Scottish Parliament – Page 41 – The NEN

Finance Committee warns of more pressure on Scotland’s finances

Holyrood’s Finance and Public Administration Committee has warned that Scotland’s public finances are likely to face increased pressure next year and beyond.

While forecasts show increasing optimism that the Scottish economy will return to pre-pandemic levels by mid-2022, emerging evidence suggests that the recovery and economic performance in Scotland is not as strong as in the UK as a whole – primarily due to a reduction in oil and gas activity.

The effect is likely to put more pressure on Scotland’s public finances, according to the committee’s Budget Scrutiny Report.

Furthermore, with UK Government capital grants down by 9.7%, borrowing to the £450 million maximum permitted is required to enable a 1.2% increase in infrastructure expenditure after inflation.

The Scottish Budget is limited by the forecasts of the independent Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC), beyond which the Finance Secretary cannot go.

In evidence the SFC said: “The overall Scottish Budget in 2022-23 is 2.6% lower than in 2021. After accounting for inflation, the reduction is 5.2%.”

The committee says more work is needed to understand what lies behind these economic and demographic trends and how best they can be addressed.

Today’s report explores the issues in more detail. Next week sees the Stage 1 debate of the government’s Budget Bill.

Finance & Public Administration Committee Convener Kenneth Gibson MSP said:

“The Committee agrees with the Scottish Government that it faces a challenging year, with further decreases in resource expenditure in the two years that follow.

“It’s clear that with UK Government grants continuing to decline, further fiscal flexibility for Scotland must be considered. Borrowing limits are too constrained and are being eroded by inflation. Tax rates remain unchanged but, as in the rest of the UK, inflation will bring more people into higher bands.

“To ensure Scotland’s public finances are placed on a more sustainable footing, productivity, wage growth, demographic change and labour market participation should be a key focus for Scottish Ministers.

“Transparency in the full and timely presentation of figures is also essential, particularly regarding COVID-19 funding, how it is allocated both by the UK Government and subsequently by Scottish Ministers, and the impact of this expenditure.

“As part of the Fiscal Framework review, both the UK and Scottish governments must consider and agree a process by which Barnett consequentials are clearly communicated, to bring greater certainty over what is ‘new’ and what is ‘reprofiled’ money.”

MSPs launch inquiry into effectiveness of Scottish Attainment Challenge funding

Funding to help schools and councils close the attainment gap is the focus of a new Scottish Parliament inquiry.

The Education, Children and Young People Committee will examine the effectiveness of the Scottish Attainment Challenge in raising the attainment of children from deprived backgrounds.

A range of educational programmes are supported through this funding including support for local authorities and schools. The Scottish Government has announced it will allocate £1bn from 2021 to 2026 to support closing the poverty-related attainment gap.

In launching the inquiry, the Committee is seeking views on how the funding has benefited young people in deprived areas, what difference this has made to the attainment gap so far, and what more can be done going forward.

The Committee will also look at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the attainment of pupils across Scotland over the past two years.

Committee Convener Stephen Kerr MSP said: “Every pupil in Scotland deserves an equal chance to succeed, no matter their background.

“With funding for the Scottish Attainment Challenge set to increase, we need to ensure this money is making a real difference. That is why we are launching an inquiry to determine the impact the fund has made so far in closing the attainment gap.

“To assist with our inquiry, we want your views not only on the progress of the fund but also on how we can best measure its success. That way, we can make sure the money is getting to those who need it the most.”

Deputy Convener Kaukab Stewart MSP said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected young people across Scotland, but no group has been hit harder than those from deprived backgrounds.

“We need your help to better understand how the pandemic has impacted on the achievement of our pupils and how the announced new funding can best remedy these effects.”

The deadline for responses to the call for views is 8th February 2022.

You can submit your views to the Committee here:

The Scottish Attainment Challenge – Scottish Parliament – Citizen Space

Commitee inquiries expose ‘deep-rooted problems’ in justice sector

The Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee is detailing some of the short- and long-term changes it wants to see made in the Scottish justice sector in a new report.

Following a series of hearings looking at justice issues including:

• the impact of COVID on the sector,
• courts,
• prisons and prison reform,
• victims’ rights and support,
• violence against women and girls,
• youth offending, community justice solutions and alternatives to custody,
• legal aid, and
• the misuse of drugs and the criminal justice system,

the Committee is setting out the actions it wants to see taken to improve outcomes in these areas, and attempting to find solutions to some of the stubborn problems in the system.

Among the more than 60 actions it has set out for the Scottish Government and its partner agencies such as the prison service, courts and prosecutors are:

• Improving prisons and reducing reoffending, including by:
– reintroducing the Throughcare scheme for those leaving custody,
– Ensuring under-18s are in secure care rather than HMPYOI Polmont,
– tackling the high levels of drugs and the influence of serious and organised crime groups in jails, and
– giving more access to fresh air and purposeful activity for those in prison.

• Improving support for victims and witnesses, including by:
– Reviewing the Victim Notification Scheme, including assessing whether it may be inadvertently retraumatising victims with unexpected contact;
– Providing those alleging a sexual offence with of a single trauma-informed source of contact from reporting until the conclusion of legal proceedings;
– changing court buildings to make them less traumatising places for victims and witnesses (e.g. by unexpectedly encountering the accused).

• Taking action to tackle Scotland’s high drug deaths rate:
– rapidly implementing the recommendations of the Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce, some of which date from April 2020;
– Ensuring a co-ordinated approach from the justice, social justice and health sectors to fill the service gap between what is currently being provided to help those with a drug problem and what is needed.

The Committee has committed to regularly reviewing progress against these actions across the course of this Parliamentary session, and will ensure progress can be tracked publicly on the Committee’s web pages.

Committee Convener, Audrey Nicoll MSP, said: “Our inquiries into the Scottish justice sector have exposed once again many deep-rooted problems.

“We know these cannot be solved overnight and there are few easy solutions. However, our Committee is determined to see progress made in this parliamentary session.

“As a critical friend to the Scottish Government and its justice partners, we want them to use our recommendations to drive forward progress and implement changes.

“We believe we have set out a balanced and proportionate action plan which may go some way to improving the criminal justice sector.

“We’ll be taking stock of progress at regular intervals during the remainder of this parliamentary session.”

The full report, including the action plan, is attached.

No child should have to spend Christmas in temporary accommodation, says local MSP

Labour MSP Foysol Choudhuryhas warned that children may be stuck in temporary accommodation this Christmas, with the latest figures showing 850 families in Edinburgh were in temporary accommodation.

Across Scotland, the number of families in temporary accommodation has hit a 10 year high, with latest figures suggesting 3,645 families are in temporary accommodation.

The length of time people are spending stranded in temporary accommodation is also rising nation-wide. Since its low point in 2014, this figure has increased by an astonishing 47 per cent.

In Edinburgh, not only are there 850 families stuck in temporary accommodation, but the average stay for a couple with children is an appalling 541 days.

Edinburgh Labour list MSP Foysol Choudhury said: “It is a scandal that so many children across Scotland will be stuck in temporary accommodation this Christmas.

“Here in Edinburgh there are 850 families in temporary accommodation, with families typically waiting 541. It is simply unacceptable.

“These children are being badly failed by the SNP, who have ignored the warning signs year after year.

“Leaving thousands of children in limbo for months on end will have a devastating impact on these children’s wellbeing, attainment and life chances.

“This is not a housing strategy – it is a total dereliction of duty that should shame the SNP.

“Families must have the safe and secure housing they need, and children should never bear the burden of the failures of the SNP Government .”

