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The following table outlines the total number of Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) approvals since April 2016 to the end of June 2021. These approvals are broken down by their current status; not started, currently on site, completed, and those that were approved but have subsequently now been withdrawn from the programme.

The Scottish Government does not have information of the rate of manufacture of interlinked fire alarms. We are aware that, following our successful public awareness campaign, there is significant public interest in carrying out work to comply with the new standard for fire alarms in all Scottish homes. It is, therefore, possible, that some retailers will have short term supply issues. We are also aware that some manufacturers are dependent on import of components, and that has been affected by Brexit, and this may also have affected their production. However, we have been assured by manufacturers that there is a sufficient supply of alarms available to meet the expected demand by 1 February 2022, when the new standard comes into force.

The Scottish Government and Public Health Scotland (PHS) continue to work with health boards to support their planning and the safe delivery of immunisation services during the pandemic.

The latest HPV immunisation statistics published by Public Health Scotland (PHS) for academic year 2019/20 show that uptake for the HPV vaccine remains high. Further information is available online on the PHS website: HPV Immunisation Statistics Scotland 22 December 2020 - Data & intelligence from PHS (isdscotland.org).

Public Health Scotland collate data on the HPV vaccination programme for the previous school year every autumn. Data for school year 2020-21 will be collated in autumn 2021 and published in December 2021. Therefore, we cannot provide information on the most recent school year.

In relation to the funding provided to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service from Scottish Government, all of the funding was spent in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 financial year.

The Home Energy Scotland loan scheme provides up to £15,000 for energy efficiency measures and up to £17,500 for renewables measures (maximum of two). Registered private landlords owning five or fewer properties will be eligible for interest free loans, and owners of six or more properties will be subject to interest at a rate of 3.5% APR. Homeowners are eligible for interest free loans as well as 75% cashback up to £7,500 for renewable heat measures, and an enhanced 40% cashback for energy efficiency measures up to £6,000. In 2022-23, we will replace current cashback arrangements with a grant scheme.

In addition the Scottish Government’s fuel poverty schemes have adopted a “zero emissions first” approach. Warmer Homes Scotland enables eligible households to receive energy efficiency and heating improvements, including an increasing number of heat pumps. Our local authority-led Area Based Schemes provide energy efficiency improvements to households in or at risk of fuel poverty living in their own home or a private rented property, leveraging Energy Company Obligation (ECO) finance and private investment.

These schemes form part of our broader investment package. We have committed to invest at least £1.8 billion over the course of this parliament to kick-start market growth and support those least able to pay.

In addition we are working to develop an appropriate market framework to help consumers overcome the upfront investment costs and to attract and secure further private investment and finance to help meet the costs of the transition. We will establish a Green Heat Finance Taskforce by the end of 2021 to recommend ways the Scottish Government and private sector can collaborate to scale up investment.

In the Heat in Buildings Strategy we committed to undertaking research to understand the extent to which the deployment of secondary technologies alongside zero emissions heating systems could help to optimise operational performance, minimise energy consumption and reduce end user fuel costs. This research is underway, and seeks to understand the technical feasibility and cost effectiveness of heat batteries, electric batteries, and thermal storage cylinders when installed alongside a range of zero emissions primary heating technologies; both independently of and in conjuncture with microgeneration technologies such as solar PV and solar thermal. We expect to publish this research in early 2022.

Alongside the development of the Heat in Buildings Strategy, the Scottish Government worked with stakeholders to undertake a series of impact assessments including a Fairer Scotland Duty (FSD) assessment and an Islands Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA) both of which consider remote and rural communities. We will publish these shortly and will take the findings into account as we deliver on the full range of actions set out in the Strategy.

The Scottish Government provides funding to local councils through our Area Based Schemes to deliver energy efficiency improvements to households living in or at risk of fuel poverty. The guidance for the scheme specifies an average amount per property for the intensity of grant-in-aid that can usually be provided for fabric improvements.

This maxima was increased by £500 for all categories of property from 1 April 2020. This reflected feedback about increased costs of providing insulation received from all 32 councils and managing agents involved in delivery of the programme in
‎ 2019-20. Local councils can provide a higher intensity of grant-in-aid for households in extreme fuel poverty or other relevant factors, for example where there are additional costs due to non-standard construction type.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-03712 on
‎ 4 November 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

The Scottish Government intends to lay the draft National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) in the Scottish Parliament later in autumn this year for a scrutiny period of up to 120 days. Public consultation on the NPF4 will run alongside the Parliamentary process, and the Scottish Government is keen to hear the views of as wide a range of people as possible.

The final adoption date will depend on the approval of NPF4 by the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Government is currently aiming to lay a finalised version for approval by summer 2022.