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The Scottish Government engages with the Independent Food Aid Network on a regular basis, including through a fortnightly meeting of delivery stakeholders. Questions of risk and pressure are discussed across the network and a collaborative approach taken to problem solving.

The Independent Food Aid Network has not formally sought any Scottish Government funding, has not raised any unresolved pressures and has assured officials that at present it has an adequate supply of food and volunteers.

The Independent Food Aid Network has a policy of not accepting government funding, preferring to see investment directed to cash-first approaches: www.foodaidnetwork.org.uk/ifan-in-scotland

Members of the Independent Food Aid Network may want to note that the Community and Third Sector Recovery Programme has recently opened: https://scvo.org.uk/support/coronavirus/funding/scottish-government

We are committed to providing a mixed economy of provision to meet the needs of those seeking to move towards and into work across Scotland. Details of our existing employability programmes are as follows:

1. No One Left Behind, delivered in partnership with Local Government, provides all-age support to those further from the labour market. 3,460 people were supported through No One Left Behind, 643 of which secured employment, in the period April 2019 to March 2020. Please note that these figures are provided from management information at this time. We are considering how best to publish routine updates.

2. Fair Start Scotland , delivered by a range of contracted providers , is Scotland's first fully devolved employment support service and supports people who are at risk of long-term unemployment and unemployed disabled people. Official Statistics on Fair Start Scotland are published quarterly as part of the Scotland's Devolved Employment Services Statistical Summary Release. Delivery and performance data can be accessed www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-devolved-employment-services-statistical-summary-7/

3. Parental Employability Support Fund , delivered in partnership with Local Government targets priority families, who are evidenced to be at a higher risk of poverty. Parental Employment Support Fund data is currently being collated centrally and we are considering how best to publish routine updates.

4. Community Jobs Scotland , delivered by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, supports young people aged 16 to 29 by creating job opportunities for unemployed young people across the voluntary sector. Further information on the performance of Community Jobs Scotland has previously been provided to Parliament and can be found in answer S5W-31875 on 30 September 2020.

5. Discovering Your Potential , delivered by the Young People’s Consortium, supports care experienced young people to achieve positive destinations such as further education, training and employment. Barnardo's, the lead partner with the Young People's Consortium who deliver the Discovering Your Potential Programme, publish data in their annual Impact Reports. They will soon be working on the 2019-2020 data with a view to publishing the report in mid-November. Their report is not published on the website and we are therefore unable to provide a relevant ink. In 2018-2019, 331 Young individuals were supported through the programme with 76 of these securing employment.

6. Our Future Now, delivered by Inspiring Scotland, supports young people to thrive economically, socially, and culturally. Data on the delivery and performance of Our Future Now can be accessed at https://www.inspiringscotland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/OFN-Year-1-Report.pdf

7. Skills Development Scotland provide a range of support to people seeking employability and skills support, as set out in their ministerial guidance letter each year. This includes Foundation, Graduate and Modern Apprenticeships, Careers Information, Advice and Guidance, Partnership Action for Continuing Employment, and Employability Fund . Skills Development Scotland publish quarterly statistics on the delivery and performance of its programmes and can be accessed at https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/46933/employability-fund-statistics-quarter-1-2020-21.pdf

The Scottish Government publishes details of its budget, with the programmes above funded from the Employability Services Budget, the Employability Fair Start Budget and the Education and Skills Budget lines. Details of these budgets can be accessed at https://www.gov.scot/publications/ .

For ease of reference budget for the last 3 years is summarised below.

The Scottish Government has allocated an additional £100 million of funding for existing employment support programmes this financial year. This includes a further £25 million for National Transitional Funding, £10 million to recruit and retrain apprenticeships and £5 million for PACE.

