Chamber and committees

Scottish Ministers are on record as expecting public bodies to be considerate to the circumstances of people who are in debt and that those who genuinely can’t pay are provided with support and advice. In relation to council tax debt Ministers have actively encouraged local authorities to share good practice on debt assistance and collection, and to use the existing flexibilities available to them.

Scottish Government recognises the challenges being faced by households due to the cost of living crisis and have taken considerable action in support, including the tripling of the Fuel Insecurity Fund in 2023-24. We have taken decisive action in relation to debt including increasing the Minimum Protected Balance an individual can keep in their bank account when subject to debt recovery to £1000 and increasing the length of time people have to seek advice before action can be taken to pursue debt.

The Scottish Government's Council Tax Reduction (CTR) Scheme supports those that would not be expected to afford to meet their council tax liability, and aims to prevent households from falling into debt in the first place. Applications can be backdated by up to 6 months and over 450,000 households receive some level of CTR, and on average recipients save over £750 a year.

Anyone struggling with living costs should contact their local authority who will be able to provide advice and support.

As stated in response to S6W-15209, the Interim Report of the Green Heat Finance Taskforce is due to be published in spring this year and will complement other publications which are also due, as per commitments in the Heat in Buildings Strategy (2021). This Interim Report will be published shortly.

The Interim Report will focus in on potential finance and funding solutions for individual property owners which address barriers and gaps identified by the Taskforce which constrain the uptake of existing products. This will be followed by a final report towards the end of the year which will focus on communal, or place based mechanisms, and will incorporate recommendations for the social housing sector.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering a Net Zero, Wellbeing economy and a highly skilled workforce is critical to this ambition. Our National Strategy for Economic Transformation is clear that we must adapt our education and skills system to become more responsive and agile so that it can deliver on our key priorities.

Published in 2020, the Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan (CESAP) provides a framework for green skills planning and investment across priority sectors directly affected in the transition to net zero: Energy, Construction, Transport, Manufacturing and Agriculture and land-use.

Since 2019, Transport Scotland has been commissioning reports in each of the highest emitting transport sectors to identify the skills gaps and skills shortages. A number of these reports have already been published, and others are due to be published in Spring 2023. The findings will become the foundation for skills activity, delivered by partners across Scotland to support the decarbonisation of the transport sector.

Transport Scotland works closely with colleges across Scotland and the Energy Skills Partnership. Targeted investment has supported training equipment for battery and hydrogen vehicles and has been utilised by colleges across Scotland, including in more rural and remote communities. This support has led to over 120 college lecturers being up-skilled to deliver training, and over 350 technicians receiving training to date, with that number growing annually with Scottish colleges delivering courses to new students. This work will support the development of a Just Transition Plan for the Transport Sector.

The estimated number and percentage of domestic properties by Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) energy efficiency rating band are published in the ‘Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS): Key Findings’ report.

The latest published data are available at: Scottish house condition survey: 2019 key findings , which show that around 1.4 million dwellings, representing 55% of the housing stock had an EPC rating lower than Band C (based on the latest SAP 2012 EPC methodology).

The latest estimates are for 2019. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the fieldwork for the 2020 SHCS was suspended in March 2020 and did not resume. The 2021 SHCS was also impacted and was undertaken using a non-contact external plus approach. The results are not directly comparable to those from previous years and will be published as experimental statistics on 30 May 2023.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17263 on 4 May 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 .

As is laid out in our Heat in Buildings Strategy (published 7 October 2021), the 124,000 aim relates to zero emissions heating systems:

“we want to see – as a minimum – zero emissions heat installations scale up to provide a total of at least 124,000 systems installed between 2021 and 2026. We recognise that setting medium term credible aspirations for deployment of categories of heating technology can build confidence and support investment across supply chains.”

According to the Microgeneration Certification Scheme’s publicly-accessible MCS Data Dashboard, 11,341 zero emissions heating systems have been installed so far since January 2021.

The figures come with the following caveats:

• For the purposes of answering this question, zero emissions heating systems” comprise (i) Air Source Heat Pumps, (ii) Ground/Water Source Heat Pumps and (iii) Other Heat Pump Types.
• MCS certification is not a mandatory requirement, so MCS data does not capture all small-scale renewable energy installations in Scotland. However, as MCS is often a route to government incentives, it is likely to represent a significant proportion of deployment.
• Most installations registered with MCS are in the retrofit market. However, MCS may capture some new-build installations if contractors have chosen to register their installations with MCS.

Short-term let licensing and powers to designate control areas allow local authorities to strike a balance between the economic benefits of short-term lets and the needs and concerns of communities in their areas. It is for local authorities to use the powers available to them to achieve the right balance in their areas recognising the need for a thriving tourist economy, as well as having sufficient homes for people to live in.

The short-term let licensing scheme will ensure that all short-term lets in Scotland comply with basic safety standards. Many hosts will already be following these standards as a matter of compliance with existing law or best practice. We do not consider them to be onerous. Whether someone is sharing their own home or letting a portfolio of properties, in rural Skye or in central Edinburgh, safety matters.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering a Net Zero, Wellbeing economy and a highly skilled workforce is critical to this ambition. Our National Strategy for Economic Transformation is clear that we must adapt our education and skills system to become more responsive and agile so that it can deliver on our key priorities. Published in 2020, the Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan (CESAP) provides a framework for green skills planning and investment across regions and priority sectors.

Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council are progressing Pathfinder projects to identify the skills requirements necessary to support the priority sectors identified in CESAP including in heat decarbonisation. The Pathfinders are operating in Glasgow City and Shetland Islands and the findings will strengthen the green skills evidence base and inform further action to address green skills gaps.

On behalf of the Scottish Government, Skills Development Scotland work with Industry Leadership Groups and other key industry players to develop Regional and Sector Skills Investment Plans. They are created through a process of labour market and skills supply research and analysis, industry consultation and action planning with industry and partners across Scotland’s education and skills system.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17263 on 4 May 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 .

The requested information is not held centrally. The Official Statistics on Police recorded crime include offences recorded under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, such as section 1 on dogs bred for fighting and section 3 on keeping dogs under proper control. However they do not identify specific circumstances where an individual has been harmed.