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Since 2003 the number of blue badges issued in each local authority area has been published annually in the Scottish Transport Statistics and can be accessed via the following web link (see chapters entitled “Road Transport Vehicles”):

www.transport.gov.scot/our-approach/statistics/#42763

This information has also been tabulated and placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. Number 63235).

The Scottish Government does not hold the information for years 1999 to 2002.

This information is not held by the Scottish Government .

The ScotWind outcome is a great opportunity for Scotland to deliver green energy, bring supply chain benefits and to support our just transition objectives.

Over the next few years each project will go through consenting processes, respond to geographical and technological requirements, and find a route to market. There are several variables to be managed across these processes, including aspects such as grid connection and the impact of offshore wind developments on various environmental receptors.

Furthermore, ScotWind promises to be transformational in delivering wider economic supply chain benefits to help power Scotland’s green recovery right across the country. As part of this, the introduction of the Supply Chain Development Statement will enable ongoing dialogue between the offshore wind and public sectors to enable strategic infrastructural planning so that Scotland can maximise the potential benefits from this exciting new era of investment for the Scottish economy.

We have convened a Scottish Government-led implementation and monitoring group to oversee the delivery of the recommendations within the report . This group will have its third meeting in May 2022. Members have agreed a work plan covering a two year period and identified where responsibilities for recommendations lie.

Progress has been made against a number of the 27 recommendations:

• We established a governance and engagement advisory board in September 2021 to support the development and implementation of the new Human Rights Bill and included a representative with gender expertise.
• To help ensure our homelessness strategy meets the needs of diverse groups of women, we refreshed the membership of our Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group in 2020/21 to include members with gender expertise and have provided gender competency training to policy makers in the Scottish Government’s homelessness unit.
• A number of local authorities, including East Lothian and Dundee, are developing Housing First for women experiencing domestic abuse in partnership with women’s organisations.
• We are preparing draft statutory guidance for landlords on the new provisions in the Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Act and we intend to invite input from stakeholders with gender expertise.
• The temporary accommodation standards working group is currently developing recommendations that are gender responsive and will take account of the different needs and priorities of all those who require temporary accommodation.
• We published guidance on the application of the Unsuitable Accommodation Order in January 2021 to help guide local authorities in their duties to assist people who are threatened with or who are experiencing homelessness, including victims-survivors of domestic abuse.
• We aim to have a proposal for Universal Credit split payments policy implementation by early summer 2022, which will be sent to the Department for Work and Pensions to action.

In line with the duty set out in section 24(4) of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020, the Scottish Ministers have laid two six-monthly progress reports before the Scottish Parliament on establishing a pilot of mandatory meetings on alternatives to court.

The first such report was laid in April 2021 and covered the period from 1 October 2020 to 1 April 2021 - Children (Scotland) Act 2020 - alternatives to court and funding of alternative dispute resolution pilots: report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

The second such report was laid in November 2021 and covered the period from 1 April to 30 September 2021 - Pilot of mandatory meetings on alternatives to court - Children (Scotland) Act 2020 - section 23(1) and section 24(1): second report on the Scottish Ministers’ duties - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

The next progress report on the pilot scheme is due to cover the period from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022 and will be laid before the Parliament in due course.

Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd ensured the highest standards of service quality in this procurement, relevant at time of initiating the procurement process. Suppliers were asked to describe and demonstrate how they will commit to progressing towards adopting the five Fair Work First criteria that were in place at the start of the procurement for workers (including any agency or sub-contractor workers) engaged in the delivery of this contract, as part of a fair and equitable employment and reward package as a route to progressing towards wider fair work practices set out in the Fair Work Framework. Answers also had to include tangible and measurable examples and also describe how they will report on, and demonstrate progress, to the contracting authority during the lifetime of the contract.

Since January 2019, Scottish Government ministers have not had any meetings with DP World. In the same timeframe, no Scottish Government officials have had meetings with DP World.

On my recent ministerial visit to Dubai, I requested to meet with DP World in order to raise with them our serious concerns about the recent behaviour of P&O Ferries. They did not respond to this request, therefore no meeting took place.

We recognise that, given the long-term investment horizons of insurance firms, reforms to Solvency II could enable the release of more productive investment into the economy which can be utilised to boost low-carbon infrastructure and achieve climate pledges. It is imperative, however, that the proper safeguards for the insurance sector within the existing Solvency II regime are maintained.

Through Scotland’s Global Capital Investment Plan and our Green Investment Portfolio, which brings together projects worth £3 billion, we are well positioned to attract investment in low-carbon investments that the industry has stated could be released by reforms to Solvency II. It will also be important for Scotland - as a major hub for the insurance and long-term savings industry - to ensure that the UK regime aligns where appropriate and keeps pace with the approach being taken by the European Union, particularly in relation to impacts on commercial (re)insurers with European platforms.

Ultimately, the regulation of financial services is reserved to Westminster and we await the full detail of the HM Treasury proposed reforms. We do note that the Economic Secretary to the Treasury has claimed the pending reforms will be an area for Brexit opportunity which will unlock tens of billions of pounds of investment by "slashing red tape.” The experience of Scottish businesses to date has shown that Brexit has not reduced “red tape” and instead has been the direct cause of trade friction, additional checks and bureaucracy and increased administration costs. Whilst we do welcome the ambition to release greater levels of capital for infrastructure and green investment, it appears that, in light of the European Commission’s recent proposals for amendments to the Solvency II Directive and for a new Insurance Recovery and Resolution Directive which promises to release 90bn of insurers’ capital for investment in the short term, similar benefits could have been achieved within the EU regime.

I can confirm that at present 48 schools have registered for access to ESAS materials and resources. While some of these schools are very active and have undertaken many ESAS activities, others are planning to begin the work next academic year and so are not yet “active” ESAS schools.

During the ESAS design and pilot stages (2016-2020), the University of Glasgow carried out formative evaluation research with staff and students. This type of evaluation seeks to test acceptability and feasibility with a view to improving the intervention. The research team also used ‘systems thinking’ to map sexual harassment within school systems (drivers, occurrence of, and responses to); understand ‘what counts’ as sexual harassment). Learning from the formative stage can be found at: https://www.equallysafeatschool.org.uk/research/ .

Alongside the roll out of ESAS, the research team has designed a ‘real-world’ evaluation study (2022-2024) that will aim to 1] assess whether the ESAS intervention improves ‘whole-school’ culture in relation to preventing and addressing gender-based violence; and 2] to understand what works, how, for whom and under what circumstances. We plan to follow up 30 schools, randomised to immediate start and delayed start (one year later). Schools will have option to opt into the evaluation. Students and school staff will have the opportunity of providing direct feedback on ESAS activities in various ways including during group interviews.

Cemre Marin Endustri’s shipyard has provided Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd with a full report of their shipyard practices at the workplace. Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd has made a full assessment of the report including trade union recognition and have found all of the practices to be acceptable.