Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government delegated the management of Holyrood Park to Historic Environment Scotland as a Property in Care. When considering potential changes to any Property in Care, Historic Environment Scotland ensures that the local community, as well as the relevant experts, are consulted. The Holyrood Park public consultation ran from 26 September to 19 December 2023, and once the results are analysed this will inform the development of any proposals for change. Health and safety remains paramount and I will continue regular engagement with Historic Environment Scotland regarding the effective management of the Properties in Care.

Scotland now has the highest number of designated Bathing Water sites ever, with the vast majority classified as good or excellent and 98% overall achieving the bathing water quality standards.

Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS) published its Designation of Bathing Water Sites in Scotland Summary Report on 4 December. This the summary report and will be followed by the publication of a full report providing additional details on the background, information reviewed, ESS assessments, and the outcomes achieved.

ESS concluded in the report that that the Scottish Government’s approach to interpreting a large number of bathers in designating new bathing water sites had not affected Scotland’s performance, in comparison with other parts of the UK. They also made a small number of recommendations on minor improvements to the application form and guidance. Action to address these recommendations is underway.

Fair Work is at the core of the Retail Strategy, benefitting retail business by making them more attractive to workers, and more resilient, productive and profitable. Any decision on New Year’s Day trading will balance our Fair Work ambition with prevailing economic conditions which remain difficult for the retail sector.

The Retail Industry Leadership Group (ILG) was established to drive and support delivery of the actions set out in the Retail Strategy, in particular on improving fair work across the sector. Its purpose is to represent the views of the industry and we value its independent analysis. The views and recommendations of the ILG is just one of the matters that Ministers take into account when determining how to proceed on any given policy issue.

The Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022 was introduced to provide additional protections to tenants through the worst of the cost of living crisis, and we have always been clear that the measures are timebound and temporary. Prior to the introduction of the Act, private tenants in Scotland already benefitted from some of the strongest protections in the UK, and tenants will continue to benefit from the strong legal protections introduced by The Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016. In addition, the Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Act 2022 further strengthened tenants’ rights by requiring private landlords who are seeking to evict on the basis of rent arrears, to comply with certain specified actions prior to pursuing eviction. The Tribunal, in assessing the reasonableness of eviction in such cases, is also required to consider the extent to which the landlord complied with these new requirements. This enhanced protection has been in place since 1 October 2022.

In terms of support for tenants regarding housing costs, in 2023-24 we have invested over £83 million in Discretionary Housing Payments; a vital tool to reduce poverty, safeguard tenancies and prevent homelessness. In 2024-25 we will make over £90 million available, mitigating UK Government cuts such as the bedroom tax and benefit cap.

This year’s Programme for Commitment commits to go further to enhance the rights of tenants, and a Housing Bill will be brought to Parliament in this parliamentary year to deliver a New Deal for Tenants.

We are also consulting with stakeholders on the proposed approach to temporarily modifying the rent adjudication process, to prevent unintended consequences when the emergency measures come to an end.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23845 on 11 January 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

The Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council continue to support universities in developing their own mitigating strategies to minimise any negative impacts on long-term financial sustainability. This includes any reduction in international student fee income.

Within the context of a challenging international environment and stricter UK Government immigration rules, the Scottish Government remains committed to working with the university sector to ensure that Scotland remains the destination of choice for international students, demonstrated by our commitment to launching Scotland’s International Education Strategy early in 2024. We have engaged closely with key stakeholders, including universities, to develop the strategy, which will focus on three key themes: attracting and diversifying the international student population; maximising the economic benefits of international higher education; and promoting Scotland as a world leader in research and knowledge exchange.

The level of funding set out in the Scottish Budget reflects that the delivery of Glen Sannox (801) is now at an advanced stage. The costs and delivery schedules of both 801 and 802 continue to be scrutinised closely, with updates provided regularly to the Scottish Parliament.

Over the last five years Scottish Water has used social media, community events and other activities such as school visits to encourage people to use water wisely. As part of this, over 100,000 water saving packs have been distributed. Each summer Scottish Water also issues news releases to encourage people to use water wisely and in times of prolonged warm, dry weather, it works with media outlets to encourage coverage of the issue. The costs are incorporated into normal operations and activities

In 2022 Scottish Water launched a behaviour change campaign to raise awareness that 'Water is Always Worth Saving', highlighting water as a precious natural resource. The effectiveness of this campaign is being measured by awareness, attitude and reported behaviours. By August 2023, 58% of people agreed that water is a precious natural resource (up 5% pre-campaign), 81% reported that they would be more careful with water use (up 12% pre-campaign), and 75% said they would take less time in the shower (up 6% pre-campaign).

The cost for the campaign for 2022-23 was £315,000. Almost all the materials developed have been re-used in 2023 and will continue to be used, spreading any cost of production and delivering best value for money. The costs incurred for 2023-24 will be reconciled in the next financial year. The integrated campaign utilises TV and Radio ads, outdoor ads, social/digital media, PR, customer engagement and partnerships with other organisations.

Scottish Ministers are accountable to the Scottish Parliament for the activities of the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) and its use of resources at a strategic level. The Scottish Government is responsible for developing the policy and regulatory framework for the protection and improvement of Scotland's water environment which SEPA have a duty to regulate and enforce.

The Scottish Government hold regular liaison meetings with SEPA to provide policy support and facilitate effective strategic engagement. These are supplemented by other regular dialogue and communications in relation to SEPA’s duties, responsibilities and performance. SEPA determine the amount of resources allocated to meeting their statutory obligations through their Annual Operating Plan in each year in agreement with the Scottish Government.

Both the Scottish Government and SEPA take all necessary steps to ensure that their relationship is developed and supported in line with the jointly agreed principles set out in the statement on ‘Strategic Engagement between the Scottish Government and Scotland’s NDPBs’ and in accordance with the ‘Scottish regulators’ strategic code of practice’.

NHS Grampian and Aberdeen City HSCP are responsible for the delivery of primary medical services in Aberdeen and the publication of any plans concerning those services.