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Local authorities have received a total of £3,056,147 in administration funding to process Self-isolation Support Grant (SISG) applications since it was launched in October 2020 until end December 2021.

In addition to a fixed sum for administration start-up costs, the administrative funding was distributed using Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). In September 2021 local authority leaders accepted a recommendation from COSLA to change to a unit cost for actual applications received by each local authority.

The next round of funding for the Gypsy/Traveller Accommodation Fund will open in Spring 2022.

The Scottish Government takes an inclusive approach for people seeking asylum, enabling access to support and services on the same basis as other Scottish residents where there is not a specific prohibition on access through immigration legislation or rules.

We recognise that asylum seekers may have difficulties in accessing free bus travel and recommend that they apply in person, rather than through the online application route.

The Improvement Service issued guidance on applications for asylum seekers and refugees to Local Authorities, who administer in person applications, in September 2021. This guidance advised that proofs specific to asylum seekers and refugees, the Application Registration Card (ARC) issued by the Home Office, can be used to apply for a NEC in person, in conjunction with other information or evidence available to a council, a school or a dedicated staff member within a Local Authority.

The ARC is not accepted for online applications as under the UK Proof of Age Scheme (PASS) it cannot be used to establish evidence of identification online and there is no online equivalent to the help provided offline to support applications.

The Improvement Service guidance has been passed to charities working with asylum seekers and refugees to help with the process. Officials will continue to engage with these groups to discuss how best to help asylum seekers get free bus travel.

East Linton Station is expected to open in 2023.

Transport Scotland officials continue to work closely with the Department for Transport and the wider rail industry to agree the timetable for the East Coast Main Line (ECML) when it is due to be recast in 2023. This includes finding the ideal service structure for all stations on the Edinburgh to Newcastle corridor, including East Linton.

In Scotland, Modern and Graduate Apprentices are employees and it is therefore employers who set apprentices pay, as with their other employees within the parameters of the National Minimum Wage (NMW).

The NMW, including the NMW for Apprentices, is a reserved matter for the UK Government. As such, the rates of NMW are set by the UK Government and the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Apprenticeship Pay Survey , most recently published on 10 January 2020 by the UK Government Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), measures the pay rates of apprentices and may be the closest available measure.

Scotland’s results are based on 2,301 interviews with Scottish apprentices, the majority of interviews were conducted with apprentices at Levels 2 and 3, along with a smaller number of interviews with apprentices at Level 4+. The table below sets out a comparison of 2016 and 2018 survey data for Scotland:

Table 1: Median basic hourly pay for apprentices in Scotland by level, 2016 and 2018

While international sanctions are reserved to the UK Government, we are exercising all possible levers at the disposal of the Scottish Government to ensure we reinforce the international response to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Export Statistics Scotland 2019 show that Scottish exports to Russia (excluding oil and gas) were relatively small - worth £245 million (less than 1% of total international exports) in 2019. HMRC trade in goods statistics show that in 2020, 457 businesses in Scotland exported goods to Russia.

We have been clear that the Scottish Government and our Enterprise Agencies will not support trade or investment activity with Russia, and have encouraged all businesses in Scotland to review – and then sever – their links with Russia.

Our Enterprise Agencies are actively supporting businesses who previously traded with Russia to find alternative markets for their goods and services. Scottish businesses looking to find new customers in alternative markets can contact the Enterprise Agencies through the Find Business Support website at: https://findbusinesssupport.gov.scot/ where they can also find relevant advice and guidance signposted.

The Cladding Stakeholder Group was formed in June 2021 and meets monthly. The Group provides a forum for discussion, partnership working, continuous improvement and constructive challenge to support the Single Building Assessment and Cladding Remediation programme. Membership reflects the interests of homeowners as well as the finance, insurance, home building and professional advice sectors. Under its terms of reference, material generated by the Group should remain confidential.

To support our approach and ensure quality for the next phase, we will shortly begin an interim and independent evaluation of the pilot phase.

The Scottish Government does not conduct monitoring of the characteristics of households and tenancy arrangements in the build to rent sector.

Build to Rent is recognised as a mainstream housing delivery mechanism and can complement existing housing models.

Build to Rent can be characterised by:

Single institutional ownership and professional on-site management of the entire development;

• Individual units are self-contained and separately let;
• Resident access to shared, communal facilities and on-site amenities integrated as part of the development.

Social Landlords will be submitting their Annual Return on the Social Housing Charter to the Scottish Housing Regulator, which will set out their compliance with all statutory requirements. Data on landlords stock meeting the new interlinked fire alarm standard will be included in the annual returns at the end of March and will be published by the Scottish Housing Regulator in Autumn. However, informal estimates from SFHA suggest that around 90% of their members’ stock is already compliant with the new legislation and the remaining stock will be completed in due course.