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The Scottish Government has no functions concerning the legal protections in place to protect disabled people from disability discrimination during the employment-seeking process. These functions are reserved to the UK Parliament, as set out in Section 5 of the Scotland Act 1998. More information is available on the Scottish Parliaments website( https://www.parliament.scot/about/how-parliament-works/devolved-and-reserved-powers )

The Scottish Government co-funds and participates in the Perinatal Audit and Perinatal Mortality Review Tool as part of Mothers and Babies, Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK (MBRRACE-UK).

The Scottish Government continues to support implementation of The Best Start programme, in partnership with senior leaders and clinicians, and evidence suggests that Best Start interventions such as continuity of carer are particularly important for women and babies who may experience inequalities in health outcomes. Scotland has a programme of work underway to tackle racialized inequalities in health outcomes, and NHS maternity services are part of that work. Scotland also participates in the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ Race Equality Taskforce .

We are currently in initial stages of scoping a ‘Percentage for the Arts’ scheme, which would channel a small percentage of spending on all new public buildings and spaces into support for arts and culture. This work will require significant engagement and consultation with the culture, creative and heritage sectors, local authorities, and across Government, to put in place assessments of the legal, analytical, regulatory, and financial issues. Consideration must also be given to the environmental and equalities impacts of the scheme.

This information requested is not held centrally.

This information requested is not held centrally.

We are currently in the process of evaluating minimum unit pricing (MUP) as a whole over its first five years of operation. Public Health Scotland will be producing a final report on MUP in 2023, which will inform our evaluation report which will be laid in Parliament and published in 2023.

Work on reviewing the level of MUP has started as part of our overall evaluation, as the impact of MUP is connected to the unit price. We are evaluating the impact of MUP at the current price of 50 pence per unit and will assess what level MUP should be set at going forward, if MUP is to continue. It is important that we have a robust evidence base to support any decision on a change in the level of MUP.

Part of this work includes a Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment which will look at the likely costs, benefits and risk of any proposed legislation. This will include how any changes to MUP will interact with any potential changes to excise duty.

This information requested is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government is working with partners to identifying suitable long term sustainable accommodation so we can continue to support displaced people whilst they are in Scotland.

On 22 September, we introduced a new fund with up to £50m to bring void council and Registered Social Landlord properties into use and to increase available housing supply. We are working closely with Local Government resettlement teams across the country to support those currently in hotel and ship accommodation transition into longer term accommodation and host offers.

In this government’s first 100 days, we established six pilot schemes to provide free bikes for school age children who cannot afford one. A further four pilots were then established by the end of 2021.

The official pilot period for these pilots has now concluded, and a final evaluation is being collated. We expect to receive the evaluation in early November and will be publishing it on the Transport Scotland website thereafter.

Prior to public ownership, CMAL paid a total of £83.25m split between £82.5m contract milestone payments and an additional contract variation of £0.75m to Ferguson Marine Engineering Limited.

The current budget to complete both vessels remains £123 million, as set out in the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy’s update to Parliament on 23 March 2022.

The CEO of Ferguson Marine wrote to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee, on the delivery timetable and budget for vessels 801 and 802 on 28 September 2022. In his letter he forecast the costs in public ownership not to exceed £101 million for 801 and £108.6 million for 802. This includes a provision for warranty estimated at £3.5 million per vessel.

Our priority now is to undertake our own due diligence and this will be supported by external, independent financial advisors to ensure that a rigorous approach is taken to scrutinising this request for additional funding. This work is at an early stage. No decision has yet been made and will not be until this scrutiny has been completed.