Chamber and committees

I will follow on from Mark Griffin’s question. Is there any evidence of councils using their equality impact assessments to look through a gendered lens at the decisions they make that affect women? We know that women are, by and large, in precarious employment and are often the most affected—as Elma Murray outlined—by such decisions. Looking back over the last little while, are we seeing evidence that councils are taking that proactive approach?

I have another question, which touches on your earlier comments about community wealth building. As you will be aware, the Ayrshire growth deal included £3 million from the Scottish Government to directly support a regional community wealth building model. How will the Scottish Government support councils and other anchor organisations to take a community wealth building approach in order to aid our Covid recovery and move to a wellbeing economy model?

What is the commission’s view generally on the mainstreaming of participatory budgeting and community empowerment? Also, what are the risks around the transparency, accountability and resourcing of these important workstreams and policy areas?

Thank you for that answer—I will follow up on it. With the £3 million for Ayrshire, and in the other pilot areas that you mentioned, there is money to support local government through the creation of community wealth building officer posts and so on. When we are looking to passport learning and best practice across the country, will there be support from the Scottish Government to ensure that all local authorities will be able to avail themselves of the creation of such posts within their services?

How will the spatial strategy and planning policies that are to be set out in NPF4 help to deliver the Scottish Government’s emissions reduction commitments?

I refer to my entry in the register of members’ interests. I am a serving councillor on East Ayrshire Council.

A vast amount of work has been undertaken over the past few years by COSLA, the Scottish Government and partners towards creating a new fit-for-purpose fiscal framework, and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy is calling for a rules-based approach. What do you think a functioning fiscal framework between the two spheres of government would look like and will it be taken forward as part of the local governance review?

I will shift the gears a little and move on to the planning system. How have regional planning issues been accounted for in the development of the national planning framework 4, given that planning authorities have not yet had time to develop their full regional spatial strategies and that the pandemic has exacerbated that situation a little?

Good morning. Touching on what you have just talked about, I think that we have seen a huge shift in focus from processes to outcomes, and we in local government have learned lots of lessons over the past year and a half. In fact, local government has significantly changed its practices and has responded and adapted very quickly.

Antony Clark has already highlighted the digital issue, but can you give us some more examples of how local government adapted and changed quickly? Will this spirit of innovation and partnership involving local government and other partners and sectors continue so that we do not slip back into the old ways of working?

I have been contacted by immunosuppressed constituents who have received both doses of the Covid vaccine but are concerned that, due to the medication that they take following organ transplant, they will not produce sufficient antibodies to protect against the virus.

What consideration has the Scottish Government given to providing antibody tests to immunosuppressed people, to ascertain the effectiveness of vaccination? Will further guidance be issued to that vulnerable group as restrictions continue to be lifted?

Even with a move to level 0, some businesses’ restrictions will remain in place. It is essential that businesses that are impacted by restrictions continue to be provided with the support that they require. Therefore, it is of some concern that the UK Government continues to press ahead with plans to scale back the furlough scheme in the months ahead. Can the First Minister provide an update on the Scottish Government’s latest engagements with the UK Government regarding the planned changes to the furlough scheme? Will she continue to press for business support to be made available for as long as restrictions are required?