Additionally the Scottish Government has invested £60 million in the development of a Young Person’s Guarantee. This will include:

• £30 million through local authorities to support local partnerships to deliver employability support
• £10 million directly to colleges
• £10 million additional funding for Developing the Young Workforce, the Scottish Government’s Youth Employment Strategy
• £10 million to support pre-apprenticeship activity

We are working with partners including local authorities, Scottish Funding Council, Skills Development Scotland to finalise plans that will set out how the additional investment will be used to increase the number and range of opportunities available to young people. Through Young Scot, we are also ensuring young people have the opportunity to shape the Guarantee.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-32029 on 5 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 .

This change was announced suddenly by the UK Government and, despite the obvious and substantial implications for the Scottish retail and tourism sectors, without prior engagement with Scottish Government officials. Accordingly, we have had no opportunity to carry out analysis of our own and none has been shared by the UK Government.

Since this announcement, the Scottish Government has received representations from a number of stakeholder organisations expressing concerns about the impact on trade and the wider economy. We share their concerns and do not believe that this is an appropriate juncture at which to make such an abrupt and significant change.

Forecasts of unemployment for Scotland are produced by the Scottish Fiscal Commission, who are Scotland’s official forecaster. Their last published forecast, from February 2020, was prior to the full impact of COVID-19 becoming known and consequently did not fully factor in the recent health and economic crisis. They are due to publish their next set of forecasts alongside the next Scottish Budget, expected in December.

In the interim, the Scottish Government has published several pieces of scenario analysis on the medium term outlook of the Scottish economy and labour market.

The latest analysis was published in the Chief Economist’s State of the Economy report on 29 September 2020. This highlighted that unemployment could reach 8.2% by the end of this financial year.

There are currently no official projections of youth unemployment produced by Scottish Government or external stakeholders. However, historically at times of recession, youth unemployment has risen to over double the overall rate. So we might expect a youth unemployment rate of 20% or more later this year and into 2021 Q1.

Table A provides the estimated unemployment levels and rates by gender, for May - July 2007 to May – July 2020, sourced from the Labour Force Survey:

Table A: Unemployment Level and Rate by Gender, May-July 2007 to

May-July 2020, Scotland

In response to each of your points regarding Accountable Officers in agencies outside the Scottish Government Main arrangements:

(a) All Accountable Officers are issued with a designation letter from the Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government that specifically points to the accountability guidance within the Scottish Public Finance Manual, to which they must adhere. Accountable Officers are personally answerable to the Parliament for the exercise of their functions in accordance with section 15 of the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000 and for the propriety and regularity of their use of resources. Regularity involves compliance with relevant legislation (including the annual Budget Act) and relevant guidance issued by the Scottish Ministers - in particular the Scottish Public Finance Manual. Accountable Officers are also issued with supporting guidance relating to the Public Sector Pay Policy publication.

(b) The Accountable Officers within each agency being established have separate delegated authority to negotiate staff terms and conditions, including pay and staffing structures, subject to their organisational resources and to Public Sector Pay Policy. To ensure any proposed changes to staff pay align with Public Sector Pay Policy, each agency is required to submit pay remit proposals for approval by the Scottish Government before entering into any trade union negotiations.

(c) Any proposed changes to pay and grading structures require consultation with, and approval from, the Scottish Government. The Public Sector Pay Policy Technical Guide sets out what should be taken into account when a public body, including agencies outside of Scottish Government Main arrangements, is proposing any such changes.

(d) All agencies are expected to adhere to guidance issued. It is the responsibility of the Accountable Officer to justify any departure from the guidance to the Scottish Government.

The Bank’s investment policies will take account of its legal obligations as a lender and investor, will be aligned with its investment strategy, and will incorporate the ethical investment standards that it is required to produce. Those standards will align with the Bank's objects and its strategic missions. In particular, we are establishing the Bank with an object of advancing equality and non-discrimination, and have consulted on a draft mission for the Bank focussed on investing in places and regeneration to reduce inequality, and improving opportunities and outcomes for people and communities.

This is one of a number of financial implications arising from the Covid-19 pandemic and the position is being carefully monitored by Scottish Water and the Scottish Government.