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The role of the Scottish Government, since the three approved schemes began operating in July 2012, is to monitor each scheme for compliance with the Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011 . This includes being satisfied that SDS and the other tenancy deposit schemes have clear and substantial processes in place that meet the requirements laid out in the regulations.

As part of this monitoring, the three schemes quarterly performance reports were analysed and measured against the key performance indicators to ensure these were adhered to. These include response times to customer enquiries and complaints, return of undisputed deposits and dispute resolution. The latest quarterly performance reports indicate all KPIs have been met.

The table below shows a percentage average, of instances in which performance is achieved, for each financial year for KPI 5 - Return of deposit following notification of dispute resolution decision.

The independent review of the VNS was commissioned by the then Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans in March 2022, in line with a Victims Taskforce recommendation. The Scottish Government’s commissioning of the review reflects its commitment to ensuring that the justice system is person-centred and trauma-informed.

The review’s report was published on 12 May this year. It made 22 recommendations, including a recommendation on key data. This recommendation involves identification of key data for the VNS in order to determine how efficient and effective the scheme is, and for related purposes.

The Scottish Government intends to consider the report’s recommendations (including the recommendation on key data) in collaboration with stakeholders in the current months to fully explore their implications. We intend to take forward these discussions in the coming months as a matter of priority, and to publish a formal response to the report in due course.

The Scottish Government itself has a role to play in delivering the VNS for victims of people in the forensic mental health system who are subject to a Compulsion Order and Restriction Order (“the CORO VNS”). This means that it holds information on this aspect of this scheme. However, taking into account the small number of COROs imposed each year, the numbers of registered victims on this scheme are very small. Therefore, the Scottish Government does not publish data on the CORO VNS because this could risk identifying a victim.

Recruitment and deployment of officers and staff is a matter for the Chief Constable and therefore the Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. It is important that the Chief Constable has the flexibility to develop his workforce in a way that responds to the challenges he faces by ensuring the right workforce mix and ensure that the right people are in the right place to support the needs of the communities they serve.

Scottish Government is committed to implement payment reform from 1 November 2023. It was confirmed to the sector on 20 March 2023 that the timeline for the payment reform showcase was necessarily delayed by the process to replace the First Minister. The sector retains financial support until 31 October to support the delivery of services until the implementation of payment reform.

The current position is that the payment reform discussions with the British Dental Association (BDA) have begun on 10 May 2023. It is intended to that an announcement to the dental profession will be available in early summer.

Table 1 shows the number of ATM sites in receipt of 100% rates relief through the Small Business Bonus Scheme since 2018.

Table 1: ATM sites in receipt of 100% Small Business Bonus Scheme relief

The Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan Scheme was launched in April 2020 to support landlords with the cost of installation for energy efficiency improvements, renewable systems and energy storage systems.

The funding allocated for the scheme is set out in the following table:

Three agencies have been opened outside of the Lothian region since 2007 with no relocations during this time. There is one Agency located in the West Scotland region.

There have been multiple changes to Scottish Government Directorates over the last 15 years. Available data would not provide accurate assessment of the number of Directorates relocated or opened outside of the Lothians over the period.

Directorates particularly in DG Net Zero and DG Communities continue to be located outside of the Central Belt in locations close to their stakeholders and operations.

There are 17 owned buildings on the Scottish Government Core Estate. 11 have EPC ratings lower than C.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.

Responsibility for the management of the (a) police estate is for Police Scotland, which is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority; and (b) the fire estate is for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

Meeting health and safety requirements across their estates continues to be a high priority for both Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

The Scottish Government welcomes the publication of the RCN Scotland report, The Nursing Workforce in Scotland, and notes the report's recommendations.

On 21 February 2023 we announced that a Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce had been established to build on efforts to make Scotland the best place for nurses and midwives to work by developing plans for recruitment and retention. The Nursing Workforce in Scotland Report, and its recommendations, will be considered by the taskforce as a part of its work.