Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government, in partnership with COSLA, is actively considering the recommendations of the short-life working group on clothing grants. We will respond to the recommendations once these considerations have concluded.

The Domestic Abuse Accommodation and Support Provision Action Plan Implementation Group uses the list of refuges compiled by Scottish Women''s Aid which includes both affiliated and unaffiliated Women''s Aid organisations.

Since March 2008, across Scotland community planning partnerships (CPPs) and the third sector locally have been devising new arrangements, known as single interfaces, which cover four functions: support for voluntary organisations, volunteering, social enterprise and building connections between the CPP and the sector.

Such interface arrangements already exist in Edinburgh, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Falkirk, Orkney, Perth and Kinross, Shetland, West Dunbartonshire, West Lothian and, shortly Moray.

These are not pilot or experimental groups but rather early adopters who have grasped the opportunity for the sector to connect effectively with the CPP and to benefit their community as a whole.

Evaluation of the interface is primarily for the partners themselves. To assist this process the Scottish Government is working with the early adopters group on evaluation and monitoring methods. We will also commission research in the autumn, with the engagement of the third sector and public sector partners, on the role of third sector organisations in community planning partnerships. This research is intended to establish the level and type of third sector involvement in community planning partnerships and make recommendations about effective models for engagement.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-26402 on 25 August 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://wwwscottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The minutes of the Third Sector Task Group are publicly available and can be found on the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations'' website at http://www.scvo.org.uk/taskgroup.

The Scottish Government remains focused on delivering our core Purpose of increasing sustainable economic growth in all areas across Scotland.

Through the Government Economic Strategy (GES) and the Economic Recovery Programme (ERP), we are using all the levers at our disposal to lead Scotland out of the downturn and position the economy to take early advantage of the recovery whilst recognising the importance of targeting support at those individuals, businesses and, where appropriate, communities that need it most. This action is supporting up to 15,000 jobs across Scotland.

This includes the acceleration of £294 million in capital expenditure into 2009-10, on top of the £53 million in 2008-09, supporting 5,100 jobs across Scotland.

We are also keen to ensure that European Social Funding (ESF) and the European Regional Development Fund are targeted, not only at hard to reach groups, but is spatially targeted at particular areas of Scotland which are the most deprived.

PACE (Partnership Action for Continuing Employment) is also providing help to businesses and individuals facing redundancy and it is designed to provide this support to areas that need it most.

All of these measures complement support from the Scottish Government through the £145 million per year Fairer Scotland Fund. The FSF is supporting all Community Planning Partnerships to tackle area based and individual poverty and help more people to access and sustain employment opportunities.

The Domestic Abuse Accommodation and Support Provision Working Group has been re-named the Domestic Abuse Accommodation and Support Provision Action Plan Implementation Group. The next meeting of the group will take place on 9 September 2009. The timing is planned to enable the implementation group to feed into the meeting of the National Group to Address Violence Against Women, which will take place on 22 September 2009.

The Domestic Abuse Accommodation and Support Provision Working Group has been re-named the Domestic Abuse Accommodation and Support Provision Action Plan Implementation Group. The most recent meeting of the group took place on 7 May 2009. The timing was planned to enable the implementation group to feed into the meeting of the National Group to Address Violence Against Women which took place on 19 May 2009.

The Annual Population Survey is the official source for national estimates of employment. The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation is used to define the 15% most deprived areas in Scotland.

Rate and Level of Employment in the 15% Most Deprived Areas in Scotland, 2006-08

Year	Rate of Employment	Level of Employment
2006	56.1%	264,800
2007	58.6%	269,300
2008	60.0%	275,400

Source: Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2006, Annual Population Survey.