Chamber and committees

As the member is aware from the answers to questions S5W-30290 and S5W-29857, the Scottish Government is still actively engaged in pursuing the available options to deliver the best support that we can for the future of the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) aiming wherever possible to protect jobs and re-open sites.

Until the discussions between the team I formed from across Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise, and the NTS have reached a conclusion, I am unable to confirm details of any specific support for any specific sites.

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

We previously stated that the tracker would go live this summer and are continuing to work to this timeline. The online checker will be tested prior to its formal launch.

The Scottish Government is committed to helping households in Scotland to have more energy efficient and affordable to heat homes, and we have a long-standing range of funding and support schemes available.

For homeowners, interest-free loan schemes covering up to 100% of the cost of energy efficiency and renewable energy measures are available, including cashback grants on some measures for example: Loft, floor or cavity wall insulation: up to £1,000 (£750 loan plus £250 cashback); Solid wall insulation: up to £10,000 (£7,500 loan plus £2,500 cashback) and Heating system (warm air units or high heat retention electric storage heaters): up to £5,000 (£4,600 plus £400 cashback).

The maximum amount that can be borrowed is £15,000 (including a maximum cashback amount of £3,750).

Some householders may also be eligible for funded support through the Scottish Government’s national Warmer Homes Scotland scheme or through local authority-led Area Based Schemes. These programmes are focused on individuals in fuel poverty and areas with a high proportion of fuel poor households respectively. Eligibility criteria apply, but employment status is not directly a criteria.

Home Energy Scotland, which is funded by the Scottish Government, acts as our gateway to all of the Scottish Government’s energy efficiency schemes. They also offer all callers free and impartial energy efficiency advice and advice on how to keep the home warmer and more affordable to heat.

As set out in my answer to S5W-29857, the National Trust for Scotland has committed to providing us with a turnaround plan setting out its strategy for recovery to accompany a revised case for support which is focused on reopening properties, and protecting jobs. This follows the previous request to the Scottish Government for assistance in order for the Trust to continue its current operations.

Scottish Enterprise met with NTS representatives on 29 June to discuss progress and I understand the Trust has indicated that a revised business plan will be completed shortly.

Through the Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund, we are providing support to pivotal SMEs which is unavailable elsewhere in the UK. Due to significant demand, we doubled the Fund to £90m and have since further increased it to £120m.

We will publish the number of applications and a list of all awards through the Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund shortly broken down by Local Authority area. Our Enterprise Agencies are currently processing appeals and following this stage of the process, we will publish the details in the coming weeks.

Survey and design work has been undertaken in the period since both contracts were signed at the turn of the year. Premises level plans will be published through our new online checker, which we will launch later this summer.

Prior to Covid19 emergency the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorate was working closely with the National Gender Identity Clinical Network Scotland and those board areas that host gender identity clinics to better understand their needs and support them in an effort to reduce the waiting times for first appointments. As the NHS begins to remobilise the National Gender Identity Clinical Network for Scotland has been planning the recovery of Gender Identity Clinics. The plans include, the assessment of the impact the response to the pandemic has had on waiting times for services, supporting patients through telephone and video consultation and planning for innovation and adaptation to offer services that facilitate physical distancing and contribute to reducing waiting times.

I am advised by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) that as its revenue comes largely from non-Government sources it is eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and thus HES has appropriately claimed CJRS in accordance with UK Government guidance, and that it has proportionately furloughed staff according to the reduced level of commercial income impacted.

HES states that with the remaining staff it is continuing to deliver its core functions and is reallocating staffing and resource as needed. Given the necessary restrictions that are currently in place, there are activities where HES is not able to continue to provide normal service. HES is working to minimise the impact of this on core activities as well as ensuring plans and resources are in place to allow it to reopen properties and resume activities as quickly as possible and in the most appropriate manner as COVID-19 restrictions are eased.

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has published an Action Plan for 2020-21 identifying how it will maintain and develop its core activities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the actions it is taking to support the wider historic environment sector. The Action Plan is publicly available on HES website: https://www.historicenvironment.scot/about-us/news/hes-publish-six-month-action-plan-in-wake-of-covid-19/

The Scottish Government will continue to work closely with HES to look at the resources needed to support its resumption plans and organisational priorities for the remainder of 2020-21.

In Scotland, wild camping is an exercise of responsible non-motorised access rights established under Part 1 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. These rights only apply if they are exercised responsibly. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code defines wild camping as follows:

“Access rights extend to wild camping. This type of camping is lightweight, done in small numbers and only for two or three nights in any one place. You can camp in this way wherever access rights apply but help to avoid causing problems for local people and land managers by not camping in enclosed fields of crops or farm animals and by keeping well away from buildings, roads or historic structures. Take extra care to avoid disturbing deer stalking or grouse shooting. If you wish to camp close to a house or building, seek the owner’s permission. Leave no trace by: taking away all your litter; removing all traces of your tent pitch and of any open fire (follow the guidance for lighting fires); not causing any pollution.”

Wild camping includes what some may call informal, roadside or freedom camping, all of these being types of camping undertaken beyond the confines of established campsites. These types of camping are wild camping if they are conducted responsibly in accordance with the advice in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. Overnight stays in vehicles are not included.

There are no plans to provide additional measures to Police Scotland to address overnight camping in areas where permission has not been sought or granted. This is an operational matter for Police Scotland.