Chamber and committees

As the tax authority with responsibility for the collection and management of Scotland’s devolved taxes, Revenue Scotland publishes monthly and annual data on its website regarding the number of property conveyances and non-residential leases subject to Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) and the associated tax liabilities. These are available at https://revenue.scot/news-publications/publications/statistics .

Local authority level data is published on an annual basis, as part of Revenue Scotland’s Annual Summary of Trends in the Devolved Taxes. The report for 2020-21, which provides data for the period from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2021, is available at: Annual Summary of Trends in the Devolved Taxes 2020-2021 | Revenue Scotland .

In particular, the ‘Data for Figure 17’ tab in the figures and tables file of this publication includes an estimate of LBTT excluding ADS declared due for residential conveyances by local authority and year. The ‘Data for Figure 23’ tab in the same file gives an estimate of LBTT declared due by Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) 2 area and year for non-residential conveyances. Local authority level estimates of non-residential conveyances are not provided to minimise the risk of disclosing protected taxpayer information.

Retailers are entitled to claim a reasonable handling fee and be reimbursed for the deposit for each processed in-scope container. The Scheme Administrator, Circularity Scotland Ltd (CSL), will provide retailers with appropriate guidance which will aid retailers in identifying such containers and therefore limit the chances of ineligible containers being returned.

As Scheme Administrator, CSL will verify collected containers prior to payment to ensure no ineligible containers have a deposit or handling fee paid.

Under the producer responsibility principle, these costs will be borne by industry.

The average household charge in Scotland is £375 in 2021-22. In 2022-23, this will rise to £391.

By comparison, Discover Water have stated the average charge across England and Wales to be £412 in 2021-22 and £419 in 2022-23. https://discoverwater.co.uk/annual-bill provides further information on individual company charges.

We intend to issue a consultation paper on Phase 2 permitted development rights (PDR), including extensions to existing electric vehicle charging PDR, in the first quarter of 2022-23. The aim is to have resulting legislation in place by the end of the year.

In the meantime, processing of any required planning applications are a matter for individual planning authorities in the first instance. Current Scottish Planning Policy (paragraphs 275 and 289) sets out the need for planning authorities to support EV charging infrastructure in development plans and development management decisions.

The performance and resourcing of the planning system are key priorities; we are progressing a range of improvements through our planning reform programme and working closely with CoSLA, the Royal Town Planning Institute and Heads of Planning Scotland to address issues from resources to capacity and skills.

The Green Jobs Workforce Academy offers information on the career opportunities available, the skills needed to move into them and links to the required training and funding sources to support learners to do so.

As the Academy’s offer develops, it will become a comprehensive source of advice and information about the labour market opportunities coming out of the transition. Users will be able to register to receive personalised updates on their areas of interest, invitations to online and in-person events and information on opportunities which are relevant to them

Phase 1 of the Green Jobs Workforce Academy launched in August 2021, focused on 5 sectors identified by the Climate Change Plan Update and Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan as being crucial to the transition to net zero with. Phase 2, due to launch this year, will include the launch of the Careers Assessment Tool and further enhancement of content and training opportunities that the Academy offers.

The £150 cost of living payments are administered by local authorities who have discretion over whether to make them as a credit to council tax accounts or as direct payments in order to ensure delivery by the end of April 2022.

Local authorities have indicated that payments will be included as a credit in council tax bills for 2022-23 in the majority of circumstances. This is the most readily available means of delivering this support to eligible households as fast as possible. Some councils also indicated that payments to eligible low income households exempt from council tax, such as those in temporary accommodation or refuges, would be made as direct payments. In these circumstances, they have discretion over the method used which may include, for example, PayPoint cash vouchers, cheques or BACS transfers to bank accounts.

Priority groups for the Open Market Shared Equity and New Supply Shared Equity schemes were established following discussions with a range of stakeholders. In 2017 people aged 60 and over were included further to a Programme for Government commitment to assist older people to move into accommodation more suited to their needs.

Applications to the schemes are demand led and assessed against the scheme criteria including income. Applicants can often fall into more than one category for example first time buyer and disabled person. Eligibility is not known until assessments have been carried out and this includes whether or not the person is applying as a priority access group.

Launched in August 2021, the Green Jobs Workforce Academy provides an important step in preparing our current and future workforce for green careers. Through the online resource, individuals can access information and careers advice on green jobs and the skills required to enter into or progress in them, and identify courses and funding available to support their upskilling or retraining. While the Academy is online, through greenjobs.scot individuals can access a range of virtual and in-person training opportunities.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people are able to access the right support for their mental health without stigma, including medication where this is the most appropriate intervention.

The Scottish Government does not hold data on the numbers of children and young people aged 19 and under who were prescribed antidepressants by a GP, without seeing a specialist, while waiting for access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

We know that the Covid-19 pandemic has been exceptionally difficult for the mental health and wellbeing of many children, young people and their families. Long waiting times for treatment are unacceptable and we remain committed to meet the standard that 90% of patients begin treatment within 18 weeks of referral. This is why in the 2021-22 financial year we have allocated nearly £40 million to NHS Boards to improve CAMHS; with £4.25 million specifically invested this year to help NHS Boards tackle backlogs, with a clear view of meeting standards and clearing CAMHS backlogs by March 2023.

As set out in the response to S6W-07188 on 21 March 2022, prescribing is a clinical decision based on a prescriber’s judgment as to what they believe is in the best interests of the patient. The prescribing of antidepressants for children and young people is undertaken in consultation with the patient, and where appropriate with their family, to ensure that patient choice is also central to decisions taken regarding treatment and care.

Medication is one aspect of treatment, alongside psychological therapy or other therapeutic interventions, available as an option for children and young people who require support. We continue invest and improve access to other services, including by providing £16 million per annum to ensure that every secondary school in Scotland has access to counselling support; and by investing £15 million in community-based mental health and wellbeing services as part of our focus on early intervention and prevention.

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 Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.

Data on UK and export sales of peat sourced from Scotland since 2011 is gathered for the UK Growing Media Monitor ( https://hta.org.uk/associations-committees-groups/growing-media-association/gma-research ) and provides insight into the volumes of peat extracted for horticulture in Scotland up to 2020, the main end use of extracted peat.

The Scottish Government is committed to banning the sale of peat related gardening products, as part of our wider commitment to phase out the use of peat in horticulture, and we are currently preparing to consult on this issue. Our draft National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) sets out that development proposals for new commercial peat extraction, including extensions to existing sites, should not be supported unless the extracted peat is supporting an industry of national importance to Scotland.

We will also give consideration, through our peatland restoration programme, to whether and what further data may be required to support future monitoring of progress against targets.