Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is committed to reaching its target of eliminating HIV Transmissions in Scotland by 2030.

On 1 December 2022 the Public Health Minister announced the establishment of the HIV Transmission Elimination Implementation Group for Scotland. The groups primary focus will be on prioritising the recommendations within the HIV transmission elimination proposal, having particular regard to their impact, deliverability and resource implications.

In her statement on the 1 st of December the Minister announced significant funding of £400,000 to support two pilots, the development of an E-PrEP clinic and a national media campaign. Both pilots support the findings within the HIV Elimination Proposal.

Officials will continue to liaise closely with the chairs of the implementation group as this process unfolds to understand any implications for central funding.

We know that opt-out testing in emergency departments in areas of high prevalence in other parts of the UK has worked well. However, it is important to evaluate the learning from this to understand both how it might apply in a Scottish context. Specifically how it compares to other interventions recommended by the HIV Transmission Elimination Oversight Group in their HIV Elimination Proposal which was published in December 2022.

The analysis was published on 3 March and can be found here - https://www.gov.scot/publications/energy-system-transition-independent-analysis/ . This publication is an independent report, reviewed by an independent panel, which provides a significant volume of evidence and analysis and will contribute to our understanding of the opportunities and challenges in energy transition. To allow stakeholders to fully consider this material before responding, the consultation period for the draft ESJTP has been extended by 5 weeks, and will now close on 9 May.

7 March 2023

Michael Marra (North East Scotland) (Scottish Labour Party): To ask the Scottish Government how many STEM teacher education bursaries were awarded in each academic year since 2018-19, broken down by teaching subject area.

S6W-15297

Shirley-Anne Somerville:

The Scottish Government does not collect data on local authority expenditure for the provision of emergency accommodation to households experiencing homelessness. This information would need to be requested from each local authority directly.

The majority of homelessness funding since 1999 has been provided to local authorities through the annual local government finance settlement, which is £13.2 billion in 2023-24. Each local authority is responsible for managing and administering their own budget on the basis of local needs and priorities, and have discretion as to how they use this resource to prevent and respond to homelessness, including providing emergency accommodation. This has been supplemented in recent years by £5.5 million from the Scottish Government’s health and housing budgets for the Housing First pathfinder and identifiable resource as follows:

Engagement events in summer 2022 were part of a series of engagement sprints that have informed the draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan (ESJTP). The draft ESJTP is currently open for public consultation and we welcome views from as broad a spectrum of respondents as possible. A series of open engagement events are currently in preparation to which Aberdeen City Council will be invited.

On 9 February 2023, the Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work met representatives of Aberdeen City Council to discuss the Just Transition Fund.

I met with the oil and gas industry to discuss the draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan at the following engagements:

• Cabinet Secretary NZET briefed Melfort Campbell, co-chair Strategic Leadership Group on the draft ESJTP on 10 January
• Cabinet Secretary NZET briefed Sir Ian Wood on the draft ESJTP on 10 January
• Officials briefed Equinor on the draft ESJTP on 10 January
• Cabinet Secretary NZET briefed David Whitehouse, oeuk, on the draft ESJTP on 10 January
• Cabinet Secretary NZET briefed SEAB on the draft ESJTP on 31 January
• Cabinet Secretary NZET due to engage with David Whitehouse, oeuk, on 8 March

In addition to the above engagements, officials are due to speak to oeuk on 6 March and further official and ministerial engagements with the industry are being planned throughout the consultation phase of the ESJTP.

The Scottish Government target for a decision on an offshore windfarm is 9 months from the point that an application is submitted. This is what we would expect for high quality applications which are based on the scoping opinion issued by the Scottish Ministers, although that timeframe will be subject to responses received from statutory and non-statutory consultees and any complications which may arise from those. This timeline is likely to be challenging for applications of more variable quality or those required to submit additional information under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations, or which require a derogation under the Habitats Regulations. Statutory consultees, other than the relevant planning authority, have a 30 day or 42 day period, depending on the location of the wind farm, to respond to consultations on applications. Extensions to this period may be granted. Relevant planning authorities have a period of four months to respond.

As well as providing funding to increase resource within the Marine Scotland Directorate of Scottish Government in relation to planning and consenting for ScotWind, the Scottish Government has provided additional funding to NatureScot, a key statutory consultee, to secure a number of new posts in light of the increased statutory consultee demands expected from the ScotWind process. As with the resources within Marine Scotland Directorate, the resources required by NatureScot to meet the demands arising from ScotWind will be subject to applicants’ timelines and will be kept under review.

The Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP) currently comprises of thirty-seven projects. One school project is complete and eight are currently in construction, with the remainder in development by the local authorities. Projects are delivered locally, with a central programme function consisting of design and technical expertise, as well as budget, programme and risk management to support the programme and continue to foster collaboration. Many of the projects are also working in collaboration with other aspects of the public sector with the inclusion of sports, community, NHS and Police Scotland facilities.

The LEIP is subject to the Gateway Review process. In relation to individual projects, post-project reviews and post-occupancy evaluations are required under the LEIP terms and conditions, learning from which will be collated and disseminated to understand if other elements of the programme can also be expanded across other sectors.

The funding model for LEIP has evolved from the concept of the Growth Accelerator model developed by Scottish Futures Trust and Scottish Government, and adapted for the Learning Estate. The aspects that have worked well from both the Growth Accelerator and Learning Estate models - particularly the premise that central funding is for the outcomes investment can achieve, rather than the investment itself - have then been used in the development of the Green Growth Accelerator model, which is currently in use.

There is no licensing scheme regulating the shooting of woodcock in Scotland. Resident and migratory woodcock can only be shot during the open season, which is between 1 September and 31 January, as set out in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Outwith these dates, woodcock cannot be taken or killed.