Chamber and committees

On 5 February 2020 the Independent Care Review published its conclusions which became ‘The Promise’ . On the same day the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament agreed to implement all the findings of the Independent Care Review by 2030. The Scottish Government continues to work closely with The Promise Scotland to progress the actions set out in Plan 21-24 and Change Programme ONE .

The pay deal between the RMT and Abellio ScotRail was rightly negotiated between the operator and staff representatives, and the same applies to Serco Caledonian Sleepers Limited (SCSL) and the RMT.

Scotland’s railway faces significant financial challenges and it is only right that discussions around efficiencies, addressing ideas both from the business and the union, should form part of the dialogue around funding a pay deal.

We understand that, following discussions, SCSL made a pay offer which RMT’s Scottish leadership had confirmed would be acceptable. It is disappointing that the pay offer was then rejected, not least because when considered with the pay increase already awarded last year, the combined rate was as good as or better than any other deal for train operating company staff in the rail industry.

Human trafficking is a hidden and often complex crime. Accurately assessing the scale of the problem in Scotland and beyond is challenging, although a range of estimates exist around the prevalence of the issue, both in the UK and globally.

Data on the number of trafficking victims in Scotland is drawn from the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). The NRM is the UK-wide framework for identifying potential victims of trafficking and ensuring they receive appropriate support and assistance.

Information from the NRM is released by the Home Office Single Competent Authority quarterly and in an end of year summary. Data relating to 2020 and 2021 can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-referral-mechanism-statistics .

The total capital grant funding provided by the Scottish Government to North Ayrshire Council, in real terms, since 2008-09 is set out in the following table. Prior to 2008-09 the Scottish Government supported local authorities’ capital funding programmes through a combination of loan charge support for historic debt, supported borrowing allocations and a range of separate capital grants outwith the annual local government finance settlement (the details of which are not held centrally).

The capital funding for local authorities changed fundamentally with effect from 1 April 2008 with these individual capital grants being incorporated into the annual local government finance settlement. It should also be noted that funding for Police and Fire transferred out of the local government finance settlement with effect from 1 April 2013. As a result the years prior to 2013-14 are not comparable to the years after 2013-14.

The real terms figures were calculated using the October 2021 HM Treasury GDP deflators.

Scotland’s Covid-19 vaccination programme has been extremely successful, with over 8 million doses administered within 10 months. With the ongoing pandemic, we are following the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice by prioritising based on age and health status with highest health needs first as we know both increase the risk of serious illness from Covid-19.

Given the scale and the challenges that the programme faces, delivering all boosters will take place over a period of several months, however the vaccination programme is continuing at considerable pace – including administering over 436,000 COVID-19 and flu doses in the first week of November.

Health boards are working at pace and appointing those in most vulnerable groups for when they become eligible for a booster. Since the booster programme began in mid-September, the number of booster and third doses administered stands at 1,342,841 as of 19 November.

You can view more information on the number of 1st , 2nd , 3rd and booster doses delivered at: COVID-19 Daily Dashboard | Tableau Public .

Booster vaccinations in Scotland started as soon as possible once the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) provided their advice on boosters, which stated that the booster dose should be offered no earlier than six months after completion of the primary vaccine course, however there is some flexibility to offer a booster vaccination to the most vulnerable groups after five months.

1,342,841 people have received a booster or 3rd dose to 19 November, and we are working as quickly as we can, prioritising those most vulnerable.

Data on boosters by JCVI priority group is not yet published. We continue to work closely with Public Health Scotland to develop the vaccination data to provide robust statistics that enhance public understanding.

Booster vaccinations in Scotland started as soon as possible once the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) provided their advice on boosters, which stated that the booster dose should be offered no earlier than six months after completion of the primary vaccine course, however there is some flexibility to offer a booster vaccination to the most vulnerable groups after five months.

1,342,841 people have received a booster or 3rd dose to 19 November, and we are working as quickly as we can, prioritising those most vulnerable.

Data on boosters by JCVI priority group is not yet published. We continue to work closely with Public Health Scotland to develop the vaccination data to provide robust statistics that enhance public understanding.

Booster vaccinations in Scotland started as soon as possible once the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) provided their advice on boosters, which stated that the booster dose should be offered no earlier than six months after completion of the primary vaccine course, however there is some flexibility to offer a booster vaccination to the most vulnerable groups after five months.

1,342,841 people have received a booster or 3rd dose to Friday 19 November, and we are working as quickly as we can, prioritising those most vulnerable.

Data on boosters by JCVI priority group is not yet published. We continue to work closely with Public Health Scotland to develop the vaccination data to provide robust statistics that enhance public understanding.

Booster vaccinations in Scotland started as soon as possible once the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) provided their advice on boosters, which stated that the booster dose should be offered no earlier than six months after completion of the primary vaccine course, however there is some flexibility to offer a booster vaccination to the most vulnerable groups after five months.

1,342,841 people have received a booster or 3rd dose to 19 November, and we are working as quickly as we can, prioritising those most vulnerable.

Data on boosters by JCVI priority group is not yet published. We continue to work closely with Public Health Scotland to develop the vaccination data to provide robust statistics that enhance public understanding.

To date, the Scottish Government has committed 393m of European Social Fund (ESF) grant support towards projects that boost smart and inclusive growth across Scotland. The expenditure of the 2014-2020 ESF programme, which is based on paying claims that meet the condition of grant from organisations who deliver projects, is currently 125.6m. Many organisations continue to deliver ESF-supported activities across Scotland and the Scottish Government expects expenditure to increase to meet our 393m commitment before the programme ends in December 2023.

The de-commitment from the original allocation at the start of the ESF Programme is 78.3m, however no money has been returned to the European Commission as unspent or de-committed. The EC, as part of their usual management and governance cycle, automatically de-commits fund allocations from ESF and ERDF Programmes that have not met financial targets during a calendar year. This process applies to all Managing Authorities across the UK and Member States throughout the EU.

It will be possible to fully assess the financial performance of the Programme in summer 2024 when all ESF-supported activities are complete, all claims have been paid and verified and the final declaration is submitted to the EC.