Monday 13 March 2017

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT

Communities Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what funding Dumfries and Galloway has received from the People and Communities Fund. Holding answer issued: 3 March 2017 (S5W-6862) Angela Constance: Three projects in Dumfries and Galloway have received support from the People and Communities Fund, totalling £132,233. The projects are listed below along with a brief description. To note that the Irvine Housing Association Springboard project covered more than the Dumfries and Galloway local authority area. Moffat Town Hall Redevelopment Trust – The Friday Club – £39,484 (2015-17) This project is providing a holistic service for local elderly residents to help address social isolation issues in the Moffat area of Dumfries and Galloway. The project encompasses a range of services provided by local voluntary area service groups as a one stop shop idea. This includes volunteers who are trained by experienced staff and other volunteers. Irvine Housing Association – Springboard – £63,452 (2012-15) This project provided an overarching support service to people living in the most deprived areas of North Ayrshire, East Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway. The focus was support for fuel poverty issues, money advice and employability support. Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership – Introduction to Construction £29,297 – (2012-13) This project provided work-based job placements to 16 local unemployed people in Dumfries and Galloway. The aim was to help them develop core work skills, construction trade skills and practical work experience.

Monica Lennon (Central Scotland) (): To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the findings of the YWCA Scotland Report, Status of Young Women in Scotland 2016, and what actions it will take as a result. (S5W-7234) Angela Constance: The Scottish Government welcomes the publication of YWCA Scotland's second Status of Young Women in Scotland report, and in particular the focus it gives to reaching diverse young women in Scotland and those who might have more limited opportunities to talk about their experiences. The report covers young women's views on a range of topics, such as: sex and relationships; gender bias, and politics, and it highlights that for some young women in Scotland issues such as gender based violence, sexual harassment and racism remain a reality. This is not acceptable, and the Scottish Government will continue to work hard to tackle and challenge these issues so that all young woman in Scotland can grow up in a society without fear and prejudice, and where young women are empowered to determine their own paths. Our Programme for Government 2016-17: A Plan for Scotland, includes wide ranging commitments to women and girls' equality, including decisive action to improve the representation of women at senior levels; a range of activity to prevent and eradicate violence against women and girls, and the creation of an Advisory Council on Women and Girls to bring new and challenging voices to our work across the Scottish Government to realise gender equality.

Monica Lennon (Central Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to help homeless women manage menstruation (S5W-7236) Angela Constance: Local authorities have the duty to provide appropriate services to address homelessness in their area. However, we recognise that some homeless people, including those who be sleeping rough, may not approach statutory services. The Scottish Government has therefore been working with a range of partners to get more robust data on those that may be rough sleeping and the nature of their needs to help improve the services provided. The Scottish Government supports the Scottish Welfare Fund which provides a safety net for vulnerable people on low incomes through the provision of Community Care Grants and Crisis Grants. Since the establishment of the Scottish Welfare Fund in April 2013, around 493,000 of Community Care Grants and Crisis Grants totalling £116 million have been awarded. We are also actively considering what other support the Scottish Government can provide for women and girls on a low income to have access to sanitary products in dignified settings.

Ruth Maguire (Cunninghame South) (): To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on mitigating the impact in Scotland of the UK Government’s welfare reforms. (S5W-7259) Angela Constance: The Scottish Government has invested considerable resource directly mitigating the impact of the UK Government’s welfare cuts. The following table sets out the amount invested to date in a range of different mitigation activities. Welfare Reform Mitigation activity Investment made March 2013 to March 2017 (£ million) Scottish Welfare Fund 152.4 Discretionary Housing Payments 125 Council Tax Reduction Scheme 92 Welfare Advice Provision 20 Addressing Food Poverty 3 Other welfare mitigation projects 4 Total 396.4 In addition, the Scottish Government has made investment across a range of portfolios to tackle poverty and inequality. This includes increasing access to free childcare, the provision of free school meals and a range of community-led regeneration activity. Much of this will provide additional support people affected by welfare reform.

