Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is committed to a just transition to net zero, which means working with people, businesses and communities across Scotland to ensure they can access support and advice, and that the costs and benefits of the transition are spread fairly.

Our Public Engagement Strategy for Climate Change sets out our vision: for all of Scotland to understand the challenges we face and embrace their role in our transition to a net zero and climate ready Scotland. Our people-centred approach to climate change policy, moves from encouraging incremental changes in attitudes and behaviours, to supporting a society-wide transformation.

Of particular relevance to SMEs, this year we will publish our new Heat in Buildings Public Engagement Strategy setting out how we will work with a range of partners and wider trusted messengers to increase awareness and understanding of Scotland’s net zero ambitions and associated heat decarbonisation targets with the public and organisations alike. This will include explaining what these changes will mean for property owners on the ground, and how they can access existing advice and support.

The Scottish Government currently funds a substantial service for SMEs to receive advice on reducing their energy costs, installing energy efficiency and renewable heating measures through Business Energy Scotland. In October, we increased the funding available in the SME Loan scheme where SMEs can now apply for a £20,000 cashback grant for energy efficiency measures up to 75% of the cost of the installation.

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.

I have kept Ministerial colleagues fully informed of progress on the deposit return scheme through the normal internal processes. Internal party leadership elections are a matter for the relevant parties themselves.

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

The Scottish Government has issued guidance to Health Boards setting out our expectation that Health Boards will ensure Ukrainian refugees have access to local dental treatment and GP practices. Ukrainians living in Scotland have access to the same level of primary and secondary health care services as everyone else and these are designed to ensure that their health needs are identified and addressed appropriately and effectively.

There are different types of affordable housing programmes and schemes in Scotland and across the UK, and statistics on stock levels for each of these different types are not readily available. Information is published on social sector housing stock levels across each of the countries.

The following table sets out information on the number of social rented dwellings compared to population figures, based on the latest available comparable year of data for 2020 from UK housing stock tables published by the Office for National Statistics.

This shows that the 608,000 social sector dwellings in Scotland in 2020 equates to 1,112 dwellings per 10,000 population, higher than the equivalent per head of population figures of 729 in England and 726 in Wales in the same year.

The policy review work is being led by civil servants as part of their overall role of policy development and operational delivery. As such there are no costs that have been incurred. Two full-time equivalent policy team officials are working on the review as part of their wider duties with support from other officials, including analysts, as required.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19607 on 28 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 requested figures for live applications for loans for standalone solar PV/energy storage systems not being installed as part of a package including a certified renewable heating system are set out in the following table. These applications were submitted prior to the change in funding on 27 June 2023, and are being processed by Energy Saving Trust, the scheme administrator.