Chamber and committees

NHS Education for Scotland (NES) has launched an e-learning module on menstrual health available on Turas Learnand in particular is aimed at those working in primary care. The school nursing workforce and school counsellors can also access this training as required.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-32273 on 6 January 2025. 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 total size of the Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund is £34 million. The UK government budget committed funding from which Barnett consequentials will be received, however, these are accrued to the Scottish Government as a whole and it is for Scottish Ministers to decide how they should be allocated based on their priorities.

A total of 28 projects have been funded through the Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (SIETF). Refer to the Scottish Government website which includes a list of projects that have received SIETF grant offers from 2021 to 2024, along with case studies.

In some areas access to processing facilities, including larders is a barrier to increased deer control. That is why as set out in S6W-32094 on 6 January 2025, we have provided financial support for some larders already and are working with NatureScot, FLS and other public sector partners to assess what further support is required.

Mobile deer larders may be a good option in some parts of Scotland, and we will consider those alongside other options in future decisions on support for venison and deer management.

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

Two pilot incentive schemes led by NatureScot were launched in early autumn to provide financial incentives to deer managers to increase deer culls in specific parts of Scotland.

The schemes are operating well with 22 deer controllers signed up across 19 properties in Central Scotland and 25 deer controllers signed up across 12 properties in South Loch Ness. Some of the cull thresholds, which are the triggers for incentive payments to be made, have now been met in both pilot areas with payments issued in November 2024.

The Scottish Government has provided £80,000 through the Covid Recovery Plan Opportunities Fund to create new local chill and processing units for wild venison in Argyll, Moray and Dumfries and Galloway.

Separately, NatureScot is beginning a partnership project with the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society to look at the venison chain supply issues, barriers, and opportunities for investment into processing infrastructure and community larders.

In addition to this, Forestry and Land Scotland are considering providing a limited number of people from a small number of local communities with the opportunity to help them deliver sustainable deer management this would include allowing access to cull on FLS land and having access to their larders.

The following table includes estimated costs to extend the 40% relief for hospitality premises liable for the Basic Property Rate to retail premises liable for the Basic, Intermediate and Higher Property Rates respectively. These costs are in addition to the forecast cost of the 40% relief for hospitality premises liable for the Basic Property Rate and are net of existing reliefs (such as the Small Business Bonus Scheme) that we expect businesses to be awarded in 2025-26. A £110,000 cap has been applied at business level and a take-up adjustment of 70% has been applied, which is consistent with the Scottish Fiscal Commission’s forecasts.

When considering relief for properties liable for the Intermediate and Higher rates, the estimated costs are additional to the cost of relief for retail properties liable for the lower rate(s). Offering 40% relief for retail properties liable for Basic and Intermediate Property Rates, capped at £110,000 per business, for example would cost an estimated £52m (in addition to the cost of offering 40% relief to hospitality premises liable for the Basic Property Rate, capped at £110,000 per business).

Relief cost estimates are based on the property classification as per the valuation roll. Properties could be used for other purposes, however. It should be noted that use-based non-domestic rates relief is only available where a property is wholly or mainly used for a specific purpose.

Source: Scottish Assessors’ Valuation Roll as at 1 October 2024; local councils’ billing information as at 1 June 2024

On 4 December 2024, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance & Local Government announced a draft Scottish Budget for 2025-26. Included in the draft Budget was the commitment to continue mitigating some of the negative impacts of UK Government policy decisions, including the bedroom tax and benefit cap, and a new commitment to develop the systems necessary to effectively scrap the impact of the two-child limit in 2026. The Child Poverty Action Group has estimated that the change could lift 15,000 children in Scotland out of poverty.

Subject to the approval of Parliament, the Scottish Government will invest over £97 million in Discretionary Housing Payments in 2025-26 to mitigate the bedroom tax and benefit cap and provide additional housing support. This is an increase of nearly £7 million over 2024-25 and more per person than any other UK nation.

In addition to the above support, an additional £20 million was recently added to the Scottish Welfare Fund to enable councils to provide more vital support to people in crisis, bringing the total investment for 2024-25 up to £61 million. Shortfalls in the UK social security system have contributed to an increased demand on the fund, and we will continue to closely monitor spend and demand trends as we look ahead to the next financial year.

In our consultation document: Allocation of Scottish Additional Quota from 2024, the Scottish Government set out a wish to explore whether a vessel’s history of compliance with regulatory requirements relating to fishing could be utilised as a criterion for allocating Additional Quota.

As noted in our subsequent outcome of consultation document, there were split views on this proposal. The Scottish Government sees merit in exploring withholding Additional Quota on the basis of non-compliance with regulatory requirements. As we set out in the outcome report, this will be taken forward as part of a review of the penalties system. No date is set for when this work will commence, but it will be delivered in line with our Fisheries Management Strategy (2020-2030).