Christina McKelvie (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government how much it will award each project that will receive support from the second allocation of funding from the Fair Food Transformation Fund. (S5W-7265) Angela Constance: The Scottish Government has allocated some £330,000 in 2016-17 and 2017- 18 from the second tranche of funding from the Fair Food Transformation Fund to support a further 13 projects. The core aim of the Fund is to promote a shift from food charity to food justice where the social value of food is used to support people and bring them together in a more dignified way. The allocation is as follows: Organisation and delivery location Award The First Base Agency £16,750 Dumfries and Galloway (regional coverage) Apex Scotland £16,448 Dumfries and Galloway (regional coverage) Cheviot Youth £25,966 Kelso, Scottish Borders Oasis Food Bank (Redeemed Christian Church of God) £16,363 Gorgie, Edinburgh Midlothian Foodbank, Gorebridge Parish Church £16,000 Gorebridge, Midlothian Edinburgh Food Project £35,000 Edinburgh City The Everlasting Foodbank £43,000 Denniston, Organisation and delivery location Award Bethany Christian Trust £20,000 Edinburgh City Yoker Parish Church £31,750 Yoker, Glasgow Whitlawburn Community and Resource Centre £9,610 Cambuslang and . Sauchie Active 8 £15,894 Clackmannanshire Perth and Kinross Foodbank £11,500 Perth and Kinross Moray Foodbank £27,977 Moray Additionally, West Dunbartonshire Council is working locally with West Dunbartonshire Community Foodshare and Food for Thought to develop appropriate provision for the area, maximising both the funding available and the assets within these organisations, the local authority and the wider community. Funding for this project has still to be determined. This builds on some £900,000 allocated to 20 projects in the initial round of funding in September 2016.

Alison Johnstone (Lothian) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages key agencies in training frontline staff to identify challenges that could impact on health and wellbeing, including signs of fuel poverty or the risk of fuel poverty, and to make appropriate referrals to specialist support services. (S5W-7578) Kevin Stewart: We recognise the importance of frontline workers in communities, who can readily identify householders who would benefit from help. Home Energy Scotland, funded by Scottish Government, currently undertakes outreach work, providing free training to local partners and raising awareness of the service available. This outreach will increase the provision of advice and support in our communities and enhance the partnership approach to delivering support where it’s needed most. Home Energy Scotland has also put in place a referral portal that gives our partner organisations a quick and easy way to refer clients and customers to support, including funding to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. Training has been put in place to support the range of organisations that have already signed up to use this new tool – including NHS boards and energy suppliers. In addition to this, we launched ‘HES Homecare’, delivered by Home Energy Scotland, on 8 March 2017. The service is being piloted in two rural areas and will join up with local services to give targeted and specific in-home support to people who are in the greatest need – helping them to make their homes warmer and cheaper to heat.

Alison Johnstone (Lothian) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made on the impact of (a) poor housing and (b) hard-to-heat homes on the health and wellbeing of (i) children, (ii) disabled people and (iii) people with long-term health conditions. (S5W-7581) Kevin Stewart: The “Evidence Review of the Potential Wider Impacts of Climate Change Mitigation Options: Built Environment Sector” published in 2017 to inform the draft Climate Change Plan http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/01/3358 found evidence that measures to improve the energy efficiency of homes, including by insulating them, can result in benefits to residents’ health, particularly among those living in fuel poverty. Physical health benefits can arise from warmer homes; and mental health benefits can arise from reduced energy bills and hence reduced stress. In addition, GoWell, funded by Scottish Government, published research “Can housing improvements cure or prevent the onset of health conditions over time in deprived areas?” http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-015-2524-5/fulltext.html in November 2015. This research indicated that receipt of fabric works was associated with higher likelihood of recovery from mental health problems and circulatory conditions. Receipt of central heating was also associated with higher likelihood of recovery form circulatory conditions. The research also noted that health gain from housing improvements appears most likely when targeted at those in greatest health need. The Fuel Poverty Evidence Review published in 2012 by the Scottish Government examined evidence on the relationship between cold homes and poor health outcomes. It concluded that there was evidence suggesting that there was an association between thermal comfort and mental well-being, particularly among young people and children and that the risk of physical and mental health problems for children increased the longer they lived in cold homes.

Alison Johnstone (Lothian) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages collaborative working between it, local authorities, NHS boards and other agencies to identify people who are fuel poor or at risk of fuel poverty. (S5W-7583) Kevin Stewart: We recognise the value of a locally led, collaborative approach in tackling fuel poverty and it is something we have been supporting through our HEEPS: Area-Based Schemes. We are keen to build on this approach and will work with local authorities, NHS Boards, health and social care partnerships, Community Planning Partnerships and others to explore ways to do so. Representatives from NHS Scotland are members of the Fuel Poverty Forum and we will work with them to build on existing and, if necessary, develop new local partnerships alongside wider joined-up approaches. This will build on the progress already made, in particular with NHS Health Scotland who, in response to our Fairer Scotland Action Plan, has recently pledged to work in partnership with NHS Boards to develop national referral pathways between NHS services and local advice services to maximise the incomes of patients.

Alison Johnstone (Lothian) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages partnership work between it and local authorities to ensure that there is strategic leadership in tackling fuel poverty or the risk of fuel poverty, and whether this is recognised by the National Performance Framework. (S5W-7584) Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government’s Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland: Area Based Schemes (HEEPS: ABS) are designed and delivered by local authorities, in conjunction with utility companies and local delivery partners, targeting fuel poor areas to provide energy efficiency measures to a large number of Scottish households and help reduce fuel poverty. Responsibility for programme delivery falls to local authorities because they are best placed as the relevant strategic housing authority to understand local housing needs and prioritise provision across their area. Local authorities are expected to use a range of sources of information to target households whose properties have the lowest levels of energy efficiency and/or highest levels of fuel poverty. It is up to each local authority to define the areas within which projects will deliver and the detail of those projects. The basis for distributing HEEPS: ABS funding is agreed with COSLA each year. In the current year all of the available funding for HEEPS: ABS is allocated on the basis of need, which takes into account levels of fuel poverty and reflects the different types of properties within those local areas. When submitting proposals for tackling fuel poverty Councils are asked to set out how these fit with existing national and local strategies, including Local Housing Strategies. We are also working with local authorities to develop Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP), including funding pilot projects to test new and innovative ways to improve the energy efficiency and decarbonise the heat supply of all Scotland’s buildings. And we are consulting on how we might design the detail of the policy and delivery framework, on the role that Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies, and on regulation of district heating. The Scottish Government’s consultation on Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme runs until 30 May 2017 and the Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies, and Regulation of District Heating is open until 18 April 2018. A series of workshops and events have been held to support this and numerous local authorities have been involved. To support the overarching aims set out by indicators in the National Performance Framework, the Housing and Regeneration Outcomes Framework sets out more specific outcomes relating to its policy area. Progress on tackling fuel poverty is included in this: http://www.gov.scot/About/Performance/scotPerforms/partnerstories/HARO/Indicators

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the latest Scottish House Condition Survey, which showed that all of the local authorities that have increases in fuel poverty are rural or have significant rural areas in them. (S5W-7641) Angela Constance: The latest Local Authority level statistics from the Scottish House Condition Survey, relating to 2013-2015 did not record an increase in fuel poverty in any Local Authority. All differences with the previous set of statistics, relating to the period 2012-2014, are within the margin of error. Latest figures on the level of fuel poverty in Scotland as a whole indicated that between 2014 and 2015 fuel poverty fell from 35% to 31% of all households. To achieve sufficient sample size for Local Authority level estimates, three years’ worth of Scottish House Condition Survey data are merged and this is therefore less well suited to reflect the drop in the rate of fuel poverty which occurred between 2014 and 2015. The Scottish Government remains committed to tackling fuel poverty and, despite the welcome drop in the number of households affected, we know there is much more to be done. We also recognise that there are specific challenges in rural areas. That is why we established the Scottish Rural Fuel Poverty Task Force to examine the full range of issues around fuel poverty in rural areas. The Task Force reported on its findings in October 2016 and our response published on 8 March 2017 sets out the action we are taking to address the recommendations.

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its response to the report by the (a) Scottish Fuel Poverty Strategic Working Group and (b) Scottish Rural Fuel Poverty Task Force. (S5W-7643) Angela Constance: The Scottish Government’s response to reports by the Scottish Fuel Poverty Strategic Working Group and the Scottish Rural Fuel Poverty Task Force was published on 8 March 2017. The document can be viewed on the Scottish Government's website: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/03/1009

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a timeline for the publication of the next fuel poverty strategy. (S5W-7644) Angela Constance: The Scottish Government’s response to reports by the Scottish Fuel Poverty Strategic Working Group and the Scottish Rural Fuel Poverty Task Force, published on 8 March 2017, sets out that we will consult on a new, long term fuel poverty strategy, including proposals for a new overarching target, in Autumn 2017. This strategy will feed into the development of a new Warm Homes Bill, which we plan to introduce in 2018.

Ross Thomson (North East Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to tackle anti-Semitism. (S5W-7667) Angela Constance: We promote and support the development of inter-faith relations and dialogue through funding of £145,000 (2016-17) for Interfaith Scotland. We support the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and Interfaith Scotland to deliver Scotland’s National Holocaust Memorial Day event each year promoting a multi-faith and multi-cultural society based on mutual trust, respect and understanding, as well as work on citizenship education under Curriculum for Excellence which includes an annual visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Officials will meet with representatives of the Scottish Council for Jewish Communities and the Community Security Trust to discuss a recent report which showed a rise in anti-Semitic incidents across the UK. Whilst levels of hate crime against Jewish people in Scotland remain very low, we are not complacent and will continue to take action and send a strong message that anti-Semitism is unacceptable.

Gordon Lindhurst (Lothian) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what agreements it has in place with the private sector to provide digital skills training opportunities. (S5W-7767) Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that Scotland realises its full potential in the digital world. Through the Digital Scotland Business Excellence Partnership (DSBEP), in partnership with industry, we have invested over £15.5 million over four years to deliver a range of initiatives designed to reduce the digital skills gap across all sectors of Scotland’s economy and help businesses realise their full potential. This includes the creation of CodeClan; Scotland’s first industry-led digital skills academy. Codeclan offers students an intensive 16 week training programme with direct access to employers and an opportunity to attain a professional developmental qualification at SCQF level eight. Another example is ‘Digitalboost’ our National Digital Engagement Programme. ‘Digitalboost’ offers training services for small to medium enterprises to help develop their technical ability through channels such as online guides, webinars, workshops and one-to-one specialist support.

Economy Richard Leonard (Central Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what discussions (a) it and (b) its agencies have had with Greggs plc regarding the restructuring of its (i) Cambuslang plant and (ii) plants across the rest of the country. (S5W-6985) Paul Wheelhouse: Following the announcement of the proposed closure of the Loanhead bakery, the Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism spoke with Greggs' Company Secretary on 3 March 2016, along with Scottish Development International (SDI) and Scottish Government officials, to explore all possible support for the Loanhead site. SDI subsequently met with Greggs on 11 March 2016 to discuss the proposed closure of the Loanhead bakery and had a further call with the company on 13 May 2016 to further explore areas of potential support for Loanhead, and the company’s plans for the proposed centre of excellence at the Clydesmill bakery in Cambuslang. Scottish Enterprise (SE) and SDI visited the Clydesmill bakery in August 2016 to learn more about the company's plans and to offer support for Greggs’ Scottish sites through the Account Management and the Scottish manufacturing Advisory Service. The company has also been contacted by the Scottish Government’s Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) initiative, and a programme of support for employees at Loanhead was delivered by PACE between June and November 2016. An offer of support was also made by the National PACE Team on 24 January 2017 for any staff that may be affected by redundancy at the Cambuslang site.

Colin Smyth (South Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06271 by Roseanna Cunningham on 31 January 2017, by what date it will publish the report. (S5W-7180) Roseanna Cunningham: Further to the answer to question S5W-06271, the Scottish Government will lay the snaring review report before the Scottish Parliament on 14 March 2017, and will also publish a copy on the Scottish Government website the same day. Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the action that it is taking to support oil and gas workers who have lost their jobs in finding alternative work with onshore employers, and what its position is on reports that some employers are discriminating against applicants with offshore experience. (S5W-7208) Paul Wheelhouse: 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.

Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what work each of its (a) directorates and (b) agencies have commissioned from Professor Russell Griggs in each year since 2013, and what information it has regarding work commissioned by other public bodies. Holding answer issued: 8 March 2017 (S5W-7437) Paul Wheelhouse: Prof Russel Griggs OBE is the Chair of the independent Regulatory Review Group (RRG). Prof Griggs undertakes work in his role of RRG Chair and as such has been invited to chair groups with Scottish Government officials preparing papers and reports. Prof Griggs has chaired groups in relation to the Energy Directorate in: Carbon Capture and Storage Off shore Energy Consents Onshore Energy Consents Geothermal Energy Expert Group and Sub Group Opencast Coal Task Force – Joint Convener with Fergus Ewing MSP and chaired other sub committees from it The First Minister has recently announced that Prof Griggs will chair a group to look at the Scottish Government's approach to greening and to make recommendations for a profitable, sustainable and environmentally friendly industry. The Directorate for Environment and Forestry will be the lead directorate for this work. As RRG Chair, Prof Griggs produces an independent annual report on RRG activities which is submitted to Ministers and available on the Scottish Government website. The Scottish Government does not hold any information regarding work commissioned by other public bodies in relation to Prof Griggs. Public bodies and agencies publish annual reports on their activities including work with key partners and stakeholders.

Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06679 by Paul Wheelhouse on 28 February 2017, how much of the money allocated for the Transition Training Fund was spent on the 1,605 successful applicants. (S5W-7628) Paul Wheelhouse: Since this parliamentary question was first asked, I am pleased to announce that as of the 5th March 2017, the Transition Training Fund has now supported 1,698 individual applications to the fund. SDS have advised that this equates to a spend of £4,385,438. This is in addition to funding support for two procurement rounds to provide up to 755 employment opportunities and funding for 12 individuals to train as STEM teachers.

Finance Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to ensure that its proposed changes to air passenger duty will not lead to passengers on connecting services with the rest of the UK being double-taxed; what discussions it has had or plans with the UK Government regarding this, and whether it will publish any correspondence. (S5W-7199) Derek Mackay: 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.

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to calls from the Chartered Institute of Taxation for it to provide more information regarding its proposed changes to air passenger duty; what the timetable is for how the changes will be phased in, and what plans it has for an independent assessment of the (a) socioeconomic and (b) environmental impact of the proposals. (S5W-7200) Derek Mackay: 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.

Andy Wightman (Lothian) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take in relation to the Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Construction of Edinburgh Schools by Professor John Cole in February 2017; what assurance it can give that it will act on each of its 40 recommendations, and whether it will report on the outcome of these actions and, if so, within what timeframe. (S5W-7663) Derek Mackay: In response to the findings of the Cole Report, Kevin Stewart,the Minister for Local Government and Housing, has written to Local Authorities and Industry leaders, and has instructed the Scottish Futures Trust to write to Public Bodies, drawing their attention to the report and requesting their detailed consideration. Further, the Minister is hosting a round-table discussion on 16 March, with Professor Cole in attendance. Those invited to this event include key figures from the Construction sector, Public Bodies, Professional and Industry bodies and the Scottish Government. This forum will establish the key actions required to address the recommendations identified in the report and will inform appropriate timescales.

Health and Social Care Alison Johnstone (Lothian) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government whether Health Improvement Scotland will adopt the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance on excess winter deaths and illnesses associated with cold homes. (S5W-7580) Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is committed to developing a new, long-term strategy, including a new fuel poverty target, which will be consulted on in Autumn 2017 and taken forward in a Warm Homes Bill. As part of this strategy the Scottish Government will be looking further at how it can build on existing and, if necessary, develop new local partnerships alongside wider joined-up approaches, including across the health and social care sector. By the end of 2021 the Scottish Government will have committed more than £1 billion to making our homes and buildings warmer and cheaper and through investment will build on the 1 million measures already delivered through a range of UK and Scottish programmes to over 1 million households since 2008. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) provide guidelines for use in England and Wales. Healthcare Improvement Scotland has no current plans to adopt the NICE guidance on excess winter deaths and illnesses associated with cold homes.

Miles Briggs (Lothian) ( and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the prevalence of head injuries in prisons. (S5W-7585) Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally. The University of Glasgow recently carried out a study, with the preliminary findings presented in The National Prisoner Heath Network 2016 report ‘’Brain Injury and Offending’’. This is available at http://www.nphn.scot.nhs.uk/nphn-brain-injury-and-offending-final-report-publication/

Richard Lyle (Uddingston and Bellshill) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what the average time from the onset of symptoms to the point of diagnosis is for brain tumours in adults. (S5W-7646) Shona Robison: The information requested is not held centrally. We recognise that there is a need to improve the speed of initial referrals for suspected brain cancer. To aid in this our Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer were updated and published in 2014. The guidelines contain a specific section on brain cancer as well as a section on cancer in children and young people. The guidelines should help GPs, the wider primary care team, other clinicians and patients and carers to identify those patients who are most likely to have cancer and who therefore require urgent assessment by a specialist.

