Chamber and committees

Responsibility for financial support to foster carers registered with Glasgow City Council is a matter for Glasgow City Council. Consideration of the introduction of an annual and consistent increase is a matter for them to consider.

Heat networks have an important role to play in meeting the targets set out in our Heat in Buildings Strategy, including contributing to ensuring that at least 1 million homes and the equivalent of 50,000 non-domestic buildings are connected to zero emission heating systems by 2030. Our climate change targets are supported by the Heat Networks (Scotland) Act 2021, which sets out a target of supplying 6 terawatt hours of thermal energy through heat networks by 2030.

Funded by the Scottish Government and West Dunbartonshire Council, the Queens Quay District Heat Network is already being held up as an excellent example, having won multiple industry awards. It’s important that the lessons learned and successes are carried forward to future heat network projects by the partners and contractors involved, including the Scottish Government. However, we should also remain open to other types of heating systems utilising other sources of heat, such as recovering waste heat, to ensure our heat networks are as efficient and affordable as possible.

We are providing a platform for this by increasing our investment in heat networks with the launch of the £300 million Scotland’s Heat Network Fund. The Fund offers long-term support to enable the rollout of new zero emission heat networks and aims to stimulate investment. We have recently launched Scotland’s Heat in Building Development Funding Invitation, making £1 million of pre-capital support available. This will close to new applications on 31 st May 2022. We recognise the importance of providing this development support and will establish a fuller heat network support unit later this year.

We recognise that our targets for heat network deployment will require a substantial growth in supply chains. Our significant investment through the Heat Network Fund will help kick start the supply chain in Scotland, creating high quality and green jobs.

The Heat Networks Delivery Plan, published March 2022, outlines further steps that the Scottish Government will take to accelerate the development of heat networks across Scotland. We will work with local government to put in place Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies which identify areas particularly suitable for heat networks, and to designate heat network zones for development. We will also implement the Heat Networks (Scotland) Act 2021, putting in place a functioning regulatory regime by early 2024.

The Scottish Government Heat in Buildings Strategy was published in October 2021 and aligns with wider Scottish Government policy on housing, energy and climate change; the actions it sets out are reflected in our Housing to 2040 Strategy. In February this year the Scottish Government launched a new £300 million fund to support the development and rollout of low or zero emission heat networks across Scotland.

We understand that the intention was for the Dalmarnock development to connect to the district heating network serving the former Commonwealth Games Athletes' Village. However, after consideration, the Council concluded that a cost effective business case could not be made to achieve this. Connecting to the Clyde Gateway system was not possible due to timing; the design work for the Dalmarnock project was undertaken in 2017, which was before the Clyde Gateway District Heating system was developed.

Alternative methods were considered and the project by the Link Group therefore includes a separate communal heating system, which the 178 flats already completed are connected to, and which is managed and run on Link's behalf by Switch 2. The communal system supplies heat to all of the dwellings in the flatted blocks from a common source, providing scope to offer easy adoption of low and zero carbon technology in the future. Connecting the 57 houses in the development to the communal heating system would have required significant infrastructure work spread across the site which the Council and Link concluded was not financially viable. A further 72 flats being delivered in the current Phase 3 development and 148 flats planned in Phase 4 will also use a communal heating system.

The Scottish Government is providing the £150 Cost of Living award to every household in receipt of a reduction under the Council Tax Reduction (CTR) scheme, across council tax bands A to H; and to all households in council tax bands A to D who are not receiving a reduction under the CTR scheme. These criteria mean that 73% of all households in Scotland will receive financial support through a reduction in their council tax bill, or as a direct payment. Local authorities are also being provided with funds from which to make Cost of Living award payments to the estimated 38,000 low income households which are exempt from council tax, including those accessing housing support services of living in temporary accommodation. In addition the CTR scheme is there to ensure nobody has to pay a council tax bill they cannot be expected to afford, and reduces a household's council tax liability based on an assessment of their income, capital, and circumstances. Currently over 450,000 households receive some level of CTR, and on average recipients save over £750 a year.

In order to support older and disabled people in meeting this new legislation, we have provided a total of £1.1 million in 2021-22 to Care and Repair Scotland.

We also provided £1 million to SFRS for their Home Fire Safety visits to help those most vulnerable to the risk of fire to meet the new standard. The general principle is that owners are responsible for the cost of looking after private property. Our targeted funding is reaching those most at risk and least able to do the work themselves. There are no currently plans to provide further funding.

