- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 June 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason £148,750 was provided to Outside the Box Development Support between 2017-18 and 2020-21 as part of the Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund; what this funding was used for, and what the outcomes were of the "Promoting community support and rights for older people facing additional challenges" project.
Answer
Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.
The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:
- Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
- People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
- People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
- Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities
The "Promoting community support and rights for older people facing additional challenges" project was funded to support work with older people who live with disabilities and/or face other challenges and who want more services that give them real choices and enable them to live as independently as possible. The project would work alongside those older people to improve the number, range and quality of community services and to raise public and professional awareness and change attitudes to this group of older people. The project would bring people together, share good practice and publicise positive examples.
The specific outcomes to be achieved were:
- Older people with disabilities are better able to shape the services they use and so get support that reflects their circumstances and gives them a good quality of life.
- Public and professional awareness about older people and the contribution they make is increased and older people with disabilities have more opportunities to participate
The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 June 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason £191,250 was provided to Dundee International Women's Centre between 2017-18 and 2020-21 for the Safety Net project, as part of the Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund; what this funding was used for, and what the outcomes were of this project.
Answer
The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.
The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:
- Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
- People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
- People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
- Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities
The ‘Safety Net’ project was funded to increase the capacity of the community to identify and address issues around radicalisation. The next steps and proposed project were to deliver a range of workshops to adults and young learners to raise awareness of online safety issues and in particular cover extremism in all its forms. In addition the plan was to deliver a suite of knowledge transfer events to relevant agencies in Scotland to widen the awareness and impact of Safety Net.
The specific outcomes to be achieved were:
- Women will have improved understanding how extremist groups target young people and what to do if they have concerns.
- Other organisations are equipped and have the skills and knowledge to support their client groups
The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 18 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what the reasons are for the reported continued delays to the M8 viaduct works in Glasgow, and what the revised completion date is.
Answer
The M8 Woodside Viaduct is a complex project, which involves constructing temporary propping in a constrained urban environment to enable repairs to the half-joints which support the motorway. Transport Scotland and their contractor, Amey, have been examining each and every activity required to progress the works to ensure completion as soon as possible.
However, there have been unforeseen issues resulting in delays to the extensive piling work around the subway tunnels, which has to be carried out very carefully. Officials are assessing these issues to determine if they might impact on the current estimated completion dates and the public will be updated in due course. Updates can be found here: https://www.transport.gov.scot/projects/m8-woodside-viaducts-project/
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 18 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what environmental conditions or targets there are for the procurement of the new Intercity rail fleet.
Answer
Rail contributes just 1.2% to Scotland's total annual greenhouse gas emissions from transport, offering a sustainable and environmentally friendly way of moving both people and heavy goods.
Whilst there are no specific conditions or targets related to the future fleet which is sought to replace High Speed Trains, any replacement fleet is expected to be more energy efficient and therefore to reduce emissions.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 June 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason £30,000 was provided to Scottish Association of Sign Language Interpreters (SASLI) in 2017-18 as part of the Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund; what this funding was used for, and what the outcomes were of the Making It Work project.
Answer
The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.
The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:
- Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
- People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
- People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
- Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities
The Making It Work project was funded to support Scottish Association of Sign Language Interpreters (SASLI) in its work as the only government funded organisation in Scotland specifically working towards monitoring, supporting and developing the profession of sign language interpreting and associated functions, SASLI aims to broaden and develop its scope to meet legislative, demographic and societal changes. The project would focus on developing new pathways to validate skills, protecting user communities through driving up and maintaining professional standards will increase accountability to deaf and deafblind people.
The specific outcomes to be achieved were:
- Deaf people have a greater choice of appropriately skilled and registered communication support professionals, making possible effective communication and inclusive participation in daily and public life and in educational/learning environments.
- Deaf people have a greater choice of appropriately skilled and registered communication support workers, to ensure effective learning and inclusive contribution in educational/learning environments.
- Deaf and deafblind people are trained and employed to provide training to enhance skills of communication support professionals
- The SASLI Register includes a specific category to recognise deaf people who have developed life and work skills through their lives. This replaces the need of accredited qualifications to encourage recognition and value of skills gained through life and not through education pathways.
The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 June 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason £97,750 was provided to People First between 2017-18 and 2020-21 as part of the Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund; what this funding was used for, and what the outcomes were of the Parents' Project.
Answer
The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.
The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:
- Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
- People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
- People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
- Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities
The Parents’ Project was funded to build on the People First’s Parents’ Group work in reducing the discrimination experienced by parents with learning disabilities and supporting parents to participate in, and engage with, services and society. The project would employ a part-time development worker to support a self-advocacy group of parents with learning disabilities (Parents’ Group), provide individual advocacy, support parents to provide training and participate in strategic planning fora.
