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The Scottish Government does not have plans in place to amend the Mobile Homes Act 1983 ( Amendment of Schedule 1) (Scotland) Order 2013.

The Scottish Government is aware that food producers and retailers, as well as many other businesses, are struggling under the current trading conditions that are arising from the effects of Brexit, the conflict in Ukraine and the increasing costs of doing business more generally. That is why we are working closely with industry to mitigate these challenges.

We are taking a range of actions, within a limited budget and the restrictions of devolution, to help those facing the combined impact of higher energy bills and interest rate rises. This includes almost £3 billion in this financial year that will help households facing the increased cost of living, providing services and financial support not available elsewhere in the UK. This is helping to reduce everyday costs, increase incomes and is expected to indirectly support communities and local businesses.

In conversations with business the specific support they need most falls within the reserved responsibilities of the UK Government. Among those measures businesses are seeking help to address are energy price caps, VAT reduction on business energy bills, expansion of shortage occupation lists, support in handling business debt and pausing the National Insurance increase. I have written to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to urge the UK Government to take action on these matters.

We continue to urge UK Ministers to use all the powers and fiscal headroom at their disposal to address the cost of living and business crisis.

Local authorities play a vital role in the success of the Scottish Government’s Super Sponsor Scheme. They are uniquely placed to provide the support required to ensure those arriving are given the warmest possible welcome. This includes working with displaced people to identify and meet immediate and longer term needs. This will see displaced people registered with GP and school, provision of local information on services and area, advice and support to access benefits, receipt of initial financial support if required until benefits are accessed and paid, and advice and support on accessing further/higher education.

A full description of local authority responsibilities in supporting displaced people from Ukraine can be found in the Local Authority Guidance published by the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government Practical Fire Safety Guidance for Existing High Rise Domestic Buildings includes a template and advice on carrying out a fire risk assessment of the building. The outcome of this assessment will give an idea of the relative risk of the premises and what mitigations might be helpful.

The Scottish Government worked with key partners including the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Her Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate for Scotland when drafting the guidance. The guidance was widely consulted on setting out the reasoning for the approach taken.

The percentage of the population registered with a NHS dentist in Scotland is broken down by NHS Board rather than council area and is published by Public Health Scotland (PHS). As of September 2021, the percentage of patients who are not registered with a NHS dentist is as follows:-

Ayrshire and Arran

• 15.3% of children
• 1% of adults

Borders

• 14.6% of children
• 15.7% of adults

Dumfries and Galloway

• 13.7% of children
• 8.5% of adults

Lanarkshire

• 13.2% of children
• 0% of adults

Lothian

• 16.1% of children
• 7.9% of adults

The following table shows the number of valid card holders in the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme as of close of business 1 August 2022 in the Perth and Kinross and Fife local authorities. This information is based on live data as of 1 August 2022 and will exclude those who have turned 22 or exited the scheme since its launch.

This information was supplied by the National Entitlement Card Programme Office (NECPO). NECPO support the 32 local authorities by assisting with the integration of various national and local public services on the National Entitlement Card (NEC) and are the joint controller with local authorities of this data.

In 2021 Play Scotland published its progress review of Scotland’s Play Strategy which identified eight broad recommendations for next steps on play in Scotland, including that government and others should “maintain a focus on playful learning and play in schools”. Play Scotland’s progress review is available at: https://www.playscotland.org/resources/progress-review-of-scotlands-play-strategy-2021/.

In 2020 the Scottish Government and Education Scotland published ‘Realising the Ambition: Being Me – Practice Guidance for Early Years in Scotland’. This national guidance for staff working with children and families from pre-birth until the end of Primary 1 and beyond, draws on research, evidence and theory and includes guidance on play pedagogy across the early level of Curriculum for Excellence. On 27 July 2022, Education Scotland launched an updated and strengthened version of the Early Level Play Pedagogy Toolkit, available at: https://education.gov.scot/improvement/learning-resources/early-level-play-pedagogy-toolkit/.

Individual school inspection reports consider play pedagogy alongside the variety of early level pedagogical approaches adopted by schools. They report on outcomes for learners and make reference to the quality of children’s experiences.

The costs of temporary accommodation in hotels for displaced people from Ukraine are split into a number of components. There is a fixed rate per room, this does not vary based on occupancy. However, the cost of food and beverage will vary based on the number of guests in each room. Laundry and other incidentals can be charged per person or per occupancy, dependent on the hotel operator.

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care attends regular meetings with his counterparts in the UK and other Devolved Administrations to ensure that the Scottish Government is represented in relation to public health incidents which require a coordinated 4 Nations response.

Additionally, Public Health Scotland (PHS) are leading on the response in Scotland and are working with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Public Health Wales and Northern Ireland HSC Health Protection Agency to ensure a coordinated response to monkeypox in the UK. Where appropriate, Scottish Government officials are also represented on 4 nations groups established to support these coordination efforts.

Scottish Government Ministers regularly meet with and are briefed by health officials and clinical advisers to ensure they are kept up to date with the ongoing situation regarding case numbers, treatment pathways and public health information messaging on the current monkeypox outbreak. This includes all relevant updates from the public health agencies across the UK, which are leading on the Monkeypox response.