Chamber and committees

The number of children who have been fostered has been collected centrally since 2008-09. The following table shows the number of looked after children who have been placed with foster carers, in each year since the data first became available. Data on the number of adoptions is taken from statistics published by National Records of Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to tackling the barriers that prevent people from accessing treatment and services, including travelling to those services. We will consider all options in how we can best support people to access the treatment and support they need, when they need it.

We know that for many people, problematic substance use co-occurs with mental health problems and we are committed to improving integration between mental health and addiction recovery services.

The decision on which organisations can sign off eligibility certificates for the national concessionary travel scheme is taken at a local level, by local authorities. Any extension to the existing eligibility criteria of the National Concessionary Travel Scheme may require amending legislation.

The Scottish Government is considering options that could improve access to drug and alcohol services through supporting people to travel to those services.

Local suicide prevention partnerships are at different stages of developing action plans following the publication in April 2021 of the National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group (NSPLG) guidance ( https://www.cosla.gov.uk/about-cosla/our-teams/health-and-social-care/local-area-suicide-prevention-action-plan-guidance ). The guidance sets out advice on developing appropriate governance, engaging with those who have lived experience, undertaking a local needs assessment and developing outcomes which would inform an action plan.

Some local partnerships already have established plans in place, whilst others are at an earlier stage of developing plans in line with the guidance. Many have increased the priority given to mental health and suicide prevention over the course of the pandemic.

As set out in response to S6W-01462 on 6 August 2021, to support local partnerships there is ongoing engagement between the NSPLG’s delivery lead on local suicide prevention action planning and local suicide prevention leads. This supports the development and continuous improvement of suicide prevention plans - through advice, support and sharing of good practice. It also ensures there is appropriate alignment and learning between national and local plans. Whilst responsibility for local planning and delivery rests with local partnerships, NSPLG will review progress on the development of local suicide prevention action plans across Scotland in April 2022.

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 .

Transport Scotland has undertaken analysis of the emissions produced by the Scottish Government's ferries fleet which identified areas where progress can be made quickly to reduce emissions using the technology commercially available at this time. This includes the Small Vessel Replacement Programme that will see up to seven vessels replaced with low/zero emission vessels in Phase 1 of the programme.

As part of the Islands Connectivity Plan, we will explore and consult on pathways to zero/low emission ferry transport, learning from experience in other countries and on other modes. Our Climate Change Plan Update 2020 includes a commitment that 30% of the Government owned ferry fleet will consist of low or zero emission vessels by 2032.

The provisional findings of an independent review of governance arrangements for Scottish Government lifeline ferry services are scheduled to be delivered around the end of the year. We will take time to fully consider the output of the report including further engagement with key stakeholders if necessary to reach the appropriate decision for our island communities.

The MV Coruisk resumed normal timetabled services on the afternoon of Friday 16 July 2021 on the Oban – Craignure route.

Employee matters including the promotion of third-party financial products including salary advances for its staff remain the operational responsibility of Abellio ScotRail and therefore does not require permission as such from Transport Scotland.

Asylum is a matter reserved to the UK Parliament. This includes the provision of asylum accommodation, which is delivered by the Home Office through contracts with private sector companies, known as Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts (AASC). In Scotland this is being delivered by Mears Group, who operate the mother and baby unit in Glasgow.

Scottish Government officials have no direct role in the delivery and management of the Home Office’s Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contract. We have made it clear that the Scottish Government's preference would be for asylum accommodation to be delivered by the public sector or the third sector.

The development of the Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan (CESAP) published in December 2020 by Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Government involved close engagement with Industry Leadership Groups and associated skills groups to identify skills requirements and activity underway in support of the transition to net zero.

The CESAP Implementation Steering Group meets quarterly to drive forward progress and is attended by industry representation bodies such as Scottish Renewables and Scottish Engineering as well as trade unions who feed in their expertise.

As outlined in CESAP and our 100 Day Commitment Manifesto, we will shortly launch the Green Jobs Workforce Academy, a national long term programme to support the retraining and upskilling needed for the transition to net zero.

Sectoral discussions between the Scottish Government and industry regarding training for workers transitioning to net zero is ongoing. Some recent examples include:

• Last year Transport Scotland worked with the Scottish Motor Trade Association, and the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) to research the skills required for mass uptake of Ultra Low Emission Vehicles.
• The Scottish Government has discussed skills required to deliver a just transition to net zero with industry representatives through its manufacturing recovery plan, delivered via a public and private sector partnership.
• In December 2020 the Implementation Steering Group for the Skills Action Plan for Rural Scotland discussed alignment to CESAP. Its membership includes Confor (forestry and timber industry), Seafood Scotland, tourism bodies and business organisations.
• The Energy Skills Alliance, which includes industry membership bodies and government agencies discussed the delivery of a work programme to ensure industry is prepared to meet the future demand for skills in oil and gas, and other related energy industries.

Scotland’s first long-term national housing strategy ‘Housing to 2040’ was published in March 2021. It outlined the Scottish Government's ambition to deliver 100,000 affordable homes by 2032.

We are committed to ensuring that new homes, consented from 2024, must use heating systems which produce zero direct greenhouse gas emissions (at the point of use). While our approach will be technology neutral, it is envisaged that the electrification of heat will increase substantially through the use of technologies such as heat pumps in new homes.

To illustrate this: in 2019, 83% of all electrically fuelled properties were fitted with a heat pump - rising to 89% in 2020. In line with this trend, whilst noting that not all of the 100,000 affordable homes to be delivered by 2032 will be new build, it is anticipated that the majority of the newly-constructed affordable homes consented from 2024 would be served by heat pump technology - with the remainder being served by an alternative zero direct emissions heat source, such as heat networks.

We have commissioned a heat pump sector deal expert advisory group to outline how government and industry will work together to grow the supply chain and scale deployment of the heat pumps to the ambitious levels required. The group provided an interim report in June and are due to publish a final report later this summer. We have committed to responding to their recommendations in our final Heat in Buildings Strategy.