Chamber and committees

The small grants will enable wide-scale public engagement across Scotland for the refreshed New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy. Arrangements for the distribution of the small grants are being developed by the strategy’s key partners, the Scottish Government, COSLA and Scottish Refugee Council. Further information will be available in due course.

The Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office has not funded any research that is directly related to postural tachycardia from the years 2007 to today.

The Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office operates open competitive funding schemes for applied health research projects and fellowships across the wide range of NHS and health challenges in Scotland. These schemes are open to consideration of applications addressing research directed into postural tachycardia syndrome. Applications to these schemes are assessed through independent expert peer-review with funding recommendations made by independent expert committees.

The role of a school culture coordinator is a discretionary role that supports the delivery of the Youth Music Initiative (YMI) programme, administered on behalf of Scottish Government by Creative Scotland with local authorities.

A school culture coordinator is a role that I understand only exists currently in two local authorities: Falkirk Council and Argyle & Bute Council. The various roles within all other local authorities who manage YMI programmes include Instrumental Music Service Managers, Music Instructors, Creative Learning Officers. As a result, there is no funding programme for which Creative Scotland supports the role of culture coordinator across the entire local authority network.

The Scottish Government has not conducted this type of analysis as regular grant funding to these organisations from Creative Scotland remains in place.

The Scottish Government is working with Palladium to consider how modular housing could be used to provide longer-term sustainable housing. . The contract that the Scottish Government entered into with Palladium in August last year will end on 15 March 2023. The Scottish Government has competitively tendered for a successor contract to be put in place after the current contract ends. This will support the Scottish Government’s plans to pilot the use of short-term modular accommodation. However, the successor company will also work with the Scottish Government to continue to develop a proposal to deliver longer-term modular housing. Bids for the successor contract are currently being reviewed and a decision will be taken very shortly.

No. Creative Scotland’s board announced on 19 December 2022 its decision to maintain funding for the Regularly Funded Organisations at current levels for the 2023-24 financial year, using its accumulated reserves from National Lottery funding.

The Scottish Government’s announced on 21 February an uplift of £6.6 million in grant in aid for Creative Scotland so that Creative Scotland can use its lottery reserves for additional support for the sector.

Creative Scotland monitors the organisational reserves of regularly funded organisations via the submissions provided as part of the annual contracting process. Ad hoc monitoring by Creative Scotland may also occur depending on the organisation’s financial position, including a recent RFO survey on rising costs. Organisational reserves are also publicly disclosed at Companies House.

The Scottish Government does not fund culture coordinator posts in schools. However, some Local Authorities choose to employ culture coordinators to support the delivery of the Youth Music Initiative programme, administered on behalf of the Scottish Government by Creative Scotland.

Creative Scotland do not require Local Authorities to have a specific coordinator role in place to deliver the fund. Scottish Government give Local Authorities the financial freedom to operate independently and allocate the resources available to them in response to local need.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14895 on 6 March 2023. 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

The Scottish Government is aware of several high profile fuel thefts in the Highland area. However, the investigations into potential criminal incidents are a matter for Police Scotland.

Police Scotland has highlighted a number of ways individuals can attempt to minimise these incidents, including installing locking caps and ensuring tanks are difficult to access.

Anyone concerned about suspicious activity in their area should contact Police Scotland by dialling 101 or report incidents online.

An ALERT platform aimed at tackling a rise in thefts from construction sites and fuel thefts started on Wednesday 23 March. The protocol known as Construction Watch Scotland seeks to enhance awareness between construction and trade industries, as well as police, to ensure intelligence relating to criminal or suspicious activity at one location is quickly provided to others along with prevention advice.

Construction Watch Scotland has been devised in partnership by Police Scotland and Neighbourhood Watch Scotland. It follows a rise in the thefts of plant equipment, tools and stored fuel and is supported by the Scottish Business Resilience Centre, Secured By Design and Crimestoppers.

Further information can be found below

Construction Watch Scotland