Chamber and committees

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.

Only young people who are looked after under section 17(6) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 (and meet the other eligibility requirements) will receive the payment. Section 17(6) includes children who are in looked after kinship care, which means that they have been placed with kinship carers by the local authority. Young people who are subject to an order under section 11 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 are not looked after for the purposes of section 17(6) of that Act and are therefore not eligible for the payment.

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.

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.

Section 17(6) includes children who are in looked after kinship care, which means that they have been placed with kinship carers by the local authority. Young people who are subject to an order under section 11 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 are not looked after for the purposes of section 17(6) of that Act and are therefore not eligible for the payment.

Whilst this cohort of young people will not be able to access the Care Leaver Payment, they may be entitled to the Care Experience Bursary and universally available support including Job Start Payment, the Scottish Welfare Fund and Universal Credit.

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.

Only young people who are looked after under section 17(6) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 (and meet the other eligibility requirements) will receive the payment. Section 17(6) includes children who are in looked after kinship care, which means that they have been placed with kinship carers by the local authority. Young people who are subject to an order under section 11 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 are not looked after for the purposes of section 17(6) of that Act and are therefore not eligible for the payment.

Young people who were looked after under section 17(6) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, but do not meet the other eligibility criteria (for example, they left care or continuing care prior to 1st April 2026 or ceased to be looked after prior to their 16th birthday), will not be eligible for the payment.

Consumer prices reflect the energy mix and market arrangements across Great Britain rather than the output of any individual generating station.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00409 on 9 June 2026. 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.

It would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment on the merits of any proposals.

The Scottish Government was not provided with detailed policy design details for the implementation of zonal pricing nor did the UKG provide a full assessment of the impact of this on consumers, communities and businesses in Scotland. We have been clear that reform is required now to address the immediate issue of high energy costs for consumers.

The Scottish Government has no current plans to review Planning Advice Note 50.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00181 on 5 June 2026. 42 homes were delivered through the Rural and Islands Housing Fund between 1 April 2025 and 31 December 2025 in 7 local authorities. This data is based on management information and may be subject to change. Figures for 1 January 2026 to 31 March 2026 are not yet available.

The Rural and Islands Housing Fund is a demand-led scheme open to a range of organisations, including community organisations, development trusts, private landowners, private developers, and traditional housing providers.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the price of electricity currently generated by Torness nuclear power station or by Hunterston B prior to its closure. Both stations sell or sold electricity into the wholesale market and the specific prices received by the operator are a commercial matter.