Chamber and committees

The location of funded organisations broken down by local authority area was as follows:

• 1 Aberdeen
• 1 East Ayrshire
• 1 East Dunbarton
• 4 East Renfrewshire
• 5 Edinburgh
• 1 Falkirk
• 2 Fife
• 11 Glasgow
• 1 Highland
• 1 Inverclyde
• 1 Midlothian
• 1 North Ayrshire
• 4 North Lanarkshire
• 1 South Ayrshire
• 4 South Lanarkshire
• 2 Stirling
• 1 West Lothian

The Scottish Government recently published the National Litter and Flytipping Strategy which sets out our ambition to ensure individual, communities and organisations have greater awareness of the problems caused by litter, understand their responsibilities in preventing litter and are enabled and motivated to behave responsibly. A 2023-24 Action Plan, published with the Strategy, details specific actions and interventions that will be progressed in the first year of the Strategy, including a national community-focused education programme.

If there is a broad stakeholder support for an annual national litter day going forward, then Scottish Government would consider endorsing it as part of wider awareness raising work with stakeholders to tackle littering in line with the Strategy commitments.

The Scottish Government notes the findings of the Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index ranking on "contribution to innovation and science", and would like to draw the members attention to response to S6W-20781 on 4 September 2023.

Scottish Government-funded initiatives such as the Scotland Asia Partnerships Higher Education Research (SAPHIRE) Fund, have helped to build connections and grow our reputation in research and innovation with key priority countries, such as India.

SAPHIRE is now in its third year and has supported 29 partnerships with ASEAN nations, including Australia, India, Japan, Pakistan, and South Korea, across all disciplines, including key Scottish Government priorities from Net Zero to Health. SAPHIRE has launched its fourth cohort in 2023–24, and eligibility has expanded to New Zealand.

The Scottish Government has subscribed to the Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index? (NBI) survey since 2008 and biennially since 2010.

The Scottish Government has used the NBI to assess and monitor how Scotland is perceived around the world. Data from the NBI is used to update one of the Scottish Government’s 81 National Performance Framework (NPF) indicators on ‘Scotland’s reputation’.

The NBI examines the image of 60 nations by looking at a country’s reputation along six dimensions of national competence: Exports, Governance, Culture, People, Tourism, Immigration and Investment. Together these provide an overall indication of a nation’s reputation.

The data supplied through the NBI should be viewed as a snapshot of people’s attitudes and perceptions of Scotland, which is useful in helping us understand more about Scotland’s international reputation. By subscribing biennially, Scotland can track its reputation in the long term. This data can also be used to compare Scotland’s reputation with that of other countries and to monitor how Scotland sees itself. We do not set target rankings.

The most recent NBI publication reports on findings from the 2022 data. Scotland is expected to be included in the sample of the 60 measured countries in 2023, as it is every year; however, we did not subscribe to the survey in 2023.

The Scottish Government notes the findings of the Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index ranking on exports and would like to draw the member’s attention to response to S6W-20781 on 4 September 2023.

A Trading Nation (ATN) is our national export growth strategy, which takes an evidence-based approach to maximising our efforts in priority markets and sectors that can yield the greatest opportunities for trade and help us achieve our target of an increase in Scotland’s GDP from 20% to 25% over ten years. As well as targeting the economic benefits of export growth, ATN aligns with the key guiding principles of our Vision for Trade strategy. The Vision for Trade focuses on specific actions we are taking to achieve broader economic, social, and environmental ambitions by ensuring that the decisions we make in terms of where, how, and who we trade with align with those key principles and will enhance our global trade reputation.

The Scottish Government notes the findings of the Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index ranking on "contribution to innovation and science", and would like to draw the members attention to response to S6W-20781 on 4 September 2023.

Scotland’s world-class university research and its key outputs of new knowledge and insights are fundamental to green economic recovery and growth. The most recent Research Excellence Framework found that there is world-leading (4*) research in every one of our universities in Scotland, and almost 90% of its impact was judged as outstanding or very considerable.

Scotland's National Innovation Strategy sets out a vision for Scotland to become one of the most innovative small countries in the world over the next decade.

Scotland’s research sector is highly regarded in the international community, with publications related to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals research being cited twice as often as the global average and over half of this research carried out with international partners.

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

It is not appropriate for Scottish Government to be involved in contractual decisions or discussions between grant applicants and firms constructing the homes. Any inflationary claims from construction firms should be submitted to their client whose role it is to assess such claims. It is for the client to decide if they want to support a claim.

No penalties have been paid by Cunninghame Housing Association in relation to the delayed handover of the 60 social rented properties at Windermere Park Annan.

The Scottish Government notes the findings of the Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index ranking on "excellence at sport ", and would like to draw the members attention to response to S6W-20781 on 4 September 2023.

In terms of performance sports, sportscotland and Scottish sports often punch above their weight. There are currently 144 Scottish athletes on UK Sport/sportscotland Podium and Podium Potential World-Class Programmes. Over the past four Commonwealth Games, Winter Olympics and Paralympics, and Summer Olympics and Paralympics cycles, Team Scotland has achieved a series of "best ever" results.

In addition, sportscotland recently announced record annual investment figures to support the delivery of sport and physical activity. Across 2023–2024, sportscotland will invest up to £36.7 million of Scottish Government and National Lottery funding into Scottish Governing Bodies of Sport (SGBs), local authorities, and wider national partners. This includes significant investment and support for grassroots sport in Scotland, supporting local authority partners in the delivery of community and school sport through Community Sport Hubs (CSHs) and the Active Schools Network.

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 have statutory responsibility for housing, including assessing and meeting housing needs of their areas, and setting out how requirements for housing will be met in their local housing strategies (LHSs).

Guidance published in 2019 to support local authorities with preparing LHSs includes a strong focus on consultation and engagement and Association for Local Authority Chief Housing Officers (ALACHO) were involved in its development.

All LHSs are subject to a robust review process by the Scottish Government and an independent peer reviewer and feedback provided to local authorities.