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Guidance on Self-Directed Support during the Pandemic (updated and published on 11 March 2022) addresses the underspend of allocated budgets. The guidance states "Where Local Authorities or Health and Social Care Partnerships have concerns about underspend of allocated budgets, these should be reconciled in line with local contractual arrangements." Local authorities were notified of the updated guidance in a letter from myself on 11 March 2022.

The Scottish Government has a commitment in the British Sign Language (BSL) National Plan 2017 – 2023 to work with local authorities, providers, and service users to improve the way that adult social care is delivered for BSL users. Work is underway to explore ways to meet this commitment with the establishment of the National Care Service. There is also a commitment to learn from actions we are taking forward in health to strengthen Scotland’s interpreting profession. Queen Margaret University offers a module in BSL interpreting in healthcare settings; more details can be found in the BSL Progress Report 2021 .

The Scottish Government is committed to the establishment of a National Care Service (NCS), and that work is continuing on schedule, ensuring that the design and delivery of the NCS has human rights embedded throughout. We will continue to engage with the real experts – people with lived experience of the service whether they are people accessing care and support, their families, care workers or providers – to improve future services and make things better for everyone. We have established a Social Covenant steering group, made up of people with lived experience, to ensure the new service is designed around the needs of care users and supports the needs of care workers.

ScotRail’s three-week public consultation provided passengers with the opportunity to have their say on the proposals for ticket office opening hours. The aim of this review, the first of its kind in over 30 years, is to make changes that will ensure the modernisation of Scotland’s stations and offer passengers a more efficient and effective service for the future. ScotRail has already provided assurances there will be no job losses.

Transport Focus – the independent passenger watchdog – was responsible for coordinating the associated consultation, collating responses, and providing its own view on the proposed changes. The Transport Focus findings, and ScotRail's response, were published by Transport Focus on 24 February.

I discussed the proposals when I met with the unions last month and will also discuss them with Transport Focus when we meet after Easter. Following that, I will consider the proposals, alongside the consultation findings and ScotRail’s response to the findings, before making any final decision.

As part of the British Sign Language (BSL) National Plan 2017 – 2023, the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) approach is being embedded, with a D/deaf or Deafblind child and their family offered the right information and support at the right time to engage with BSL. The Scottish Government remains committed to providing additional funding to enable local authorities to offer free British Sign Language tuition for deaf children from the age of five, delivery of which will contribute to Action 13 and 14 in the National Plan. Work is underway to scope how best to deliver this commitment.

The Scottish Government published the BSL Progress Report on 27 October 2021, outlining progress made towards implementing the BSL National Plan. All updates relating to the British Sign Language National Plan 2017 – 2023 can be found in this report. For example, the Scottish Book Trust produced and published two BSL stories on their BookBug website and app. This work also generated BSL glossaries, which allows families, carers and children to learn BSL in their own homes.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of the portability of care and care packages if people move from one local authority area to another. To support this, a new Self-directed Support Framework of Standards was published in March 2021. This includes a commitment to consistency of practice, and states that Local Authorities should work collaboratively to ensure that people can move from one Local Authority area to another while retaining a level of provision sufficient to meet their agreed outcomes. The Scottish Government is continuing to work with Local Authorities to ensure the effective implementation of the Standards and to continue to improve the implementation of Self-directed Support.

The Scottish Government is committed to implementing the key recommendations of the Independent Review of Adult Social Care, including the establishment of a National Care Service (NCS). The consultation on the NCS, undertaken in 2021, set out proposals to ensure that there is not a postcode lottery and to support the portability of care. Proposals in respect of the development of the NCS will be brought forward during the lifetime of this parliament.

Scottish Government has provided funding to Integration Authorities for reasonable additional costs due to Covid-19 through Local Mobilisation Plans. This included any loss of income due to social care charges. The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) produced an advice note for Local Authorities and Integration Authorities to advise flexibility should be applied in relation to charging. Charging-for-Social-Care-Support-during-COVID-19.pdf (cosla.gov.uk) .

Transport Scotland and Sustrans have worked with a number of organisations who represent disabled people. These include, the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland (MACS), The Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB), and Guide Dogs for the Blind. The input from these organisations was valuable in the development of guidance and support to local authorities to deliver their Spaces for People schemes.

Scottish Government consultations and supporting documents are published to gov.scot and our consultation hub at consult.gov.scot. We are continuously working to make those websites as accessible and usable as possible for all users.

Past consultations on issues identified as affecting disabled people have been produced in various accessible formats, for example, Easy Read, large print and British Sign Language. Furthermore, accessible consultation events are regularly tailored to meet the different needs of disabled people in partnership with Disabled People’s Organisations. These ensure meaningful engagement with disabled people on issues they identify as being important to them.

In our Equality Outcomes for the 2021-2025 reporting period, we committed to improving and embedding inclusive communication within Government and across the wider public sector. Some of the actions we will take to achieve this include working in partnership with public bodies, equality advocacy groups and people with lived experience to create national standards and best practice examples of inclusive communication. Through this programme of work we want to improve the accessibility of published documents, including consultations, so that everyone can engage with them.

Staff are also provided with a range of training and guidance to help them meet these commitments, and the Scottish Government has established a network of accessibility champions to promote best practice across the organisation.

Scottish Government’s delivery partner, Inclusion Scotland, published a report in May 2021 after the Parliamentary elections. The report includes an evaluation that Inclusion Scotland held with award holders. Most award recipients said their overall experience of the Access to Elected Office Fund was very good or excellent. Most participants said the fund removed some impairment-related barriers to campaigning and importantly, most recipients said that the funding did help them to campaign and/or pursue party selection on a more level playing field with non-disabled candidates.

Immediately after the Scottish Parliamentary elections were concluded, the Access to Elected Office Fund needed to promote the upcoming local elections for May 2022 in order to ensure sufficient lead time for any applicants, whilst incorporating learning from the impact of COVID-19.

Inclusion Scotland has worked with the Equal Representation Coalition and the Scottish Government to develop an equalities monitoring form with the aim of collecting data on the protected characteristics of candidates for the May 2022 Local Authority elections.

Further improvements include the updating of processes and procedures. For example, for those receiving a Personal Assistant (PA) support award, the option was added to allow them to use a self-employed PA with the aim of tackling the barriers to recruitment.