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The previous HOSF casework management system was built between 2008-2010 using legacy software that could no longer be supported.

The impact on existing and new applications to HOSF has been minimal as this was a stand-alone system that was not integrated into the application process.

In the interim period prior to the rollout of a new digital system, all cases have been moved to an alternative temporary solution. There is some additional work involved with the drafting of offer letters using the contingency process, however this is balanced with the improvements we have been able to make in other areas, such as better visibility of workflow and performance reporting. The new digital system is being designed to build on the process improvements already made.

Work on the new system is ongoing and the cost will depend on the final solution which will be chosen after the testing of prototypes.

The heavy impact of the pandemic and subsequent court closures on reconvictions data must be balanced against user needs for information with the provision of meaningful and informative statistics that carry minimal risk of misinterpretation. We are currently investigating what information we could helpfully provide users in respect of reconvictions statistics. We will communicate the outcome of this investigation to users as soon as possible.

Scottish Government officials engaged with the Met Office during the initial development of Winter Heating Payment policy. This was prior to the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, and included discussions about how cold weather events are identified for Cold Weather Payment and the location of weather stations. Further engagement took place at official level in 2021 and 2022.

Scottish Government officials have engaged regularly with the Department for Work and Pensions throughout the development of Winter Heating Payment. This engagement has covered discussion about policy as well as data requirements, system design and delivery of Winter Heating Payment. Regular engagement continues.

Zero Waste Scotland commissions updates to the Scottish Material Flow Accounts to allow for a consistent time-series analysis from the data; these updates provide consolidated data for a variety of stakeholders such as academic and third-sector organisations.

To supplement this research, Zero Waste Scotland also commissioned the Circularity Gap Report (CGR) which was developed by Circle Economy. The methodology used in the CGR allows more detailed inferences to be drawn on the structure of material flows within the Scottish economy. Additionally, as the methodology used in the CGR is consistently applied across multiple countries, it allows the opportunity to compare Scotland’s performance to other nations.

It is Zero Waste Scotland’s view that one estimate cannot be considered more accurate than the other.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-13768 on 25 January 2023. Winter Heating Payment has been discussed with UK Ministers on a number of occasions including at the Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare on 21 November 2021 and 16 May 2022. Minutes of meetings are available on gov.scot.

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 safety of residents and homeowners in Scotland is our priority as we work to tackle cladding safety issues. We are aware of the difficulties that some people are facing in accessing mortgages for buildings with potentially unsafe cladding. Work has been undertaken between the UK Government and UK Finance to develop a solution which reflects the situation in England and we are in urgent discussion with UK Finance about adapting that solution for Scotland as quickly as possible. The Single Building Assessment is a crucial element in identifying issues in buildings with potentially unsafe cladding in Scotland. We expect the vast majority of buildings to be found to be safe, but we first have to carry out comprehensive and technical assessments. This is a complex and time-consuming programme, and a number of assessments are either at final or pre-final reporting stage. We have issued funding to start remediation work and are continuing to work through Homes for Scotland with housing developers on our Safer Buildings Accord, which is being designed to give affected homeowners a clear path to ensuring their homes are safe.

Zero Waste Scotland states that the cost of the Material Flow Accounts was £35,000 and the cost of the Circularity Gap Report was £130,000.

Public bodies climate change duties are set out at Section 44 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. Responsibility for compliance with these duties, including reducing carbon emissions and meeting relevant net zero targets, lies with the public bodies themselves.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-13225 on 13 January 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .