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Social Security Scotland works with individuals and supporting organisations to design services so that everyone who may be eligible for benefits understands how they can apply for and receive them.

Clients can apply in ways that suit them best either by paper or online application, by telephone or they can receive application support from our Local Delivery team who can arrange a face-to-face appointment in a client’s home, a community setting or video or phone call.

Social Security Scotland has processes in place to ensure telephone calls are answered, paper applications are processed and Local Delivery face to face appointments are made within reasonable timescales to ensure anyone applying for benefits or contacting Social Security Scotland is not disadvantaged, regardless of the method they choose to contact.

This information is not held by the Scottish Government. The pupil census does not collect any data on nationality of pupils.

To ensure that Social Security Scotland benefits are accessible to everyone, they have all been designed so that they can be accessed online, by paper or telephone to suit individual preference. Where clients want further support, an appointment can be booked with our Local Delivery service. This service has a locally based team in each of the 32 Local Authority areas across Scotland, including the more remote and rural communities, providing a local, accessible service to the citizens of that area.

Local Delivery teams can provide clients with support to claim Social Security Scotland benefits, with gathering and providing supporting information, reporting change of circumstances or by providing general benefit advice. We can arrange appointments for clients in their home, in local outreach venues or by video or telephone, ensuring that the service is as accessible as possible and meets the needs of the clients that want to use it.

To raise awareness and encourage take-up of Social Security Scotland benefits, we have an ongoing plan of targeted communication activities that not only raises awareness of our new benefits but keeps information on our existing benefits in the public eye. This is done through a variety of channels such as national TV, radio and social media to ensure the messages are as visible and accessible as possible. This is supplemented by a monthly National Stakeholder newsletter that provides the latest information to stakeholders.

Within local communities, our Local Delivery teams are members of local Community Planning Partnership and Financial Inclusion groups ensuring that our benefits and service are part of local plans and initiatives to maximise families' incomes.Through these local networks we can signpost clients to the appropriate help to ensure that clients receive all of the support available to them.

To further maximise our reach, we hold ‘drop in’ sessions and attend local community groups and events, speaking face to face to citizens so they can hear first-hand about our benefits and get the opportunity to ask any questions directly to our specially trained Advisers.

Local sport and leisure facilities are vital in supporting the physical and mental health of the nation. We recognise the importance of facilities, such as Ayr Ice Rink for the overall wellbeing of those who use them regularly.

In recognising the important role that ice rinks play in many communities the Scottish Government supported thirteen privately operated ice rinks with over two million pounds (£2m) during the pandemic, through our Covid sport fund. Ayr Ice Rink received £181,000 through this fund.

sportscotland, our national agency for sport, will be meeting with representatives of Ayr Ice Rink to understand the current situation at the local level. It is vital that partners at a local level work together to explore all avenues and approaches to support local sport and leisure facilities.

We will continue to keep a dialogue with sportscotland and the sector on these issues, and consider how we can further support the sector.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with ATCO and COSLA in developing the Community Bus Fund (CBF). We are currently running proposals through the COSLA governance process with a view to launch the fund later this year.

Official statistics on poverty rates in Scotland come from the Family Resources Survey. This is a sample survey which does not allow breakdowns at a sub-Scotland level.

However, the Department for Work and Pensions publish children in low income families local area statistics which are available at local authority level. These statistics are based on linked DWP/HMRC data on benefits and tax credits and are before housing costs. There are also estimates published by the End Child Poverty Coalition which model the impacts of housing costs on the child poverty rates produced by DWP. On both these measures for 2021-22, Aberdeen City is among the 10 local authorities with the lowest proportion of children in low income families.

There are a range of assessments made using various data sources to inform local and regional economic development and funding, as well as action to alleviate poverty. For instance, the Scottish Government established an independent Advisory Group on Economic Recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The group’s report covered a wide range of indicators at local authority level including the business base, existing deprivation and income levels, digital connectivity and productivity.

Subsequently, the Scottish Government published the Wellbeing Economy Monitor which brings together a range of indicators to provide a baseline for assessing progress towards the development of a wellbeing economy in Scotland. A wellbeing economy toolkit has been developed to support decision making and prioritisation of economic interventions and facilitate the transition to local and regional wellbeing economies, including a local authority level wellbeing economy monitor. This includes child poverty estimates, along with other social, environmental and economic indicators.

The National Endoscopy Training Programme (NETP) offers a range of training packages to improve the quality of endoscopy care for patients in Scotland, helping to provide the clinical capacity needed to reduce Endoscopy and Cancer waiting times. This includes:

• Immersion Training
• Basic Endoscopy Skills Courses
• Train the Trainer Course
• Upskilling for Colonoscopy
• Endoscopy Non-Technical Skills (ENTS)
• National Assistant Practitioner Programme
  

As of 31 May 2023, over 380 staff have participated in NETP programmes, helping to develop the endoscopy workforce in a coordinated ‘Once for Scotland’ approach.

The Scottish Government has not had discussions with the UK Government on this issue.

The Scottish Government is in discussion with the DWP about the proposed reforms set out in the Health and Disability White Paper published by the UK Government on 15 March, including to ensure that people in receipt of Scottish disability benefits are not disadvantaged in any way as a result of those reforms.

We are aware of concerns that have been raised about how the current operation of reserved benefits impacts upon learning disabled, autistic and neurodiverse people in Scotland going into training and employment and have set up the Scottish Access to Work Stakeholder Forum, led by the Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living, to support discussion with DWP on these matters.

The 2021-2022 Programme for Government includes a commitment to revise the Creative Industries Policy Statement to articulate the priorities for the future development of the creative industries, in light of the impacts of EU Exit and the Covid-19 pandemic.

We are currently in the initial stages of scoping this commitment and we expect to be able to share more information on this work in the coming months.

Scottish Chamber Orchestra has met with Scottish Ministers on three occasions since May 2021.

On 9 November 2021, Scottish Chamber Orchestra held an meeting the Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development, to discuss the impacts of COVID-19 restrictions

On 10 May 2022, the Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development with special responsibility for Refugees from Ukraine, Neil Gray visited the Scottish Chamber Orchestra at Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh for an introductory meeting and to discuss support for the culture sector as it recover from the impacts of the pandemic.

On 11 January 2023, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, along with the other National Performing Companies, met with the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture to explore how their international tours could further enhance the reputation and brand of Scotland overseas.

As a National Performing Company, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra receive direct funding from Scottish Government. Scottish Government officials have met regularly since May 2021 with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra as part of normal grant management processes.