Friday 18 December 2020 SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT Economy Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish this year’s Annual Energy Statement. (S5W-34134) Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government’s Annual Energy Statement was due to be published on 3 April 2020 but was delayed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. It will now be published on 18 December 2020. Lewis Macdonald (North East Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish its final Offshore Wind Policy Statement. (S5W-33615) Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government published its final Offshore Wind Policy Statement on 28 October 2020. The Scottish Parliament was informed of the publication via a Government Initiated Question (GIQ). I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-32728 on 28 October 2020. 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 . Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government on what date applications will open for the discretionary fund to provide support to taxi drivers impacted by COVID-19. (S5W-33842) Jamie Hepburn: Unlike previous funds which have been targeted towards specific groups or sectors impacted by COVID-19, this fund seeks to empower local authorities to direct additional financial support to specific groups or sectors within the business community where this is required. As such councils will have their own distinct application processes which will open at different times and so I am unable to provide a specific date when the discretionary fund will open. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance has announced an additional £185 million package of support for businesses which included £19 million in funding specifically for taxi and private hire vehicle drivers. This fund will be available in January. Jeremy Balfour (Lothian) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government for what reason participants in the Fair Start Scotland programme have to work 16 hours or more for at least 13 consecutive weeks to be considered as having achieved a successful short- job outcome, and what research was conducted to conclude that a 16 hours per week minimum was fair to disabled people who might not be able to physically or mentally be in a position to meet this target. (S5W-33944) Jamie Hepburn: Fair Start Scotland’s key priority is to ensure participants receive a quality service in their journey to finding and sustaining employment, through tailored support that meets their needs and takes into account their personal circumstances. Eligibility for Fair Start Scotland (FSS) is open to people with a range of barriers, however it is aimed that those for whom work is a realistic prospect within 12-18 months. Participants develop an action plan which sets out their goals and the pace at which they want to achieve them. For participants with more significant barriers, up to 18 months pre- employment support is available. During this time Providers can commission any specialist support required to help participants move towards becoming work-ready, including work experience and placements to help build up to working longer hours where that meets the participant's longer-term goals. As part of Fair Start Scotland contracts, Service Providers are paid when job outcomes reach 13, 26 & 52 weeks. These milestones are used to drive good job quality and increase income for participants, in line with Scottish Government Fair Work principles. Providers are only paid for outcomes where participants are working more than 16 hours per week as this more likely to provide a secure income however, there is no expectation that participants will work to this level if it’s not what they want to do. Through the in-work support offered as part of the service, Providers continue to work with participants for a further 12 months after entering employment to further develop their skills, increase their confidence and ensure the job continues to fit their needs. Jeremy Balfour (Lothian) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the promotion of the Fair Start Scotland programme, in light of its 2020 evaluation report, which found that, of a social security experience panel that had a membership made up of 83% disabled people, 74% said that they had not heard of it. (S5W-33947) Jamie Hepburn: As part of continuous improvement activities over the coming year, the Scottish Government and Service Providers will continue to promote Fair Start Scotland, reviewing their marketing strategies to adapt to local labour market needs and potential changes in demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Service Providers have enhanced digital promotion of the service through an increased social media presence, which has had some success in increasing the volume of referrals from third party organisations during the lockdown period. We are working with Service Providers to generate local action plans to identify new ways to extend awareness of and reach to some of the more under-represented groups on the service. We will also continue to work with Service Providers and partners, including the Department for Work and Pensions to promote and improve the service to ensure that those who are eligible would benefit from Fair Start Scotland support, are able to do so. Jeremy Balfour (Lothian) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to figures suggesting that the number of disabled people joining the Fair Start Scotland programme has been declining annually, from 55% participation in Year 1 to 27% in Year 3. (S5W-33948) Jamie Hepburn: The figure of 27% quoted only represents the first quarter of Year 3, from April to June 2020. In the most recent quarter (July – September 2020) there was a large increase in the proportion of unknown equalities monitoring data gathered by FSS Service Providers, therefore it is not possible to report on the change in the proportion of disabled people during this time. We recognise the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Fair Start Scotland where people with health concerns or disabilities have become less inclined to engage with services during this time. This has also had an impact on collection of the equalities monitoring data. While there has been a drop in the overall percentage of people with disabilities joining the service, the proportion (27%) remains broadly in line with the Scottish unemployed population as a whole, 30% of whom report having a disability. ( Source: ONS, Annual Population Survey, Jan-Dec 2019). As part of our continuous improvement activities with FSS Service Providers over the coming year, we aim to extend the reach of the service to disabled people, ethnic minorities and other groups as suggested by our evaluation feedback and performance data. The Scottish Government remains committed to at least halving the disability employment gap in Scotland by 2038, and statistics show that there has been a steady growth in employment rates for disable people in between 2014 and 2019 from 41.5% to 49% (Source: ONS, Annual Population Survey, Jan-Dec data). Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on granting protected status to (a) hedgehogs and (b) hedgehog breeding sites from property developers. (S5W-33972) Roseanna Cunningham: As set out in the response to S5W-27518 answered on 28 February 2020, hedgehogs are listed on schedule 6 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), which makes it illegal to kill or capture them using specified methods. One of the principles in Scottish Planning Policy is that the planning system should seek benefits for biodiversity from new development where possible, including the restoration of degraded habitats and the avoidance of further fragmentation or isolation of habitats. Scottish public bodies, including planning authorities, have a duty under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 to further the conservation of biodiversity. This duty must be reflected in development plans and development management decisions. While there is some evidence of a decline in hedgehog numbers, the available information is not sufficient to suggest that the species is in danger of extinction in Scotland. Steps being taken to halt the decline of hedgehogs in our towns and cities include the promotion of greenspace and green networks, for example through the Green Infrastructure Strategic Intervention managed by NatureScot. The Scottish Government has no plans to change the legal protection for hedgehogs or their breeding sites. Maurice Golden (West Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the number of pets and other animals being abandoned. (S5W-33996) Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of pets and other animals being abandoned. Education, Communities and Justice George Adam (Paisley) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government when Phase 2 of the Learning Estate Investment Programme will be announced, and which school projects will be included within this phase. (S5W-34132) John Swinney: I am pleased to confirm that the projects to benefit from the second phase of the Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP) will be announced today. Through Phase 2 of the LEIP, 25 new schools and campuses will be constructed or refurbished to provide modern, state of the art learning facilities for approximately 21,000 children and young people across Scotland. The Scottish Government contribution, alongside local authority contributions to Phase 2 of the Programme, will help enable almost £800 million of investment across 18 local authorities.