Scotland Together Fund

To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates that the £30 million Scotland together fund will open to applications. (S7O-00455)

As the First Minister said when he announced the Scotland together fund, it is vital that our communities are empowered to fight poverty and inequality and to tackle the blights of racism, division and hatred. That is why community organisations across Scotland will share £30 million over three years, enabling them to take forward projects that boost living standards and help our communities to become more cohesive, inclusive and resilient. Details of the application process for the fund will be confirmed soon.

Healthy n Happy is a long-established and well-respected community development trust that is based in Rutherglen in my constituency. Previously, it received around £300,000 in Scottish Government funding through the investing in communities fund. I hope that it will be one of the many organisations that benefit from the new Scotland together fund. Can the minister provide more details on the criteria for the scheme and whether it would welcome applications from organisations such as Healthy n Happy that work to address local inequality, health disparities and poverty?

The eligibility criteria are yet to be confirmed. We will determine them during the detailed design process, which is currently taking place.

I warmly congratulate Healthy n Happy on the significant difference that its work is making for the people of Cambuslang and Rutherglen. I strongly encourage it to apply to the fund, should it meet the criteria.