Chamber and committees

The performance of Corporate Travel Management (CTM) is robustly monitored by the Scottish Government. This is carried out through regular progress reporting and meetings, rigorous financial monitoring, and through identifying continuous improvements including savings opportunities.

The Framework also provides obligations and standards that the supplier must adhere to in relation to the following: HMRC compliant invoices; appropriate insurances; credit rating threshold maintained; social value via the HM Government Code of Conduct which sets out standards of behaviours expected of the contractor and subcontractors; equality and accessibility; modern slavery; child labour and inhumane treatment; income security and working hours or staff; sustainability as part of Government Buying Standards; subcontractor monitoring; and data protection.

The Provision of Displaced Persons Crisis Travel Management 2, which was awarded to the company, Corporate Travel Management (CTM), is a call off from a Crown Commercial Services framework and the original framework documentation is available from the Crown Commercial Services website: Travel and Venue Solutions - CCS (crowncommercial.gov.uk) . The contract notice with CTM was published on 9 August 2022.

Corporate Travel Management (CTM) won the contract for the Provision of Displaced Persons Crisis Travel Management 2, through fair and open competition. Due to the urgency of the requirement, the Scottish Government utilised the Crown Commercial Services framework to allow for accommodation, travel, venue and ancillary booking services to be provided in support of the response to crisis management in relation to Displaced Persons. The Framework was awarded by Crown Commercial Services who published an Invitation to Tender to invite bids. This was a single supplier framework and the Service Provider, CTM, waived their management fee due to the humanitarian nature of the requirement.

The Scottish Government has regular and ongoing engagement with COSLA which includes discussing housing needs for Ukrainian displaced people in Scotland and funding support.

Most recently a meeting with senior leaders and officials from Scottish Government, COSLA and partners took place on 30 September to discuss next steps on our review of the Super Sponsor scheme.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-11199 on 4 October 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

A number of papers covering the opportunities of independence will be published over the coming months as part of the Building a New Scotland prospectus series. The series will be published in good time before an independence referendum takes place, to allow the people of Scotland to make an informed choice over their future.

As the First Minister has previously set out, papers to come later in the series will cover matters including currency, the public finances, pensions and social security, EU membership and trade, and defence and security.

The First Minister has written once to the new Prime Minister. The letter, dated 6 September 2022 and focusing on the cost crisis, was published on the Scottish Government website and a link is provided below.

Cost crisis: letter to new Prime Minister - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

While funding for the national collections is a direct responsibility of the Scottish Government, other museums and galleries are core funded from a variety of sources including local government. The Scottish Government is in discussion with Museums Galleries Scotland to understand the current challenges facing smaller organisations. Museums Galleries Scotland provides development and project funding to the sector on behalf of the Scottish Government. In view of cost increases museums across Scotland are facing, Museums Galleries Scotland has decided to pause its planned grants programme in order to review whether it is the most effective way to meet the needs of the sector at this challenging time. They are working on this as a matter of urgency and will announce any revisions to their programme to the sector as soon as possible.

The Talent Attraction and Migration Service will play a key role in attracting and retaining people who chose to move to Scotland. The investment in the service will match our commitment to ensuring people are attracted to, and want to stay in, Scotland. The budget for the service is still being finalised but the service will be appropriately resourced, including ensuring the staffing levels meet the needs of those using the service.

The UK immigration system is not working for Scotland’s economy, our public services or our communities. While responsibility for immigration rests with the UK Government, the Scottish Government will do all we can to attract and retain people in Scotland. That is why we have committed to launching a Talent Attraction and Migration Service that will attract people to come and live in Scotland, help those moving to Scotland settle into their communities and support employers to navigate the immigration system.

We are currently designing the service to ensure it achieves these outcomes and once we have completed this phase, will launch the service during 2023.