Chamber and committees

When householders contact Home Energy Scotland, they are advised on the range of support schemes available, including whether they may be eligible for grant funded schemes such as Warmer Homes Scotland and the Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Schemes, before being directed to the HES loan scheme.

Even if funding is not available through these schemes, Home Energy Scotland will offer free and impartial energy efficiency advice on how to keep the home warmer and more affordable to heat. Tariff advice is also offered to ensure that households are on the most cost effective tariff for their circumstances and all callers are offered a benefit check. This is to ensure that, no matter what their income, they are receiving all the support they are entitled to.

Earlier this year, we published our draft Heat in Buildings Strategy setting out our ambition to transition 1 million homes to zero emissions heating by 2030 and to ensure all buildings achieve a good level of energy efficiency by 2035. Responses to the public consultation are now being analysed.

We are focused on supporting town centre businesses affected by change of working patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic, both in the shorter term and for longer term adaption.

We have extended 100% non-domestic rates relief for all retail, leisure, aviation and hospitality premises for all of 2021-22. Additional funding announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy on 2 June will support businesses remaining in level 2 and we are launching a £10 million Scotland Loves Local programme. This follows support of £3.6 billion since the start of the pandemic directly benefitting businesses including town centre businesses.

We will deliver a response to the Town Centre Review which will help us work collaboratively to revitalise our town centres, aiming to increase footfall which will benefit town centre businesses. The Review recognises that there is an opportunity to lock in renewed interest in independent and local businesses, often in local towns and neighbourhoods, encouraged in part by home working and reduced commuting.

We are working with the retail sector to develop a strategy to support recovery from a year of limited trading through to the next five years and beyond, including considerations of how the sector may have to change and adapt to meet the challenges of the impact of Covid-19.

To support longer-term place based renewal and community-led regeneration, including for town centres, and 20 minute neighbourhoods, we have established a Place Based Investment Programme, backed with £325 million capital investment over five years.

We have no current plans to provide further support to Nightclubs and Soft Play centres. In October 2020, the first phase of the Business Contingency Fund provided grants of up to £50,000 to eligible Nightclubs and Soft Play centres, depending on the rateable value of the business property. From November they were also eligible for Strategic Framework Business Fund grants every four weeks of either £2000 or £3000, again depending on the rateable value of the business property, and a linked top-up award for retail, hospitality and leisure sectors. Further support was provided through one-off Restart Grant payments in April of up to £19,500.

Currently there is no sectoral prioritisation of workers, other than frontline health and social care workers. We are inviting those of working age in all sectors for vaccination, in line with advice on clinical risk of severe disease and hospitalisation.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) priority lists represents 99% of the preventable mortality from COVID-19 and throughout the delivery of the vaccination programme. The JCVI advice is that an age-based approach is the best way to quickly protect those who have not yet had the vaccine but who are at increased risk due to occupation or other factors.

The Scottish Government has met its target to offer all of those in JCVI groups 1 to 9 an initial dose of COVID vaccine, with over 99 per cent of those aged over 50 having received their first dose. Those aged over 40 are now in the process of being invited for vaccination. Beyond that we will aim, supplies permitting, to have offered first doses to the entire adult population by end July, rather than September as previously anticipated.

Tables 1a, 1b, and 1c, have been placed in the Scottish Parliament information Centre under Bib No. 62441. These show the number of properties as at 1 April 2021 subject to the Basic (BPR), Intermediate (IPR), and Higher Property Rates (HPR) respectively, broken down by local authority and property class (data on industry sectors is not available). Property class is a classification used by the Scottish Assessors to describe the type of a property, and may not accurately reflect its use. For example, a property classified as a ‘shop’ may in fact be used to offer financial services. Properties across all bands may be eligible for rates reliefs which may reduce or eliminate their rates liability.

The BPR (49p) is charged on properties with a rateable value up to and including £51,000, the IPR (50.3p) on properties with a rateable value over £51,000 and up to £95,000, and the HPR (51.6p) is charged on properties with a rateable value over £95,000.

