Chamber and committees

The power of the Scottish Ministers to make provision in relation to Discretionary Housing Payments is restricted by schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998. As a result, the Scottish Ministers have no power to extend eligibility for Discretionary Housing Payments beyond individuals who are in receipt of Housing Benefit, or another reserved benefit payable in respect of liability to make rent payments.

The Scottish Government has introduced a package of support measures to limit the impact of COVID-19 on the business community, this includes a 100 per cent rate relief for non-domestic properties in the Retail, Hospitality, Leisure and Airport (RHLA) sectors. Estate Agents functions in Scotland are typically undertaken by solicitors alongside a wider variety of service activity such as conveyancing, mortgage services and private client legal services. Therefore they are not considered to be part of the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors and are not eligible for this relief. In designing the support package, we had to balance helping as many businesses as possible against affordability. As it is not possible to help everyone we would want to, some sectors are excluded from the RHLA relief.

The new measures also include a universal 1.6 per cent rates relief, which is available for all non-domestic properties across Scotland. Estate agents will be able to benefit from the 1.6% universal rates relief in 2020-21, which will apply automatically to their non-domestic rates bills.

Estate agents may also be eligible for the Small Business Grant scheme for premises in receipt of the Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS), or eligible for the SBBS but in receipt of a range of other reliefs.

The Government endeavours to ensure that all parliamentary questions are answered as soon as possible and within relevant guidelines as reflected in Standing Orders.

Scottish Ministers recognise that members' may receive a significant number of queries from members of the public concerned about a range of issues related to the Coronavirus pandemic. That is why the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, Europe and External Affairs recently wrote to all members confirming a variety of means by which such queries can be put to the Government. Members were provided with details of contact points within the Scottish Government, where MSPs can either request or obtain information covering key elements of ministerial activity in response to the pandemic.

Laboratory testing for COVID-19 currently takes place in the following health boards;

- Ayrshire and Arran

- Fife

- Forth Valley

- Grampian

- Greater Glasgow and Clyde

- Highland

- Lothian

- Tayside

Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is a working age benefit which remains remain reserved to the UK Government. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced that face-to-face assessments for ESA will be suspended for three months, with effect from 17 March, to protect vulnerable adults from unnecessary risk of exposure to COVID-19. The DWP has advised that face-to-face assessments will be replaced by alternative arrangements which could involve either telephone or paper-based assessments.

Apprenticeship opportunities are promoted by Skills Development Scotland through a variety of activities, including advertising, regional and sectoral engagement, and their Careers and Information Guidance service.

Engineering apprenticeships have benefited from this promotional activity, with the latest figures from Quarter 3 of 2019-20 showing 1,515 new Modern Apprenticeship starts on Engineering and Energy related occupations, up from 1,339 in 2017/18 and 1,255 in 2016/17.

Skills Development Scotland will continue to work with a range of agencies on skills measures to support a Manufacturing Skills Action Plan and a Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan.

The Scottish Government already subsidises all public transport through a variety of mechanisms. Bus operators in Scotland received £314 million in 2018-19 from central and local government through the Bus Service Operators Grant, concessionary travel reimbursement and local authority support for specific services. The Budget for 2020-21 provides for significant investment in our Rail, Concessionary Fares, Bus and Ferry Services with Transport Scotland investing over £1 billion per annum to support the public and sustainable transport to encourage people onto public transport and active travel modes.

We are currently reviewing the costs and benefits for extending concessionary fares on all public transport to people aged 25 or under. We have additionally made a commitment in principle to extend free bus travel to everyone aged 18 and under from January 2021, subject to the necessary preparations including due diligence and research.

These commitments contribute to delivering our National Transport Strategy (NTS) which sets out our strategic vision for the future of transport in Scotland. It identifies taking climate action as a key priority and embeds the sustainable travel and investment hierarchies in to decision making.

The Scottish Government spends over £1 billion per annum supporting Scotland’s public transport system. The recently published National Transport Strategy, sets out the future direction for transport and reflects the declaration of the global climate emergency with climate change action identified as a priority. Additionally, the Scottish Government is committed to producing an update to the Climate Change Plan for Parliamentary scrutiny by the end of April. This will contain action across a range of sectors, including transport.

https://www.transport.gov.scot/our-approach/national-transport-strategy/

We recognise the need to encourage more people to travel by public transport and this will require a range of actions and our recent commitment to the long term funding of over £500 million, for bus priority infrastructure should reduce the impact of congestion on bus journeys. The second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2), due to report Spring 2021, is underway and is currently identifying the transport interventions required to provide Scotland with a network fit for the 21st Century, which will inform Scottish Ministers’ investment decisions for the next 20 years.

The appraisal being undertaken as part of STPR2, includes work on how we will assess the benefits of a more active population, our transition to a decarbonised vehicle fleet and our net-zero emissions target. The first major milestone of the review occurred on the 27 February with publication of the draft national “Case for Change Report” and eight regional reports. The publication of the report forms the first step in the appraisal process and sets out the evidence base that underpins the review.

https://www.transport.gov.scot/our-approach/strategy/strategic-transport-projects-review-2/

The next steps will see the development of a short-list of interventions which will then be taken through a detailed appraisal later this year.

The Scottish Government is committed to transitioning to a net-zero society by 2045. Our National Transport Strategy sets out our strategic vision for the future of transport in Scotland. It identifies taking climate action as a key priority and embeds the sustainable travel and investment hierarchies in to decision making.

Public transport is already subsidised through a variety of mechanisms. Bus operators in Scotland received £314 million in 2018-19 from central and local government through the Bus Service Operators Grant, concessionary travel reimbursement and local authority support for specific services. The Budget for 2020-21 provides for significant investment in our Rail, Concessionary Fares, Bus and Ferry Services with Transport Scotland investing over £1 billion per annum to support the public and sustainable transport to encourage people onto public transport and active travel modes.

The Scottish Government does not currently hold a formal collated assessment of carbon reduction impacts of all the subsidised public transport modes. We are currently reviewing the options for extending public transport fare concessions to people under 26, and will look at cost and benefits. We are also working to deliver our commitment in principle to extend free bus services to under 19s from January 2021, subject to necessary due diligence and research, and will be looking at the potential impacts of this change, including on carbon emissions.