Chamber and committees

We have previously noted that it is for organisations responsible for buildings to make information on this issue available on affected buildings. For example local authorities have published information on RAAC identified within their school estate.

Survey work is underway across public buildings and is at various stages of discovery in different sectors.

Where the presence of RAAC is confirmed in a public building, we expect the owner to take appropriate measures to assess and manage any risk identified in line with the guidance from the Institution of Structural Engineers.

We remain in regular contact with organisations across the public sector on this matter, directly and through our cross-sector working group.

We have published resource planning assumptions covering 2021-2026. When annual financial year expenditure is concluded and finalised we publish an annual out-turn report which illustrates actual spend compared to original resource planning assumptions at the start of the financial year. The report for 2022-23 is currently being finalised but the report for 2021-22 can be found here – Affordable Housing Supply Programme: out-turn report 2021-22 - ( www.gov.scot )

The Green Heat Finance Taskforce final report is expected to be published in early 2024.

The Taskforce’s part 1 report, which will be published shortly, will focus on potential finance and funding solutions for individual property owners. It will include consideration of the structure, availability and demand for green finance products; identify barriers which impede the flow of private finance at present; and make recommendations on how to reduce these constraints. It will cover financing mechanisms like green mortgages, equity release, green leases and property linked finance.

The Taskforce’s part 2 report will set out conclusions on communal and place-based financing solutions which can apply to multiple properties, for example, heat networks, municipal bonds and heat as a service subscription models. It will also consider options for the social housing sector, as well as further discussing how mechanisms like blended financing can help utilise public funding to crowd in additional private finance.

In 2023-24, funding is being delivered within the context of the most challenging budget settlement since devolution as set out by the Deputy First Minister in our Medium Term Financial Strategy, which makes clear the difficult choices that would be required to reach a sustainable footing.

The Scottish Government has awarded a grant of nearly £650k to Coalfields Regeneration Trust (CRT) for 2023-24 which will enable the organisation to sustain its core operations and deliver its programme of work in Scotland. This builds on the £28 million provided to CRT to date.

In terms of the sustainability of CRT’s grant programme, officials have been signalling the need for CRT to move away from this historical arrangement and to explore other funding routes for this activity. This approach is to ensure the funding available can support CRT to maintain its focus on delivering its key services which will have the greatest impact on coalfield communities. This will also ensure CRT’s grant funding activity is in line with the latest grant making conditions and financial control measures, which apply across all Scottish Government grants.

The Minister for Local Government Empowerment and Planning held a constructive meeting with CRT on 14 September, providing the opportunity to discuss their concerns and the challenges. The Scottish Government will continue to work closely with CRT and others towards the regeneration of our coalfields communities.

The details of the Cabinet Sub-Committee are currently being determined. As set out in the recent Programme for Government, the Sub-Committee will direct and support the cross-portfolio change required to improve outcomes for Scotland’s care experienced children, young people, adults, and families. The Cabinet Sub-Committee’s early tasks will include exploring the role that both prevention and philanthropy might play in delivering better outcomes.

The Investing in Communities Fund (ICF) currently supports 105 organisations receiving a share of £27 million over the three years 2023-24 to 2025-26. Many of the organisations receiving ICF are delivering their projects for more than one community area thereby enabling an even wider combined benefit and providing assistance for people living in more than 128 communities.

The organisations that have been supported have been published along with details of the funding awards. ICF Round 2 - List of successful organisations

To date, there have been no cash settlements awarded to defenders in any civil or criminal cases regarding Low Emission Zones.

The Scottish Government has no current plans to expand the scope of SSSC registration to bring other groups employed in the self-directed support sector into the regulated workforce. For a further description of expansion of scope of SSSC registration please refer to answer given to S6W-13523 on 20 January 2023.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The first meeting of the Cabinet Sub-Committee for the Promise will take place when the membership and remit have been confirmed.

Rather than permanent monitoring, which is the common approach for water companies in England, Scottish Water worked with SEPA to carry out a comprehensive Scotland-wide environmental study programme to assess and model the impacts of its assets on water quality. The programme was undertaken during the 2015 to 2021 investment period with an investment of £40m. These studies supported identification and prioritisation of River Basin Management Planning objectives, which were published at the end of 2021.

The computer models Scottish Water developed allow it to understand when CSOs will spill, under what rainfall conditions and the impact those spills will have on the environment. Instead of taking the approach of English water companies, targeted monitoring is being put in place to support the information already obtained from the models and to support operational performance. The Scottish Government is supportive of this evidence based and proportionate approach by Scottish Water. We also support their decision to invest inn widening monitoring by installing 1,000 new spill monitors by the end of 2024 with an investment of up to £70m.

Scottish Water’s Improving Urban Waters Routemap commits it to publishing near real-time spill data for all monitored CSOs by December 2024. The data collected by the 1000 new monitors will support SEPA’s and Scottish Water work to prioritise investment where it will most benefit our environment and communities. Continued investment by Scottish Water contributes towards Scotland’s water quality being at its highest level ever, with 87% of the water environment rated as good or better, up from 82% six years ago. Scotland’s River Basin Management Plan sets out objectives, including those for Scottish Water, aiming to improve water quality to 92% of the water environment to be in good or better condition by 2027.