We have not been approached by Unison for discussions on our proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill. However, we would be happy to have such a discussion at any time - building on the wide-ranging engagement with stakeholders across Scotland that we have undertaken since our consultation was published.

Our consultation is currently open until 8 March ( Proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill: Consultation - Scottish Government consultations - Citizen Space ) and we encourage all organisations and households to respond.

Homeowners are generally responsible for maintenance costs in their own homes and for their share of work on any common element of a shared building. As primarily a building maintenance issue it is the responsibility of building owners, including local authorities, to maintain their properties. Local authorities manage their own budgets and allocate financial resources on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and jointly agreed national and local priorities. The Cross Sector Working Group and its sub-groups also provide forums for stakeholders such as Local Authorities to share information and good practice as and when required.

The Scottish Government uses Student Loans Company (SLC) statistics to inform a number of workstreams.

The Scottish Government is currently undertaking a Student Finance and Wellbeing Study (SFWS) for Scotland for academic year 23/24 to gather evidence on students’ experiences of finance – their income, expenditure debt and financial wellbeing. This will be used to provide up-to-date data on the financial situation of students in Scotland and provide evidence to inform the delivery of student support policy.

This research is due to be published in a Scottish Government Social Research Report in late summer 2024. Its outputs will inform, together with wider evidence available, future policy development and reform in the student support landscape.

The last study of this type was the Scotland specific Student Income and Expenditure Survey published in 2009 , which examined Scottish-domiciled higher and further education students’ finances, particularly their income, expenditure, debt and savings, and their attitudes to the financing of study in Scotland.

The Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme does not collate expressions of interest from potential applicants.

Homeowners who wish to apply for HES Grant and Loan, or another of Scottish Government’s fuel poverty and energy efficiency schemes, contact HES Advice Service first to receive in-depth support on low and zero emissions heating technologies, other domestic renewables, and more complex energy efficiency improvements. This is an essential service to ensure that homeowners receive the best possible guidance in choosing the correct measures and a suitable installer. The service is bespoke and each homeowner’s case is assessed individually.

In 2023 7,512 applications for HES Grant and Loan Scheme were received.

The Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme, launched in December 2022, offers homeowners and self-builders in Scotland a grant, interest free loan or a combination of both to support the installation of clean heating systems and energy efficiency measures.

In 2023, the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme made 6,618 funding commitments to homeowners.

The figure provided represents all funding agreements, including both loan and grant offers.

The Minister for Housing and officials met with the Housing Convenor of Aberdeen City Council and officials on 4 March. Meetings routinely take place at official level including through engagement on the Housing Sub-group of the SG-led Cross Sector Working Group.

The Scottish Government set out plans to build a system of funded school age childcare for low-income families in our "School Age Childcare Delivery Framework", published in October 2023. The Framework can be found on the Scottish Government website at: www.gov.scot/publications/school-age-childcare-delivery-framework/

The Scottish Government remains committed to building a system of school age childcare which will be funded for those families who need it most.

Our "School Age Childcare Delivery Framework", published in October 2023, sets out the action areas for the next 2 to 3 years and outlines our person-centered and place-based approach to designing this new system, learning from what works at a local level. The Framework can be found on the Scottish Government website at: www.gov.scot/publications/school-age-childcare-delivery-framework/

In 2023-24, we invested £15 million to design and test an all-year-round system of school age childcare, including in four Early Adopter Communities and nine Access to Childcare Fund projects across Scotland, where families are accessing funded services. It also included a partnership with the Scottish Football Association to fund breakfast, after school and holiday clubs across the country for targeted children and families.

In addition, we have invested over £25m to deliver targeted summer programmes of funded activities, childcare and food provision for eligible children from low-income families across Scotland since 2021.

I am answering the question as this topic now falls into my Ministerial portfolio.

As the Member is aware, the Scottish Government’s understanding of the station proposal is that it is and has always been a developer led station, as outlined in Winchburgh Developments Ltd.’s original Masterplan.

My understanding is that West Lothian Council is responsible for the organisation and invitations for the multi-stakeholder meeting, as set out in the Council Motion from its meeting on 30 May 2023 and I will consider my attendance once I have had an opportunity to fully familiarise myself with the matter.

I can confirm, the Scottish Government welcomes the collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach and I and my officials in Transport Scotland will continue to support the process of exploring options for the delivery of a new station at Winchburgh.

I meet regularly with the UK Minister for Energy Consumers and Affordability to discuss the pressures facing Scottish energy consumers and the need for urgent action to address these. During our last meeting, in January, I stressed the importance of working collaboratively to reduce the pressures facing consumers, calling again upon the UK Government to use its reserved powers to introduce a social energy tariff.

I believe that a social energy mechanism, supported by many consumer organisations, could be funded by the excess profits of energy producers, protecting those most vulnerable against future price spikes. I have also met with the chair and CEO of Ofgem to discuss these and other related matters”.