The external costs associated with the production and publication of the paper ‘ An independent Scotland in the EU ’ were published in the answer to question S6W-23099 on 30 November 2023. Additionally, there were launch costs for staff travel, catering and venue costs, which totalled £518.50. 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 .

Our analytics tool logs only record 13 months of data for PDF downloads, so we do not have the data for the easy read and translations of this paper as they were published out with this period.

We have previously answered two FOIs on website visits to the Building a New Scotland Papers:

• Unique online visitor statistics: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
• Building a New Scotland webpage visitors: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Paper title: Renewing democracy through independence

Main paper URL: https://www.gov.scot/publications/renewing-democracy-through-independence/

Main paper publish date: 14-7-2022

Main paper views in first month (all pages): 11,948

Easy read URL: https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/research-and-analysis/2022/07/renewing-democracy-through-independence/documents/easy-read-version/easy-read-version/govscot%3Adocument/Easy%2BRead_Final.pdf

Easy read publish date: 23-8-2022

Easy read views or download link clicks in first month: Historic data not available for this period for downloads

Audio URL: https://soundcloud.com/scotgov/renewing-democracy-through-independence-summary-audio

Audio publish date: 25-8-2023

Audio link clicks in first month: 14

Community language landing page URL: https://www.gov.scot/publications/renewing-democracy-through-independence-summary/documents/

Translation publish date: 23-8-2022

Translation downloads in first month: Historic data not available for this period for downloads

BSL YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADdaxuT7TI8

Date BSL Version Published: 21-7-2022

Views in first 30 days: 41

The external costs associated with the production and publication of the paper ‘Creating a modern constitution for an independent Scotland’ were published in the answer to question S6W-20991 on 18 September 2023. Additionally, there were launch costs for travel, for staff and external attendees, catering and audio visual equipment which totalled £2269.65. 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 .

I have been meeting with housing convenors across the country to discuss the challenges they face in responding to homelessness and reducing the number of households in temporary accommodation. We are investing at least £60 million in 2023-24 in the national acquisition programme to help local authorities and registered social landlords acquire properties for use as high quality, affordable, permanent homes. We are also asking social landlords to maximise the use of existing homes and increase allocations to homeless households.

The Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) undertakes structured conversations with social landlords, working alongside them to support compliance. The SHR has highlighted actions councils can take to respond to the current challenges in homelessness and will continue to monitor, assess and report on councils’ performance in discharging their duties to people who are homeless. All local authorities should make best efforts to meet their statutory obligations and the SHR will engage with councils to promote improvement where this is possible.

The Scottish Government is absolutely determined to address levels of homelessness and improve the supply of social and affordable housing.

Subject to parliamentary approval, we will invest £556 million in affordable homes across Scotland next year and continue to work with partners to increase the delivery of more affordable homes, the majority of which will be for social rent, including supporting acquisitions of existing properties. We will also invest £35 million in specific action to prevent and end homelessness, in addition to homelessness funding provided through the local government settlement. Alongside those efforts, we will work with the financial community – both across Scotland and beyond – to attract private sector investment into Scotland and help deliver more homes.

The Scottish Government is committed to a just transition to net-zero by 2045 in which no-one is left behind. Engagement with business to develop and implement policies is key to delivery of that commitment and is an extensive cross-government effort which is undertaken on both a case by case basis, and structurally across government. For example of the latter, the First Minister Co-Chairs the Investor Panel which covers just transition and net zero; the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands Co-Chairs the Agricultural Reform Implementation Oversight Board; the Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy Co-Chairs the New Deal for Business Group.

We are also engaging widely on the development of our Just Transition Plans, including with businesses and their representative organisations. A dedicated series of engagement on Sectoral Just Transition Plans for the Built Environment and Construction, Transport, and Land Use and Agriculture was undertaken with SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) in summer 2023.

In 2024 we will be continue our engagement on development of our new Adaptation Programme and new Climate Change Plan and a new Green Industrial Strategy will help businesses realise the enormous economic opportunities of the global transition to net zero.

Glasgow’s Low Emission Zone (LEZ) was the first of its kind in Scotland and a landmark in tackling harmful air pollution, and protecting public health in this country. Glasgow’s pioneering LEZ is also informing the delivery of similar schemes in Aberdeen, Dundee, and Edinburgh.

The Minister for Transport and I co-chair the Low Emission Zone Leadership Group, a key ministerial forum, with representation from all four LEZ cities. In addition Transport Scotland officials meet regularly with the local authorities starting LEZ enforcement in 2024, and with Glasgow and the DVLA to share knowledge and experience gained from operating the Glasgow scheme. Experiences shared so far have related to technical and operational matters and the importance of effective communications.

Glasgow City Council is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the city's LEZ.

The NUS report raises significant issues and no student should find themselves without somewhere to live. While the Scottish Government has no direct role in provision of student residential accommodation we are determined to work with partners to improve accessibility, affordability and standards in this area. Ministers have now considered the recommendations from the review of purpose built student accommodation and will make an announcement in the New Year.

In addition we are taking action to help students and have confirmed an uplift of £2,400 to the main undergraduate support package for the academic year 2024-25. This follows the £900 uplift applied to the package this academic year.

Students are also able to apply directly to their college or university for Discretionary Funding should they be experiencing financial hardship.

As set out in our draft budget the capital funding position is extremely challenging, with a UK Government cut of some 10% in our capital budget over the next five years. That has inevitably led to some difficult decisions on what capital projects will be progressed.

Lochgelly Medical Centre was not included within the Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021-22 to 2025-26, which identified the priority health capital projects for funding within that period. A revised Infrastructure Investment Plan is being considered for publication in Spring 2024 and all due consideration will be given to what projects can be included within that revised Plan.

Depending on the nature, scale and location of a proposed development, planning authorities are required to consult specified statutory consultees before determining planning applications. For example, the relevant local roads authority, or Transport Scotland for trunk roads, must be consulted on proposed developments affecting existing roads or comprising the creation of a new road. It is for the relevant planning authority to take into consideration any responses from such consultees which raise material planning considerations in determining the application.

The use of planning conditions is subject to a series of tests, set out in Scottish Government Circular 4/1998. Case law has established that only matters which are relevant to planning can be the subject of a condition; furthermore planning conditions should only be used where they are necessary to make development acceptable (i.e. planning permission would be refused if not for the condition). In addition, planning conditions should not duplicate the effect of other legislative controls such as the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 or relevant Health and Safety legislation.

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