Source: https://www.gov.scot/publications/homelessness-scotland-2020-2021/documents/

	Number of households with children or a pregnant woman in temporary accommodation	Average stays in temporary accommodation (2020-21)
Single Person	Single Parent	Couple	Couple with Children	Other	Other with Children	All

Scotland	3,645	182	235	190	341	209	294	199
Aberdeen City	50	144	88	210	117	77	103	131
Aberdeenshire	35	134	124	159	163	123	136	134
Angus	5	238	163	207	9	.	289	229
Argyll & Bute	30	249	212	75	461	151	179	243
Clackmannanshire	15	136	91	137	94	58	200	128
Dumfries & Galloway	30	126	141	117	190	156	200	130
Dundee City	105	141	188	196	457	187	209	161
East Ayrshire	20	116	136	96	137	143	.	121
East Dunbartonshire	45	390	481	322	328	206	386	400
East Lothian	90	363	282	269	259	302	630	343

East Renfrewshire	15	163	237	133	286	287	304	176
Edinburgh	850	264	458	312	541	205	519	318
Eilean Siar	10	349	294	105	285	.	.	327
Falkirk	105	188	240	175	212	289	95	198
Fife	165	182	163	105	254	203	242	179
Glasgow City	925	191	298	238	391	341	427	225
Highland	130	357	329	328	412	179	321	350
Inverclyde	5	110	184	121	.	.	380	118
Midlothian	160	452	778	27	865	241	615	614
Moray	20	161	105	140	210	130	109	150
North Ayrshire	45	154	107	196	346	160	50	149
North Lanarkshire	115	139	130	87	172	138	188	136
Orkney	10	212	227	21	108	249	.	210
Perth & Kinross	5	80	82	62	130	28	89	79
Renfrewshire	35	118	109	201	316	78	146	117
Scottish Borders	25	133	131	.	289	98	122	134
Shetland	15	397	263	308	231	.	.	379
South Ayrshire	55	147	162	136	153	122	.	149
South Lanarkshire	220	151	277	241	348	150	310	197
Stirling	100	230	255	214	266	517	41	237
West Dunbartonshire	50	230	149	157	188	71	157	214
West Lothian	165	171	245	284	259	185	334	197

Covid-19: Holyrood Committee launches inquiry into rise in number of excess deaths

An inquiry into the cause of increased excess deaths in Scotland since the start of the pandemic has been launched by the COVID-19 Recovery Committee.

Recent data published by the Scottish Government shows deaths in Scotland are 11% above the average for this time of year and have been above the average for the last 26 weeks. The Committee will investigate whether this rise in deaths is being caused by COVID-19 directly, or the indirect health effects of the pandemic.

The Committee is seeking views on the following questions:

• Has the public health emergency shifted from COVID-19 deaths to deaths from non-COVID-19 conditions?
• Is there evidence that patients are now presenting with greater acuity?
• What accounts for the deaths from non-COVID-19 conditions?
• Is there enough of a strategic focus on the indirect health impacts of the pandemic?
• What are the realistic options open to the government in addressing the indirect health impact of the virus in winter 2021/22?

Speaking as the inquiry was launched, Siobhian Brown MSP, Convener of the COVID-19 Recovery Committee said: “The latest data released by the Scottish Government shows an alarming rise in the number of excess deaths since the start of the pandemic.

“Recent media reports suggest the pandemic has led to delays and decreases in the number of patients being diagnosed with illnesses, such as cancers, which can negatively impact the efficacy of treatment.

“We are keen to learn more about the indirect health impacts of the pandemic and whether the public health emergency has shifted from COVID-19 deaths to deaths from non-COVID-19 conditions.

“Every death is a tragedy, whether caused by COVID-19 or not, and it is essential that we establish the root causes of these deaths and find out what has led to this spike in the number of lives being lost.”

Let the Committee know your views here:

https://yourviews.parliament.scot/covid19/excess-deaths-covid19-pandemic

Holyrood committee conveners to grill First Minister

The Scottish Government’s record on climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic will be under the spotlight when the Scottish Parliament’s Committee Conveners meet later this month to quiz the First Minister.

