ticket prices in half for the month of May?

I know that many valuable organisations are receiving funding, and I am sure that it will provide essential support to many victims of crime. However, in speaking with organisations and in my own personal dealings with constituents, it has been highlighted to me that there is concern about support for and stigma among people who are victims of facial disfigurement and facial scarring. Can the cabinet secretary provide any information or assurance on how that funding could be used for those victims?