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As I announced in Parliament on 13 September 2016, the Scottish Government has set up the 2016 National Basic Payment Support Scheme.

Under this scheme, eligible farmers and crofters will be able to receive a loan of
80 per cent of their expected eligible CAP Basic Payment and Greening 2016 up to a maximum of €150,000.

More information is available at:

https://www.ruralpayments.org/publicsite/futures/topics/all-schemes/national-loan-schemes/loans-for-2016-17-payments/

The following table sets out the length of each trunk road managed and maintained by the Scottish Ministers in (i) Scotland and (ii) Dumfries and Galloway.

National Records of Scotland holds over 80 linear km of archive material comprising millions of individual items in a wide variety of formats. 7562 of these items are currently marked as “unfit for production” and a further 1494 are marked as “record at risk”. Annual figures are not kept. As the national archives holdings are measured in linear kilometres, it is not possible to express these items as a percentage of the total collection.

This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. I have asked the Chief Executive to contact you with the information you have requested and my understanding is that this will be with you soon.

This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. I have asked the Chief Executive to contact you with the information you have requested and my understanding is that this will be with you soon.

Businesses are required under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments to ensure disabled people do not experience substantial disadvantage compared with nondisabled people.

The duty is ‘anticipatory’. An organisation cannot wait until a disabled person wants to use its services, but must think in advance (and on an ongoing basis) about what disabled people might reasonably need.

Examples of reasonable adjustments would include ramps and stairway lifts, making doorways wider, installing automatic doors, more lighting and clearer signs. If a disabled person would be at a substantial disadvantage compared with a nondisabled person, not providing reasonable adjustments would be unlawful discrimination and could result in a discrimination claim under the act.

More examples are provided on the EHRC’s website at: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/multipage-guide/reasonable-adjustments-practice

The Scottish Government carried out a full policy review after five years of operation of the home report. The findings of a public consultation were published on the Scottish Government website on 7 May 2014, and of a research study on 7 January 2015. We have no plans to undertake a further policy review at this stage.

A full five-year policy review of the Home Report was launched on 5 December 2013 and consisted of a public consultation (the findings from which were published on 7 May 2014) and a research study (published on 7 January 2015). Overall, the Review found that the home report is supported and valued. A clear majority of the respondents to the consultation felt that the home report was continuing to meet its original objectives and that these remained appropriate. The review found that while the home report had an impact on buyers and sellers, the impact on the wider housing market was more limited.

A meeting of the Road Maintenance Strategic Action Group has been scheduled to discuss the Group’s response to the recommendations of the Audit Scotland report. We will continue to co-fund the Roads Collaboration Programme and use that forum to engage with all councils in Scotland to explore opportunities to share services.

With regard to funding, the Scottish Government has allocated over £10.3 billion to local government for 2016-17. It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectives.

On 22 August 2016, the Deputy First Minister and I hosted a groundbreaking Transport Summit in Dumfries at which a variety of important issues were discussed including the condition of both national and local roads in Dumfries and Galloway. We have committed to publishing a draft report of the summit within four weeks.