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Following our consultation in 2019, a short-life working group, chaired by Jim Hayton, was established in October 2021 and has met five times to date. So far, the working group has considered:

• Amendments required to the existing advisory standards and how the new standards can be incorporated into a temporary accommodation standards framework.
• What the processes are to ensure the framework is implemented by local authorities.
• Whether legislative changes are needed to implement the framework.
• What the timescales are for the framework implementation.
• The support local authorities may require to fully implement the standards framework and to ensure compliance.
• How the standards will be assessed.
• How the standards framework can be monitored and regulated.
• Whether sanctions are necessary and, if so, how they will be enforced.

The working group aims to produce a temporary accommodation standards framework later in 2022.

Since the Gypsy/Traveller Accommodation Fund was launched in June 2021 there have been three successful applications.

It is a condition of grant under the Gypsy/Traveller Accommodation Fund that projects are developed in line with the Interim Site Design Guide, published by the Scottish Government in December 2021 to assist in the development of high quality accommodation. Grant offers are being phased, based on tendered costs, to help manage the risks attached to current supply chain issues. Local authorities will report regularly to the Scottish Government on progress and draw down funding in line with evidenced spend on their projects. Plans for learning from and evaluation of the Gypsy/Traveller Accommodation Fund include a comparative cost analysis, to improve our understanding of the costs of modern Gypsy/Traveller accommodation.

The Self-Isolation Support Grant (SISG) is designed to help workers who have to self-isolate for the required period to stop the onward spread of the virus. As a result, eligibility for the Grant aligns to the wider isolation policy. This means that forecasts are subject to a high degree of uncertainty because of the unpredictability of the virus and consequent human action.

The SISG is delivered by local authorities using local processes and systems. The differences between them mean that estimated application rates would be unreliable. Instead forecast award rates based on projected prevalence of the virus is used.

Our latest forecast of SISG awards for the 2021-22 financial year is between 90,000 and 110,000, with a central forecast of 100,000. The model will be updated soon with the latest available data; these figures may change as a result.

The Scottish Government is keen to ensure that asylum seekers in Scotland are able to access free bus travel under the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme and the Older and Disabled Persons Scheme.

I am alive to challenges being faced by different groups, including asylum seekers, in accessing the free bus schemes. I met officials from the Improvement Service, which is the accountable body for the National Entitlement Card (NEC) Scheme, on 7 February to discuss what more can be done to make the application process easier for refugees and asylum seekers.

Officials have been in discussion with organisations that support asylum seekers, including the Scottish Refugee Council, on how best to make the application process accessible to asylum seekers and refugees. They have also put Glasgow Life, who administer the NEC scheme in Glasgow, in touch with organisations that support asylum seekers to discuss application routes.

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, such as 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.

This information is available on the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme page on the Transport Scotland website.

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.

Asylum is a matter reserved to the UK Parliament and handled by the Home Office. This includes provision of asylum accommodation to people who require it while awaiting the outcome of their asylum application.

I have written to the Home Secretary and the UK Immigration Minister to express my concerns about the use of hotels to accommodate people seeking asylum. Three letters I have issued are published on the Scottish Government website: Use of hotels to accommodate asylum seekers: correspondence with UK government - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Home Office procures asylum accommodation through private sector contracts. Mears Group is the current contract holder in Scotland. The Scottish Government has no control of asylum accommodation and support and do not have access to Home Office systems or to operational systems run by their contractors.

The Scottish Government is aware that the Home Office has procured hotels as contingency initial asylum accommodation in Scotland and understands that five hotels are currently in operation for this purpose in Scotland. We are also aware that Mears Group has retained use of a hotel in Glasgow as contingency accommodation to enable people who have presented in Glasgow to undertake Covid quarantine prior to moving into dispersal accommodation in the community.

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

Yes, the Scottish Government is currently developing plans for an evaluation of the Gypsy/Traveller Accommodation Fund, including the impact on site residents.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-06639 on 5 March 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .