Chamber and committees

Local authorities are best placed to communicate with individual households by council tax band. In recognition of this, the £2.44 million funding added to the local government budget in 2016-17 to cover the administration costs of implementing the reforms to council tax and the council tax reduction scheme includes specific provision for communicating the changes.

The first phase of the Scottish Government's benefit take up campaign began on the 6 March, directing people to Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) whose website makes specific reference to the council tax reduction scheme.

Economic inactivity covers those not in work and not actively seeking work. Data from the ONS’ Labour Force Survey for the most recent quarter (November to January 2017) shows that the economic inactivity rate has remained unchanged over the quarter at 22.6 per cent. However, over the year to November to January 2017, the level of inactivity has risen by 65,000 to 770,000, with the rate rising by 1.9 percentage points. This annual change has been driven by increases in both male and female inactivity (up 38,000 and 27,000 respectively). In terms of age, the increases over the year were largely due to increases in inactivity amongst those aged 16 to 34 (up 55,000).

The most recent data available on reason for inactivity from the ONS’ Labour Force Survey indicates that the largest increases were seen amongst students and those considered to be in long-term sick or disabled (both up 30,000 over the year to October to December 2016).

Yes. This is why our investment in the airport is on a commercial basis with the loan funding attracting a market rate of interest in line with state aid rules. We expect all loan funding will be repaid, plus interest.

Glasgow Prestwick Airport operates on a wholly commercial basis and at arm’s length from the Scottish Government. The airport offers aviation services to a wide variety of customers through its in-house Fixed Base Operation (FBO), including military customers with appropriate UK Government clearance to land in the United Kingdom. As with any commercial FBO, contracts and agreements between Glasgow Prestwick Airport FBO and the customers who use this service are commercially sensitive.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-04621 on 29 November 2016 and S5W-05717 on 10 January 2017.

My previous response contained the yearly figures for inbound military flights since the Scottish Government took ownership of the airport in November 2013 until 2015.

My response to S5W-05717 provided the number inbound military flights to Glasgow Prestwick Airport between January 2016 and November 2016. I can now confirm that in 2016 there was a total of 1,748 military flights into the airport.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

The airport is run at arm’s length from Government and on a commercial basis and, as such, the Scottish Government will not comment on the airport’s commercial activities.

We have not set a time a limit for the airport to return to profitability. We want Glasgow Prestwick Airport to grow into the successful and vibrant business we know it can be, but we have always acknowledged that there is no quick fix.

The loan funding is awarded on an annual basis on the presentation and approval of a business plan. No limit has been set on the level of loan funding that may be provided.

The long-term trends in relation to the gender pay gap are positive. Both the full time pay gap and overall pay gap (full and part-time) have narrowed considerably in Scotland since 1999 - the full-time pay gap from 16.7% in 1999 to 6.2% in 2016 and the overall pay gap from 24.6% in 1999 to 16.8% in 2015.

Despite this improvement over time, we cannot be complacent and we are taking forward a number of actions designed to contribute to closing the gender pay gap. In particular we are legislating for gender balance on public sector boards, tackling pregnancy and maternity discrimination through our new working group, and piloting a Returners Project so that women can get help updating their skills and knowledge after a career break.

In addition, we fund Close the Gap to challenge and change employment practices and workplace cultures to support gender equality and close the pay gap.

a) The Scottish Government want all children and young people to realise their full potential regardless of their circumstances or any protected characteristic, including sex (gender). Education in primary schools and Early Learning and Childcare establishments is underpinned by policies which have equality considerations embedded throughout, including: Getting it Right for Every Child; Curriculum for Excellence; and Additional Support for Learning.

Education Scotland’s self-evaluation tools How Good is Our Early Learning and Childcare? How Good is Our School? And How Good is our College? enable early learning settings, schools and colleges to evaluate the quality of outcomes for learners’ wellbeing, equality and inclusion.

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has published a Gender Action Plan in order to address gender imbalances and reduce gender gaps in college and undergraduate courses, while its Outcome Agreements ask colleges to remove barriers and support full participation and successful outcomes for all groups of learners in their local community. This, for example, helps us recruit more males in to early learning and childcare. In turn, ensuring a more gender balanced workforce, with more male role models for our young children.

The “Standard for Childhood Practice” sets out the learning outcomes all candidates must demonstrate when studying for a career in early learning and childcare. One of which includes: ‘demonstrating an awareness of the significance of race, ethnicity, gender, class, disability, sexuality and other social backgrounds and the interactions between them in the development of individual children and young people and; promoting fairness and justice and adopt anti-discriminatory practices which challenge inequalities of race, ethnicity, gender, class, disability, sexuality and other social backgrounds and their interactions’. This creates an awareness and understanding of gender equality in our young children, but also in the workforce who are developing the children’s understanding.

b) In response to Developing the Young Workforce recommendations, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) published the Equalities Action Plan for Modern Apprenticeships in Scotland in December 2015. The five year plan outlines the challenges to be addressed and the actions SDS will undertake with partners to improve the participation of under-represented groups within the MA programme.

Apprenticeship areas where there are gender imbalances, for example females in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and males in childcare related apprenticeships, will be tackled by the plan.

An annual report detailing progress against the plan will be published by SDS shortly.

The Scottish Government wants all children and young people to realise their full potential regardless of their circumstances or any protected characteristic, including sex (gender). School education is underpinned by policies which have equality considerations embedded throughout, including: Getting it Right for Every Child; Curriculum for Excellence; and Additional Support for Learning. We published a 2013-17 equalities outcome for education, which includes a focus on gender, and reported progress on mainstreaming the equality duty in 2015. We will report progress again in April 2017.

We define our vision for Equity and Excellence in schools in the 2017 National Improvement Framework (NIF) and Improvement Plan. NIF sets out our high-level strategic plans for improvement and identifies specific improvement activity, such as actions around teacher professionalism and school leadership intended to mainstream equality.

Gender equality in Further and Higher Education is a priority for all of Scotland’s colleges and universities as both an employer and educational establishment. The Scottish Funding Council has published a Gender Action Plan in order to address gender imbalances and reduce gender gaps amongst staff and students. Its Outcome Agreements ask institutions to remove barriers and support full participation and successful outcomes for all groups of learners in their local community.

The Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotland) Bill announced in the Programme for Government 2016-17, will require positive action to be taken to redress gender imbalance on public sector boards, including colleges and universities.

Education Scotland’s self-evaluation tools How Good is Our Early Learning and Childcare?, How Good is Our School?, and How Good is our College?, enable early learning and childcare settings, schools and colleges to evaluate the quality of outcomes for learners’ wellbeing, equality and inclusion.

Priority for social housing in Scotland is based on an assessment of an applicant’s need and circumstances. Scottish housing law requires social landlords (registered social landlords and local authorities) to give reasonable preference to certain applicants, including those who are homeless or threatened with homelessness. Veterans who find themselves homeless, threatened with homelessness or with a high level of housing need will receive priority for social housing.

Scottish Government practice guidance on allocations provides advice to social landlords to consider and address the needs of ex-Service personnel as part of their housing allocations policies and procedures and ensure they are not disadvantaged. It includes practice examples that highlight approaches used by social landlords to respond to the housing needs of Service leavers and the wider veterans' community.

There are no formal proposals to reduce unscheduled care assessment or admission points at the Vale of Leven Hospital. Patient care, operational matters and service delivery are the statutory responsibility of local healthcare providers such as NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GG&C) to consider for its local population needs.

Health Boards need to design services that meet the needs of the local population and if there are any proposals for service change they would be subject to the well-established public engagement process.