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We are making available £3 million from our £10 million long COVID Support Fund over this financial year to support NHS boards to increase the capacity of existing services, develop these into more clearly defined local pathways and provide a more co-ordinated experience for people living with long COVID.

Initiatives being supported by the funding include provision of single point of access for assessment and co-ordinated support from services including physiotherapy and occupational therapy. These services aim to support people with the impact of their symptoms on their day to day lives and to achieve personal outcomes which are important to each individual, which can include support to return to, or maintain employment.

The Scottish Government also invests in a range of further initiatives to support people with health conditions to sustain or return to work, such as through the NHS delivered Working Health Services Scotland and the Public Health Scotland led Healthy Working Lives resource. They provide advice and support on work related physical and mental health promotion, ill health prevention and return to work practices.

The identification, assessment and management of people with long-term effects of COVID-19 in Scotland is guided by the recommendations of an evidence-based UK-wide clinical guideline developed by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Royal College of GPs (RCGP).

We have worked with specialist clinicians in different disciplines to develop an 'Implementation Support Note' for healthcare professionals, which is intended to accompany and support delivery of the clinical guideline in Scotland. This has been shared with all NHS Boards and is accessible on the SIGN website .

We’ve also supported the development of the SIGN Decision Support platform, which provides healthcare professionals with an integrated point of access to the information from both the clinical guideline and the Implementation Support Note, on a web based platform and mobile app. In addition, NHS Education for Scotland’s learning platform ‘Turas’ contains video and webinar content on long COVID.

GPs and Allied Health Professions may also access information and training resources through relevant professional bodies. For example, the Royal College of GPs has an e-learning course on long COVID, which aims to teach people how to describe the various presentations of long COVID, understand the current guidance and the impact that long COVID has on patients. Additionally, the Royal College of Occupational Therapists has also produced resources, which can be accessed at: Post-COVID Syndrome (Long Covid) - RCOT .

This is a matter for the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration. Information regarding the outcome of appeals is included in their annual statistics which can be found here: Official Statistics - SCRA .

Page 29 of the Statistical Analysis for 2022-23 includes the following table on appeals:

The purpose of the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan scheme is to decarbonise heat in homes through installation of zero emissions heating systems, and reduce heat demand through energy efficiency measures, in support of the Scottish Government’s Heat in Buildings Strategy.

Recently we have seen a substantial increase in the number of applications received to the scheme. Much of this rise has been driven by a surge in applications for solar PV and energy storage systems, the majority of which are not installed alongside a zero emissions heating system and therefore do not contribute directly to decarbonisation of heat in homes.

So we have reviewed funding to ensure that we are focusing finite public funding in the ways which best support the Heat in Buildings strategy aims.

Solar PV and energy storage systems will continue to be funded through the scheme, but only where installed alongside a certified renewable heating measure (such as a heat pump) or where there is already one in place. As such, funding is being targeted at measures which will have the biggest impact on reducing emissions from heating homes.

Measures and funding offered through the Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan scheme are currently under review, but in the meantime, the conditions under which solar PV and energy storage are offered loan funding have been aligned with the HES Grant and Loan scheme.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of energy generated from solar in contributing to the decarbonisation of Scotland’s energy supply and to a just transition to net zero. This is why we have set out a draft vision for solar in Scotland, in the draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan 2023. The final solar vision will be published by the end of 2023.

The Home Energy Scotland funding schemes are delivered under contract by the Energy Saving Trust (EST) on behalf of Scottish Government. Although delivered by EST, decisions around the design of the schemes are the sole responsibility of Scottish Government.

The purpose of the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan scheme is to decarbonise heat in homes through installation of zero emissions heating systems, and reduce heat demand through energy efficiency measures, in line with the Scottish Government’s Heat in Buildings Strategy.

Recently we have seen a substantial increase in the number of applications received to the scheme. Much of this rise has been driven by a surge in applications for solar PV and energy storage systems, the majority of which are not installed alongside a zero emissions heating system and therefore do not contribute directly to decarbonisation of heat in homes.

So we have reviewed funding to ensure that we are focusing finite public funding in the ways which best support the Heat in Buildings strategy aims.

Solar PV and energy storage systems will continue to be funded through the scheme, but only where installed alongside a certified renewable heating measure (such as a heat pump), or where there is already one in place. As such, funding is being targeted at measures which will have the biggest impact on reducing emissions from heating homes.

Measures and funding offered through the Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan scheme are currently under review, but in the meantime, the conditions under which solar PV and energy storage are offered loan funding have been aligned with the HES Grant and Loan scheme.

On behalf of the Scottish Government, Element Energy previously conducted analysis of the technical suitability of low-carbon heating technologies in Scottish domestic buildings. A copy of this report is available below.

Scottish Government (2020). Technical Feasibility of Low Carbon Heating in Domestic Buildings. URL: https://www.gov.scot/publications/technical-feasibility-low-carbon-heating-domestic-buildings-report-scottish-governments-directorate-energy-climate-change/

Low TemperatureAir Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs) are deemed to be technically suitable for around 55 – 76% of homes currently existing in Scotland. If homes were to adopt measures to achieve Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C where technically feasible and cost-effective, then this share would increase to 75 – 77%.

The report also shows that electric storage heaters are found to be suitable for 82-100% of homes before energy efficiency measures are installed, and 95-100% after.

The HES Grant and Loan scheme also provides support for energy efficiency measures, which increases the number of homes able to install a zero direct emissions heating system. This includes grant funding of up to 75% of the combined costs of measures up to a maximum £7,500 is available, with an additional £7,500 of funding available as an interest free loan.

Neither the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme or the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Landlord Loan Scheme require the household or applicant to be in receipt of benefits to be eligible for funding. Accordingly, no information is collected in regard to this during the application process.

The HES Grant and Loan Scheme is available to all homeowners in Scotland. The PRS Landlord Loan Scheme is available to registered private landlords, acting either as an individual or a business, that owns privately rented properties.

The requested application figures for heat pumps and high heat retention storage heaters for the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme and Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan Scheme are set out in the following tables:

The requested application figures for solar PV and/or energy storage systems for the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme and Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan Scheme are set out in the following tables:

Further to the termination of the contract, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed it has paid £18,079.44 to date on external legal fees pursuing a claim against the supplier Systel.