The Scottish Parliament

Question reference: S6W-20665

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 12 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many homes in each parliamentary region Warmworks Warmer Homes Scotland is planning to improve to at least EPC grade C; by what date this work will be completed; how many homes in each region have received such assistance to date; what other schemes are working alongside Warmer Homes Scotland to ensure that no homes are listed below EPC grade C, and by what date it anticipates that this target will be achieved.

The first phase of Warmer Homes Scotland (WHS) has run since September 2015, and is coming to an end on 29 September 2023. The second phase of the scheme will launch on 02 October 2023, and will run initially for 5 years, with an option for it to run for 7 years. Warmer Homes Scotland is a demand-led scheme which aims to support people in or at risk of fuel poverty through the transition to zero emissions heat, improve their energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions from heating. Reaching EPC band C is not a specific objective of either the original or new phase of the scheme, and therefore no target for this has been set.

The following table outlines the number of households who have received measures through Warmer Homes Scotland between September 2015 and 31 July 2023 in each constituency that have reached EPC band C and the average SAP point increase after receiving measures through Warmer Homes Scotland. The data is at constituency level as data at parliamentary region level is not collected.

Constituency Area	Post EPC SAP C and above		Average SAP points improvement
Constituency Area	Volume	Percentage
Aberdeen Central	40	28.57%	12.2
Aberdeen Donside	141	42.73%	10.0
Aberdeen South and North Kincardine	100	37.74%	9.0
Aberdeenshire East	67	21.14%	10.4
Aberdeenshire West	48	23.30%	9.0
Airdrie and Shotts	152	39.07%	8.8
Almond Valley	196	51.58%	9.4
Angus North and Mearns	81	26.30%	10.2
Angus South	132	29.01%	11.3
Argyll and Bute	93	14.33%	10.9
Ayr	114	26.95%	8.7
Banffshire and Buchan Coast	104	22.56%	9.6
Caithness, Sutherland and Ross	93	11.74%	9.0
Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley	124	25.41%	8.5
Clackmannanshire and Dunblane	123	46.42%	10.0
Clydebank and Milngavie	74	28.24%	8.5
Clydesdale	104	23.32%	10.6
Coatbridge and Chryston	129	34.22%	8.3
Cowdenbeath	186	42.66%	10.3
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth	151	42.30%	11.0
Cunninghame North	115	27.98%	9.0
Cunninghame South	115	36.98%	8.3
Dumbarton	110	31.70%	8.6
Dumfriesshire	137	23.34%	10.2
Dundee City East	189	35.33%	12.8
Dundee City West	178	35.18%	11.9
Dunfermline	132	39.76%	11.0
East Kilbride	165	46.48%	10.2
East Lothian	91	32.27%	9.2
Eastwood	64	22.22%	7.9
Edinburgh Central	42	34.15%	11.2
Edinburgh Eastern	146	35.10%	9.5
Edinburgh Northern and Leith	92	37.86%	11.7
Edinburgh Pentlands	100	43.67%	8.4
Edinburgh Southern	71	39.44%	9.9
Edinburgh Western	104	36.62%	9.3
Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire	91	24.86%	8.6
Falkirk East	130	41.94%	11.2
Falkirk West	126	47.01%	10.6
Galloway and West Dumfries	130	20.67%	10.1
Glasgow Anniesland	107	36.03%	8.6
Glasgow Cathcart	129	40.44%	9.4
Glasgow Kelvin	36	42.35%	10.3
Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn	106	49.07%	9.8
Glasgow Pollok	179	41.44%	8.2
Glasgow Provan	187	48.20%	10.6
Glasgow Shettleston	167	45.38%	9.7
Glasgow Southside	83	33.88%	9.1
Greenock and Inverclyde	340	43.53%	10.7
Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse	149	38.11%	10.5
Inverness and Nairn	232	41.58%	11.3
Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley	98	28.82%	8.0
Kirkcaldy	201	40.85%	10.1
Linlithgow	127	38.48%	9.6
Mid Fife and Glenrothes	180	44.55%	10.3
Midlothian North and Musselburgh	146	36.59%	10.3
Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale	128	35.65%	11.8
Moray	117	29.77%	9.6
Motherwell and Wishaw	121	37.46%	8.3
Combhairle nan Eilean Siar	29	4.51%	10.6
North East Fife	75	24.12%	9.9
Orkney Islands	20	11.36%	9.7
Paisley	140	42.81%	8.1
Perthshire North	91	25.49%	10.3
Perthshire South and Kinross-shire	104	28.57%	10.2
Renfrewshire North and West	144	45.71%	9.4
Renfrewshire South	171	42.12%	9.6
Rutherglen	193	40.12%	8.6
Shetland Islands	62	23.57%	11.1
Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch	69	11.71%	9.2
Stirling	102	33.44%	10.5
Strathkelvin and Bearsden	110	28.06%	8.8
Uddingston and Bellshill	152	44.06%	9.9
Total	8,875	32.70%	9.9

The Scottish Government funds energy efficiency and climate-friendly heating systems through a wide range of programmes in addition to Warmer Homes Scotland including Area-Based Schemes; Home Energy Scotland Grants and Loans; the Social Housing Net Zero Fund; and the Heat Network Fund.

Our Heat in Buildings Strategy, published in October 2021 sets out the aim that, where technically and legally feasible and cost-effective, by 2030 a large majority of buildings should achieve a good level of energy efficiency, which for homes is at least equivalent to an EPC Band C, with all homes meeting at least this standard by 2033.

