I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-29572 on 17 September 2024. 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 ambition of Scottish Government is to publish the summary report from the Task & Finish Group sessions along with the agreed recommendations by end September 2024.

These publications will provide an overview of discussions held amongst the Task & Finish Group members and the recommendations for future progress of the Single Building Assessment.

ScotRail is to undertake the procurement. The timescales for replacement and the exact type of train to replace the HST Fleet are dependent on the outcomes of the procurement.

The information requested is not held by the Scottish Government. Individual NHS Boards are best placed to advise on the decisions they take to match service provision with demand.

The Housing to 2040 Strategic Board has met three times so far in 2024 - 8 February, 7 June and 22 August. The minutes of the February meeting are published on the Scottish Government website. The minutes of the latter meetings will be published within 12 weeks and once approved by the Housing to 2040 Strategic Board.

The Scottish Government’s Criminal Proceedings in Scotland statistics primarily focus on prosecutions and convictions in criminal courts. However,­­ they also include some non-court disposals, including police-issued Antisocial Behaviour Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) and COPFS-issued FPNs. The former are not used for shoplifting offences and the latter are only very rarely used for them. The most recent data show no FPNs issued for shoplifting since 2018-19.

All applications are made to the overall HOSF programme, and are then carefully assessed by my officials to determine suitability for either Mortgage to Shared Equity (MTSE) or Mortgage to Rent (MTR).

Applicants to HOSF receive advice from accredited money advisers. The advisers offer holistic advice and identify which potential solutions will best meet applicants’ needs. They are appropriately qualified to determine when homeowners meet the HOSF eligibility criteria. This ensures all options and potential solutions have been considered before an application to HOSF is made.

Since 20 March 2022, 96 new applications have been made to the Home Owners Support Fund (HOSF), an average of 3 new applications per calendar month.

To date, 47 cases have successfully completed. A further 10 cases have been approved and are in the final stages of conveyancing, due to complete imminently. All successful applications since 20 March 2022 have been Mortgage to Rent cases.

3 cases received during this period did not meet the eligibility criteria and were deemed ineligible. These cases represent a small proportion of overall intake and are the result of unforeseen issues that could not be resolved. For example, where alterations were made to the property without having the correct building consents in place.

As part of the application process for energy infrastructure projects, the Scottish Government undertake a full and thorough consultation with stakeholders, including the relevant Local Planning Authorities, to ensure all aspects of the development are considered.

Where it is necessary to understand the environmental impact of an infrastructure project, a full Environment Impact Assessment is required to be undertaken which takes into account the cumulative impacts of the full development.

The Scottish Government welcomes the innovation, continuous improvement and efficiency that Health Board delivery teams have demonstrated to make best use of resources and funding throughout our national vaccination programmes, which remain a key public health intervention.

The Scottish Government provided £80 million on an National Resource Allocation formula (NRAC) basis to cover local Board vaccine delivery costs for the full financial year 2023/24.

These funds were allocated to the following programmes, the largest of which was the winter Seasonal Flu & COVID-19 booster programme:

• Spring 2023 COVID-19 programme
• 6 months – 4 years at risk COVID-19 programme
• changes to the COVID-19 primary rolling offer
• COVID-19 vaccination out-with seasonal programmes for the clinically extremely vulnerable and for travel or visa purposes
• Winter Seasonal Flu & COVID-19 booster programme 2023

Boards also used this funding to deliver across the full range of other vaccine programmes. A breakdown of investment provided to each Health Board is as follows.

The Scottish Government funds the Scottish Book Trust (SBT) to deliver the Reading Schools programme which represents an inclusive, whole school approach to embedding a reading culture within schools.

SBT commissions independent evaluations of the programme to examine the impact on pupils, learning professionals and schools. All evaluations are published on the Reading Schools website at: https://readingschools.scot/evaluation

The Scottish Government understands that the most recent report on the 2023-24 programme by Research Scotland will be published in the next few weeks and will be publicly available through the Reading Schools website as referenced above.