Chamber and committees

The Ferries Plan (2013-2022) published in 2012, following a 4-year review, set out the Scottish Government’s strategic approach for the provision and support of ferry services to 2022. It has led to increased frequencies and capacities on numerous routes, reduced fares and introduced new services. The Scottish Government has not specifically assessed the impact of these measures on resilience and intends to produce a progress report on the implementation and outcomes of the Ferries Plan as part of its work on the Islands Connectivity Plan.

Work on finalising the review had been on hold due to other animal welfare priorities arising from the Covid pandemic but this is now almost completed and the report is expected to be published this month.

Through the Rural and Islands Housing Fund and the wider Affordable Housing Supply Programme, over 4,800 affordable homes were delivered between 2016-17 and 2019-20 in rural and island communities across Scotland.

Housing to 2040, published in March 2021, includes an ambition to deliver a further 100,000 affordable homes across Scotland up to 2032, that will continue to deliver for rural communities, with at least 70% of these for social rent, once the current 50,000 affordable homes target has been delivered.

We will invest £3.5 billion in housing in this Parliamentary term, £3.44 billion of which will deliver more social and affordable homes in urban and rural areas across Scotland.

In November 2020, we announced that the demand-led Rural and Islands Housing Fund, which aims to increase the supply of affordable housing across all tenures, would continue beyond March 2021 with up to £30 million being made available as part of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme.

As live music takes place in a variety of settings, different guidance is applicable for different scenarios. The guidance for the performing arts and venues sector was most recently updated on 1 June 2021 and that for the events sector on 26 May 2021.

Performing arts venues can reopen in areas in protection levels 0 to 2, and both indoor and outdoor events can take place in levels 0 to 2. Such activity must follow the measures, mitigations and capacity limits as detailed in the performing arts guidance ( Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for the performing arts and venues sector - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) ) and the events guidance ( Coronavirus (COVID-19): events sector guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) ).

Separate guidance is also available for calculating capacities - Coronavirus (COVID-19): calculating physical distancing capacity in public settings - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) and for applying for approval for to exceed the capacity limits in the published protection levels -

Coronavirus (COVID-19) stadia and live events guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

Live background music in hospitality settings is permitted at levels 0 – 2. Any such activity must be done in accordance with the tourism and hospitality guidance, updated on 26 May ( Coronavirus (COVID-19): tourism and hospitality sector guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) ).

The Scottish Government continues to work with the live music sector to inform guidance and advise on its application.

The Scottish Government is deeply concerned by emerging evidence that EU Exit is having a severe impact on the ability of Scottish companies to trade effectively and competitively with the European Union, with lasting consequences for our economy. We are aware of reports of material shortages and price increases within the construction sector and are working with industry and the UK Government to fully understand the current supply chain issues. These will be discussed in detail on 16 June at the next meeting of the Construction Leadership Forum which I will chair.

The Scottish Government will continue to work hard to address the problems and blockages faced by companies, where it is in our power to do so.

We advised in our consultation on the draft Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill that all responses would be analysed, an analysis report published and the responses considered along with other evidence available to help progress our commitment to reforming the Gender Recognition Act 2004.

Work on the draft Bill, including the consultation analysis, was paused in April 2020 as a result of the pandemic. In November 2020, we announced that we were taking forward work so that the consultation responses would be analysed independently of Scottish Government.

Analysts commissioned by the Scottish Government to review consultation responses are required, under the procurement arrangements, to carry out a transparent, robust and systematic analysis of all responses. As a condition of the contract, they are also required to produce a balanced and impartial report for publication, ensuring that the full range and nature of views are presented.

We will publish the analysis report and the responses from organisations and groups, where we have permission to do so, in due course.

As the Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People set out to Parliament in the previous term, we will introduce the first Scottish Disability Assistance this year. As set out in regulations, we will commence new applications for Child Disability Payment from 26 July 2021 in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross, and the Western Isles. This will be followed by a full national roll-out for new applications from 22 November 2021.

New applications for Adult Disability Payment will follow, with a pilot in spring 2022 and full national roll-out in summer 2022. Child Winter Heating Assistance, the first of our disability benefits, was introduced 2020. We will continue to keep Parliament updated on our plans.

The Scottish Government has taken a range of actions to support the private voluntary independent nursery sector throughout the 1140 hours early learning and childcare expansion programme, including to support the recruitment of highly qualified childcare staff.

Across all college, university and apprenticeship training routes a total of 13,828 individual training programmes have been undertaken since 2016. That includes:

• An additional 3,650 places on HNC level courses and 1,334 degree level courses;
• 2,050 Foundation Apprenticeship starts since 2016; and
• 6,764 Modern Apprenticeship starts since 2016.

We have also invested around £11 million since 2017-18 to increase the volume of practitioners undertaking the BA Childhood Practice manager qualification.

Since 2017, the Scottish Government has delivered a national recruitment campaign to attract new recruits into all parts of the childcare sector, including the private and third sectors. We have provided funding to enable private and third sector childcare providers to advertise posts for free on the Myjobscotland site, alongside local authority vacancies.

The payment of sustainable rates to providers in the private and third sector for the delivery of funded early learning and childcare is a key aspect of Funding Follows the Child. To enable this the current multi-year funding package agreed between the Scottish Government and COSLA, which covers the period until the end of the 2021-22 financial year, ensures that these providers receive sustainable rates that are set at a level which enables all childcare workers delivering the funded entitlement to be paid at least the real Living Wage.

In addition, in the past year the Scottish Government has made more than £22 million of dedicated financial support available to private and third sector day care of children services in response to the pandemic.

To ensure we understand the current challenges the sector is experiencing, we will closely analyse the findings on workforce from a Financial Sustainability Health Check survey currently in progress, and engage with the sectoral representative bodies to explore further action which can be taken to grow and maintain a diverse and high quality workforce which meets the needs of children and families.

The Children (Equal Protection from Assault) (Scotland) Act 2019 removed the common law defence of “reasonable chastisement” from the law of Scotland on 7 November 2020.

That Act also provides that the Scottish Ministers are to take such steps as they consider appropriate to promote public awareness and understanding about the removal of the defence.

The Scottish Government has taken a variety of steps to achieve this, including:

• Information about the Act on gov.scot Information about the Act on Mygov.scot A dedicated page about the Act on ParentClub
• The publication of a news release
• Social media activity:
• The ParentClub Instagram account - post on the Act
• The ParentClub Facebook account - post on the Act
• Scottish Government education tweet about the Act
• Scottish Government tweet about the Act
• The creation and publication of promotional materials about the Act for parents and carers, and for children and young people
• The publication of an Easy Read factsheet about the Act
• Writing to organisations, including local authorities and health boards, with information about the Act:
• May 2020 letter
• October 2020 letter and framework document
• Arranged for information about the Act to be included in Ready Steady Baby

More generally, the Scottish Government is committed to supporting parents. The Scottish Government has run a marketing campaign which promotes positive parenting. This can be seen on the ParentClub website .

Working with the Implementation Group formed by the Scottish Government to consider work required to implement the Act, we will continue to explore options for raising public awareness and understanding about the removal of the defence.

The Scottish Government has committed to doubling Scottish Child Payment to £20 per week, per child, over the course of this Parliamentary term. We are currently considering the timetable for doing so, taking into account the impact on child poverty and legislative, delivery and financial considerations. An announcement will be made in due course.