Chamber and committees

The Scottish Parliament Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee considered the negative instrument on 14 May and agreed to make no recommendations. The legislation comes into force on 24 May 2024.

Phase 3 of Scottish Government’s Permitted Development Rights (PDR) review has focussed on new and extended PDR for domestic and non-domestic renewable energy equipment. The measures streamline the planning process for various low carbon technologies and for altering/replacing windows by removing the need to apply for planning permission. The purpose is to support households and businesses, including those in conservation areas, seeking to adapt their properties in the face of the cost and climate crises.

The new PDR allow windows on buildings located in a conservation area to be altered or replaced. However, where windows are located on a building’s front elevation or side elevation fronting a road, prior approval arrangements will apply in certain circumstances. This process allows the planning authority to consider the design and external appearance of the proposal. Furthermore, the new PDR do not apply in World Heritage Sites – and listed building consent will still be required for listed buildings. In this sense, planning controls will still apply in the most valuable heritage assets.

We consider that the measures achieve an appropriate balance which supports owners/occupiers improving the environmental performance of their properties while safeguarding the overall character and appearance of the historic environment.

New guidance to accompany the regulations will be published on 28 May.

As set out in the Once for Scotland Rehabilitation Approach, good rehabilitation happens when health care, social care, leisure and third and independent sectors work together to support individuals to access the right kind of rehabilitation for them, at the right time.

The Approach describes the standards expected of NHS Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships, working together with these partners, to develop and deliver community-based rehabilitation services using their collective resources. We also encourage and support self-management to help improve individuals’ functional abilities and live well with long-term conditions.

While it is the responsibility of Police Scotland to meet its obligations for data has a wide range of obligations to meet in discharging its statutory and regulatory responsibilities regarding the processing of data.

These obligations include Data Protection legislation, Public Records (Scotland) legislation, Biometrics and Communications legislation and security requirements overseen by the Home Office, Cabinet Office and National Police Chiefs Council.

Police Scotland has designed and implemented a suite of technical, procedural, physical and behavioural controls which are overseen by the Deputy Chief Constable for Professionalism.

An essential security control for data is a policy that police databases are not accessible from personal or private devices. This is carefully managed and monitored with technical capabilities to ensure compliance. Officers and staff that require access to police databases are provided with appropriate equipment and devices that enables that functionality and which have commensurate security applied. Civilian Scottish Government employees are not able to access this information.

Police Scotland in common with all Data Controllers, is also subject to oversight from regulators including the Information Commissioner and the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner who from time to time make recommendations or provide advice on measures that will enhance security of the data Police Scotland processes. Additional safeguards for the management of data is also ensured with further scrutiny by Internal Auditors.

The Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme (STPS) continues to be an integral part of the remuneration package for teachers in Scotland. A Defined Benefit scheme, it offers the security of a guaranteed income in every year of retirement for all its members. Pensions in payment to retired members are inflation proofed and adjusted each April in line with the Consumer Prices Index. In April 2023, pensions increased by 10.1% and in April 2024 by a further 6.7%.

While Scottish Ministers have executively devolved responsibility for the STPS, they exercise those functions within a reserved framework. The Scottish Ministers must therefore implement policy which reflects UK government primary legislation and any secondary legislation introduced by Scottish Ministers requires HM Treasury approval.

The design of the STPS, including accrual rates and benefits payable from the scheme, are determined by reserved UK Government primary legislation. Scottish Ministers have no powers to vary the accrued benefits payable from the scheme to retired teachers without HM Treasury consent.

There are three early retirement options available to members of the Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme who have reached normal minimum pension age:

• Premature Retirement is an option if a member is made redundant or retires in the interest of efficiency. The pension would be actuarially reduced because the member is retiring early and employer must agree to make up the shortfall to the full pension amount. Therefore, there is no impact on the final pension amount the member receives.
• Voluntary Early Retirement is where the member chooses to receives an actuarially reduced pension. The benefits are reduced to take into account the fact the pension will be paid over a longer period of time than a normal retirement pension.
• Phased Retirement allows members to take up to 75% of their pension while reducing their working commitment. To do this, members must reduce their pensionable salary by at least 20% for a minimum of 12 months. Any percentage of pension benefits taken before normal pension age would be subject to an actuarial reduction.

The latest Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme Annual Report and Accounts show that the average annual pension in payment from the Scheme as at 31 March 2023 was £13,842. In addition, the accounts show that lump sums totalling £133.5 million were paid to 2,723 new retirees in 2022-23, an average lump sum of £49,063.

Attached is a list of suppliers with spend for Consultancy. The data has been sourced from The Procurement Information Hub and includes all suppliers that fall under the consultancy classification.

Due to the wide range of services captured under the term consultancy we are unable to predict the expenditure for financial year 2024-2025.

The Storm Babet Ministerial Taskforce has met twice in 2024, on 17 January and on 13 March, and three times in 2023, on 16 November, 29 November, and 13 December. Taskforce members discussed flood recovery actions undertaken by the Scottish Government and by affected councils, including flood recovery grants for households and businesses, the Homelessness Prevention Fund, and the floodbank support scheme for farmers affected by the storm.

During the meeting on 13 March, members agreed that the response to Storm Babet had now moved into the medium-term recovery phase and that future discussions would focus on community recovery and work to consider the long-term future of the flooded site in Brechin.

The Teachers’ Pension arrangement in Scotland comprises of two schemes. The Scottish Teachers’ Superannuation Scheme (STSS) which is the legacy scheme and which closed to all members on 31 March 2022, and the reformed Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme 2015 (STPS).

The STSS is a final salary scheme and has a normal pension age (NPA) of 60 for members who joined prior to 1 April 2007 and a NPA of 65 for members who joined on or after 1 April 2007. For members with a NPA of 60, the accrual rate is 1/80 th of the members final salary for every year of pensionable service, there is also an automatic tax-free lump sum payable of 3/80ths. For those with a NPA of 65, the accrual rate is 1/60 th and there is no automatic lump sum. However, members have the option to give up pension for a tax-free lump sum at retirement.

In the STPS, benefits accrue on a Career Average Revalued Earnings (CARE) basis and NPA is linked to State Pension Age. The accrual rate is 1/57 th of the member’s pensionable earnings each year. There is no automatic lump sum but members have the option to give up pension for a tax-free lump sum at retirement.

The pension benefits structure in the STPS is broadly comparable with the main UK public service pension schemes which are all based on Career Average Revalued Earnings. Apart from the uniformed public services, all schemes have a normal pension age linked to State Pension age. `