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“This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who will reply in writing within 20 days” .

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service have already publicly outlined how they will look to manage the impact of COP26 on our Courts. While trials are suspended in the sheriff courts during COP26, the High Court trials will continue as programmed. However, given the proximity of the conference to Glasgow High Court and the potential for disruption, trials assigned for Glasgow during the two-week period from 1 November to 12 November will instead be heard at sheriff courts out with Glasgow. Similarly we have outlined how the additional £50m allocated towards the Justice Recover, Renew, and Transform (RRT) programme, will help drive further reform, including greater use of digital tools and improved support for victims and witnesses. We will also see an increased court capacity from September 2021, which includes the expansion of remote jury centres and a daily increase of 4 additional High Courts, 2 additional Sheriff Solemn Courts and up to 10 Sheriff Summary Courts, all of which will have a positive impact in addressing the case backlog as a consequence of the pandemic. It would be prudent to see how that significant development works in practice before considering what potential and broader impact of any further expansion thereafter might have across the Justice system.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01556 on 4 August 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 .

Through The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 (legislation.gov.uk) face coverings remain a mandatory legal requirement at all protection levels including at level zero, in most indoor public places and indoor communal spaces, including places of worship.

On 13 July 2021, the First Minister said that the mandatory wearing of face coverings will remain in place for some time to come, stressing that they provide added protection to the population and assurance to those who are at the highest risk.

Further guidance and information on the wearing of face coverings can be found at Coronavirus (COVID-19): face coverings guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Since 31 May 2021, congregational singing and chanting has been permitted in places of worship at protection levels one and zero, subject to a risk assessment and mitigations including use of face coverings and physical distancing. From 19 July 2021, the whole of the Scotland moved to level zero.

Details of all the measures intended to help places of worship operate safely can be found at Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for the safe use of places of worship - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Scottish Government officials continue to work with faith and belief groups as we prepare to move beyond level zero.

The Independent National Whistleblowing Officer (INWO) was launched on the 1 st April 2021. The service is provided through the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO). As INWO operates independently, the Scottish Government does not hold information on cases which have been referred to it.

Before the Scottish Parliament election, the First Minister launched an action plan which set out a series of key steps for the first 100 days of an SNP government.

Following the election, strategic discussion on the implementation of the 100 days commitments took place with key stakeholders such as COSLA and individual policy areas worked in partnership with COSLA’s officers to develop the commitments which required input or delivery of local authorities.

The level and distribution of funding for all the Scottish Government 100 days manifesto commitments which will be delivered by local authorities have now been agreed with COSLA political leaders.

The Scottish Government does not hold data on the annual spend for oil and gas workers specifically for net zero training. However the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund (TTF) ran from 2016 to 2019 to help workers affected by site closures to re-skill and retrain to find employment. The total spend against the fund is listed in the following table:

(i) I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01431 on 4 August 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

(ii) The number of new build completions in Scotland fitted with heat pumps from 2016-2020 are as follows:

• Houses: 6,950
• Flats: 820

Source: Management information as extracted from the EPC database (December 2020, 2020 data accessed July 2021), published and available at statistics.gov.scot : Domestic Energy Performance Certificates - Dataset to Q4 2020

Through our membership of the Energy Skills Alliance, we are working collaboratively with the industry, trade bodies and unions to ensure the right skills and training are in place to protect and create jobs as we become a net-zero economy. Our Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan puts knowledge and skills at the heart of a systematic approach to retaining skills and expertise as we transition to becoming a net-zero economy and, this year, the first wave of our £100 million Green Jobs Fund got under way.

In 2020 we launched our £62 million Energy Transition Fund to support the oil, gas and energy sectors grow and diversify, accelerating its transition to net-zero emissions. Fair Work principles are being applied across projects funded by the Energy Transition Fund, supporting the creation of green jobs and training individuals with the skills they need to ensure a just transition to net-zero that puts people’s wellbeing at the heart of our net-zero economy. By capitalising on our strengths in energy, innovation, and our skilled workforce, Scotland can show the rest of the world how it’s done – and ensure our people, businesses and communities are at the forefront of our new green economy.

We have also introduced the National Transition Training Fund (NTTF) to support individuals at risk of Covid-19 related redundancy to move into new industries. A number of colleges are delivering courses to support the transition to net zero. In the coming weeks we will set out how NTTF will continue to address the impact of Covid-19, but also take account of the impacts of EU exit, and support upskilling or retraining for the transition to net zero.

We will also invest an additional £500 million over the next parliament to support new jobs and reskill people for the jobs of the future.

Data on the number of heat pumps in Scotland can be found on page 27 of the ‘Renewable Heat in Scotland, 2019’ report, which was published in October 2020: Renewable-Heat-in-Scotland-2019_new.pdf (energysavingtrust.org.uk) . The report states that there are, as of 2019, 17,140 heat pumps in Scotland. The next report is due to be released in October 2021.