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The Scottish Government has transferred all of the £35.4 million budgeted to Independent Living Fund Scotland.

The fund budget for the Independent Living Fund (ILF) for 2016-17 is £47.2 million. The Scottish Government has initially set aside an additional £1.1 million for administration costs for 2016-17, however the final budget is still to be agreed between Scottish Government and ILF Scotland. The Scottish Government has also committed an additional £5 million to open the fund to new users.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30523 on 17 March 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The Scottish Government HR official statistics publication of 16 March 2016 contains the most recent staffing position, showing that at 31 December 2015 there were 5,120 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees in Core Scottish Government directorates:

http://www.gov.scot/stats/bulletins/01203.

Our historic data shows that at 31 March 2007 there were 4,200 FTE employees in Core Scottish Government/Executive directorates.

The increase of 920 FTE is largely caused by the transfer of staff and functions into the Core Scottish Government in the following public bodies between 2007 and 2009:

Communities Scotland

Scottish Agricultural Science Agency

Scottish Building Standards Agency

Mental Health Tribunal

Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency and Fisheries Research Services

Staffing numbers are also published via the Office for National Statistics quarterly public sector employment series. The Office for National Statistics website provides the last five years of historical information. The most recent publication is available at the following link:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/publicsectoremploymentreferencetable.

Revenues from Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) remain firmly on track and overall devolved tax revenues are expected to exceed the Scottish Government's forecast for 2015-16.

Residential LBTT revenues in the year to date remain broadly in line with expectations, allowing for the effects of forestalling which were excluded from the original forecast for 2015-16 of £235 million.

In 2015, the Ministerial Advisory Group on Child Poverty met on 28 May 2015, and again with officials on 15 September 2015.

This year, the Ministerial Advisory Group on Child Poverty met, along with other stakeholders including the Independent Poverty Advisor, on 20 January 2016 to consider the future approach to tackling child poverty in Scotland in light of the changes being made by the UK Government to the Child Poverty Act 2010.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30523 on 17 March 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30523 on 17 March 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The Registered Social Landlord (RSL) Adaptations budget of £10 million has been fully allocated and, following the conclusion of a recent review of the planned adaptations expenditure of all RSLs, we are confident the £10 million will be drawn down in full. We will provide details of 2015-16 adaptations spend by RSLs to the Scottish Parliament Information Centre when this is available.

Responsibility for the Independent Living Fund (ILF) transferred from the UK Government to the Scottish Government on 1 July 2015. Data for the number of people in receipt of ILF prior to this date is therefore not the responsibility of the Scottish Government.

At the point of transfer on 1 July 2015, there were 2,812 people in receipt of ILF support in Scotland. All those users who have continued to remain eligible for ILF have continued to receive support from ILF Scotland.