Chamber and committees

Flu and COVID-19 are completely different diseases caused by different viruses and is why there are different recommendations for those who are eligible for flu vaccination and those who should be offered both COVID-19 and flu vaccination.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination & Immunisation (JCVI) is a scientific committee and they give advice based on scientific evidence, with a number of in-depth considerations and recommendations made on COVID-19 published recently.

The evidence is clear that people with asthma are at a higher risk of flu related complications but this is not true for COVID-19 unless they are on repeated courses of oral steroid medication. This means that the vast majority of asthmatics are not at a higher risk of COVID-19 disease or its complications.

The Scottish Government will publish a series of impact assessments which, amongst a range of other issues, consider the effect that the actions we have set out in the Heat in Buildings Strategy will have on fuel poverty.

These impact assessments have been taken into account in the development of the Heat in Buildings Strategy, and will inform our programmes and specific policies – including in our commitment to phase out the installation of fossil fuel heating systems.

Any subsequent legislation required to deliver on our commitment to phase out the installation of fossil fuel heating systems will also be subject to appropriate impact assessments and consultation. This will allow the Scottish Parliament the opportunity to fully scrutinise the impacts of our proposals.

We will also publish our Fuel Poverty Strategy later this year and, as per the Fuel Poverty (Targets, Definition and Strategy) (Scotland) Act 2019, we will publish a report on our progress towards meeting the statutory fuel poverty targets every three years.

The priority for the new National Public Energy Agency will be to accelerate the transformational change in how we heat and use energy in homes and buildings in Scotland. We need to see the decarbonisation of heating systems of 1 million homes and 50,000 non-domestic premises between now and 2030.

We remain supportive of the future potential for a public energy company in Scotland - and, through the Agency, will support others with an interest in exploring options to take this forward, including those with a local focus.

Development of the agency will be a collective effort, requiring input from a range of stakeholders across the public, private and third sectors. We will continue working collaboratively with local authorities as part of this process, given their key role in supporting local heat and energy efficiency measures. This will facilitate existing shared ambitions to further empower local communities and to develop new zero carbon heating solutions to be rolled out through both national support, and regional and local approaches.

The £10m Tenant Grant Fund is part of a package of measures available to local authorities to prevent homelessness, alongside other support such as Discretionary Housing Payments and advice on maximising income. The grant will co-exist alongside the £10 million Tenant Hardship Loan Fund and be open to eligible private and social tenants.

As there is no one single solution, both the loan and grant can provide support to different people in different circumstances, to assist them during the pandemic recovery period.

The Grant is available for local authorities, who can consider all the circumstances and support available, to pay rent arrears for those most in need with the aim of preventing homelessness and creating sustainable tenancies.

In comparison, the Loan fund will continue to offer loans responsibly to applicants who can demonstrate that they can afford to make future loan repayments spread over a number of years. The loan is not suitable for all but, where it is, the interest free terms and long repayment period can help tenants who are struggling but not necessarily at risk of losing their tenancy, to get back on their feet.

We want people to access the most appropriate form of support for them and encourage tenants in difficulty to seek advice and assistance on their housing circumstances as soon as possible.

The valuation of all non-domestic property is a matter for the independent assessors, who follow applicable statute and case law in making their decisions on non-domestic property valuations. The 2020 Supreme Court ruling for England and Wales is not binding in Scots law, although I am aware that dialogue is ongoing between assessors and agents regarding the rating of ATM sites following that decision.

The Scottish Government provides the most generous non-domestic rates regime in the UK, and in 2021-22 delivered an unprecedented reduction in the poundage mid-revaluation; returning it to pre-COVID levels, which saves Scottish Businesses over £120 million compared with a standard inflationary increase.

The Scottish Government have continued to ensure that the sites of standalone ATMs in rural areas are exempt from rating. Other ATMs may benefit from as much as a 100% rates relief through the Small Business Bonus Scheme.

Under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, each local Council has wide-raging powers to create rates reliefs to reflect local needs. This may apply to a sole business, sector or area. The relief may be an adaptation of an existing national relief scheme or a unique standalone scheme.

We are taking forward a number of recommendations made by the Short Life Working Group on Ventilation in order to improve airflow in settings where transmission of Covid-19 is most likely to occur. As the First Minister stated when she announced this £25 million package of funding, the support will focus on the hospitality and leisure sectors although the specific sectors and premises that will be eligible for financial support through this fund is still being determined and community halls are being actively considered as part of this process.

No date has been set to close the Tenant Hardship Loan Fund (THLF) to new applicants. The THLF will continue to be part of the range of support available for tenants, alongside the Tenant Grant Fund, to help those struggling to pay their rent due to the pandemic.

Business Improvement Districts are business partnerships which vote to invest collectively to deliver local economic growth. There are currently 38 operating in Scotland covering town and city centres as well as themed areas such as digital, food and drink, and tourism. Business Improvement Districts in Scotland have consistently raised just over £6 million on average per annum in core levy.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-03384 on 27 October 2021. 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 Ministers take collective responsibility for all decisions reached by the Scottish Government, and will continue to do so in future, including on our commitment to phasing out the need to install new or replacement fossil fuel boilers, in off-gas areas from 2025 and in on-gas areas from 2030, subject to technological developments and decisions by the UK Government in reserved areas.