Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government recognises that anxiety can impact people’s ability to enter and sustain employment, and is committed to ensuring timely, joined up support that improves wellbeing and enables access to fair work. Our social security system takes a compassionate approach to delivering Adult Disability Payment, ensuring people can access the support they are entitled to.

Our Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and our accompanying Delivery Plan prioritises early intervention and prevention, ensuring people can access support quickly and at the earliest stage before their condition worsens. We fund a range of accessible services, including Mind to Mind Scotland and 24/7 support through NHS 24’s Mental Health Hub, alongside the Breathing Space helpline.

We have invested £164 million since 2020 in community-based mental health and wellbeing supports, including over 6,100 projects through the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults. These provide early, practical support such as peer support, social connection and activity based interventions that help people manage anxiety and build confidence, including for work.

Through our funding for devolved employability services, support for people to progress towards and into employment is available in all 32 local authority areas. Our Specialist Employability Support offer ensures place-and-train models of support for disabled people and people with long-term health conditions are in place across the country.

Together, these actions ensure that people experiencing anxiety can access timely support and are helped to progress towards fair and sustainable employment reducing the risk of long-term welfare dependency.

As the strategic housing authority for the area, Fife Council assessed the situation and took a strategic decision to redirect Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) (2026-27) funds in Fife to purchase these homes. Fife Council requested AHSP grant funding of 57% grant which provides value for money at around £73,000 grant per unit across all 26 units and is broadly in line with other open market purchases in Fife. By enabling this, the threat of homelessness will be removed for all tenants bringing the matter to a successful conclusion. This year Scottish Government will invest over £926m to support delivery of affordable housing, with Councils as the strategic housing authorities setting the investment priorities within their areas.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.

The Scottish Government is delivering the strongest package of winter support in the UK.

Pension Age Winter Heating Payment is an automatic annual payment that helps people of State Pension age with winter heating costs.

Official statistics published on 19 May 2026 shows that as of 31 March 2026 over 1.055 million Pension Age Winter Heating Payments were made to eligible clients, with the vast majority paid automatically in December 2025.The information requested for April 2026 is not yet published.

People could apply for Pension Age Winter Heating Payment if they believed they were eligible but had not received a payment by 31 March 2026. Social Security Scotland may therefore make payments after that date where applications are received, awarded or accepted late in certain circumstances.

Further details are available on Social Security Scotland’s website at: Winter Heating Benefit Statistics.

The Aberdeen City GP walk-incentre, based in Aberdeen Health Village, is due to open later this month.

Residential Properties

The Scottish Government does not hold information on how many properties affected by RAAC have been demolished and rebuilt in each year since 2023-24.

Public Buildings

The Scottish Government does not hold information on how many public buildings affected by RAAC have been demolished and rebuilt in each year since 2023-24.

Some information will be accessible via the report available here: Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) across the public sector in Scotland - gov.scot. Current information may be obtained from individual public authorities who retain responsibility for matters of building maintenance as building owners.

Data and information about Scotland’s Cladding Remediation Programme (CRP) has been published regularly since June 2025. The range and structure of information released is developing across publications, reflecting Programme progress and activity over time, and to date has included:

• the number of expressions of interest (EoIs) submitted via the Single Open Call, by type of applicant
• the number of EoIs that had been identified as likely to be eligible or ineligible for Scottish Government funding from the CRP to carry out an Single Building Assessment (SBA)
• the number of initial grant or funding offers issued
• the number of SBAs started and completed
• whether remedial works were identified as a result of those SBAs
• information relating to remediation and urgent interim measures
• Programme expenditure by financial year
• Information on developer funded assessment and remediation

The latest information on the number of expressions of interest received via the Single Open Call and the number of grant offer letters issued as a result of expressions of interest made to the Single Open Call, was published in the management information release reporting on progress at 31 December 2025.

The latest information on the progress of the Cladding Remediation Programme was published on 28 April 2026, in the management information release reporting on progress at 28 February 2026.

Further financial information relating to the Cladding Remediation Programme was published on 25 March 2026 in a Letter to Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee.

The next management information release, reporting on the progress of the Cladding Remediation Programme at 31 March 2026, will be published on 16 June.

As the strategic housing authority for the area, Fife Council assessed the situation and took a strategic decision to redirect Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) (2026-27) funds in Fife to purchase these homes. Due to funding commitments for other projects, Fife Council requested additional support from Scottish Government to ensure the purchase could be supported quickly, without creating pressure on existing AHSP projects. The AHSP already allows for the purchase of homes with tenants in situ where this meets a clear strategic purpose and where the tenant is at risk of homelessness, as set out in published guidance. Guidance+and+Procedures+-+MHDGN+2023-01+-+Affordable+Housing+Supply+Programme+%28AHSP%29+Process+and+Procedures.pdf.

Alongside our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement as set out in the social security principles, further enhancements are being made to the review process. These enhancements will include improvements to the scheduled review form, which will strengthen the gathering of relevant information at award review.

We will design these enhancements with disabled people and stakeholders to facilitate fair and robust decision-making and ensure that the values of dignity, fairness and respect are embedded throughout.