The Scottish Government published a statement in partnership with COSLA on 21 January 2022 confirming that local authorities will take a proportionate and measured approach to compliance and individual circumstances will be taken into account.

Whilst we encourage homeowners to install these alarms at their earliest opportunity to protect lives and possessions, we have emphasised consistently that there will be no penalties for non-compliance.

The Scottish Government recognises the acute pressure that is felt by people due to the cost of living crisis and will be pulling forward planned marketing activity to promote the advice and support that is in place for them.

The Scottish Government directs people towards its fuel poverty and home energy schemes, including Warmer Homes Scotland, via the Home Energy Scotland Advice Service. This makes it easier for people in Scotland to access all the support they are eligible for in one place and acts as the referral mechanism for the schemes.

In addition to the forthcoming activity, the Home Energy Scotland marketing campaign for winter 2021-22 concluded on 6 March 2022. The campaign ran over TV, digital and press advertising in two bursts of activity from 1 November 2021 to 12 December 2021 and from 5 January 2022 to 6 March 2022. An evaluation is currently being compiled which will inform future activity.

As committed to in the Scottish Government’s Heat in Buildings Strategy, we are now also developing a Public Engagement Strategy and early engagement activities to raise the profile of the heat decarbonisation agenda, including the changes that people will need to make and the co-benefits that can be delivered. Through this work we will also promote increased awareness of existing and future support as part of ensuring a fair and just transition, reflecting and building on the principles set out in our broader Climate Change Public Engagement Strategy.

Further details will be made available in due course.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-07951 on 20 April 2022. 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 independent Barclay Review of Non-Domestic Rates acknowledged that exemption - where types of property are exempt from rating – is not the best way to affect non-domestic rates liabilities. The review highlighted that where properties are not valued and do not appear on the valuation roll the financial benefit to those concerned is unknown, which decreases transparency and has the potential to create unfairness for other ratepayers. Furthermore, exemptions are based on the property characteristics of lands and heritages, rather than occupiers. As such, any exemption for the property types that ALEOs operate would require to apply across the tax base, to all similar lands and heritages.

The independent Barclay Review recommended that charity relief be ended for ALEOs and the existing relief for ALEOs removed. The Scottish Government only accepted this recommendation in part, and on 28 November 2017 it was announced that properties being run by council ALEOs in receipt of relief, charitable or sports club, on that date would be able to retain that relief in full. However, to address the concerns of the continuing expansion of the ALEO approach, the cost of further relief to ALEOs would be offset to councils to mitigate against future ALEO expansion.

ALEOs are still able to claim relief, and Local Authorities may award the relief included within their baseline amount as they see fit. However, if the total amount awarded by the Council exceeds the established baseline, its Local Government settlement is adjusted by an offsetting amount.

Charities are a major funder of medical research and development in Scotland, with investment estimated to be worth £122m in 2018 (Fraser of Allander report 2022). Scotland is a global centre of excellence for clinical research and there are a number of organisations in Scotland supporting those charities and their researchers.

The Association of Medical Research Charities works to maximise the potential for research and innovation in the NHS to ensure the investment from medical research charities has the greatest impact for patients. Medical Research Scotland supports individuals through the award of doctoral studentships and through other training initiatives to companies. Scottish Health Innovation Ltd also support clinical research and work closely with NHS Research Scotland, in partnership of Scottish NHS Boards and the Chief Scientist Office (CSO), to innovate and commercialise products and services. The Scottish Funding Council offer a number of funding programmes, which are administered by Interface, to offset the cost for collaborations to support innovation and research.

To further support research and development the Programme for Government has committed £100m to R&D over the next 5 years.

(a) The National Strategy for Economic Transformation puts a clear focus on growing new companies. Scotland aims to be a nation of entrepreneurs and innovators, with resilient supply chains and competitive advantages in the new industries generated by technological change and scientific advances. This is the epitome of medical research companies in Scotland.

(b) Life science company growth is being supported by a breadth of policies across government to support growth investment, skills development, R&D and innovation as well as business planning and support. The Scottish Government recognises that the commercialisation of university research is an important generator of new and innovative businesses, products and services, for societal and economic good. Scottish Enterprise has long been a key contributor to investment in the industry and participated in half of the life science start-up funding here. In addition, Scottish Government set up the Scottish Growth Scheme in 2019 to provide loans and equity investment to start-ups and high growth businesses, including those in life sciences. During 2022-23 we expect the Growth Scheme to invest approximately £28m in total to start-ups and high growth businesses.