Table 2 presents the net amounts (after anticipated reliefs) expected to be raised in 2021-22 through the BPR, levied on all properties, and the additional amounts expected to be raised from the IPR and HPR. Ratepayers who have repaid or have publicly committed to repaying the equivalent of the Retail, Hospitality, Leisure and Aviation (RHLA) relief awarded in 2020-21 are assumed not to apply in 2021-22.

Table 2: Net amounts expected to be raised in 2021-22 through the BPR, IPR and HPR, by property class

Physical distancing has been an important element in controlling the spread of COVID-19 and we recognise that physical distancing has an impact on how businesses are able to operate and has an impact on the profitability of all businesses. The Scottish Government is reviewing physical distancing and an announcement on the outcome of this review will be made in June. We cannot pre-empt the outcome of the review to say what the future of physical distancing will be in coming months, however as with all restrictions we do not intend to have physical distancing for any longer than is necessary to control the virus effectively.

We have provided more than £140 million of additional funding for culture and heritage since the start of the pandemic. The £185 million business support package announced in December 2020 has allowed us to offer more support to the sector in the shape of new funds and further tranches of previous funds, including additional support for grassroots music venues, museums and galleries, and the events sector. Our support includes the £12.5 million Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund (PAVRF), £15 million for a Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund (COVRF) and £6.2 million support for Grassroots Music Venues. We have provided £17 million for creative freelancers, £5.67 million for independent cinemas and £ 4.25 million for youth arts and youth music, as well as £31.5 million for the Events sector. We have also given additional support to some of Scotland’s key theatres. In addition to this specific funding for culture and heritage, businesses in the sector have also received support from the Third Sector Resilience Fund, Pivotal Enterprises Resilience Fund and the Heritage Emergency Fund.

On 11 May the First Minister announced that we will provide additional support for the performing arts sector. This recognises the impact of physical distancing on current activity and the sector’s ability to plan for future activity. The intention is to provide top-ups to previous funds (PAVRF and COVRF) which will be administered by Creative Scotland. Creative Scotland are currently developing these schemes. It is likely that the schemes will open for applications in early June

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo announced its cancellation in 2021 on 18 May as a result of the financial risks involved in delivering an event of such scale without the backing of UK-wide commercial COVID-related insurance for events, which remains a reserved matter. The Scottish Government continues to press the UK Government for an events insurance scheme to allow for the confident recovery of the events sector.

Whilst Scottish Ministers set the strategic policy for the NHS in Scotland, responsibility for service delivery rests locally with Health Boards and GP practices. Practices are contracted to provide general medical services by their local health board and not the Scottish Government. As such, Scottish Ministers are unable to intervene in the service and appointment arrangements of individual practices, but they do expect satisfactory systems to be in place for the benefit of all patients.

East Lothian HSCP have been working closely with the practice and have given support to increase the number of GP appointments available to patients of the practice. The HSCP are also delivering a range of self-referral services that offer patients same-day access to specialist clinical, mental health and MSK physiotherapist support.

The practice have recruited a number of members of staff including call handlers, a Specialist Paramedic, a Clinical Manager/Nurse Practitioner and a further Nurse Practitioner. An additional GP has joined the practice, with another due to join in the summer.

The Scottish Government does not carry out its own analysis on dental treatment patterns and the associated impact on oral health. Evidence to inform policy is derived from a range of sources with specific sectoral interest, including Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP), as commissioned by the Chief Dental Officer on behalf of The Scottish Government.

Similarly, for children’s oral health findings from primary research, including the National Dental Inspection Programme (NDIP) will be used along with evidence from recently published studies and systematic reviews from a range of sources to inform policy decisions as we move forward through remobilisation and system reform. Whilst infection control requirements have meant that practices are still working at considerably reduced capacity, oral health considerations for children are prioritised as part of the clinical triage process.

Social Security is integral to my Social Justice, Housing and Local Government portfolio . It’s importance is reflected in the fact there is both a Cabinet Secretary and a Minister with responsibilities for it.

NHS Inform website provides guidance on what vaccination status records can, and cannot be used for. This is available at: www.nhsinform.scot/covid19status