Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government recognises the role that advisers and third sector organisations, including Citizens Advice Scotland, can play in supporting clients to challenge Adult Disability Payment decisions.

Under current legislation, requests for redetermination must be made by the individual client, or by a formally appointed representative (such as a power of attorney, guardian or appointee), who has the legal authority to act on the client’s behalf in line with statutory requirements and Social Security Scotland security and consent processes.

This is distinct from third party representatives, such as advice, advocacy, or welfare organisations, who may be nominated to support a client but do not have the same legal authority to act on their behalf. Social Security Scotland has established Third Party Representative guidance which explains how individuals can nominate such organisations to share or receive some categories of information on their behalf. However, this does not extend to making a redetermination request. Stakeholder organisations continue to play an important role in supporting those clients seeking a review of a decision.

Social Security Scotland continues to engage with stakeholders, including Citizens Advice Scotland, to ensure that systems and processes meet the needs of clients and those supporting them.

Scotland’s National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) makes clear that potential impacts on prime agricultural land, communities, nature and cultural heritage, including the cumulative effects of developments, are important considerations in the decision-making process.

The proposed total purchase price for the properties by Fife Council is expected to be £3.333 million which includes a discount on the home report valuation. This is based on information provided to date ahead of finalisation of the purchase by Fife Council.

I refer the member to the question S7W-00383 on 8 June 2026. 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 refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00834 on 12 June 2026. 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.

On 27 May, the Scottish Government announced that the first round of applications for the First Homes Fund will open by the end of June, providing first-time buyers with a £10,000 contribution towards a deposit on their first home at a property value of up to £300,000. The maximum contribution via the FHF is £10,000, this will be calculated as a percentage of the purchase price up to a maximum of the formal valuation.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00834 on 12 June 2026. 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 Care Leaver Payment (Scotland) Regulations 2026 state that in order to be eligible for the payment, a young person must have been looked after under section 17(6) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 on or after their 16th birthday, and they must also have left care or continuing care on or after 1 April 2026.

The purpose of the payment is to help ‘care leavers’ (those looked after in accordance with section 17) overcome financial challenges and to provide additional financial security when they leave care and move on into adulthood and more independent living. Research and feedback from stakeholders show that the leaving care transition point is a large life milestone that may be especially challenging for care leavers, if informal support networks are absent.

Only young people who are looked after under section 17(6) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 (and meet the other eligibility requirements) will receive the payment. Section 17(6) includes children who are in looked after kinship care, which means that they have been placed with kinship carers by the local authority. Young people who are subject to an order under section 11 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 are not looked after for the purposes of section 17(6) of that Act and are therefore not eligible for the payment.

Young people who were looked after under section 17(6) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, but do not meet the other eligibility criteria (for example, they left care or continuing care prior to 1st April 2026 or ceased to be looked after prior to their 16th birthday), will not be eligible for the payment.

The Care Leaver Payment (Scotland) Regulations 2026 state that in order to be eligible for the payment, a young person must have been looked after under section 17(6) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 on or after their 16th birthday, and they must also have left care or continuing care on or after 1 April 2026.

The purpose of the payment is to help ‘care leavers’ (those looked after in accordance with section 17) overcome financial challenges and to provide additional financial security when they leave care and move on into adulthood and more independent living. Research and feedback from stakeholders show that the leaving care transition point is a large life milestone that may be especially challenging for care leavers, if informal support networks are absent.

The Scottish Government works closely with its partners to promote awareness of the tools, sub-surface data and funding available to stakeholders to support exploration of Scotland’s geothermal energy potential. Examples of this work are set out in the answer to S6W-44106 on 17 March 2026

Heat networks will form an important part of Scotland's overall heat decarbonisation programme, supplying clean heat (such as geothermal) to homes and other buildings. Scotland’s Heat Network Fund (SHNF) offers capital grants to businesses and organisations in the public, private and third sectors to develop heat network projects in Scotland. The SHNF requires a minimum 50% contribution from the Grantee which helps to leverage private investment in the heat network sector and generate additional economic benefits. An expression of interest for funding can be submitted at any time.

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.