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The SNP is committed to supporting Scotland’s linguistic and cultural diversity. If re-elected, we will promote, protect and celebrate the Scots language. Education is a crucial aspect of protecting new and young Scots speakers. This is why, over the course of its leadership, the SNP Scottish Government successfully launched and implemented the Education Scotland Action Plan which aims to raise awareness among the wider community, provide online support for learners, and support local authorities in ensuring continuity of Scots language policy across Scotland. In the 2021 Manifesto, the SNP have again committed to supporting Scotland’s languages as it recognises them as an integral part of Scotland’s culture and heritage.  If the SNP is re-elected, we will have a particular focus on arresting the intensifying language shift in the remaining vernacular communities.…

The SNP fully appreciates the impact the Coronavirus pandemic has had on the hospitality sector and that is why, in government, we provided funding of over £3 billion to support businesses affected by Covid-19. As the current Cabinet Secretary of Economy, I recognise the important role pubs play in many peoples’ lives and within communities. To support the sector through the next year, the SNP Government have committed to 100% rates relief for tourism & hospitality for 2021-22. As the vaccine roll-out continues, and the lockdown restrictions are easing, we know more is needed to help hospitality businesses get firmly back on their feet. When it is safe to do so, we will launch a campaign to encourage people to support local tourism and hospitality in Scotland. Fiona Hyslop

The SNP and I agree wholeheartedly with the STUC on devolving employment law which would allow Scotland to ditch Westminster’s anti-workers’ agenda, put fair work at the heart of our economy and stop practices such as ‘fire and rehire’. If re-elected, we will use devolved powers to support a Living Hours accreditation programme similar to our Living Wage scheme; establish a £10 million fund to allow companies to pilot a four day working week; and review our Fair Work First criteria for contracts and grants to include specific reference to fire and rehire tactics. An SNP Government will continue to push for greater borrowing powers. With the powers we have at present, the Scottish National Investment Bank will be given £1bn to deliver economic, social and environmental returns. Furthermore, if…

The SNP wants to make Scotland the best place in the world for British Sign Language (BSL) users to live, work and visit. The SNP Scottish Government created the Deaf Sector Partnership to support early implementation of the BSL (Scotland) Act and set up the BSL National Advisory Group to represent the views of people with BSL as their first or preferred language. The SNP Scottish Government worked with Deaf communities across Scotland to develop the BSL ‘National Plan 2017 to 2023’ which sets out actions to help ensure deaf and deafblind BSL users are fully involved in all aspects of daily and public life in Scotland. If re-elected, we will provide additional funding to enable local authorities to offer free BSL tuition for deaf children from the age of…

The loss of a baby at any stage of pregnancy is an unimaginable tragedy and our sympathies are with the families who have suffered baby loss. In our manifesto, the SNP commits to developing and implementing a Women’s Health Plan aiming to improve services and reduce health inequalities for women and girls. It will establish a dignified, compassionate miscarriage service tailored to the needs of women, taking forward the findings of The Lancet report and supporting the development of individualised care plans after a woman’s first miscarriage.  We will also emulate New Zealand where families who experience miscarriage or stillbirth are entitled to 3 days of paid leave by delivering this within the public sector and calling on the UK Government to make the necessary changes to employment law to…

The SNP is extremely grateful to Chron’s and Colitis UK for its hard work, particularly in developing the national blueprint for IBD in Scotland, remains committed to working with them and other partners to raise awareness of this important issue in Scotland. The Scottish Government have made significant progress in reducing waiting times over the last few years but we know that progress has been interrupted by the pandemic and we have seen a significant increase in the numbers of patients waiting for routine appointments and treatments. Through its modernising patient pathways programme, the SNP Scottish Government has been working closely with health boards and Crohn’s and Colitis UK in recent years to improve IBD services, pathways and patient outcomes across Scotland. That includes the development of a series of…

The pandemic has highlighted the importance of home, and the need for homes and the spaces around them to support people to live well. That is why we are committed to expanding our social and affordable housing stock. The SNP Scottish Government took action to support renters during the pandemic. The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) (No. 2) Regulations 2021 means the current ban on the enforcement of eviction orders in Scotland has now been extended to 30 September 2021. A re-elected SNP Scottish Government will deliver a further 100,000 affordable homes by 2032 with at least 70% of these for social rent.  We will develop a new Rented Sector Strategy in 2021. This will provide greater protections from unreasonable rent increases and give people affordable…

The SNP are committed to ensuring everyone has a warm and safe place to live. Therefore, if re-elected, the SNP will deliver a further 100,000 affordable homes by 2032 with at least 70% of these for social rent. Once the current 50,000 affordable homes target has been delivered, we will meet this new target through a combination of new build homes and bringing existing housing stock back into use. This commitment to delivering a further 100,000 affordable homes will see around 12 – 14,000 jobs each year.  Furthermore, the SNP will introduce a new Housing Standard, set in law by 2025 to cover all homes ensuring that the quality of existing homes keeps pace with new homes. This will include repairing and safety standards, minimum space standards, digital connectivity, future-proofing…

The SNP have taken action in Government to tackle hate crime and build community cohesion as well as adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of anti-Semitism. We want to send a clear and strong message - that anti-Semitism is entirely unacceptable. There is no place in Scotland for any form of anti-Semitism or religious hatred. The Jewish community is a valuable, vital part of our society in Scotland and if one member of that community feels unsafe here, then we all have a duty to do everything possible to change that. The SNP condemns anyone who threatens the existence of Israel. Israel has a right to exist and a right to exist peacefully. We are also of the view that the Israel-Palestine situation should never be used as some kind…

The SNP is firmly committed to equality for disabled people and are striving to create a Scotland that is fair and inclusive to all.  The SNP Scottish Government have been working closely with a number of Disabled People’s Organisations to understand the impact of COVID-19 on disabled people and take action – such as investing an additional £2.35 million for the Parental Employability Support Fund for those most at risk of poverty, including disabled parents – and will continue to ensure that the voices of disabled people impacted shape our approach and policies as we recover from this pandemic.  We are determined to remove the barriers that stop people from enjoying equal access to full citizenship. We have committed to incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with…