Chamber and committees

Temporary accommodation offers an important safety net for anyone who finds themselves homeless, however, this should only ever be short term and we want to see people in settled homes that meet their needs as soon as possible. We want disabled people in Scotland to have choice, dignity and freedom to access suitable, settled homes so they can participate as full and equal citizens.

Our Housing to 2040 strategy sets out our vision for housing in Scotland to 2040. Key actions include reviewing Housing for Varying Needs, increasing the supply of accessible and adapted homes and improving choice for disabled people to allow them to live independently within their community.

The Scottish Government has committed to delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, of which 70% will be for social rent. Funding is available through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme to deliver more wheelchair accessible homes where local authorities have included these in their Strategic Housing Investment Plans.

The review of Housing for Varying Needs, our design guide for accessibility standards for new social rented homes, is underway and will directly inform the development of a Scottish Accessible Homes Standard, set to be implemented from 2025-26. This will enhance the accessibility and adaptability of new homes, ensuring that disabled people have an increased range of housing options and reducing the requirement to make changes to homes as needs change. We plan to launch the formal consultation on both the Housing for Varying Needs review and the introduction of the Scottish Accessible Homes Standard in the spring of 2023.

Both passenger ships, MS Ambition, Glasgow and MS Victoria, Edinburgh were contracted as a temporary measure to ensure Scotland could respond to the humanitarian crisis facing people in Ukraine and provide an immediate place of safely for displaced people.

All guests successfully disembarked MS Ambition before the contract ended on 31 March and were supported into alternative accommodation and we are now working closely with the City of Edinburgh Council to support guests on board MS Victoria to disembark before the contract ends on 11 July.

The Scottish Government continues to work intensively with local authorities to match people into longer-term accommodation and our priority is to ensure safe and sustainable accommodation can be provided. We are keen to continue to work together with the British Red Cross to utilise their experiences and expertise as we continue to settle displaced people from Ukraine into our community.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

National Records of Scotland (NRS) are the official producer of statistics relating to deaths, including where the cause was related to COVID-19. The information they hold is restricted to that recorded at death registration and therefore they do not hold sufficient detail to identify where a person had in place a do not resuscitate order.

A one off analysis of COVID-19 deaths by disability was made possible by linking information on death registrations to data on long-term health problems and disabilities from Scotland’s Census 2011. This is publicly available on the NRS website: Deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland, Week 11: Report (nrscotland.gov.uk)

There is no ongoing or planned work to look further at the level of detail outlined in the question.

Vision is routinely assessed following stroke and any pre-existing visual problems would be considered as part of the assessment and rehabilitation process. The criteria for assessment during Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme (SSIP) annual reviews of NHS Boards now includes a dedicated section relating to vision in stroke rehabilitation.

The Scottish Government expects boards to demonstrate that their stroke services have a documented pathway describing services for all those with visual problems following stroke. Boards should be able to evidence the use of comprehensive visual screening, the option to refer to appropriate professionals for assessment of visual problems and the provision of tailored information and access to low vision services if required.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

National Records of Scotland (NRS) are the official producer of statistics relating to deaths, including where the cause was related to COVID-19. The information they hold is restricted to that recorded at death registration and therefore they do not hold sufficient detail to identify where a cause of death was related to secondary COVID-19 impacts such as loss of support.

A one off analysis of COVID-19 deaths by disability was made possible by linking information on death registrations to data on long-term health problems and disabilities from Scotland’s Census 2011. This is publicly available on the NRS website: Deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland, Week 11: Report (nrscotland.gov.uk).

There is no ongoing or planned work to look further at the level of detail outlined in the question.

Danuta Hübner MEP and I held a positive meeting in May last year, in which we spoke about the Scottish Government's EU alignment and Energy policies.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussions, however Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during international meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.

Nathalie Loiseau MEP and I held a positive meeting in June last year, in which we spoke about the work of the Scottish Government's Brussels office and areas of potential future cooperation with Europe such as energy.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussions, however Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during international meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.

Seamus Boland of the European Economic and Social Committee and I held a positive meeting in June last year, in which we spoke about Scottish civic society's involvement in the EU’s Domestic Advisory Group.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussions, however Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during international meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.

The Scottish Government has not prescribed a specific employment model for Community Link Workers. Local areas decide, on the basis of local need, how they are deployed and in which GP practices they work.

As at March 2022, 76% of GP practices in Scotland had full or partial access to Community Link Workers. By March 2022, 249 WTE community links workers had been recruited through Primary Care Improvement Plans. Figures split by health board can be found at:

Supporting documents - Primary care improvement plans: summary of implementation progress - March 2022 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Our Accessible Housing and Independent Living Stakeholder Group will meet a minimum of twice yearly, to advise on the relevant commitments in the Scottish Government’s Housing to 2040 strategy document in relation to housing for older people and disabled people.

The Terms of Reference have yet to be agreed but a draft will be considered by the group at their next meeting which is scheduled to take place in June. The agreed Terms of Reference will be published on the Scottish Government website once they have been considered and approved by the group.