Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-07778 on 15 March 2017. 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-07778 on 15 March 2017. 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 Rural Economy Hub is an internal Scottish Government mechanism that brings together all parts of Government working in areas that support Scotland's rural economy, and co-ordinates them into a single coherent framework that maximises the impact of policy interventions on the rural economy, and thus the delivery of the Scottish Government's aspirations for rural Scotland.

This co-ordinating mechanism is resourced by officials from within existing resources, with a remit to develop actions which will help to grow economic activity which flows from and directly supports rural communities, including those on the islands, which will benefit from this focused approach.

One of the actions of this work will be engagement with stakeholders on how to build on the current platform and increase the delivery of a strong sustainable rural economy and stakeholders will be asked for their views in due course.

Given that this is an internal mechanism, there are no plans to publish the names of officials who are engaged on the work or any minutes of meetings at this time. However, the Scottish Government is committed to being inclusive and transparent and therefore another action flowing for this Hub will consider how best to ensure that there is a two way flow of information on this important subject.

It already is a criminal offence to carry in public any blade or instrument with a sharp point. There is an exception relating to a folding pocketknife less than three inches in length. The criminal law therefore bans the carrying of so called zombie-knives in public. Scottish Government legislation to increase the penalties for this offence came into force in March 2016 with maximum penalties increasing from four years to five years.

The £12 million Transition Training Fund, launched in 1 February 2016, offers support with training grants to help individuals retrain, upskill or get accreditation or certification that could help individuals get a new job in oil and gas, the wider energy sector, or engineering and manufacturing.

The latest figures shows that over 1600 individuals have had applications approved from the fund. Training programmes procured by the TTF will also create around 330 employment opportunities across Scotland, with the latest tranche supporting over 400 opportunities. There are also 12 individuals being supported into STEM teaching opportunities within the North East.

Skills Development Scotland have carried out an initial sample survey of participants who had undertaken training through the TTF. The findings were that 58% were in employment, of which 78% transitioned to work in new sectors. Of those in employment, 85% said that support accessed through the fund had helped them secure a job.

I refer the member to my answer to S5W-07384 on 22 February 2017, and to my letter of 10 March 2017 to the Finance and Constitution Committee, which is available in SPICe (BiB number 58578).

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 SPA board considered an update on the current status of the implementation plan, which has been developed from the recommendation made within the Chair's Review of Governance report, at the public board meeting on 24 February 2017. The paper is available on the SPA's website at: http://www.spa.police.uk/assets/126884/386205/item_13.pdf

The Scottish Government will provide further detail on its legislative proposals for tax exemptions, tax bands and tax rate amounts for Air Departure Tax (ADT) at a later date. The Scottish Government has developed and is continuing to refine an evidence base on ADT and has used it to inform the development of ADT policy, but is happy to listen to any recommendations that the Scottish Parliament may make on undertaking an independent assessment of its proposals.

Once section 17(4) of the Scotland Act 2016 takes effect, which is expected to be on 1 April 2018, Air Passenger Duty (APD) will only apply to flights beginning after that date from an airport in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. After that date, Air Departure Tax (ADT) is expected to apply on any flight which begins from an airport in Scotland.

The effect of these changes, when combined with the current APD legislation on connected flights, is that a passenger flying from a Scottish airport to an airport elsewhere in the UK after 1 April 2018, and who then takes a second or subsequent connected flight to another destination, will be chargeable under ADT on the first flight but exempt from APD on the other flight(s). The amount of ADT due will be determined under section 9 of and Schedule 1 of the Bill by reference to the destination of the passenger’s final connected flight and their class of travel.

Double taxation (in relation to APD and ADT) will therefore not apply after 1 April 2018 in relation to passengers on such connecting flights. The Scottish Government has had regular engagement with HM Revenue and Customs regarding APD and ADT, including on connecting flights, and is not aware of any further legislative changes planned by the UK Government which would affect this tax position.

The Scottish Government has done everything it can to minimise redundancies in the oil and gas industry, but where this has not been possible, we have supported affected employees through our initiative for responding to redundancy situations, Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE), which has focused significant efforts to help individuals from the oil and gas sector realise their broad skill set by introducing them to employers from a variety of sectors - with four large recruitment events providing support for over 3,500 people affected by the current challenges in the industry and a further event planned for 29 March.

Furthermore, the Energy Jobs Taskforce has brought together key partners to maximise employment opportunities. Our enhanced 'Adopt an Apprentice' scheme provides a financial incentive of £5,000 to help a potential employer cover the wage and recruitment costs of taking on a Modern Apprentice who has been made redundant from the oil and gas industry, allowing the apprentice to continue their Modern Apprenticeship programme, and we have set up a £12m Transition Training Fund that has so far enabled more than 1600 former oil and gas workers to receive support for training with good access to a job outcome. Furthermore, training programmes procured by the Fund will create up to 755 employment opportunities, and the fund is also already supporting 12 individuals to retrain as teachers in STEM subjects.

Both the Minister for Employability and Training and myself have been made aware of reports of employers discriminating against applicants with offshore experience and these reports are deeply concerning. The oil and gas workforce are highly talented with skills that can be utilised in a wide range of different sectors, including renewables, construction, decommissioning and many others.

This issue was raised in the chamber by Gillian Martin MSP who has written to the UK Government who have responsibility in this area. No response from the UK Government has been received and I have therefore undertaken to take up the issue with my colleague the Minister for Employability and Training and to jointly seek action from UK ministers given reserved responsibilities.

The Scottish Government is fully committed to promoting fair work practices throughout Scotland and we will continue to lobby the UK Government for the full set of powers around employment law so that, regardless of party, the Scottish Parliament can adopt a more proactive role in addressing these kind of issues.