Chamber and committees

Through the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme, the Scottish Government currently provides up to £8,000 in interest free loan funding for private residential homeowners to upgrade single glazing to double glazing or to install secondary glazing. Homeowners can also currently access up to £4500 in interest free loan funding for insulated doors. Replacement of single glazed windows can also be supported through our Area Based Schemes where this provides value for money.

Housing Associations can apply for grant funding from the Social Housing Net Zero Heat fund for the installation of energy efficiency measures that deliver both carbon savings and reduction in fuel bills for social housing tenants. These measures include double and triple glazing and insulated doors. The fund is making at least £200 million available to registered social landlords (RSLs) to help install zero emission heating systems and improve energy efficiency in social housing during this parliament.

Should a business or commercial landlord be recommended improvements for their windows and doors through the Business Energy Scotland advice service and meet the eligibility criteria for the SME Loan and Cashback scheme, they could be eligible for between £1,000 - £100,000 interest free loan and up to £20,000 in an energy efficiency cashback grant. Making the total amount of Scottish Government funding available for these measures to be £120,000.

The Scottish Government has not forecast the potential incidence of cerebrovascular disease including stroke, over the next five years. Public Health Scotland’s Scottish Stroke Statistics show the age and sex adjusted incidence rate for cerebrovascular disease has decreased by 8%, from 265 cases per 100,000 population in 2012-13 to 244 per 100,000 in 2021-22.

Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans (RRTPs) play an important role in Scotland’s strategy to end homelessness. We have provided local authorities with £52.5 million between 2018-24 to develop and implement their RRTPs.

The Scottish Government remains fully committed to rapid rehousing as a response to homelessness. Budgets for the next financial year will be set out in the usual way in December and funding decisions will follow.

As reported by the Deputy First Minister on 21 st November, the £13 million originally allocated for 2023-24 has been announced as part of the savings required to reach a balanced budget. We are now considering all options for the device commitment, including a range of delivery options. Ultimately, local authorities have responsibility for the procurement and management of their own digital assets.

Work to revise the current RSHP teaching guidance was taken forward with a group of key stakeholders, including the Scottish Catholic Education Service. This engagement included meeting to consider the basis of a section in the revised guidance relating to faith and belief, and sharing iterations of the revised guidance before the revised guidance was finalised ahead of public consultation.

The draft revised guidance makes direct reference to denominational schools, recognising that religious authorities with a role in education provide additional and complementary guidance on RSHP education. Links to resources provided by the Scottish Catholic Education Service are contained in the revised guidance. The new section on faith and belief also takes into account an inclusive approach to all faiths and makes clear that educational practitioners in all schools should ensure that RSHP teaching and learning is delivered sensitively and respectfully to faith groups.

Catholic schools in Scotland play a crucial and valued role in the education system. In recognition of the concerns raised, officials met with the Scottish Catholic Education Service in November and made it clear they will reinstate the text on denominational schools into the revised guidance.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information as the recruitment and employment of teachers are matters for individual councils.

The Scottish Government does not provide funding for residential homeowners to replace existing double glazing. Funding through our domestic Heat in Buildings schemes is prioritised for energy efficiency measures which provide comparatively better energy use and emissions savings, taking into account the cost of the measure; and for which demand would be lower without government support.

Details on loan funding provided through our Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme for double glazing and insulated doors can be found at: https://www.homeenergyscotland.org/funding/grants-loans/overview/

Housing Associations can apply for grant funding from the Social Housing Net Zero Heat fund for the installation of energy efficiency measures that deliver both carbon savings and reduction in fuel bills for social housing tenants. These measures include double and triple glazing and insulated doors. The fund is making at least £200 million available to registered social landlords (RSLs) to help install zero emission heating systems and improve energy efficiency in social housing during this parliament.

Should a business or commercial landlord be recommended improvements for their windows and doors through the Business Energy Scotland advice service and meet the eligibility criteria for the SME Loan and Cashback scheme, they could be eligible for between £1,000 - £100,000 interest free loan and up to £20,000 in an energy efficiency cashback grant. Making the total amount of Scottish Government funding available for these measures to be £120,000.

Ministers responsibilities for recording information are clearly set out in the Ministerial Code Scottish Ministerial Code: 2023 Edition - gov.scot The Scottish Government - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Special advisers are bound by most provisions of the Civil Service Code (apart from those relating to impartiality and objectivity) and are required to exercise care in the use of official information. The First Minister is ultimately responsible for Special Adviser performance and discipline issues but this would be dealt with in the first instance by the Special Adviser Chief of Staff.

Officials: If a civil servant employed by the Scottish Government (an ‘official’) did not comply with the Scottish Government records management policy that would be an issue for their line manager to address through measures such as additional training; through performance management arrangements or through the discipline policy. The circumstances of each case would be considered on an individual basis to determine the appropriate action, with advice and/or support from HR as necessary.

The National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Care, for the first time, will combine rural specific workforce and service development, with research and evaluation into one National Centre.

The Centre’s initial focus is identifying and promoting approaches that improve rural and island primary care recruitment of staff including: increasing skills of remote and rural GPs and other practitioners to ensure there is the workforce capacity to deliver care close to home, develop further support networks and career development opportunities for rural practitioners and to support development of skilled mixed workforce teams.

Work has already begun on two key pieces of work, improved support and training for remote and rural dispensing practices and developing supervisory training hubs.

The Scottish Fiscal Commission publish estimates and forecasts of the number of people receiving payments for Child Winter Heating Assistance. The Scottish Fiscal Commission do not publish estimates and forecasts for the number of people receiving payments by area within Scotland. In their May 2023 publication it was forecast that a total of 29,000 people will receive payments in the financial year 2023-24.

Social Security Scotland publish statistics for the number of historic payments for Child Winter Heating Assistance by Local Authority. Statistics for 2023-24 are not yet available.

Table 1: Number of payments for Child Winter Heating Assistance made in Winter 2022-23 by Local Authority area