Delivery of the Scottish 4G Infill Programme completed in November 2023 and no further funding has been allocated to this programme beyond 2023-24 .

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of applications which have been earmarked to be used for temporary accommodation. It is for grant applicants to allocate the properties acquired.

In relation to the number of applications which have been (a) received and (b) approved for the National Acquisition Programme I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27110 on 14 May 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 Scottish Government has worked with agencies and other partners, including internationally, to deliver initiatives in support of the development of zero emission mobility technology. These include funding the University of St Andrews to deliver, in partnership with Strathclyde University, a four-year Hydrogen Accelerator programme. The Accelerator has helped to support several innovative projects including the Scottish hydrogen train, which was demonstrated at Bo’ness in 2022.

We are working with industry and enterprise agency partners to develop a Hydrogen Sector Export Plan for publication this year. The plan will set out the steps needed to realise Scotland's export potential - including the development of critical infrastructure to support the transport of hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives, short-term export opportunities around skills and the supply chain, and the economic opportunity for Scotland represented by renewable hydrogen exports in the longer term.

In December 2023, South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) established a Short Life Working Group to consider and recommend a future model of clinical care within the Specialist Palliative Care service in Lanarkshire. This process concluded in March 2024.

The Scottish Government was not involved with the short life working group, but South Lanarkshire HSCP has kept Scottish Government officials updated on this process and subsequent discussions, including a number of roundtable meetings being convened with key local stakeholders.

It is the responsibility of Integration Joint Boards to plan and commission adult palliative care services for their areas using the integrated budgets under their control.

The establishment of the National Acquisition Programme (NAP), was backed by investment of at least £60 million from local authority resource planning assumptions within the Affordable Housing Supply Programme in 2023-24 to help to reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation. A total of £83.146 million was spent through the National Acquisition Programme in 2023-2024. The NAP enables local authorities and registered social landlords to acquire properties of the right types, in the right places, in line with their strategic priorities.

The following table provides a breakdown of how much each grant applicant received and the corresponding percentage of this spend when compared to the total spend figure of £83.146 million.

This commitment will be funded through reprioritisation of the existing overall Scottish budget, with a number of areas currently being reviewed. This will be reflected through the normal parliamentary budget review and approval process.

Last week I sought urgent clarity from the DWP that people receiving our Adult Disability Payment will not be penalised and will continue to automatically receive the reserved benefits that they rely on. I have also sought assurances from the UK Government it will not seek to impose any resultant cuts to expenditure on the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government will never accept the cruel welfare reforms being pursued by the UK government. These punitive proposals will only further stigmatise and impoverish disabled people and have been rightly called out by stakeholders as a “reckless assault on disabled people”.

In contrast, Scotland’s social security system is designed on the principles of dignity, fairness and respect. Those are the values of this government, of the people of Scotland, because disability payments are there for all of us whenever we should need them. The Scottish Government is committed to continuing to deliver Adult Disability Payment in a compassionate and caring way.

The following table provides a breakdown of how many applications from (a) registered social landlords and (b) local authorities have been (i) received and (ii) approved for the National Acquisition Plan in total for 2023-2024. The table also provides a breakdown of whether approvals were for second hand acquisitions or new build off the shelf purchases from developers.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on whether purchases were (i) open market purchases with vacant possession, (ii) off-market purchases with vacant possession, (iii) purchases where an owner-occupier cannot afford the required maintenance or refurbishment of their home and wishes to sell and remain in the home as a tenant in the social rented sector and (v) properties from landlords leaving the private rented sector with a tenant in situ. This level of detail would not necessarily be known at approval stage given many of the homes would not yet have come to market or been identified.

The commitment announced on 26 April will provide up to £40 million in 2024-2025, with an equivalent commitment in 2025-2026 to be confirmed subject to the standard budget setting processes.

The Women’s Health Plan Foreword by the Minister for Public Health, Women's Health and Sport - Women's health plan - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) sets out the Scottish Government’s ambition for Women’s Health which is that ‘women and girls enjoy the best possible health, throughout their lives’ - this ambition is not limited to the lifespan of the current Plan.

The current iteration of the Women’s Health Plan comes to a close in August 2024. The Women's Health Plan First Women's health plan: progress report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) and Women's health plan: second annual progress report - January 2024 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) Second Annual Reports on Progress set out the progress on implementing the Plan.

In order to dedicate the necessary effort to the delivery of the current Plan, work will begin on a successor to the Women’s Health Plan after that time.

From September, consultation will take place with women and girls, including our lived experienced stakeholder group, clinical experts, academics and those working in the women’s health arena on the content of the policy.

During the interim phase between the end of the current policy and the development of future policy, work will continue to improve women’s health driving forward the ambitions, aims and longer term actions of the current Women’s Health Plan.