Chamber and committees

We remain committed to sustained investment to strengthen provision of education in Scotland and we are providing local authorities with £185.5m in this year’s budget to maintain teacher numbers.

We remain committed to working with the teacher unions, and COSLA, through the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers, to agree our approach to delivering a reduction in class contact time. We are clear that reducing class contact time will help address critical concerns around teacher workload, thereby creating the space to drive improvement and reform in our schools and improve outcomes for pupils.

The Scottish Government is clear that financial uncertainty should not be a barrier to women leaving an abusive partner.

We are investing £1.5 million in a national Fund to Leave, which aims to help reduce the financial burden of leaving an abusive partner by providing financial support to help to pay for the essentials women and children need.

Our £26.1 million a year Delivering Equally Safe Fund supports a range of services for survivors of gender-based violence. The Victim Centred Approach Fund provides £12 million to 23 organisations between 2025 and 2027 for advocacy support for survivors of gender-based violence. Additionally we have increased funds to Financially Included to establish an economic abuse helpline.

This year we have allocated £2.2 million to roll out a national Council Tax Debt project, delivered by Citizens Advice Scotland to increase the support available to those that need advice and support on any aspect of Council Tax including arrears.

The number of homelessness applications from former members of the armed forces, broken down by local authority, is published in Table 2 (T2) of the Veteran homelessness workbook available on the Scottish Government homelessness statistics webpage here:

Homelessness in Scotland: veteran homelessness - gov.scot

Data is not available prior to April 2007 as this is when data collection began.

Devolved Administrations are required to refer subsidies to the Competition and Markets Authority's Subsidy Advice Unit where any proposed subsidy has a value over £25million cumulative over three financial years. The Scottish Government does not anticipate that the cost of exempting the carriage of Highlands and Islands passengers from Air Departure Tax (ADT) is likely to exceed this cost threshold. However, policy costings for prospective ADT reliefs and exemptions will be kept under review.

I exchanged correspondence with Justin Madders MP, the then Minister for Employment Rights, Competition and Markets, who advised the Scottish Government that providing a specific carve out from the Subsidy Control Act 2022 for the Highlands and Islands exemption is not possible.

Local authorities and commercial waste operators have made significant progress to prepare for the ban on landfilling of biodegradable municipal waste and the overwhelming majority already have compliant solutions in place. There has been a significant expansion of energy from waste facilities in Scotland in recent years. The Scottish Government will continue working closely with the waste sector and with public and private sector partners to ensure we build on progress and support a smooth transition away from landfill. It will be for SEPA to determine its regulatory position beyond 31 December 2027.

The Scottish Government’s housing emergency action plan published on 2 September sets out a suite of actions to help address the strategic challenges in providing homelessness services identified by the Scottish Housing Regulator. The plan commits to up to £4.9 billion over the next four years for the delivery of affordable and social homes. It ensures that £808 million will be available for affordable homes in Scotland this year, which includes an acquisition fund of £80 million targeted to the local authorities with the most sustained temporary accommodation pressures.

This fund will help to replenish temporary accommodation stock that has been converted to permanent homes. We are also funding a pilot private sector leasing scheme to reduce the use of unsuitable temporary accommodation, which will support local authorities to comply with their statutory homelessness duties.

I met with the Scottish Housing Regulator recently in October and attended their Board meeting on 5 November. We will continue to engage regularly with both local authorities and the Scottish Housing Regulator to support the local authorities most impacted in the challenges they face in providing homelessness services.

The Place Based Investment Programme as launched in 2021 includes funding allocated directly to local authorities, delivery of the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund and support for Clyde Gateway Urban Regeneration Company (URC).

a) The total funding delivered is detailed in the following table:

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the transition to EVs by ensuring that charging infrastructure is comprehensive, convenient, and accessible to all. I understand the importance of enabling those without access to off street parking to charge their vehicles conveniently, safely and cost-effectively.

Under Section 109 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991, local authorities have the power to issue permits for the installation of private apparatus, such as EV home charging points, therefore decisions about permitting cross-pavement charging are the responsibility of Scotland’s local authorities.

The Scottish Government is working closely with the Scottish Collaboration of Transport Specialists (SCOTS) – an organisation that helps councils across Scotland work together to improve roads, transport, and travel services - to develop national guidance to support local authorities, to enable cross-pavement charging by addressing the legal, safety, and practical issues associated with the provision of cross-pavement charging. This guidance is currently being finalised by SCOTS and is due to be published at the end of November.

In August I announced the launch of a new Cross-Pavement Charging Grant, offering up to £3,500 to support the purchase and installation of cross-pavement charging solutions for residents without off-street parking. This scheme is administered by the Energy Saving Trust and is supporting the installation of cross-pavement charging in partnership with a number of local authorities with a view to wider rollout following publication of cross-pavement charging guidance currently being finalised by SCOTS.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that survivors of domestic abuse receive the support they need. We recognise the vital role that local organisations, such as Inverclyde Women’s Aid, play in delivering frontline services and supporting women and children in their communities.

Through our Delivering Equally Safe fund, we are investing £21.6 million annually to tackle violence against women and girls. This includes a £2.4m uplift for 2025/26, ensuring all fund recipients can continue the vital work they undertake to prevent violence and support survivors. Of this total annual investment, £8.6 million is allocated to Women’s Aid organisations across Scotland with Inverclyde Women’s Aid receiving approximately £219,000 in 2025/26.

In addition, local organisations can access funding through the Victim Surcharge Fund. This fund allows any organisation of any size and in any location in Scotland, that support victims of crime including survivors of domestic abuse, to apply for a share of this Fund, which is financed by penalties imposed on offenders.

We also provide support through the Victim Centred Approach Fund which will deliver over £32 million to 23 organisations between 2025 and 2027, including £12 million for advocacy support for survivors of gender-based violence.