Chamber and committees

Rediscover the Joy was set up in 2019 with the creation of the Shetland Hub, this was followed by the creation of the NHS Highland Hub in 2021-22.

GPs are recruited directly into the hubs and they assist with matching GPs to vacant posts. There are currently 7 health boards signed up to the project. NHS Shetland, NHS Tayside, NHS Highland, NHS Western Isles, NHS Grampian, NHS Orkney and NHS Dumfries and Galloway.

The number of GPs recruited to the hubs since 2019 are:

The entire NHS Highland Health Board area, including Kintyre, qualifies for the Recruitment and Retention Allowance.

The Scottish Government’s 2021 Population Strategy sets out the factors driving population decline in some parts of the west of Scotland, recognising the different demographic challenges that individual communities face. It shows that areas are each uniquely shaped by natural change (births minus deaths) and net migration. We know that specific local factors influence population outcomes and that no single solution will apply to all communities.

We are assessing a range of factors affecting population outcomes in parts of the west of Scotland as we develop the Addressing Depopulation Action Plan, including: housing; transport and digital infrastructure; local and regional economic development; and public service provision and accessibility. Following this assessment, we will apply a place-based approach within the Action Plan and set out action at a national, regional and local level to address population decline and meet the discrete needs of communities.

The 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games received international recognition as an outstanding fortnight of sporting and cultural events.

The Scottish Government will of course explore if Scotland can support a multi-city, multi-partner hosting opportunity however the Commonwealth Games Federation will need time to consider next steps, and it would be premature to comment further at this stage.

I refer the member to my to the answer to S6W–19805 on 31 July 2023. 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 provides baseline funding to NHS Boards, which Boards use to best meet the healthcare needs of their resident population.

Funding is not ring-fenced for neurology services. It is not therefore possible to provide this proportion of health board funding.

The following response sets out the funding information for solar PV/energy storage systems not installed with a renewable heating or energy efficiency measure across the Scottish Government’s heat in buildings schemes for domestic properties.

Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme

The following table sets out the amount of funding through the HES Grant and Loan Scheme (formerly HES Loan and Cashback Scheme) for solar PV/energy storage systems where not installed with a certified renewable heating or energy efficiency measure. These figures include instances where solar PV/energy storage systems have been installed alongside an existing renewable heating system.

Heat Networks are large scale infrastructure projects requiring multiple years of development before reaching capital readiness and beginning construction. Therefore, we have committed multi-year funding though Scotland’s Heat Network Fund (SHNF) which makes £300 million available to support the development and roll out of heat networks across Scotland during this parliamentary term. The fund aims to stimulate investment and grow the low carbon heat sector, whilst reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

To date Scotland’s Heat Network Fund has allocated £6,727,389 to four heat network projects in Scotland. Of these, three are public sector heat networks, receiving a combined £6,339,315. The other is a housing association which received £388,000 in SHNF funding. In addition to this, we currently have several applications undergoing a formal assessment process and are engaging with many pre-capital stage projects through our Heat Network Support Unit.

In September 2022, we launched the Heat Network Support Unit (HNSU) which is already working to develop ambitious heat network projects that will help us progress towards our deployment targets. The HNSU provides advice and grant funding for pre-capital works such as developing feasibility studies and Outline Business Cases. This support is predominantly aimed at the public sector in order to increase the scale and pace of heat network project development across Scotland and build capacity across the sector to deliver successful projects. The Heat Network Support Unit has provided approximately £500,000 of support creating a pipeline of multiple projects that, if found to be viable, may progress towards capital funding and construction in the near future with a potential total capital value of approximately £150 million. Many of these projects may be supported via Scotland’s Heat Network Fund.

Scottish Government is also currently providing approximately £26 million of support to seven heat network projects through the Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP) which are due to commission by the end of 2024.

Support offered through our heat network funding programmes is reflected within our quarterly reports which provide industry, investors and other stakeholders with a view of the pipeline of heat networks projects progressing in Scotland.

The requested figures for the estimated energy generation of standalone solar PV measures supported by Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme (formerly HES Loan and Cashback Scheme) are set out in the following table. Figures show the estimated energy generation of measures installed that year only, they are not cumulative.

Administrative data is being used for two purposes in Scotland’s Census 2022: quality assurance and statistical estimation. For Scotland’s Census 2011, administrative data was used solely for quality assurance.

For Scotland’s Census 2011, 12 administrative data sources were used to quality assure census population estimates. More information can be found in the following publication: Overview of Administrative Comparator Data Used in 2011 Census Quality Assurance .

The original design for Scotland’s Census 2022 included the use of 25 administrative data sources from across the Scottish public sector to quality assure census outputs.

National Records of Scotland (NRS) have adapted the original design by extending the use of administrative data and evolving their statistical estimation methodology. In June 2023, NRS published a paper outlining these enhancements.

Guided by the census International Steering Group (ISG), NRS performed a review of UK data sources to identify which would be most appropriate to meet the specific needs of Scotland’s Census 2022.

The ISG identified both essential and desirable administrative data sources. All 6 administrative data sources deemed as essential by ISG were obtained and are being used in the statistical estimation. NRS is also using 2 desirable sources.