Chamber and committees

Through partner agencies, particularly Skills Development Scotland, the Scottish Government has a range of opportunities available for young people in food and drink.

A Food and Drink Technologies Foundation Apprenticeship (FA) framework was introduced in 2017, providing young people with valuable work experience and applied learning in a real workplace. In Cohort 4 (2019), 60 young people took up a Food and Drink Technologies FA.

Other activity includes work by:

• Skills Development Scotland (SDS) to form three strategic partnerships with Developing Young Workforce Groups where there is a strong sectoral footprint for food & drink (Aberdeen City & Shire, Lanarkshire, and Dumfries & Galloway). Three bespoke food and drink career events took place in 2019, attended by local employers, schools, colleges and training providers with the aim of stimulating interest in job opportunities and pathways into the sector.
• Skills Development Scotland has also worked with Scotland Food and Drink and Food and Drink Federation Scotland to develop materials for use in schools and through My World of Work to promote apprenticeships and other career opportunities.

In financial year 2019-20 there were 1,217 Modern Apprenticeship (MA) starts in Food and Drink frameworks. As at Q1 2020-21 there were 6 MA starts in Food and Drink frameworks. The economic impact of the pandemic is likely to result in a fluctuation in MA starts throughout 2020-21, but we continue to work with partner agencies to promote and maintain opportunities for young people.

Through our commitment to a long term rolling programme to decarbonise Scotland’s Railway and programme of enhancement projects, we know that this will create more skilled and sustainable jobs in Scotland, providing a significant additional contribution to our economy.

The resourcing of future work orders is the responsibility of Network Rail, which is classified as a reserved UK Government body, accountable to UK Ministers.

Network Rail is classified as a reserved UK Government body, accountable to UK Ministers, and is responsible for managing the maintenance and renewal of its infrastructure and any enhancements works through its supply chain.

The Scottish Government encourages, but cannot direct Network Rail to comply with Fair Work policies.

Network Rail is classified as a reserved UK Government body, accountable to UK Ministers and as such the Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The funding that Network Rail requires for the operating, maintaining and renewing Scotland’s rail infrastructure, including safety, is Determined by the Office of Rail and Road every 5 years through its Periodic Review process.

The Determination made by the Office of Rail and Road for the period 2019-2024 includes the full level of funding available from the Scottish Government to support Network Rail’s activities in Scotland.

It is the Office of Rail and Road’s responsibility to ensure that Network Rail complies with its regulatory licence requirements, including how it discharges its safety duties.

The Scottish Government understands the importance of supporting businesses at this difficult time. A range of business support products and services is in place to provide advice, guidance and other assistance to those businesses which may not have qualified for one of the Covid-19 specific schemes.

Support services and programmes for businesses are available via FindBusinessSupport.gov.scot

From the outset of this pandemic the Scottish Government has endeavoured to provide support across all sectors of our economy, and to ensure that it is distributed in the most equitable way possible whilst addressing some of the specific sectoral and geographical issues in Scotland’s macro economy.

The Scottish Government has announced a package of support worth over £2.3 billion to limit the impact of COVID-19 on the business community. The new measures include 100% non-domestic rates relief for the retail, hospitality, leisure and airport sectors, and a 1.6% rates relief for all properties across Scotland. In addition to rates reliefs, the Business Grant Funding Scheme was introduced to support businesses occupying non-domestic properties. This Scheme closed on 10 July and at close 8 September, Local Authorities reported that over 106,000 applications have been received for the Small Business Grant Scheme and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Grant Scheme across Scotland. Of these applications, over 90,000 grants valuing over £1,014m have been awarded.

Eligibility to the grant scheme was linked to the non-domestic rates system because it is the fastest, most effective way to reach businesses.

Phase 3 of the Scheme extended the Small Business Grant Fund to firms who lease the premises they occupy, including shared office spaces, business incubators or shared industrial units, but are not the ratepayer, provided they could evidence that they were required to contribute towards the charges associated with the non-domestic rates liability via the ratepayer and that they had at least one paid employee on the payroll (not including themselves) as at 17 March. The closing date for new applications to the Business Grant schemes was 10 July.

Depending on the circumstances businesses may have been eligible to apply for support measures such as furloughing staff through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

Both the Scottish Government and UK Government are aware of the difficulties facing both landlords and tenants in the commercial property market which resulted in the issue of the 'Code of Practice for commercial property relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic'. This is intended to provide guidance for businesses to come together to negotiate affordable rental agreements. This can include rental deferments, rental holidays and lease restructuring. It builds upon the discussions already taking place by giving those tenants and landlords affected by the crisis the tools to come to a mutually beneficial agreement; ensuring that best practice becomes common practice.

In addition to grant funding, the Coronavirus Bounce Back Loan scheme provides eligible small and medium-sized businesses with loans of between £2,000 and £50,000. The loans are backed by the UK Government and there are no fees, interest charges or repayments due for the first 12 months, with loan terms of up to 6 years.

Another avenue of support is the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), which aims to support small and medium sized businesses, including limited companies, to access finance of up to £5 million for up to 6 years. Applications are made through approved commercial lenders and backed by the UK Government’s British Business Bank.

Some businesses did not qualify for any government schemes which is why a further £185 million of additional grant support for small and medium-sized businesses and the newly self-employed was made available.

The range of business support is kept under review and up to date information is available online at https://findbusinesssupport.gov.scot .

We have a responsibility to support and safeguard children and their families, no matter their asylum or immigration status, and ensure they get the right help at the right time. This should be done in line with GIRFEC principles.

‘No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) is applied through reserved immigration legislation and prohibits access to certain benefits and services. Public funds which are restricted for the purposes of NRPF are set out at paragraph 6 of the immigration rules. This includes Universal Credit, Child Benefit and the Scottish Welfare Fund.

Local authorities also have duties under the Children’s (Scotland) Act 1995 and may have Social Work duties depending on the circumstances of the family. Local authorities are also able to utilise powers in the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 to provide free school meals to families with no recourse to public funds where a families situation has been brought to their attention.

New sources of Scottish Government funding (including the Food Fund, Supporting Communities Fund and Hardship Fund) can be used by local authorities and other partners to support people with NRPF during the Covid 19 pandemic.

The Scottish Government is supporting communities to respond to food insecurity in a way that promotes dignity and removes barriers for households relating to adequate access to healthy and nutritious food.

No-one in Scotland should be left unsupported, particularly at this time of crisis.’