Chamber and committees

The following table displays the number of farmers who received funding from the Beef Efficiency Scheme from 2018. The majority of applicants started in 2016 and received payments for the first three years. Those starting in 2017 received their final payment in the 2019 Scheme year.

We have committed to invest at least £1.8 billion over the course of this parliament to support growth in zero emissions heat and energy efficiency measures, and to support those least able to pay.

(a) Home Energy Scotland provides up to £15,000 interest-free loans for energy efficiency measures and up to £17,500 for renewables measures. Registered private landlords owning five or fewer properties are eligible for interest free loans, and owners of six or more properties are subject to interest at a rate of 3.5% APR.

We are working with the private rented sector to introduce regulations in 2025 which will require all private rented properties to reach a minimum standard, with a backstop date of 2028. We have also committed to introduce an all-tenure zero emissions heat standard to be phased in for off-gas grid areas from 2025 and on-gas grid areas from 2030, with all buildings meeting this standard no later than 2045. We are establishing a Green Heat Finance Taskforce and will take account of its recommendations ahead of the introduction of regulations, so there is a clear and identified range of financial mechanisms available to support building owners to meet proposed regulatory obligations.

(b) We will review the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH2), and are currently considering the Zero Emissions Social Housing Taskforce’s recommendation that this review happen before 2023. We have committed £200 million to the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund over the course of this parliament, investing in a sector that is already leading the way in energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation.

Scotland welcomes international students and recognises the important and valuable contribution they make to institutions, the economy and Scottish society. Hundreds of EU students will be supported to study in Scotland through the new £2.25 million scholarship programme.

A total of 290 places have been allocated to institutions, with an estimated average spend of £7,759 per student. This is based on a split of £4,000 per college place and £8,000 per university place.

On 5 February 2020 the Independent Care Review published its conclusions which became ‘The Promise’ . On the same day the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament agreed to implement all the findings of the Independent Care Review by 2030. The Scottish Government continues to work closely with The Promise Scotland to progress the actions set out in Plan 21-24 and Change Programme ONE .

As with other parts of Scotland, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has faced unprecedented pressures over recent weeks. This has brought many unexpected challenges which are resulting in some patients waiting longer than necessary.

To help alleviate these pressures, we announced a substantial new investment of over £300 million in hospital and community care to support the NHS and social care system over winter. The will support a range of measures to maximise capacity in our hospitals and primary care, reduce delayed discharges, improve pay for social care staff, and ensure those in the community who need support receive effective and responsive care.

As part of our work to maximise capacity for winter, we are investing £10 million to support two new specialist programmes – Interface Care and Discharge without Delay - to support improved processes that ensure patients are discharged as soon as they are medically fit, avoiding unnecessary delays in hospital and ensure alternatives to admission.

Additionally, earlier this month I announced an additional £10 million winter funding which aims to ease pressures in A&E departments and minimise delays that patients are currently experiencing when they need urgent care. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde received £2.1 million of this funding.

We continue to meet regularly with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to discuss their local improvement plan.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

This year the Scottish Government has increased funding for policing in Scotland by £75.5 million to more than £1.3 billion. The allocation of these resources across policing priorities is a matter for the Scottish Police Authority and the Chief Constable to determine.

People living in Scotland’s rural areas are less likely to be a victim of crime now than a decade ago, as detailed in the 2019-20 Scottish Crime and Justice Survey. Over three-quarters (76%) of those living in rural areas believed that the local crime rate had been stable or fallen in the previous two years.

The Scottish Government will continue to bear down on crime in Scotland, through protecting police budgets as well as through substantial investment in preventative programmes.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on any community pharmacy that has failed to notify the NHS Board of a closure in the last 12 months. The provision of community pharmacy pharmaceutical care services are the responsibility of territorial Health Boards as set out in the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 2009, including pharmacy closures.

Any challenges faced by community pharmacies in ensuring the safe and effective dispensing of treatments, should be discussed with the local Health Board to minimise impact and risk to patients.

The following table provides information on the number of theft of a pedal cycle crimes recorded by the police in Inverclyde between 2016-17 and 2020-21.

Table: Number of theft of a pedal cycle crimes recorded by the police, Inverclyde, 2016-17 to 2020-21

Booster vaccinations in Scotland started as soon as possible once the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) provided their advice on boosters, which stated that the booster dose should be offered no earlier than six months after completion of the primary vaccine course, however there is some flexibility to offer a booster vaccination to the most vulnerable groups after five months.

1,342,841 people have received a booster or 3rd dose to 19 November, and we are working as quickly as we can, prioritising those most vulnerable.

Data on boosters by JCVI priority group is not yet published. We continue to work closely with Public Health Scotland to develop the vaccination data to provide robust statistics that enhance public understanding.

To ask the Scottish Government how many farmers have received support through the Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme since 2018