The specific outcomes to be achieved were:
- Parents with learning disabilities are more aware of their rights and responsibilities and have increased confidence and skills both in parenting and in contributing to training and policy
- Parents with learning disabilities have access to more information in appropriate formats, helping them to engage with services, participate in society and be the best parents they can be
- Professionals have an increased awareness and understanding of the issues for parents with learning disabilities, they are more likely to adopt a supported parenting approach in line with current policy so parents with learning disabilities experience fewer barriers to exercising their right to family life.
The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 June 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason £85,000 was provided to Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC) between 2017-18 and 2020-21 for the True Colours project, as part of the Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund; what this funding was used for, and what the outcomes were of this project.
Answer
The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.
The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:
- Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
- People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
- People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
- Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities
The ‘True Colours’ project was funded to help young people who experience racial bullying in schools. The project’s focus was to implement a peer education programme, tackling issues of bullying, prejudice and discrimination, whilst promoting equality and good relations among students within schools in Edinburgh area. The project supported the input of numerous young volunteers for them to gain new skills and hands on work experience thereby increasing their employment prospects.
The specific outcomes to be achieved were:
- Improve knowledge and awareness of up to 25 young volunteers on equality, human rights, discrimination, hate crime and bullying; Improve their research, public speaking, social media and presentation skills.
- Enhance confidence amongst young people and school workers by increasing their awareness and knowledge in relation to equality, with particular emphasis on prejudice-based bullying, stereotyping, racism, gender equality and homophobia.
- Promote anti-bullying culture in schools trough creating anti-bullying videos, encouraging creativity, empathy and interpersonal skills.
The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 June 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason £170,000 was provided to Fife Migrants Forum between 2017-18 and 2020-21 as part of the Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund; what this funding was used for, and what the outcomes were of the Connexions project.
Answer
Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.
The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:
- Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
- People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
- People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
- Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities
The Connexions project was funded to enable the work done by the agency, mainly in Kirkcaldy, to be ‘rolled out’ into areas of East and West Fife. In addition to services such as language support, information, advice and advocacy, assisting people access rights and employment the project would, through Participatory Action Research, address more determinedly that migrant communities share ownership and integrate with local communities. Cross-community action would help address the demographic changes in Fife and Scotland.
The specific outcomes to be achieved were:
- There will be a significant increase in uptake of information and advice across a range of human rights issues within Fife from members of migrant communities
- People from migrant communities will demonstrate an increased feeling of belonging to local areas and ownership of public places, civic institutions and commit to stay in Fife rather than leave due to uncertainty of status following ‘Brexit’
- More people from migrant communities will move from low paid, low skilled employment (reflecting qualification and skill) and will show an increased willingness to stand for public office
The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 June 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason £165,750 was provided to Friends of Romano Lav between 2017-18 and 2020-21 as part of the Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund; what this funding was used for, and what the outcomes were of the Roma Opportunities Project.
Answer
The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.
The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:
- Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
- People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
- People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
- Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities
The Roma Opportunities Project was funded to continue to increase the capacity of the various Roma communities in Glasgow, particularly focussing on young Roma people. The project would provide peer education training and opportunities for Roma young people and would deliver activities designed to promote Roma self-confidence and self-esteem, increase knowledge of local and national services and socio-political structures, and challenge negative perceptions.
The specific outcomes to be achieved were:
- Roma youth increased confidence and self-esteem; and develop the skills they need to support their communities. Discrimination faced by Roma people is reduced and the intercultural dialogue is promoted
- Roma youth increased their knowledge of the local and national services and socio-political structures and youth members of Friends of Romano Lav are more active in community and social political debates
- Roma and non-Roma people increase a more positive sense of Roma identity and culture. Roma youth increase their social media skills to better represent Roma communities and challenging negative representations
The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 June 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason £212,500 was provided to Perth and Kinross Association of Voluntary Service (PKAVS) between 2017-18 and 2020-21 as part of the Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund; what this funding was used for, and what the outcomes were of the "Enhancing lives of ethnic minorities in Perth and Kinross" project.
Answer
The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.
The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:
- Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
- People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
- People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
- Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities
The "Enhancing lives of ethnic minorities in Perth and Kinross" project was funded to help the Perth and Kinross Minority Communities Hub (MCH) to support ethnic minority communities through focusing on building the capacity through 1-1 support and group work, promoting good relations through celebrations of multi-cultural festivals and participation and engagement of ethnic minority communities in consultations and other initiatives such as Perth City of Culture 2021 bid, reducing isolation and loneliness through activities such as walking groups, lunch clubs, peer support groups etc. and challenging discrimination by advocating, and connecting its clients to appropriate legal support provided by its partner agency (EMLC), and by providing cultural awareness and equality and diversity training to statutory and voluntary services.
The specific outcomes to be achieved were:
- Services will have enhanced understanding and capacity to address the needs of ethnic minority communities with equality, reducing discrimination.
- People from ethnic minority communities will have increased capacity to access services with equality
- Ethnic minority communities will engage more fully with opportunities to participate in the economic and cultural life of the community
The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf