Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-28798

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 12 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how organisations apply for funding from the Supporting Communities Fund.

On 18 March, I announced an investment of £350 million to support local communities and households in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The investment comprises a range of funds to be delivered using a combination of approaches to ensure that resource is mobilised quickly to the places and people where it is needed. These approaches include funding delivered through Local Authorities and open bid funds such as the Community Wellbeing Fund and Third Sector Resilience Fund.

The Supporting Communities Fund, established with an initial £20m investment, is not an open bid fund. Instead it takes a targeted funding approach, providing funding to a range of community anchor organisations (CAO) who in turn can distribute funds to a wider network of community groups. CAOs are organisations that are or can work locally to connect activity and resources within the community and with statutory partners to help ensure funding reaches the people and places that need it. Many of these organisations have existing connections and networks in their communities and are already responding to the COVID crisis. The support from the funding is enabling CAOs to expand their networks to wider neighbourhoods and communities, partnering with other local community groups. Through this approach CAOs are helping to reach groups actively responding to COVID that would not otherwise directly be able to access funds themselves, and deliver support for the priorities identified by communities.

We are working with a range of national community development and community-led regeneration partners, to identify the initial group of anchor organisations, drawing on collective knowledge and experience of organisations that have track record in delivering services and responding to challenges.

A second phase of the funding has commenced, engaging with an extended group of partners including Third Sector Interfaces and Local Authorities to help address where there may be gaps in current provision and where there remains a need for support. Additional guidance to support these partners is being developed and provided as needed to support this next phase of the fund, which will include information to support signposting community organisations to the support available locally and through the fund.

Question reference: S5W-28797

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 11 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government which organisations have been approved for funding from the Supporting Communities Fund.

Question reference: S5W-28795

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 11 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government who is eligible to apply for funding from the Supporting Communities Fund.

The Supporting Communities Fund has been established with an initial £20m investment and is being targeted through community anchor organisations (CAO). Currently organisations eligible to apply will be charities, voluntary organisations, community controlled housing associations or social enterprises based in Scotland delivering services/activities in Scottish communities. Organisations must be incorporated bodies, legally constituted and have a UK bank account.

Question reference: S5W-28796

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 11 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of the community anchor organisations that are approved to distribute the Supporting Communities Fund.

Question reference: S5O-04323

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 27 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to communities and community organisations as part of its response to COVID-19.

Question reference: S5O-04227

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 5 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what recent action has been taken to secure contracts and future employment at Burntisland Fabrications.

Ministers do not participate in operational decisions of BiFab, but continue to work with BiFab’s majority shareholder, in pursuit of a strong pipeline of works for BiFab, to deliver economic benefits and skilled employment opportunities.

EDF have announced BiFab is to be awarded fabrication work for jackets on its Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) project. Contract terms are being finalised between BiFab and Saipem, and these discussions are progressing positively.

That work, alongside successful fabrication contracts for First E&P and EDPR’s Moray East project provide opportunities to show BiFab is back in business.

Question reference: S5O-04244

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact on tourism of the coronavirus, COVID-19.

Question reference: S5O-04186

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address antisocial behaviour on quad bikes and similar off-road vehicles.

Question reference: S5O-04115

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met BBC Scotland and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S5W-26964

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in drafting the terms of reference and appointing a chair for the public inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayoh.

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