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government when the review into the number, structure and regulation of NHS boards will be published. (S5W-7660) Shona Robison: The Health and Social Care Delivery Plan published in December 2016 set out clear actions and milestones to deliver our 2020 Vision for better patient care and population health. This includes commitments on NHS Board reform in order to deliver better outcomes for people and communities across Scotland. The following actions on Health Board reform will be taken forward in 2017 as part of the Delivery Plan: Review the functions of existing national NHS Boards to explore the scope for more effective and consistent delivery of national services; Ensure that NHS boards expand the 'Once for Scotland' approach to support functions; Start a comprehensive programme for leadership and talent management within NHS Scotland. The Delivery Plan also includes a commitment to put in place new arrangements for regional planning of services. As a first step, NHS Boards have been asked to set out in their draft Local Delivery Plans for 2017-18 the practical early steps that they are taking to co-operate fully in regional planning and delivery of services, with a more fully developed approach in final plans to be submitted by September 2017.

Learning and Justice Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Scottish Conservatives and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how many referrals from schools to mental health links workers there have been in each year since this system was introduced. Holding answer issued: 10 March 2017 (S5W-7159) Maureen Watt: This information is not gathered centrally.

Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how much of the increased childcare funding necessary to provide all three- and four-year-olds with 1,140 funded hours per year it expects to recoup through increased income tax receipts as a result of parents being able to work more. (S5W-7312) Mark McDonald: Scottish Government has not produced estimates of the likely change in income tax receipts resulting from the provision of 1,140 funded hours of early learning and childcare per year for all three- and four-year-olds. Analysis by Scottish Government in 2014 estimated that an increase in female labour market activity by wo percentage points, for example as a result of more comprehensive childcare provision, could boost the overall level of economic output by around 0.6% (£700 million) in the long-run, with total tax revenues rising by 0.5% (£200 million).

Anas Sarwar (Glasgow) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many religious hate crimes have been recorded in each local authority area in each (a) year since 2007 and (b) month since April 2016, broken down by the (i) faith group, (ii) gender, (iii) race and (iv) country of origin of the victim; how many cases led to a person being (A) arrested, (B) charged, (C) prosecuted and (D) convicted; how many convictions led to a (1) custodial sentence, broken down by average length of sentence, (2) fine, broken down by average size of fine and (3) other form of disposal; what information it has regarding the reasons for deciding not to charge or prosecute, and how many cases remain ongoing investigations. (S5W-7442) Annabelle Ewing: The Scottish Government does not hold data on arrests and it is not possible to derive information on religious hate crimes from the recorded crime database. With regards to people being charged the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) have published information up to 2015-16 on hate crime charges reported to them by the police: http://www.crownoffice.gov.uk/publications/equality-and-diversity This report contains details on the number of charges where a decision is awaiting on how to proceed and where it was decided not to proceed to court. The reasons given for why cases were not proceeded to court ("no action") are presented in Table 8. It is not possible to derive a local authority breakdown from the COPFS database. Neither the Scottish Government or the COPFS hold information on the faith group, gender, race or country of origin of the victim. Statistics on the number of people proceeded against and convicted for crimes with a religious aggravator recorded by local authority is available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre - Bib number 58574. Statistics are presented on a financial year basis up to 2015-16 and are not available on a monthly basis thereafter. The following table shows the sentencing information requested. Please note that the statistical sources in this answer are not directly comparable due to timing differences. For example, the COPFS figures measure individual charges at the case marking stage while the sentencing information are representative of closed cases that have reached a final verdict in court. This means information relating to an individual could be recorded in different years depending on the stage of the justice system. In addition, a court case can cover more than one charge or count of recorded crime but the sentencing statistics only count the main charge in a case. People convicted with a religious aggravator recorded against the main charge, by main penalty 2007-08 to 2015-16 2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- 2012- 2013- 2014- 2015- 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Custody 29 39 28 38 61 40 38 41 38 Community 34 43 30 49 83 63 62 65 65 sentence Fine 171 164143 142 183 124 109 95 111 Other 26 44 34 46 43 45 47 40 31 Total convictions 260 290 235 275 370 272 256 241 245

Average custodial 86 132 200 201 173 190 249 146 170 sentence (days) Average fine (£) 300 279 310 294 325 325 312 371 318 Source: Criminal Proceedings Database

Anas Sarwar (Glasgow) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many race hate crimes have been recorded in each local authority area in each (a) year since 2007 and (b) month since April 2016, broken down by the (i) race group (ii) gender and (iii) country of origin of the victim; how many cases led to a person being (A) arrested, (B) charged, (C) prosecuted and (D) convicted; how many convictions led to a (1) custodial sentence, broken down by average length of sentence, (2) fine, broken down by average size of fine and (3) other form of disposal; what information it has regarding the reasons for deciding not to charge or prosecute, and how many cases remain ongoing investigations. (S5W-7445) Annabelle Ewing: The Scottish Government does not hold data on arrests but it is possible to derive information on racial hate crimes from the recorded crime database. Crimes of racially aggravated harassment and racially aggravated conduct recorded by the police broken down by local authority is available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre - Bib number 58575. With regards to people being charged the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) have published information up to 2015-16 on hate crime charges reported to them by the police: http://www.crownoffice.gov.uk/publications/equality-and-diversity This report contains details on the number of charges where a decision is awaiting on how to proceed and where it was decided not to proceed to court. The reasons given for why cases were not proceeded to court ("no action") are presented in Table 8. It is not possible to derive a local authority breakdown from the COPFS database. Neither the Scottish Government or the COPFS hold information on the faith group, gender, race or country of origin of the victim. Statistics on the number of people proceeded against and convicted for crimes with a racial aggravator recorded, broken down by local authority, is available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre - Bib number 58575. Statistics are presented on a financial year basis up to 2015- 16 and are not available on a monthly basis thereafter. The table below shows the sentencing information requested. Please note that the statistical sources in this answer is not directly comparable due to timing differences. For example, the COPFS figures measure individual charges at the case marking stage while the sentencing information are representative of closed cases that have reached a final verdict in court. This means information relating to an individual could be recorded in different years depending on the stage of the justice system. In addition, a court case can cover more than one charge or count of recorded crime but the sentencing statistics only count the main charge in a case. People convicted with a racial aggravator recorded against the main charge, by main penalty 2007- 08 to 2015-16 2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- 2012- 2013- 2014- 2015-

08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Custody 135 110 92 110 139 122 134 145 155 Community sentence 111 117 93 127 135 184 190 188 192 Fine 342 287 309 279 272 271 247 260 281 Other 86 69 69 98 80 119 128 109 133 Total 674 583 563 614 626 696 699 702 761

Average custodial sentence 181 241 349 216 225 195 252 255 195 (days) Average fine (£) 288 288 302 323 300 302 285 316 299 Source: Criminal Proceedings database

Elaine Smith (Central Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to increase the number of donor milk banks. (S5W-7569) Mark McDonald: The Scottish Government currently has no plans to increase the number of donor milk banks in Scotland. However, a Scotland-wide donor milk bank was launched in 2013 to provide equitable access to donated breast milk for the smallest and sickest infants across Scotland. It is currently successfully accepting milk from across Scotland and providing milk to all of Scotland’s Neonatal and Maternity Units for the most vulnerable infants.

Jeremy Balfour (Lothian) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the findings in the NHS Information Services Division report, Child Health 27-30 Month Review Statistics Scotland 2015/16, which suggest that children from the most deprived areas were more than twice as likely to have at least one developmental concern, what (a) action it is taking to improve young children’s early development and to close the early development gap, (b) support it is providing to assist young children’s early speech and language development and (c) progress it is making against the Early Years Collaborative Stretch Aim to ensure that 85% of all children in each community planning partnership have reached all of the expected developmental milestones at the time of the 27-30 month child health review. (S5W-7570) Mark McDonald: To improve young children's early development, in October 2015 the Scottish Government published a Universal Health Visiting Pathway which is being rolled out across Scotland. The programme consists of contacts with health visitors comprising 11 home visits to all families to support families and to identify and address any developmental concerns. The Scottish Government has also introduced the Family Nurse Partnership for young first time mothers and their children which is having a positive effect on cognitive, social and emotional development. The Scottish Government is also expanding investment in early learning and childcare entitlement. We know that attending high quality early learning and childcare helps to improve language development in the pre-school years. Around a quarter of 2 year olds, those who will benefit the most, are eligible for this entitlement, which includes those who are Looked After (including those in kinship care), those whose parents are in receipt of out of work benefits and those whose families meet the eligibility criteria for free school-meals. This should ensure that children who need it the most are given extra support with their early development. We will almost double the funded entitlement to 1140 hours by 2020, in order to further support improved outcomes for children in the early years. The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that by 2018 nurseries in the most deprived areas will benefit from an additional graduate – either a teacher with early years expertise or a graduate practitioner with the BA Childhood Practice award. Speech and language therapy services across Scotland are working to the 5 Ambitions of the National transformational plan Ready to Act and are developing early intervention learning opportunities for the early years work force and collaborating with practitioners in early years to ensure increased speech, language and communication capacity and confidence. Progress is being made through a number of local Children and Young People Improvement Collaborative programmes which are specifically focussed on early development. Learning from these projects is shared collaboratively across the programme through local and national learning events.

