Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6O-01331 on 7 September 2022. The answer to the Oral parliamentary question is available on the Parliaments website, the Official Report can be viewed at:

https://archive2021.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=13875

Use of existing stock, whether purchased on the open market or rehabilitated, has and will continue to have a role in delivering affordable homes towards the target in line with strategic local priorities. We do not hold forecasts to 2032. Local authority Strategic Housing Investment Plans set out the funding priorities for affordable housing in their area for the next five years. These may include local authorities’ rationale for supporting use of existing stock and some estimates but will rely on properties becoming available to purchase.

I am aware of reports about a bus operator deploying drivers to the Commonwealth Games, and my officials have raised this directly with the relevant operator, reminding them of the expectations in our Network Support Grant Plus funding about the service levels they will provide. The operator confirmed that a small number of drivers from Scotland were involved in delivering the services needed for the Commonwealth Games, and mitigations were put in place to ensure the impact on local services was minimised. I can confirm that no buses funded through the Scottish Ultra Low Emission Bus grant were deployed to support the Commonwealth Games. In addition Network Support Grant Plus funding is only provided for services actually run, and payment recovery will take place when the scheme ends for any service kilometres that did not operate.

Under current constitutional arrangements in the United Kingdom immigration, including the Afghan resettlement schemes, is fully reserved to the UK Government and is dealt with by the Home Office.

Funding to local authorities to help them support Afghan refugees is provided by the UK Government, and instructions for this funding are published online: Afghan relocation and assistance: funding instruction - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The questions asked and the answers provided, during each of the Building Scotland (Amendment) Regulations 2022 - Online Q&A Sessions, were recorded and have now been collated and organised according to topic within a summary document.

This document is currently being finalised and will be published at: www.gov.scot/publications/building-standards-technical-handbooks-2022/ before the end of September.

The Scottish Government are currently co-designing the Disability Equality strategy with Disabled People’s Organisations. The co-design meetings will continue until February 2023. The strategy will be published in Spring 2023 once fully accessible versions are created.

The recent targeted review of the Capital Spending Review does not include a new funding stream dedicated to supporting new theatre spaces. The Scottish Government currently considers any request for capital funding of cultural venues on a case by case basis, dependent on a robust Business Case. We have provided £5.5 million towards the Citizens Theatre refurbishment, including a recent £1.5 million of additional support through Regeneration Capital Grant Fund, and will provide £6.5 million to support the King’s Theatre Edinburgh redevelopment.

Bikeability Scotland is a national cycle training programme for school children which supports the next generation of confident and responsible people travelling by bike. More than 41,000 children benefited from cycle training across all levels of the programme in 2020-21, and 37% of all primary schools delivered essential life skills through Level 2 on-road training.

The child poverty delivery plan 2018-2022 recognises transport as a key lever of poverty and child poverty through its impact on household income access to employment, education, goods and services. We have a commitment to provide free bikes to children who cannot afford one, and to date over 2,000 young people in Scotland have benefited from this commitment through our nine pilot projects.

Ensuring that every child leaves school with the ability to cycle safely, is not only about training. It’s also about providing a safe environment through the development of active travel infrastructure. We are committed to supporting many more people to walk, wheel or cycle for everyday journeys and are allocating record funding for that purpose.

The Active Travel budget for 2022-23 increased to a record £150 million; of which £137.7 million is capital investment. This includes the Cycling Walking Safer Routes grant of £35 million that goes directly to local authorities on a pro rata basis. We are investing in ambitious on and off-road segregated walking and cycling routes, safer junctions and improved design of place.

Responsibility for the routine maintenance, upkeep and management of burial grounds in Scotland rests with the relevant burial authority. A burial authority may be a local authority or a private owner. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (as amended), owners must ensure any premises they are responsible for are maintained to a safe standard for both employees and visitors. The Burial ground memorial safety: local authority guidance was produced to assist local authorities meet their obligations to inspect and make safe memorials and headstones.

At this time the Scottish Government has no plans to provide financial support to local authorities for the maintenance of burial grounds.