Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17602 on 12 May 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at the questions and answers page on the Scottish Parliament website .

The Scottish Government has made a clear commitment to promote collective bargaining through the inclusion of an employee voice indicator, measured by collective bargaining coverage, within the National Performance Framework.

Our National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET) and our refreshed Fair Work Action Plan include actions to support to trade unions and the promotion of collective bargaining. In line with commitments in the Bute House Agreement, we are now strengthening our approach to conditionality. From 1 July 2023, all public sector grants will include a requirement to pay at least the Real Living Wage to all employees, and provide appropriate channels for effective voice. We published updated Fair Work First guidance on 24 March to support the adoption of this new requirement.

It is our belief that a progressive approach to industrial relations and to trade unionism is at the very heart of a fairer, more successful society. There is clear evidence that unionised workplaces have more engaged staff, have a higher level of staff training and a progressive approach to staff wellbeing.

Accordingly, we will continue to promote trade union recognition and collective bargaining, at both local and sectoral levels, across the economy to achieve improved conditions and enhance effective voice. Work is progressing in the social care sector to increase bargaining coverage and efforts are also ongoing in other traditionally low paid or precarious sectors to advance fair work and effective voice for workers.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17602 on 12 May 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at the questions and answers page on the Scottish Parliament website .

The Scottish Government publishes the Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey annually. The survey includes data on lumpfish and wrasse production. The latest data is available in chapter 4 of the Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2021 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Scottish Government does not hold information on comparability with equivalent data for England and Wales.

The Scottish Government provided funding to the STUC for research into collective bargaining coverage in Scotland. This research was published in a report for the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) by the Labour Research Group in July 2021. It included recommendations both for the Scottish Government and STUC on how more collective bargaining - and the "voice" at work it provides - can be encouraged.

We have provided £250,000 annually to the STUC for the last seven years through the Trade Union Fair Work and Modernisation Fund which has supported unions in embedding the Fair Work Framework in Scotland’s workplaces. This funding has enabled unions to work proactively, building upon ongoing efforts, to tackle precarious work, and organising for Fair Work in less unionised sectors. The Scottish Government engages regularly with STUC in relation to this Fund.

The Scottish Government does not hold records for all mobile phones purchased in the last 5 years as they are purchased by individual business areas and agencies to meet their requirements. However, our central mobile voice & data contract which will be used by the majority of staff, does not have provision to purchase pre-paid mobile phones.

As noted in response to S6W-08055 on 10 May 2022, the concept of elder abuse is very broad. Whilst there is no legal definition of elder abuse, the World Health Organisation has defined it as ‘a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to an older person' ( Elder abuse (who.int) ). The Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 is designed to protect people; aged 16 years and over who are unable to safeguard their own well-being, property, rights or other interests; are at risk of harm; and, because they are affected by disability, mental disorder, illness or physical or mental infirmity, are more vulnerable to being harmed than adults who are not so affected.

While the Scottish Government doesn’t hold information on elder abuse, specifically, it does hold information on adults at risk of harm (or who have been harmed) by age; where an Adult Support and Protection investigation commenced. The figures, along with many data quality issues explained, were published on our website on 9 th May 2023. The release indicated that, in 2021/22, about 40% of those subject to an ASP investigation were over the age of 75 (15% were men and 25% were women). These figures are national estimates due to differing local processes.

In addition, there are a number of data developments aimed at strengthening the information available, including:

• The Scottish Government has developed an improvement plan for adult support and protection which includes reviewing current ASP data to develop more robust, meaningful and comparable data. The review and development of an ASP minimum dataset is being taken forward by The Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS). The minimum dataset will provide a clearer picture of Adult Support and Protection in Scotland.
• The Official Statistics on police recorded crime and criminal proceedings do not include details on whether the victim was an older person, or their relationship to the perpetrator. However, the new crime system will allow crime stats by victim age, therefore a measure of recorded crimes against older people.
• The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey are developing a new Fraud and Computer Misuse module. This module will help estimate the prevalence of victimisation from these crimes in Scotland for the first time and will allow for a breakdown by age. These new questions will be included in the 2023/24 survey due to go into the field this summer. Users will be kept informed as to when the first results from these questions will be published.
• The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act, once in force, will require information about police recorded hate crime and convictions data to be published annually, and with greater detail where known. The Act will – for the first time – introduce new protections against offences aggravated by prejudice towards a person’s age.

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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17602 on 12 May 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at the questions and answers page on the Scottish Parliament website .

Several of the projects funded by the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund have been awarded funding involving the replacement of a traditional gas boiler. The Scottish Government can provide an estimate, based on the applications received since 2020, that the amount of properties that have been awarded funding involving the replacement of a gas boiler with a zero emissions heating system is an estimated 826 properties.

It should be noted that several of the projects awarded funding from the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund involve intervention that is dependent on the specific needs of individual properties. This can include properties that do not have a gas boiler, and in rural areas that are off gas. In these cases, the interventions required may involve the replacement of another heating source for example wet electric central heating systems, storage heaters, oil and solid fuel, with an appropriate zero or low emissions heating system.

Alongside this, several projects funded through the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund involve “Fabric First” Energy Efficiency Only Projects. In order to be eligible for “Fabric First” funding, social housing projects must commit to installing zero emission heating. Registered Social Landlords receiving “Fabric First” only funding will be able to apply for subsequent funding to install zero emission heating systems.

We note the recent publication by the British Property Federation, assessing the impact of the emergency Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022.

We recognise the importance of the private rented sector in the provision of rented housing, including homes provided through the Build-to-Rent sector, and we believe that a well-regulated private rental sector is good for both tenants and landlords.

The temporary, emergency Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022 is providing additional protections for tenants during these challenging and uncertain economic times. It is important to note that there are no restrictions on a landlord setting rents at the start of a tenancy and the legislation could only ever be in place for a total of 18 months, if the circumstances demand it and with Parliamentary approval, and therefore the temporary protections should not be a deterrent to new housing development.

Scottish Ministers have a statutory duty to ensure that the emergency powers taken are proportionate in order to respond to the costs crisis and will only last as long as required. In addition, the Scottish Parliament has continued oversight of the necessity of those powers through our regular reporting on the necessity and proportionality of the measures.

In the longer term, we have committed to introducing a national system of rent control, informed by views from tenants, landlords and investors through an advisory group. We intend to introduce a rent control system which is compatible with encouraging investment and we will continue to engage with stakeholders from across the sector on our long-term commitment to develop an effective system of rent controls for Scotland.

The best way to deliver a strong rented sector is to build more affordable homes and Scotland leads the way in this area, having delivered more than 118,000 affordable homes since 2007, with 83,291 of these for social rent. We’re now working towards our target of delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, of which 70% will be for social rent.