We have made good progress in recent years, but realise that there is much more to be done. We are allocating at least £1.8 billion over the course of this Parliament towards heat and energy efficiency measures and to support those least able to pay. Over 150,000 households in Scotland already live in homes which are warmer and cheaper to heat, thanks to investment by the Scottish government.

We have said that we will consult on proposals that could inform a Heat in Buildings Bill, seeking views on options for regulation designed to further improve energy efficiency and to deliver and accelerate the switch to low and zero carbon heating systems.

Question reference: S6W-20640

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 12 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to review the Young Patients Family Fund, in light of the planned reduction of level 3 neonatal units from eight to three.

The Scottish Government has no plans to review the Young Patients Family Fund (YPFF) in light of the plans to reduce the number of level 3 neonatal units in Scotland. The cost of visiting a child or young person in hospital should not be a barrier for families which is why parents/carers and siblings (under 18) can claim under YPFF, regardless which neonatal unit their baby is being cared for in. The fund helps to offset the cost of: travelling to and from hospital during a child or young person’s inpatient stay; the subsistence required to allow claimants to spend time at the hospital; and any accommodation required by eligible visitors. There are no restrictions on the number of claims an eligible visitor can make.

Question reference: S6W-20644

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 12 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Young Patients Family Fund and its predecessor, the Neonatal Expenses Fund, what the (a) budget and (b) expenditure has been, and how many (i) claims have been received and (ii) families have been supported, in each year since 2018.

The Neonatal Expenses Fund (NEF) ran from April 2018 to July 2021. The Young Patients Family Fund (YPFF) was launched on 26 July 2021 and the new fund subsumed the NEF to create a single unified fund.

Part (a) With regard to the budget to date for NEF/YPFF I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18481 on 14 June 2023. 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

Part (b)

Financial year/fund type	Actual spend	Claims received	Families supported
2018-19 (NEF)	235,321.00	3,149	1,179
2019-20 (NEF)	269,454.17	2,947	1,134
2020-21 (NEF)	652,819.09	2,801	1,214
2021-22 (NEF/YPFF)	1,486,464.65	4,983	3,130
2022-23 (YPFF)	2,692,814.42	8,437	3,757

Question reference: S6W-20645

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 12 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) return journeys, (b) overnight accommodation stays and (c) meals the Young Patients Family Fund and its predecessor, the Neonatal Expenses Fund, have reimbursed the costs of in each year since 2018.

The Scottish Government asks NHS Boards to report on the number of travel claims, accommodation claims and meals reimbursed. The data held by the Scottish Government, as reported by NHS Boards, is set out in the following table.

	2018-19 (NEF)	2019-20 (NEF)	2020-21 (NEF)	2021-22 (NEF/YPFF)	2022-23 (YPFF)
Public transport	2776	2731	1725	1881	5903
Overnight accommodation *	0	0	4	22	292
Meals reimbursed	2191	2804	1496	3220	15,313

* Following an evaluation of NEF in December 2019 numerous changes were made to the funds terms and conditions. From 1 April 2020 parents were able to claim for a contribution to reasonable overnight accommodation costs.

Question reference: S6W-20646

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 12 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it reportedly does not routinely publish expenditure and award information for the Young Patients Family Fund.

Question reference: S6W-20655

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 12 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent from the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund in each year since its creation.

Question reference: S6W-20642

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 12 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with parents of very low birth weight (VLBW) babies regarding plans to reduce the number of level 3 neonatal units from eight to three, in light of the report, The Best Start: A Five-Year Forward Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Care in Scotland, reportedly finding that parental engagement was lower than hoped for.

Following the testing period the Early Implementer Boards noted that no negative feedback was received from families about the process. However, due to only a small number of babies being transferred this made it difficult to achieve the depth of parent feedback hoped for.

In order to capture parent representation in the Options Appraisal and Best Start Programme Board decision making process, the Chief Executive of Bliss sits on our Best Start Programme Board and was a participant in the options appraisal process, representing the views of neonatal families.

As part of the next phase, Scottish Government will be consulting with families in the affected areas on implementation of the proposals, so that we can take account of their concerns when the pathways and processes for the new model of care are designed. This will affect a very small number of families however it is important that we hear the voices of those families to input into design of service delivery.

The Best Start emphasises parents as key partners in caring for their baby and aims to keep mothers and babies, and families together as much as possible in the crucial early weeks, with services designed around them. We have a number of measures already in place to support families with babies in neonatal care:

Providing accommodation for parents to stay on or near neonatal units and facilities within the unit to encourage kangaroo skin to skin care and early support for breastfeeding;
Roll out of the Young Patients Family Fund (formerly the Neonatal Expenses Fund) to support families with the costs of travel, accommodation and food whilst their baby is in neonatal care; and
Repatriating babies to their local neonatal units as soon as clinically possible

Neonatal units have agreed to continue to seek parent feedback to ensure opportunities to improve the experiences of families are identified on an ongoing basis.

Question reference: S6T-01529

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 September 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that Police Scotland has issued more than 100,000 recorded police warnings over the past five years.

Question reference: S6T-01524

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 September 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to keep people safe, in light of reported concerns about the spread of new variants of COVID-19.

Question reference: S6T-01525

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 11 September 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered undertaking a comprehensive review into the reach of any Chinese state surveillance in Scotland.

Financial Year	Grant Awarded
2020-21	£8,490,676
2021-22	£5,355,747
2022-23	£38,341,879

Parliament dissolved ahead of election

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