Chamber and committees

There is no specific annual target for take up of the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan scheme in the Highlands and Islands region. The scheme is demand-led and the number of households which can be supported is linked to the annual budget. The budget allocation across the HES loan/cashback scheme and replacement grant and loan scheme together in 2022-23 is £42 million, double the level for 2021-22. The budget for 2023-24 will be set in due course. The budget for the scheme forms part of at least £1.8bn which we have committed to allocating over the course of this Parliament to accelerate deployment of heat and energy efficiency measures and to support those least able to pay.

The new scheme introduces an increased grant level for households in rural areas, compared to other parts of Scotland. An uplift of £1,500 applies to both the heat pump and energy efficiency grants. This uplift increases the heat pump grant flat rate and the maximum limit of the energy efficiency grant to £9,000 respectively. The uplift is in recognition of the higher costs faced by rural households associated with the installation of measures (such as increased transportation costs, possible accommodation costs for installers, housing type amongst other reasons) and aims to support with these additional costs.

Pay for staff in the SCS is reserved and operates within the UK Cabinet Office pay and performance management framework which sets out each year the level of pay increase and non-consolidated performance payments that may apply.

Since 2007, the number of senior civil servants (SCS) who have received a non-consolidated performance payment and a pay increase in the same year is 188. This covers the four calendar years 2007 to 2010.

The total amount of such performance bonuses during the period 2007 to 2010 was £2,503,000 and this represents 320 payments (so some of the 188 SCS will have received a payment in more than one calendar year).

No senior civil servants have received a non-consolidated performance payment alongside a pay increase in the same year since 2010 in line with the Scottish Government pay policy presumption against performance bonuses.

The Scottish Government values all NHS Scotland staff, at every level and in every profession. The latest pay offer we have made is significantly more generous than the 2022-23 pay settlements which have been put in place in the rest of the UK and was negotiated through a partnership process with the input of all recognised Agenda for Change Staff Side organisations. Depending on the grade, under this pay deal Clinical Psychologists will earn anywhere between £53,513 and £112,673 per annum.

The Scottish Government is proud that our Agenda for Change staff are the highest paid in the UK. This applies to both starting salary and people at the top of their Band. It may be helpful to contrast the latest pay offer in Scotland against the settlements which have already been implemented in England and Wales for Band 8 and 9 staff. This information is set out in the following table.

The cost information related to delayed discharge for the NHS is no longer included in the PHS publications. This is due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic where detailed cost data could not be submitted by NHS Boards to PHS.

52 students graduated from the ScotGEM course in June 2022. This is the first cohort of students that have graduated since the course commenced in 2018.

Replacing the previous cashback arrangements with a standalone grant was a key commitment in the Programme for Government 2022-23 and will offer a more straightforward, flexible and accessible way to access funding for priority measures; particularly in our rural and island areas with additional funding support available through the rural uplift.

To access the grant, applicants must contact the Home Energy Scotland (HES) advice service, which acts as the gateway for this funding and other Scottish Government delivery schemes, including Warmer Homes Scotland. A wide range of marketing activity encourages individuals seeking advice or information on funding support for energy saving improvements to contact HES, including a national marketing campaign currently underway until late January 2023 across TV, radio, press and social media.

The launch of the HES Grant and Loan Scheme generated substantial media coverage across different platforms, including newspapers, radio and TV. It has also been covered on different Scottish Government platforms, including on the gov.scot website and Net Zero Scotland social media channels (Twitter and LinkedIn). Both of these platforms have substantial reach, with the Net Zero Scotland Twitter having over 20,000 thousand followers.

In addition, the Energy Saving Trust (EST) who deliver the HES advice service and the new grant on behalf of the Scottish Government have promoted the new scheme. Newsletters have been issued to installers to inform them of the changes and they have undertaken various media engagements to promote the new grant offer available.

The Scottish Government and its partners will continue to work together to raise awareness of the new HES Grant and Loan Scheme across Scotland, including in the Highlands and Islands region. This will include monitoring uptake of the new offer and tailoring marketing material to reflect the new offer available where necessary.

A table providing a summary of awards made from the Net Zero Transition Fund (NZTF) and their objectives has been lodged with SPICE, BIB no. 63871.

It is too early to outline the carbon savings/environmental impact just now, but we will be asking for this data in due course. The fund remains open and there are a number of active applications under consideration with further expressions of interest from Social Enterprises which are being supported by Social Investment Scotland (SIS) to finalise their plans.

The Tenant Grant Fund was a £10 million fund with each local authority receiving a share, based on a distribution agreement between CoSLA and Scottish Government.

The allocations were as follows:

Adult Disability Payment provides financial assistance for the additional costs experienced by disabled people and people with long term health conditions. Individuals with ongoing daily living or mobility difficulties due to having had Covid-19 can apply for Scottish disability assistance.

More widely the Scottish Government has set out in its Covid Recovery Strategy over 70 actions that will support people by: increasing financial security for low-income households; enhancing the wellbeing of children and young people; and creating good, green jobs and fair work. In support of the Scottish Government’s overarching aims, this will focus on reducing systemic inequalities, tackling poverty, and supporting people most affected during the pandemic.

The administration of pensions is reserved to the UK Government.

In Scotland, there is a range of financial and practical support available to adopted and fostered children and young people, and their families. This year, the Scottish Government has provided funding of over £500,000 to third sector organisations, including Adoption UK Scotland and the Fostering Network, to provide the help that adoptive and foster families may require.

The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce an adoption/foster care box of essentials for families. Adoptive parents and foster carers are, however, eligible to register for a Baby Box through their appointed social worker if they are caring for a child between 0 – 6 months.