For the first time in Session 6, the Conveners Group will hold a public evidence session with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon MSP. The session will take place on 15 December.

The session, which will last almost two hours, will also see the First Minister take questions on the Scottish Government’s budget.

Speaking ahead of the session, Deputy Presiding Officer and Chair of the Conveners Group Liam McArthur MSP said: “The Scottish Parliament’s Committees play a crucial role in our democracy by scrutinising the Scottish Government and making sure those in charge of running the country are being held to account.

“This session will allow Conveners collectively to raise cross cutting matters of real concern such as climate change and the COVID 19 pandemic with Nicola Sturgeon. As such it is a welcome addition to the various ways in which the Parliament carries out its role.

“I expect there will be robust questioning and some spirited debate. As the new chair of Convener’s Group I’m looking forward to it immensely.”

The meeting can be viewed LIVE on SPTV.

Proposal to pardon miners to be explored by Holyrood Committee

A Bill which would pardon miners convicted of offences during the 1984-1985 miners’ strike is to be scrutinised by a Scottish Parliament Committee.

The Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee is seeking views from the public, academics and other interested stakeholders on the Miners’ Strike (Pardons) (Scotland) Bill.

If passed, the Bill would automatically pardon those convicted of offences which occurred during the course of a miner’s participation of a picket line, demonstration, or other similar gathering in supporting the strikes or while travelling to or from a picket line or demonstration.

Recognising the strain placed on police and community relationships during the strike, the legislation is an attempt to bring reconciliation between those upholding the law and those who were fighting to protect their jobs, livelihoods and communities.

Committee Convener Joe FitzPatrick MSP said: “Many of those who took part and were convicted for their participation in the miners’ strike have had to live with the consequences and the resulting stigma for decades.

“This Bill seeks to provide some closure to communities across Scotland by pardoning those found guilty of certain offences during those bitter disputes.

“As we launch this inquiry, we want to find out if this legislation is the right approach to achieve reconciliation and right those historical injustices or if there are alternative ways we can reach that goal.

“In seeking views to aid our scrutiny, we particularly want to hear about how far the proposed pardons go and whether they cover the right people and offences.”

The call for views closes on 14 January 2022 and you can share your views here:

https://yourviews.parliament.scot/ehrc/miners-strike-pardons-bill

Young people’s voices to play key role in the Scottish Parliament

A renewed commitment for young people to play a key role in Scottish politics has been made today by the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Youth Parliament.

The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone MSP, and the Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP), Josh Kennedy MYSP, signed the Working in Partnership agreement.

It will see both organisations working more closely together on a range of issues to increase young people’s representation and involvement in the work of the Parliament, with young people’s rights placed at the heart of the work being undertaken.

This will include the Scottish Parliament hosting a sitting of the Scottish Youth Parliament once every two years; developing relationships between Members of both Parliaments; ensuring young people can contribute to committee inquiries and providing opportunities for both staff teams to connect with each other to identify opportunities for collaboration.

Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone MSP, said:

“Young people across the world have shown what activism and having a strong voice can do. We want to harness this commitment to ensure the views of young people are better reflected within the work of the Parliament.”

Josh Kennedy MYSP, Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament, said: “Last week the Scottish Youth Parliament welcomed 150 new Members following our 2021 elections. Throughout our elections young people highlighted the issues they want to see changed from mental health, to education, to the climate emergency.

“In signing this partnership, the Scottish Parliament and SYP are reaffirming our joint commitment to building a relationship between MSYPs, MSPs & Parliament. By supporting MSYPs and MSPs to work together we will ensure young people’s voices at the centre of decision making”

This Working in Partnership agreement signed today continues the work that started in 2018, which included a sitting of the Scottish Youth Parliament in October 2019; closer working between Scottish Parliament committees and the SYP; and an ongoing programme of training and support for SYP members to engage meaningfully in the parliamentary processes.

