Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02569 on
‎ 9 September 2021. 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

Local authorities and integration authorities have legal duties to provide carer support under the Carers Act. In practice they commission third sector organisations, including carers centres, to provide much of that support on their behalf. The 2021-22 budget contains an additional £28.5 million in the local government settlement for Carers Act implementation. Added to similar (baselined) increases in previous years since the Act came into force in April 2018, this brings the total investment in the Carers Act for 2021-22 to £68 million per year. It is for local authorities and integration authorities to decide how to use the funding to meet their duties under the Carers Act, but it is expected that this will include providing additional funding to carers centres and other organisations commissioned to expand carer support.

The previous Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport wrote to local authorities in March 2021 to highlight the importance of using this additional funding to expand carer support: www.gov.scot/publications/carers-act-finance-2021-2022-letter

Alongside funding for the Carers Act, the Scottish Government also funds the Time to Live scheme, administered by Shared Care Scotland, to enable local carer organisations to provide small grants for carers to spend on short breaks or something that gives them a break from caring. In response to the pandemic, we put an additional £910,000 into the scheme in 2020-21 and have committed a further £400,000 in 2021-22.

In 2019 the Scottish Government launched the Young Carers Package with Young Scot. The idea behind this was to help support young carers with their well-being, education and life goals as well as taking some sort of a break. So the package offers exclusive discounts, vouchers, opportunities and prizes to win all geared towards this goal.

In recognition of the pressures on young carers during the pandemic, an additional £300,000 has been provided to Young Scot to add new e-vouchers and opportunities suitable for home use and physical distancing to their young carer package for 11-18 year olds. New opportunities include subscriptions to mindfulness relaxation apps, mobile data top ups, sanitary product vouchers, entertainment subscriptions and e-vouchers to some of the most popular stores and wellbeing boxes filled with things to help young carers take care of their mental wellbeing.

The Scottish Government, through the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Loan and Cashback scheme, provides interest-free loans with up to 75% cashback grant funding for homeowners to replace fossil-fuel heating systems such as gas with low or zero emissions heating systems such as heat pumps alongside insulation measures.

To further support households to make their homes greener, we provide:

• free, impartial advice through Home Energy Scotland, including specialist home renewables advice;
• HES loans with up to 40% cashback for energy efficiency measures;
• the Green Homes Network which allows households to find out about the experience of others who have already installed measures; and
• the Renewable Installer Finder Tool which helps households find installers and suppliers in their area.

Under the HES Loan and Cashback scheme, homeowners can borrow up to £17,500 for a total of two renewables measures. If applying for a heat pump, then a maximum of up to £10,000 is available (either air source to water, ground source to water, water source to water or hybrid air source to water (£2,500 loan & £7,500 cashback)).

These advice and support schemes can be accessed through Home Energy Scotland, managed on behalf of Scottish Government by the Energy Saving Trust.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-00245 on 4 June 2021, which highlights the actions delivered in the Suicide Prevention Action Plan (Every Life Matters) . 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

A full update on the delivery of the Suicide Prevention Action Plan will be included in the annual report of the National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group, which is due to be published later this month.

I asked the Scottish Qualifications Authority to reply.

Initial modelling indicates that 60% of SQA’s running costs (permanent SQA staff, overheads and other indirect costs) were attributable to the implementation of the 2019 exam diet. Including direct delivery costs, the cost of the 2019 exam diet was therefore £52m.

The SQA levy to local authorities and entry fees charged to independent schools and colleges for National Qualifications have remained unchanged since 2012-13 despite changes in costs.

Following the publication of Guidance on the provision of wheelchairs on short term loan in March 2021 ( https://www.gov.scot/publications/guidance-provision-wheelchairs-short-term-loan/ ) Scottish Government officials will shortly commence a 6 month review of implementation with Health and Social Care Partnerships, who have delegated responsibility for the provision of community equipment, including short-term wheelchair loans.

The review will seek an update on local areas progress towards implementation and will also offer implementation support to any areas requiring it. Following the 6 month review we would expect the guidance to be fully implemented across all Health and Social Care Partnerships by March 2022.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02569 on
‎ 9 September 2021. 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02569 on
‎ 9 September 2021. 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

We are working with COSLA and stakeholders to develop a new long-term suicide prevention strategy for Scotland. The new strategy will be outcomes-focussed, and its development will be directed by the voices of lived experience. It will be informed by data and evidence, and adopt a cross-government approach to ensure the Government continues to take all actions it can to reduce the number of people who die by suicide. The new strategy will be published in September 2022, supported by an initial delivery plan.

As announced to Parliament in June this year, our continued focus, pace and evaluation on suicide prevention will be achieved by extending activities under the current Suicide Prevention Action Plan (Every Life Matters ), for a further year, up to the point the new strategy is published. This approach has the full backing from partners, including COSLA and the National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group.

The update of Cycling by Design has been completed, led by representatives of Transport Scotland, Sustrans and local authorities working in partnership. The scheduled publication date is week commencing 13 September which will be during Scotland’s Climate Week.