Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00581 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-00581 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-00581 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-00581 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.

The Scottish Government has not paid compensation to any property owners or renters as a result of living in properties affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

There are currently three Project Gigabit in Scotland contracts in delivery – the local contract awarded to GoFibre which covers the Scottish Borders and East Lothian, the regional contract awarded to GoFibre which covers the North East of Scotland, and the nationwide contract awarded to Openreach.

While there is currently a live regional procurement underway for Fife and Perth & Kinross, until this process is complete, it is not possible to provide a breakdown of the premises which may be connected.

a) The following table provides the number of premises that have received a connection through Project Gigabit so far which do not fall within the Highlands and Islands Parliamentary Region, broken down by local authority area.

The Scottish Government and COSLA published the Coming Home Action Plan in March 2026. The action plan is backed by Scottish Government funding of up to £20m to support implementation. The majority of this funding will be distributed via the Independent Living Fund (ILF) Scotland through the creation of a new Coming Home fund.

No timeline has been set on releasing hospital beds through this new fund. In line with a person-centred approach and to ensure safe and supportive transitions, all moves from hospital to the community will progress at the pace appropriate for each person to ensure their individual needs are met.

The Scottish Government recognises that anxiety can impact people’s ability to enter and sustain employment, and is committed to ensuring timely, joined up support that improves wellbeing and enables access to fair work. Our social security system takes a compassionate approach to delivering Adult Disability Payment, ensuring people can access the support they are entitled to.

Our Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and our accompanying Delivery Plan prioritises early intervention and prevention, ensuring people can access support quickly and at the earliest stage before their condition worsens. We fund a range of accessible services, including Mind to Mind Scotland and 24/7 support through NHS 24’s Mental Health Hub, alongside the Breathing Space helpline.

We have invested £164 million since 2020 in community-based mental health and wellbeing supports, including over 6,100 projects through the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults. These provide early, practical support such as peer support, social connection and activity based interventions that help people manage anxiety and build confidence, including for work.

Through our funding for devolved employability services, support for people to progress towards and into employment is available in all 32 local authority areas. Our Specialist Employability Support offer ensures place-and-train models of support for disabled people and people with long-term health conditions are in place across the country.

Together, these actions ensure that people experiencing anxiety can access timely support and are helped to progress towards fair and sustainable employment reducing the risk of long-term welfare dependency.

The Scottish Government has been working closely with Motability to understand how any changes it is considering to its provision as a consequence of the removal of tax exemptions in the UK Budget might affect customers in Scotland, including those living in rural, remote rural and island communities.

The UK Government did not consult the Scottish Government on its changes to the associated tax exemptions in the November 2025 Budget, despite the clear and significant impacts for the devolved Accessible Vehicles and Equipment (AVE) Scheme in Scotland under which Motability is the provider. Scottish Ministers wrote to the UK Government in November upon becoming aware of the potential tax changes, emphasising that they would cause significant fear and uncertainty for disabled people who rely on the AVE Scheme to remain mobile.

The 1 July 2026 commencement announced by Motability for its changes in the rest of the UK is not set to apply in Scotland. However there may need to be future changes to Motability’s provision in Scotland under the AVE Scheme as a result of the UK tax changes, in which case customers will be notified as soon as possible.

The Scottish Government remains committed to the AVE Scheme and ensuring that eligible clients get the right support to meet their needs and to allow them to remain independent.