Chamber and committees

The 2022-23 Local Government Finance Settlement included £351 million for the Council Tax Reduction Scheme. It is the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, including on the Council Tax Reduction Scheme, on the basis of local needs and priorities. The Scottish Government has not allocated any funding to the Water Charges Reduction Scheme (WCRS); this is because the scheme is funded by Scottish Water’s general household customer base. In 2022-23, Scottish Water reported that the value of the WCRS discount was £58 million.

The Scottish Government have no current plans to publish a Ministerial statement.

Parliamentary scrutiny has been possible through two sessions the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee has held with sport scotland and Cricket Scotland. In addition sport scotland publish quarterly updates on progress against the Changing The Boundaries report. The most recent update was published on 25 July and can be accessed on the sport scotland website.

We will continue to work with sport scotland and Cricket Scotland to ensure all recommendations in the Changing The Boundaries report are progressed and ensure lasting change within the sport.

We are committed to commencing the Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Act 2021 which will provide additional protection to those at risk of domestic abuse.

Part 1 of the 2021 Act will provide both Police Scotland and the court with new powers that will enable a person suspected of causing harm to be removed from the home they share some or all of the time with the person at risk of harm, through a scheme of domestic abuse protection notices and orders. This is with the intention of providing breathing space for up to three months so a person at risk can consider their longer term options.

Work to commence Part 1 of the 2021 Act is progressing. The purpose of the Act Implementation Board is to facilitate collaboration between key interests with a view to ensuring the legislation can be implemented effectively. Membership includes representatives from Police Scotland, the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Scottish Legal Aid Board and Scottish Women's Aid. An Operational Working Group has also been established which includes operational justice partners directly impacted by the legislation. Together the detail is being worked through to consider how a number of aspects of the legislation can best be implemented including how the views of children can be captured in a way that does not cause additional harm or trauma.

Part 2 of the 2021 Act will, when implemented, allow social housing landlords to apply to the court for an order which will have the effect of permitting the landlord to end a sole tenancy of a perpetrator of domestic abuse or end a perpetrators interest in a joint tenancy, enabling the victim to remain in the family home. The provisions aim to help improve the immediate and longer term housing outcomes of domestic abuse victims living in social housing who wish to continue living in the family home. They also help address the very real concern as to why victims and their families, rather than the perpetrator, should have to leave their homes, belongings and community to seek safety, with the perpetrator remaining undisturbed in the family home.

Work on the wide range of tasks necessary to commence Part 2 of the 2021 Act is progressing as a priority. This includes secondary legislation, changes to court rules and forms, model tenancy agreements and the development of statutory guidance in consultation with stakeholders. The aim is to bring Part 2 of the 2021 Act into force by early 2024, subject to the necessary rules and forms of court also being in place.

Bellway is currently involved in delivering two projects through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme and we do not anticipate any major impact to delivery of these projects or our wider programme.

Since 2015 a total of 22,817 initial applications to Warmer Homes Scotland (WHS) did not progress to work being carried out under the scheme. The scheme is targeted at alleviating fuel poverty for the most vulnerable households and so the most common reason for an unsuccessful application to Warmer Homes Scotland is that the household does not meet the eligibility criteria for age or lower income.

Applications to the first phase of Warmer Homes Scotland closed on 31 March 2023 and at this time all households were required to meet all 6 of the high-level qualifying criteria:

• Be a homeowner or tenant of a private sector landlord
• Live in the home as a main residence
• Lived at the property for more than twelve months (unless in receipt of DS1500 or BASRiS certificate)
• Live in a property with a SAP of 72 or lower which is under 230m 2 in floor size
• Live in a home that meets the tolerable living standard set out in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006
• Not received support for energy efficiency measures though WHS funding in the last 5 years

As well as meeting the six high level criteria, customers must be 16 or over and be in receipt of certain benefits. The exception to this is if you are 75 or over with no working heating system, then there is no benefits receipt requirement.

The table below outline the most common areas of eligibility that are not met by households. This information is from the launch of WHS in September 2015 to the close of applications on 31 March 2023.

NatureScot undertook a trial into minimum bullet weights to shoot deer to ensure that animal welfare would not be compromised. We considered this, alongside advice from NatureScot on deer welfare when making these proposals.

A copy of that report is available here: https://www.nature.scot/doc/naturescot-research-report-1312-review-minimum-bullet-weight-lawful-culling-all-deer-species

We held a written consultation from May – June 2023 on proposed changes to night sights, ammunition weights and close seasons for male deer. The full Deer Management Round Table was invited to respond to this consultation. Responses will be published on the Scottish Government webpage imminently.

All night shooting of deer requires a specific authorisation by NatureScot. That means that anyone seeking to shoot deer at night must apply to NatureScot and provide the details of the planned management, including where and when the deer will be culled.

There are requirements for a deer stalker to be fit and competent as part of that process and NatureScot will be updating the Night Shooting Code of Practice and Best Practice guidance will be developed ahead of these proposals being introduced.

As outlined in response to S6W-20504 on 1 September 2023, culling deer at night can only be done under authorisation from NatureScot. In order to be authorised to shoot deer at night applicants must be able to evidence fit and competent status and comply with Best Practice.

To register as fit and competent applicants must provide evidence that they have completed either Deer Stalking Certificate Level 2 (DSC2) or Deer Stalking Certificate Level 1 (DSC1). They must also provide two referees (one of whom must be DSC1 certified) who can provide evidence that the applicant meets required standards.

In 2019-20, 17.33% of total deer culled in Scotland were shot under a night authorisation.

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

Scottish Government does not hold this information. Circularity Scotland Limited (CSL) was established as a private not-for-profit company by the drinks industry to meet its regulatory obligations. The Directors and Administrators of CSL have placed information on Companies House website about the Administration, which includes details of claims from creditors.

The Scottish Government remains committed to the delivery of a successful DRS in October 2025 and are pushing the UK Government to set out how this can be delivered across the UK. The onus is now on DEFRA to work with the devolved nations, industry and wider stakeholders to ensure this scheme is launched successfully and on time.