Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting integration of former Hong Kong residents into our communities. We have published a dedicated British National (Overseas) welcome pack, in both English and Cantonese, on our website. On 9 February, we wrote with the Welsh Government to the UK Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Local Government requesting assurances that promised funding of £2.98m will be provided and that it can be carried forward to subsequent financial years in order to meet any current or future potential support needs. To date, no response has been received.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07510 on 19 April 2022. 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 .

Our draft National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) was laid in the Scottish Parliament on 10 November, and at the same time published for consultation which closed on 31 March 2022. The draft NPF4 set out how our approach to planning and development will achieve a net zero, sustainable Scotland by 2045 and proposed a new policy which will ensure significant weight be given to the Global Climate Emergency in planning decisions. It also includes green energy policies which support renewable energy development other than in National Parks and National Scenic Areas, subject to an assessment of their impacts on a case by case basis. The draft NPF4 also proposes to designate a national development which would establish the need for a large increase in renewable energy generation and substantial reinforcement and expansion of grid infrastructure throughout Scotland.

We are pleased with the very wide interest shown in NPF4 from across society, befitting a document of its importance to our future. The Scottish Government is now taking some time to carefully consider the broad range of views shared with us before finalising NPF4 for Scottish Parliament approval.

The information requested is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government takes the rate of inflation into account when making its spending decisions, but does not index or base all its spending decisions on a single specific measure of inflation.

The most frequently used measure of inflation is the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), prepared by the Office of National Statistics. The most recent data shows that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 7.0% in the 12 months to March 2022, up from 6.2% in February 2022.

Scottish Government's official forecaster is the Scottish Fiscal Commission, who in their December 2021 publication stated that CPI inflation for 2022 Q3 will be 3.9%. They will publish an updated forecast in May of this year.

The Scottish Government will closely monitor the outcome of additional testing being undertaken by the UK Health and Security Agency in order to ensure that any decisions to make Evusheld available to patients in Scotland are based on the best available evidence.

While the Scottish Government collects data on the number of children living in unsuitable accommodation, it does not ask for returns from local authorities on any wellbeing assessments undertaken. This information would have to be requested directly from local authorities.

We are aware of a number of support assessments undertaken by local authorities as part of their housing assessment to record people’s needs. It is important, as part of this process and alongside the support provided to households experiencing homelessness, that the specific needs of children in the household are identified and met and their rights upheld.

The contract has been awarded to sole trader Laura Jones, trading under LKJ Research. As outlined in the response to S6W-07527 on 19 April 2022, following the review of the tender received, there was consensus from the evaluation panel (comprising of Scottish Government officials) that the criteria for awarding the contract had been met.

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

HESA statistics show that Chinese student enrolment in Scottish universities was 18,555 in AY 2020/21. Tuition fee estimates are calculated using HESA Finance data and are based on the average tuition fee paid by all non-EU students. The estimated tuition fee income from Chinese students to Scottish Higher Education Institutions was around £300 million in academic year 2019/20.

According to a report by London Economics for the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) , the average non-EU student in the 2018/19 cohort will have a net benefit to the UK economy of £102,000 over the duration of their studies. The study also shows that international students in Scotland as a whole contributed £2.47 billion to the UK economy. Information on the impact of Chinese students studying in Scotland to the national economy is not available.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07557 on 19 April 2022. 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