Trade Union Billpublished at 14:27 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016
Labour MSP Malcolm Chisholm asks the Scottish government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government about the Trade Union Bill.
Summary
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The Local Government and Regeneration Committee took evidence on the budget from Finance Secretary John Swinney
Portfolio questions focussed on social justice, communities and pensioner’s rights before moving on to fair work, skills and training
MSPs agreed to the general principles of the budget bill after the first debate
SNP MSP Jim Eadie led a debate entitled 'Reinstatement of the Edinburgh South Suburban Railway'
Trade Union Billpublished at 14:27 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016
Women employed in part-time and temporary workpublished at 14:24 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016
Labour MSP Claudia Beamish asks what information the government has on women employed in part-time and temporary work.
Local authorities outstanding equal pay claimspublished at 14:22 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016
SNP MSP Stuart McMillan asks how many local authorities have outstanding equal pay claims.
Attendance allowance in Scotlandpublished at 14:20 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016
SNP MSP Joan McAlpine asks the Scottish government what assurances it can provide on the future of attendance allowance in Scotland in light of concerns in England regarding its proposed transfer to local authorities.
Government has spent £800m supporting over 20,000 households into home ownershippublished at 14:15 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016
Housing Minister Margaret Burgess says since 2007 the government has spent £800m supporting over 20,000 households into home ownership.
Home ownershippublished at 14:14 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016
SNP MSP Graeme Dey asks how many people have received support into home ownership since 2007.
Commissioning of third sector servicespublished at 14:14 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016
Conservative MSP Margaret Mitchell asks the Scottish government what recent discussions it has had with local authorities in relation to the commissioning of third sector services.
Minister defends local government fundingpublished at 14:13 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016
Labour MSP Neil Findlay asks if the government is not embarrassed and ashamed about what it is doing to local government.
Local Government Minister Marco Biagi says the real embarrassing record on local government is in England.
Mr Biagi says he is proud the Scottish government is very far away from that.
Question on Argyll and Bute Councilpublished at 14:11 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016
Conservative MSP Jamie McGrigor asks the government what recent discussions it has had with representatives of Argyll and Bute Council.
Scottish government very dissappointed EU nationals will not get to vote in the EU referendumpublished at 14:11 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016
French-born Christian Allard says EU residents not being able to vote in the EU referendum is a breach of human rights law.
Parliamentary Business Minister Joe Fitzpatrick says the Scottish government is very disappointed that EU nationals resident in the UK will not get to vote in the EU referendum.
Background: EU referendum voter eligibilitypublished at 14:09 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016
British, Irish and Commonwealth citizens over 18 who are resident in the UK, along with UK nationals who have lived overseas for less than 15 years will be able to vote in the EU referendum.
Image source, Getty ImagesMembers of the House of Lords and Commonwealth citizens in Gibraltar will also be eligible, unlike in a general election.
Citizens from EU countries - apart from Ireland, Malta and Cyprus - will not get a vote.
Non-UK EU citizens participating in electionspublished at 14:09 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016
SNP MSP Christian Allard asks the Scottish government what rights non-UK EU citizens who live in Scotland have to participate in elections.
Rural fuel poverty task forcepublished at 14:09 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016
Lib Dem MSP Tavish Scott says in Shetland half the homes are in fuel poverty, what can be done?
Image source, Getty ImagesThe welfare minister details the setting up of the rural fuel poverty task force.
The government is fully committed to eradicating fuel poverty - Ministerpublished at 14:06 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016
Ms Burgess says the government has broadly maintained the fuel poverty funding in the budgets in which it has control.
The minister says the government is fully committed to eradicating fuel poverty, but cites UK government budget cuts as an issue.
Background: Fuel poverty debatepublished at 14:05 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016
Last week the Lib Dems said there were 845,000 households in fuel poverty and the Scottish government would miss its statutory target to eradicate fuel poverty by November 2016.
Mr Hume says this will be even harder to achieve should, as proposed in the draft budget, spending on fuel poverty programmes be reduced in 2016-17.
Housing Minister Margaret Burgess said the Scottish government has no control over the above-inflation price increases by energy companies that have pushed up fuel bills.
She the latest fuel poverty statistics published in the Scottish House Condition Survey show the government have helped to contain fuel poverty levels in Scotland that would have been around 9.5%, instead of 35% if fuel prices had only risen in line with inflation between 2002 and 2014.
Fuel poverty and energy efficiencypublished at 14:05 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016
Labour MSP Graeme Pearson asks what analysis the Scottish government has made of the effect of the reduction in fuel poverty and energy efficiency funding in the Draft Budget 2016-17 on its ability to meet its statutory fuel poverty and housing climate change targets.
Labour MSP calls for renewed approach and strategy on homelessnesspublished at 14:04 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016
Housing Minister Margaret Burgess says there have been consistent falls in recorded homelessness in recent years.
Ms Baxter calls for a renewed approach and strategy to tackle homelessness.
The minister says their is a strong stakeholder group and the government is looking very closely to ensure support is available to everyone who is homeless.
Background: Homelessness statisticspublished at 14:01 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016
In Scotland, 34,605 households applied for homelessness assistance in 2014-15.
According to Shelter Scotland, external he latest release of statistics from the Scottish government show an 8% rise in the number of homeless children in temporary accommodation in Scotland.
Image source, Shelter ScotlandChildren living in Scotland suffered nearly 1 million days of homelessness last year, according to the charity.
Analysis of statistics following a Freedom of Information it requested of the Scottish government shows that in 2014-15 local authorities provided around 3.8 million days of temporary accommodation for homeless households, of which nearly 1 million were for households with children.
Question on homelessnesspublished at 14:01 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016
Labour MSP Jayne Baxter what is being done to prevent people becoming homeless.
The government's priority is to increase the number of affordable homes across Scotlandpublished at 14:01 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016
Social Justice Secretary Alex Neil says this government's priority is to increase the number of affordable homes across Scotland.
Mr Neil says the help to buy budget will help nearly 7,500 people.