Chamber and committees

There is no minimum required number of medically-trained NHS 24 call handlers.

NHS 24 call handlers operate under clinical supervision at all times with a minimum level of one clinical supervisor for every five call handlers on shift. Each call has clinical supervision input at an appropriate level, depending on acuity and outcome of patients.

For low carbon heating, such as heat pumps, the requirement is to use Microgeneration Certification Scheme installers to access Scottish Government funded support programmes. In relation to energy efficiency measures such as insulation, to access Scottish Government funding installers should be TrustMark registered businesses. Customers accessing the HES Grant and Loan scheme who cannot locate a TrustMark registered installer may use a Green Deal certified installer.

Our Heat in Buildings Supply Chains Delivery Plan sets out practical steps that we will take to support the growth of the green heat sector. We continue to work in partnership with the sector to ensure that the appropriate support and training provision are aligned at a local level with business needs and future local demands.

The scenarios were developed to understand the potential workforce requirements in Scotland to meet projected clean heat and energy efficiency targets. These were indicative forecast scenarios and are not expectations/projections of future demand and for this reason are not currently tracked.

Information on public sector support available to businesses in Scotland can be found on FindBusinessSupport.gov.scot.

A Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment was completed for the provisions contained within The Building (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2023 (which introduce the New Build Heat Standard from 1 April 2024). This contains an assessment of how the Standard may impact costs associated with new homes across Scotland. The affordability of buying a home is impacted by multiple factors, including the sale price of a new building (which is determined by individual developers and takes into account a range of variables related to building construction costs and local housing markets), location and access to personal finance for buyers.

We have worked with industry to define a set of recommended minimum skill sets and qualifications which is published as part of the Installer Skills Matrix .

The report was commissioned by Scottish Enterprise as internal analysis to inform policy development. As such, this will not be published externally.

Under the terms of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, the statutory deadline for laying a draft of the Climate Change Plan is 22 November 2024. However, statute also requires time for consideration of representations received during the statutory scrutiny period. Exact timings on this matter form part of ongoing consideration on the continued development of the draft Climate Change Plan. I will keep Parliament informed of progress.

The Deputy First Minister engaged extensively with all Cabinet Secretaries and Ministers, and their officials, when developing the 2024-25 Budget.