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Scottish Social Services Council is increasing its yearly registration fee from £30 to £80. (S5W-7590) Mark McDonald: The Scottish Social Services Council, as the Non Departmental Public Body responsible for regulation of the social services workforce, plays a key role in delivering long-standing policy to improve social services delivery and protect service users and the public. Registration and regulation of the social services workforce by the SSSC aims to upskill and professionalize the workforce by requiring workers to attain specific qualifications; by publishing and requiring compliance with Codes of Practice for workers and employers and by investigating fitness to practice concerns and taking action if required. When the SSSC was first established the intention was that over time the costs of the registration function would be met through the fees charged to registrants. The SSSC’s registration fees have, however, not been increased since they were set in 2003. The fees are being increased now to reflect increases in costs and to deliver the original policy intention. The Scottish Government has kept fees at the same level since 2003 by helping fund the costs of registration and will continue to provide Grant in Aid to the SSSC to support its workforce regulatory, development and data functions. The fee levels vary for different groups of workers and likewise the level of the increases vary. The changes being introduced seek to minimise the impact on the lowest paid parts of the workforce, with, for example, new fees for social work students set at £15 per annum while support workers will pay £25 per annum. The majority of the workforce will pay annual fees of £35 or less (see following table). The new registration fees will also be similar to those of other professional regulators, for example a professional social worker in Scotland will pay £80 per year compared to £90 paid by social workers in England, and £120 per year paid by nurses and midwives to the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Current fee level: New fee after increase Increase: £ £pa implemented: £ pa pa Social work student 10 15 5 Support worker 15 25 10 Current fee level: New fee after increase Increase: £ £pa implemented: £ pa pa Social work student 10 15 5 Supervisor/Practitioner 20 35 15 Residential child care workers 30 35 5 School care accommodation 30 35 5 officer Manager/Social worker 30 80 50

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage more people to become carers. (S5W-7591) Mark McDonald: The delivery of social services is carried out by providers in the public, voluntary and independent sectors and we recognise the challenges faced by these employers in attracting people to become care workers. A key element in attracting people to work is making sure that people working in the sector receive a fair wage. In addition to the £250 million we provided to meet the commitment for the Living Wage of £8.25 per hour for adult care workers as of October 2016 and to support sustainability in the sector, we have announced a further £100 million for the continued delivery of the Living Wage, at £8.45 per hour from May 2017. Similarly our intent in establishing the Fair Work Convention to advise us is so that we can make progress across a range of aspects which affect the choices people make about where they want to work. Our commitment to the care sector is also demonstrated by our investment in the work of the Scottish Social Services Council which is aimed at ensuring that social service workers are supported by their employers to develop their skills and knowledge so that they are part of a high quality, safe and valued workforce. The SSSC, which is a Scottish Government NDPB, has produced a number of different resources to support those looking to recruit staff and for those looking at a career in the care sector. The resources are also of use for others such as career advisers and Jobcentre Plus. One example of this is the SSSC's Ambassadors for Careers in Care scheme. The Ambassadors are people who are currently working in the sector at all levels and in different types service delivery who attend events, visit schools and careers fairs to promote careers in the sector.

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Scottish Social Services Council decision to increase its yearly registration fee from £30 to £80, and what discussions it has had with the council regarding this. (S5W-7609) Mark McDonald: The Scottish Social Services Council, although an independent professional regulator, is a Non Departmental Public Body and subject to the normal governance procedures for Scotland’s NDPBs. The Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 sets out the responsibilities of the SSSC with regard to setting registration fees and consulting with appropriate persons on proposed changes. The levels of registration fees payable are contained within the SSSC Registration Rules. Any changes to the Rules require the consent of Scottish Ministers. Ministers were informed by the SSSC of their plans to consult on registration fee increases and have consented to the decision made by the SSSC to raise registration fees for the first time since they were set in 2003. The fee levels vary for different groups of workers and likewise the level of the increases will vary. I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-07590 on 13 March 2017 for specific details. 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 following questions received holding answers: S5M-07179 S5M-07559