Chamber and committees

We are delivering on our commitment to open GP walk-in services, with six open since the start of the year and more due to open before the end of the summer. I appreciate the hard work of the health boards to get these services up and running and I'm sure the Member will join me in welcoming the opening of these sites and thanking our hard-working NHS staff for delivering these.

I have committed to expanding the walk-in service programme and will set out how I intend to do that over the next 100 days. Health Boards previously generated proposals for walk-ins which considered the needs of their population, taking into account local issues and circumstances. Our experience will inform how we commission the next 14.

Scotland’s National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) makes clear that potential impacts on prime agricultural land, communities, nature and cultural heritage, including the cumulative effects of developments, are important considerations in the decision-making process.

Presuming the question refers to Scotland’s universities, these institutions are autonomous bodies with responsibility for their own operational decision making, including in relation to their use of cash reserves and decisions regarding redundancies. The Scottish Funding Council is responsible for monitoring compliance of universities with Fair Work principles through annual reporting and accounts, and as part of their Outcomes Framework and Assurance Model, and considers any appropriate interventions to support compliance. The Scottish Government’s position is that Scottish universities should consider compulsory redundancies only as a last resort, after all other cost-saving measures have been fully explored.

In 2014, a Scottish Government commissioned study identified significant potential for deep geothermal in Scotland’s abandoned mine workings, hot sedimentary aquifers and hot dry rocks.

Our 2021 Heat in Buildings Strategy recognises that this resource, although less well developed in Scotland than other technologies, could have a role to play, for some communities, in the decarbonisation of heat. The Strategy includes a commitment to continue to explore that potential. We continue to work with partners to better understand this resource and to share what we have learned.

The Scotland Heat Map is a GIS tool that can be used to identify opportunities to reduce carbon emissions from heat in buildings. The map enables users to visualise and assess who needs heat and where sources of heat might come from, including the sub-surface.

The Scottish Government has not made an assessment of the long-term commercial viability of a ferry service between Rosyth and Dunkirk. The decision to introduce an international ferry service is a commercial consideration for the ferry operator and relevant port authorities, including assessing the long-term viability of a route and the business opportunities which would underpin this.

The Scottish Government and its agencies continue to support the wider development of our ports and the potential for new direct freight and passenger ferry services linking Scotland to Europe. We are happy to work with any ferry operator to explore opportunities to promote a new service.

There is no record of information marked “official sensitive”, or of a similar classification marking or handling restrictions, relating to Covid-19 public messaging, panic buying, supermarket shortages or supply-chain pressures being shared with the Scottish National Party, or any SNP staff or officials in March 2020.

Scottish ministers and special advisers will likely have received any relevant Covid-19 public messaging information in March 2020, as part of dealing with the pandemic.

Councils are independent bodies with their own powers and responsibilities and are entirely separate from the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government believes that locally elected representatives are best placed to consider the needs of their communities.

Progress against delivery of A Connected Scotland is monitored and reported through the Social Isolation and Loneliness Advisory Group (SIALAG), which will be chaired by the Minister for Equalities and International Development.

In recognition of the significant impact being delivered by funded activity, and the continued importance of tackling social isolation and loneliness, the Scottish Government has extended the Social Isolation and Loneliness Fund to March 2027. This means total funding for 2026-27 will amount to over £1.05 million. The fund will be evaluated on its completion. Work is underway with SIALAG members to consider the future priorities of the social isolation and loneliness programme, as such the 2026 report has been delayed to bring it in line with this work and the conclusion of the fund.

The Care Leaver Payment (Scotland) Regulations 2026 state that in order to be eligible for the payment, a young person must have been looked after under section 17(6) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 on or after their 16th birthday, and they must also have left care or continuing care on or after 1 April 2026.

The purpose of the payment is to help ‘care leavers’ (those looked after in accordance with section 17) overcome financial challenges and to provide additional financial security when they leave care and move on into adulthood and more independent living. Research and feedback from stakeholders show that the leaving care transition point is a large life milestone that may be especially challenging for care leavers, if informal support networks are absent.

There are no specific requirements under the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016 or Regulations for how a rent increase notice is to be served.

The Scottish Government Model Tenancy Agreement includes a section for landlords and tenants to agree how they will communicate during the tenancy including how notices will be served.

Tenants should check their tenancy agreement to see what it says about how notices will be sent during the tenancy.

If an online document portal is to be used by a landlord as a way of emailing the rent increase notice, the landlord should explain this in the tenancy agreement and the tenant should have clear instruction as to how to access and use the online document portal.

If a landlord or tenant is unsure of their legal rights and duties under the tenancy agreement they should seek independent legal advice.