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We are committed to tackling all forms of violence against women and girls, including economic abuse, which as a tactic of coercive control and abuse can have lifelong impacts on victims.

It is the responsibility of individual public bodies to develop debt-recovery policies. However, the Scottish Government and COLSA recognise that there are opportunities to improve collection practices in Council Tax. The ‘Joint Working Group on Council Tax Reform’, which is co-chaired by COSLA, is undertaking work to encourage better practices in debt collection. This includes ensuring that councils are furnished with the information they need to improve practices, and identify those in need of support.

In addition, Social Security Scotland is committed to delivering a debt management service that is responsive to clients’ needs while protecting the public purse. This includes an approach for vulnerable clients that includes training debt officers to identify and sensitively handle potential hardship and vulnerable clients, as well as signposting them to support and advocacy groups.

Through our Delivering Equally Safe fund, we are providing approximately £600,000 over three-and-a-half years to GEMAP for their Financially Included project. This focuses on improving responses to economic abuse across the money advice and gender-based violence sectors through development and delivery of training and toolkit resources and provision of financial advice. Additionally, Financially Included use their learning to raise awareness of economic abuse and the economic impact of all forms of male violence against women and girls.

We are committed to tackling all forms of violence against women and girls, including economic abuse, which as a tactic of coercive control and abuse can have lifelong impacts on victims.

Through our Delivering Equally Safe fund, we are providing approximately £600,000 over three and a half years to GEMAP, for their Financially Included project. This focuses on improving responses to economic abuse across the money advice and gender-based violence sectors, through development and delivery of training and resources. Additionally Financially Included use their learning to raise awareness of economic abuse and the economic impact of all forms of male violence against women and girls.

The Scottish Government received the final evaluation of the fund to leave pilot from Scottish Women’s Aid in August 2024. The fund to leave provided financial support to women to leave an abusive relationship, including to women experiencing financial abuse. The assessment stage is nearing completion and we hope to be in a position to set out next steps soon.

We are committed to tackling all forms of violence against women and girls, including financial abuse, which, as a tactic of coercive control and abuse, can have lifelong impacts on victims.

Through our Delivering Equally Safe fund, we are providing approximately £600,000 over three-and-a-half years to GEMAP for their Financially Included project. This focuses on improving responses to economic abuse across the money advice and gender-based violence sectors through development and delivery of training and toolkit resources and provision of financial advice.

Alongside this, in 2024-25, the Scottish Government has allocated over £12 million for the provision of free income maximisation support, welfare and debt advice. We fund a range of mainly national advice providers including Citizens Advice Scotland, StepChange Debt Charity and Advice Direct Scotland.

We recognise that a variety of solutions and delivery mechanisms are needed to effectively respond to the many different and sometimes distressing circumstances that people find themselves in.

We have responded to this need by continuing to support a multichannel funding programme providing face-to-face, online and telephone advice, ensuring that all individuals or households, whatever their situation, can access support in the way that best suits their needs.

At this time, therefore, we are do not plan to establish a new programme of specialist services but would urge anyone needing support, whatever their situation, to contact a free advice provider as soon as possible.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-31366 on 5 December 2024. 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 possible introduction of a Public Health Supplement was raised at a number of meetings of the New Deal for Business Group and its Non-Domestic Rates sub-group. The minutes of both groups are published on the Scottish Government’s website.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-31366 on 5 December 2024. 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 S6W-31366 on 5 December 2024. 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 discussed the possible introduction of a non-domestic rates public health supplement with the Competition and Market Authority.