Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-08917

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 14 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the current level of debt on school meals is in each local authority.

Information about the levels of debt on school meals across Scotland is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. The handling of school meal debts is a matter for local authorities, taking into account the local needs and circumstances of all families within their respective local areas.

The Scottish Government recognises the work which has been undertaken by Aberlour on this issue and the First Minister has committed that officials will work with COSLA to understand this issue more fully.

Question reference: S6W-08899

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 14 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the National Records of Scotland report stating that alcohol-specific deaths increased by 17% in 2020, what (a) short-, (b) medium- and (c) long-term actions have been taken to reduce harm and prevent further deaths.

The Scottish Government’s Alcohol Framework sets out our priorities for preventing alcohol-related harm. It contains 20 actions building on existing measures to change Scotland’s relationship with alcohol, including our world-leading minimum unit pricing policy.

We take a whole population approach to tackling alcohol-related harms, in line with the World Health Organization’s focus on affordability, availability and attractiveness of alcohol.

Key actions in the framework include:

? Consulting on potential restrictions on alcohol advertising and promotion in Scotland this year

? reviewing the level of minimum unit pricing

? progressing a review of Alcohol Brief Interventions

? working with the UK Government on the forthcoming Alcohol Treatment Guidance

We are also exploring the evidence around Managed Alcohol Programmes and are delighted to be able to contribute to the running of the innovative model being piloted in Glasgow by Simon Community Scotland and its evaluation.

Question reference: S6W-08840

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 14 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether the spending mechanism used for determining the provision of social care will include a re-evaluation of the so-called eligibility of need threshold, which can reportedly cause regional inequality between local authority areas.

The Scottish Government wants to ensure the quality, fairness and consistency of social care support provision regardless of where people live in Scotland.

Eligibility criteria can be a barrier to accessing social care support. We want the focus to be on people getting the support they need when they need it, not on eligibility. The Scottish Government is committed to overhauling the current mechanism of eligibility criteria. We set out proposals for doing this in the National Care Service consultation and will be working with partners and stakeholders to co-design the development of alternative approaches.

Question reference: S6W-08927

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how much has been spent on providing temporary accommodation for anyone requiring it in each local authority area in each year since 1999.

As set out in the response to S6W-06821 on 10 March 2022, the vast majority of homelessness funding provided to local authorities in the annual local government finance settlements since 1999 has been included in the block grant. It is at each local authority’s discretion as to how they use this resource to prevent and respond to homelessness, which includes providing temporary accommodation. This has been supplemented in recent years by additional, identifiable resource as follows:

Financial year	Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans	Homelessness Support
2017-18	£0m	£22.5m
2018-19	£2m	£23.5m
2019-20	£8m	£23.5m
2020-21	£8m	£23.5m
2021-22	£8m	£23.5m
2022-23	£8m	£23.5m
Total	£34m	£140.0m

Housing Benefit covers the costs of temporary accommodation for individuals who are in and out of work, as long as their income is not too high.

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

Question reference: S6W-08918

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 14 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much debt on school meals has been written off in each local authority in each of the last five years.

The information you have requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. It is for local authorities to decide whether to write-off outstanding debts for school meals, ideally by taking into account the needs and circumstances of any affected families.

The Scottish Government recognises the work which has been undertaken by Aberlour on this issue and the First Minister has committed that officials will work with COSLA to understand this issue more fully.

Local authorities also have the flexibility to offer free school meals to families who do not meet the regular eligibility criteria but are experiencing financial hardship. I would encourage any family who thinks that they may have become eligible for free school meals to apply for them as soon as possible.

Question reference: S6W-08886

Asked by: Stephanie Callaghan, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 14 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to improve commissioning and procurement in the social care sector in advance of establishing a National Care Service, and what assurances it will provide that its plans for a National Care Service will incentivise providers to (a) focus on providing the highest quality of care and (b) prioritise enhanced pay and conditions for social care staff.

We are helping public bodies and providers engage in the new and changing responsibilities ahead of establishing a National Care Service (NCS). In December 2021, Scottish Procurement Policy Note (SPPN 7/2021) advised Integration Joint Boards and public bodies to review their Strategic Commissioning plans, social care procurements and contracts to identify opportunities to align with ethical commissioning and procurement principles. We fund the Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland to help organisations wishing to improve in this area. The NCS will ensure enhanced pay and conditions for workers through the introduction of national pay bargaining for this sector.

Question reference: S6W-08920

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many people who have resettled in Scotland through the (a) Syrian Resettlement Programme and (b) Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme are still currently living in temporary accommodation.

Scotland is committed to playing our part in welcoming and supporting all Asylum Seekers, Refugees and displaced people.

The UK’s Syrian Resettlement Programme, also known as the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS), ended in March 2021. The programme matched people with accommodation identified by local authorities prior to their arrival in the UK. All 32 of Scotland’s local authorities participated in the programme, supporting 3,328 refugees to settle in communities across the country.

All 32 local authorities have also confirmed their participation in Afghanistan Relocation and Resettlement Schemes. So far, there have been 127 families (520 individuals) relocated to 20 Scottish local authorities.

It is the Home Office who have responsibility for hotel accommodation for Afghan families across the UK. Its data currently shows that there are 12,000 people in hotels across the UK.

Question reference: S6W-09227

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 June 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Patrick Harvie on 14 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when the second Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing will be reviewed, and when it will respond to the Zero Emissions Social Housing Taskforce report, published in August 2021.

The Scottish Government has today published its response to the Zero Emissions Social Housing Taskforce (ZEST) report which can be accessed at http://www.gov.scot/ISBN/9781804355176 .

The Scottish Government is grateful to ZEST for its work and welcomes the recommendations which will help shape Scotland’s just transition to net zero.

As was highlighted in the ZEST report, the second Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH2) is not fully aligned with net zero and Housing Associations’ and Local Authorities’ need for long-term certainty to plan investment appropriately.

The Scottish Government today confirms that the review of EESSH2 will be brought forward to commence this year for completion in 2023.

While the review is underway the current EESSH2 2025 and 2032 milestones will be put on hold temporarily to ensure that any investment is targeted toward long-term solutions that deliver net zero and support the eradication of fuel poverty. Whilst the review is underway, social landlords should continue to invest in energy efficiency measures to help reduce running costs, and in zero emissions heating systems where appropriate.

The Scottish Government’s Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund supports projects to deploy zero emissions heat, improve energy efficiency and reduce fuel poverty. The fund will make £200 million available over the course of this parliament - investing in a sector already leading the way in the heat transition.

The Scottish Government is committed to, and looks forward to, working jointly with the social housing sector on both the EESSH2 review and as we take forward next steps from the ZEST report.

Question reference: S6T-00781

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its nursery recruitment targets.

Question reference: S6T-00784

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 13 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what immediate action it will take, in light of recent reports that nearly £2 million in Pupil Equity Funding has been spent on police officers in schools since 2018.

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