City council being ripped off to the tune of £42 MILLION by ‘rotten PFI contracts’

The City of Edinburgh Council is being ripped off to the tune of £42 million as they continue to pay for wretched PFI contracts – eating in to vital council education spending.

Research from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) has found that the amount being forked out by City of Edinburgh Council is 11% of its education resource funding, meaning millions are being wasted on the contracts.

PFI contracts were introduced by the Tories and adopted by Labour during their time at the helm of the Scottish Government.

Gordon Macdonald MSP said: “The rotten PFI contracts were introduced by the Tories but supercharged by the Labour-led Scottish Government and unnecessarily cost councils across Scotland, including Edinburgh.

“It is incredible that the lasting legacy of Labour governments continues to be felt as schools’ budgets are eaten up significantly by these shameful contracts.

“The SNP scrapped PFI contracts, meaning that money can be spent on Scotland’s young people and not on absurdly expensive contracts.

“This demonstrates how we still cannot trust Labour with the public purse in Scotland as we continue to pay for their disastrous decisions in government.”

Net revenue expenditure on education services and schools PFI unitary charges (£m) in 2019/20

	Education Services (£m)	PFI unitary charges (£m)	PFI unitary charges as a % of education expenditure
Aberdeen City*	174	NA	NA
Aberdeenshire	275	13	5%
Angus	104	6	6%
Argyll & Bute*	99	NA	NA
City of Edinburgh	379	42	11%
Clackmannanshire	55	8	15%
Dumfries & Galloway	147	15	10%
Dundee City	136	12	9%
East Ayrshire	128	11	8%
East Dunbartonshire	128	15	12%
East Lothian	97	10	10%
East Renfrewshire	120	13	11%
Falkirk*	161	13	8%
Fife	349	17	5%
Glasgow City	580	57	10%
Highland	241	26	11%
Inverclyde	80	20	25%
Midlothian	92	11	12%
Moray	85	NA	NA
Na h-Eileanan Siar	42	NA	NA
North Ayrshire	136	13	9%
North Lanarkshire	368	24	7%
Orkney Islands	33	NA	NA
Perth & Kinross	150	17	11%
Renfrewshire	167	17	10%
Scottish Borders	113	9	8%
Shetland Islands	43	NA	NA
South Ayrshire	111	11	10%
South Lanarkshire	341	36	11%
Stirling	102	15	15%
West Dunbartonshire	102	12	12%
West Lothian	189	15	8%
TOTAL	5,327	461	9%

MSPs urge greater transparency on EU alignment

Holyrood’s Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee is calling for the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government to develop a framework to facilitate appropriate and proportionate scrutiny on decisions to align with EU law.

The Committee has been considering Scottish Ministers’ use of powers given to them by the Continuity Act to ‘keep pace’ with EU law by using regulation-making powers. MSPs on the Committee have been looking at the first draft annual report and policy statement, which the Scottish Government are required to publish under the legislation.

The MSPs have concluded that:

• It is essential that the Scottish Parliament and civic society in Scotland can meaningfully engage with and influence Scottish Government decisions on whether or not to align with EU law;

• the draft documents currently provide limited information to aid scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s commitment to continued EU alignment and consideration should be given to providing a fuller picture.

• There is an urgent need for Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government Officials to work together to develop proposals to ensure effective scrutiny of the commitment to align with EU law.

Committee Convener, Clare Adamson MSP, said: “Transparency is key given that aligning with EU law is a policy commitment of the Scottish Government.

“We understand that decisions on whether to align or not will be influenced by a range of factors – which may include the impact of divergence from the rest of the UK, the UK Internal Market Act and how common frameworks are operating, as well as the policies themselves.

“The Parliament and Scottish Government must now develop proposals to deliver on the Government’s commitment to a decision-making framework which will facilitate an appropriate and proportionate level of scrutiny of Ministerial decisions to align with EU law.

“This should include consideration of how to ensure the involvement of businesses, local government, civic society and other stakeholders in an open and transparent way.”