Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has asked NHS Lothian to carry out a review of the way in which it delivers its eye care services and to look again at what it can do with its existing estate. The Scottish Government recognises the importance of centres of expertise providing specialist care. At the same time, developments in eye care mean that more services can be safely provided closer to patients’ homes. NHS Lothian’s review should consider both these points and how best to use new technology.

The Scottish Government had not committed to funding the construction of a new Eye Hospital in Edinburgh and therefore no savings arise.

The Scottish Government already supports rural homeowners with the costs of reducing and eliminating emissions associated with their heating. Support is available through our existing energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation schemes including Warmer Homes Scotland, our local authority-led Area Based Schemes and our Home Energy Scotland interest-free loan and cashback scheme.

Home Energy Scotland is funded by the Scottish Government and offers free and impartial advice to all Scottish households, including those in our rural and island communities, on how to keep their homes warm, reduce bills and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

We are committed to ensuring our approach to heat decarbonisation neither increases the fuel poverty rate nor increases the depth of fuel poverty. It is imperative that our actions help to deliver both our statutory fuel poverty and climate targets.

Over the next Parliament we will invest £1.6 billion to decarbonise the way we heat our homes and our buildings and tackle fuel poverty. In the short term we will continue to build upon our successful Energy Efficient Scotland delivery programmes helping to ensure homes are energy efficient and ready for low carbon heat. We will also continue to increase the number of zero emission heating measures funded through these programmes, targeting households who can benefit most from decarbonisation, avoiding those where there is a risk of a detrimental outcome, and providing uplifted support where necessary to secure both objectives.

Over the longer term the UK Government must take action on energy prices to better align the transition to net-zero with fuel poverty objectives. This includes rebalancing environmental and social obligations on energy bills to make gas and electric prices relatively more comparable; as well as increasing levy funding for social obligations alongside changes to how costs are charged to low income and fuel poor households with higher energy costs, to ensure that progress is maintained in reducing fuel poverty.

The draft Heat in Buildings Strategy, published 5 February, sets out the actions we will take to protect vulnerable households including those at risk of fuel poverty as we transform our homes so that they are warmer, greener and affordable to heat.

Cladding systems containing combustible materials that pass the large scale BS8414 test and meet the performance criteria in BR 135 can be used on buildings over 11m in Scotland. I announced at the Local Government and Communities Committee meeting on 4 September 2020 that an independent panel of fire experts would be convened to consider the banning of the highest risk combustible cladding materials and also the role of BS8414. Public safety is our first priority and I am satisfied that the action taken within our reviews, based upon the advice from the many independent experts involved, will continue to deliver this.

The payment process for third, voluntary, charitable or private sector providers opened on 1 February. There are approximately 170,000 people working for 1,200 employers, plus personal assistants in adult social care. Whilst this means some complexity, we are working urgently with partners to ensure the relevant information is submitted and payments are made as soon as possible.

We have already topped up Carer’s Allowance in response to the coronavirus pandemic. In June 2020, we made a one-off Coronavirus Carer’s Allowance Supplement of £230.10 to 83,000 of Scotland’s carers, on some of the lowest incomes and with some of the most intense caring roles, to help recognise the extra pressures caused by the pandemic. Through Carer’s Allowance Supplement and this special payment, carers in Scotland received £690.30 more than carers south of the border last year.

We invested around £19.2 million through the Coronavirus Carer’s Allowance Supplement, bringing our total investment in carers through Carer’s Allowance, the Carer’s Allowance Supplement and the Coronavirus Carer’s Allowance Supplement to almost £350 million in 2020-21.

Throughout the pandemic we have also provided a range additional support to unpaid carers including establishing a £500,000 fund to help local carer services adapt to providing advice and emotional support remotely. We have recently announced a further investment of £750,000 in the voluntary sector Short Breaks Fund’s ‘Time to Live’ scheme. I refer the member to the answer to question‎ S5W-34671 on 29 January 2021 for further information.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Scottish Government Ministers and officials regularly attend meetings and sessions with unpaid carers to ensure they are properly involved in COVID-19 response and recovery planning.

The former Minister for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing, Joe FitzPatrick MSP, attended a range of virtual meeting with carers in 2020 at which the impact of the pandemic was discussed. These include:

• a Carers Week session run by Dundee Carers Centre in June;
• a members meeting of the Coalition of Carers in Scotland (COCIS) in June;
• a conversation with families who benefited from Family Fund’s Take a Break Fund in September; and
• the Carers Parliament event in November (alongside the Minister for Mental Health).

Other Ministers have also engaged directly with carers during the pandemic.

As the new Minister for Public Health and Sport, I have a number of meetings in my diary over the coming months to speak directly with carers of all ages about their experiences and concerns during this challenging time.

In additional to direct Ministerial engagement, Scottish Government officials across various portfolios have met and consulted with unpaid carers regularly on issues relating to the pandemic. Examples include:

• responding to issues raised by the Carers Cross Party Group, and other Cross Party Groups with carer interests;
• engagement events for the ‘Towards Transformation plan’ which looks to address emerging COVID-19 issues for autistic people and/or people with learning disabilities;
• engagement with carers of those with dementia as part of the Clear Your Head campaign;
• through the national Dementia in Care Homes Group which has met regularly since the start of COVID -19;
• engagement with individual carers leading to the publication of the Scottish Government’s Dementia COVID-19 Recovery Plan;
• work with young carers to support the development of a young carer section of the National Wellbeing Hub.

Forthcoming Social Security work includes research with young carers as part of the evaluation of Young Carer Grant (YCG) to explore how COVID-19 has impacted on how young carers have used, or intend to use, the grant.

We will also launch a survey, which will be followed by an interview series, on how the pandemic has impacted people’s communication preferences and needs of Social Security Scotland. This will be sent to all Experience Panels members and all members of the Social Security Client Panels who have applied to Social Security Scotland, including applicants for YCG.

Around half of the Social Security Experience Panel is made up of carers. Of people who responded to the questions, 52% of panel members said that they have caring responsibilities.

As always, members of the public, including unpaid carers, continue to be able to write to the Scottish Government, providing vital lived experience which informs recovery policy making.