Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is committed to accelerating private capital investment to meet our Net Zero targets and capture the economic opportunity the Just Transition represents.

In financial year 2021-2022 the Scottish Government provided £5,116 for the development of a Mental Health and Money Toolkit.

The toolkit, which was developed in partnership with the Money and Pensions Service and Change Mental Health is designed to help people understand, manage, and improve their financial health and wellbeing.

We continue to work with a range of partners, including mental health and money advice services, to ensure that people can access the right practical advice and support to help them cope with the cost-of-living crisis.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15600 on 16 March 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/questions-and-answers

It is imperative that all institutions support victims of sexual assault, and that victims feel comfortable in reporting incidents to their institutions and to the Police.

The Scottish Government has received assurances from the Principal of the University of Edinburgh that it is committed to tackling gender-based violence, and that it would not discourage a student from making a report to the Police. Further discussions with the institution are planned.

An independent Evaluation of the Pilot Domestic Abuse Court in Glasgow was undertaken by Reid Howie Associates and published on the Scottish Government’s website at the time. It is available; at; https://web.archive.org/web/20130205035916/http:/www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/173485/0048418.pdf

The report is also referred to in a letter from the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service which was published on the Criminal Justice Committee’s page on Scottish Parliament’s Website at Criminal Justice Committee Evidence Session 8 December 2021 Further Evidence | Scottish Parliament Website

There is no evaluation report for Edinburgh.

The Scottish Government are not currently considering any plans to introduce a domestic abuse register but remain open minded to consider any proposals that further our commitment to do more for victims of domestic abuse.

Responsibility for evaluation lies with The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, and there is no requirement for the involvement or approval of the Scottish Ministers or the Scottish Parliament.

This is in line with the principles outlined in the Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Act 2008.

As set out in the answer to parliamentary question S6W-16999 on 2 May 2023, within the broad general education phase there is the opportunity to teach the topic of the British Empire within the people, past event and societies section of social studies, and in the senior phase, there is an opportunity to teach the topic of the British Empire within the History qualifications, for example through the ‘Migration and Empire’ and ‘Atlantic Slave Trade’ topics.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

There are no plans to review the definition of long-term vacant with regard to the Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme (VDLIP).

Each application received will be assessed by the Independent Investment Panel. Projects concerning sites that have been vacant and derelict for fewer than 15 years are not ineligible.

15 years registered does provide a marker for a significant length of time that indicates market forces alone will not be likely to bring the site back into use. However where a site has potential to become long term vacant and derelict, a project proposal may be able to justify bringing forward investment to unblock its reuse.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) 2021-2022 Incident Statistics outline that the total number of fatal casualties from fires in dwellings during 2021-2022 was 30. As further information may yet come to light, for example from coroners reports, this figure is subject to change.

SFRS Fire and Rescue Incident statistics are published annually and include figures on fire fatalities and trends. These can be found here https://www.firescotland.gov.uk/about-us/fire-and-rescue-statistics.aspx .