Chamber and committees

To date, 9 school infrastructure projects have opened through the £2bn Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP). Furthermore, 16 projects are currently in construction.

The LEIP aims to deliver 47 projects by the end of 2027-28.

Where a publicly funded resident under the National Care Home Contract qualifies for transport from the NHS to attend for a clinical appointment/ treatment the provider will, where practicable, ensure this is arranged. For the avoidance of doubt, the cost of providing transport for the resident to and from scheduled medical appointments, as well as emergency admissions to hospital are not covered in the Council’s Approved Rate and are not therefore the responsibility of the provider where they are being paid that rate.

In the absence of free provision by the NHS, transport to the following may also be provided, but shall be charged in addition to the price charged for care and accommodation:

• Chiropody
• Opticians
• Dentistry
• Physiotherapy
• Transportation
  and Staff escorts to and from medical appointments

Any private contract between a self-funded resident and a care home may include provision for such transport.

Should the Scottish Ambulance Service be contacted, to provide consistency, all patients are taken through the Patient Needs Assessment (PNA) to assess their eligibility for ambulance transport. SAS ask the PNA questions to allow them to fully understand the patient’s needs and to confirm if they require ambulance transport. From this, SAS can then identify the correct resource required. If the caller indicates the patient can get out and about independently or can travel with the assistance of an escort, SAS will seek to understand what is preventing them from getting to their appointment. If there is a clear clinical or medical need, SAS will look to support this request; otherwise, patients will be signposted to alternative transport options specific to where a patient resides. SAS will always ask that if a patient is able to use other means of transport, this is considered the first choice rather than the Scottish Ambulance Service. A patient or representative is advised at the beginning of the call that if they disagree with their decision then they can ask for their request for transport to be put to appeal and this will be answered by a SAS supervisor.

Scottish Government analysis suggests that between 110,000 and 130,000 pensioners will remain eligible for payment in Scotland this winter. This represents a reduction of around 900,000 pensioners who will no longer be entitled in 2024-25.

The UK Government’s decision to restrict eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments has had a significant impact, reducing the Block-Grant Adjustment associated with devolution of the UK’s Winter Fuel Payment by an estimated £140 million to £160 million in 2024-25, nearly 90% of the cost of the Scottish Government’s replacement benefit, Pension Age Winter Heating Payment.

The Afghan medical students are eligible for support under paragraph 12B of the Student Support (Scotland) Regulations 2022, as amended by the Education (Fees and Student Support) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2024. This provision enables the students to be considered as Scottish domiciled for the purposes of funding and entitles them to apply for tuition fees and living cost support in the same manner as other Scottish domiciled students.

In 2021-22, there were 973,604 recipients of Winter Fuel Payment in Scotland. This number increased to 991,431 recipients in 2022-23.

A Final Report will be published in the Autumn setting out the progress that has been made since publication of the Women’s Health Plan in 2021.

The Women’s Health Plan has brought about positive change, driving changes to policy, guidance and training in many of the ways envisaged for a Scottish Institute for Women’s Health. There is now a Women’s Health Leads Network; a specialist menopause service in every mainland health board and a ‘buddy’ support system in place for the Island health boards; there is a women’s health platform on NHS Inform; there is a menopause and menstrual health workplace policy for NHS Scotland and a Women’s Health Champion, Professor Anna Glasier OBE, has been appointed. In addition, the Scottish Government, primarily through the Chief Scientist Office, has invested in a range of women’s health related research, providing funding for grants and fellowships.

In light of the financial circumstances facing the Scottish Government, it is not possible at present to develop proposals for a Scottish Institute for Women’s Health.

The Scottish Government is working towards a launch date for the Changing Places Toilets fund and we will provide an update in due course.

The Scottish Government is committed to investing in Changing Places Toilets in order to increase the number of these facilities across the country, allowing people easier access to events and outdoor venues.

As you will be aware, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government’s statement to Parliament on 3 September outlined the challenging financial situation faced by the Scottish Government following the UK Chancellor's July statement. She confirmed that spending controls are in place to make sure the entire Scottish Government budget is being managed prudently. These additional controls set out that any activity undertaken, or commitment made, that generates expenditure in 2024-25 must only proceed if it is truly essential and unavoidable. “Unavoidable” means if the Scottish Government would otherwise breach its legal obligations, or fail to provide essential support to emergency situations, or cause significant economic damage across Scotland. The scale of the savings required means that these exceptional measures are being applied across the whole Government, with all policy areas having to think about what this means for them.

This means that whilst the Scottish Government had set out the intention to make CPT funding available across financial years 2024-25 and 2025-26, unfortunately it is no longer possible to launch the fund in the current financial year. However, funding will be reprofiled into future years.

The UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024 places legal duties on public authorities and provides legal protection for children’s rights that was not previously available in Scotland, and is not available in any other part of the UK.

The Scottish Government expects public authorities to ensure that they fulfil their duties within the Act, including under Article 23, to ensure all rights under UNCRC are respected, protected and fulfilled. We have supported public authorities with their approach to implementation through: non-statutory guidance; a children’s rights guide for senior leaders; an introduction to Children’s Rights e-learning and guidance on Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessments. We have also provided funding to the Improvement Service and NHS Education Scotland to assist local authorities and health boards to fulfil their UNCRC duties. Statutory guidance will be published this month and a Children’s Rights Skills and Knowledge Framework will be available before the end of the year.

A range of work has been undertaken to prepare for the opening of the Changing Places Toilets fund. This has included scoping work, internal discussions and meetings with key stakeholders. We are working closely with PAMIS (Promoting a More Inclusive Society) and will continue to engage with wider interests, including the Scottish Parliament’s Cross Party Group on Changing Places Toilets, as we finalise the details of the fund.