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In 2020-21 academic year, the estimated number of school leavers who self-identified as deaf/having a hearing impairment was 170, which represented 0.6% of all school leavers who were enrolled in college. Of the estimated 680 school leavers recorded for Young Person’s Guarantee funded courses (which began in January 2021), 10 were school leavers who self-identify as deaf/having a hearing impairment, which represented over 1% of enrolments. The number of enrolments in 2020-21 for Kickstart placements cannot be provided due to small numbers.

Advancing equality and inclusion, and working to eliminate discrimination, is central to the Young Person’s Guarantee, ensuring that no one is left behind. Provision is supporting tailored education, training and employment opportunities for young people with protected characteristics across Scotland, including young people who identify as deaf or have a hearing impairment.

Through the Guarantee we have provided colleges with additional funding of £10m per year in 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23, to enable them to deliver shorter industry focused opportunities for young people, including skills boost and fast track courses, to meet the needs of employers and support economic recovery. We are continuing to engage with the college sectors and key partners to ensure opportunities are targeted at supporting individuals who experience barriers to participating in the labour market, including disabled young people.

It’s important to note that as disabilities and health conditions are self-declared at the point of application, these figures may not provide the total number of deaf school leavers accessing these opportunities. The figures are also estimates based on data returned from colleges.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of empty commercial properties. Data is collected on properties eligible for and claiming non-domestic rates reliefs, including reliefs or exemptions for unoccupied properties, on specific snapshot dates.

The following table shows the number of properties receiving a non-domestic rates relief or exemption from rates for unoccupied properties since 2011. Data for years before 2011, as well as for 2014 and 2017, is not available. The figures are as at the snapshot date and may therefore underestimate final numbers of recipients in a given year, and include entire local authority areas as data by parliamentary region is not held.

Data for 2022 is expected to become available in late 2022.

Officials have discussed the site with East Lothian Council in relation to the development of the Draft National Planning Framework 4. The site was last discussed with East Lothian Council in July 2021.

The site is identified as a national development in the current National Planning Framework 3 (2014). The draft National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) (November 2021) does not propose a national development designation for Cockenzie, however its spatial strategy notes that there are existing assets and infrastructure at coastal former baseload power generation sites that can be repurposed to form the basis of new proposals. At Cockenzie it identifies ongoing work to develop the Climate Evolution Zone.

The comments received through the Parliamentary scrutiny and public consultation processes are being analysed prior to laying a revised NPF4 in the Scottish Parliament in the autumn.

To ensure local authorities had the capacity and resources required to deliver any new policy commitments in the last two years, all new policy or changes to existing policy that had a financial cost for local government were approved through the formal financial governance process which required agreed recommendations from the joint Scottish Government and COSLA Officers’ Settlement and Distribution Group and political sign-off from Scottish Ministers and COSLA political Leaders.

Asylum and immigration are reserved to the UK Parliament and handled by the Home Office. This includes the operation of asylum accommodation and support provision as well as immigration detention across the UK. The Scottish Government supports calls for a public inquiry into support provided for people seeking asylum accommodated by the Home Office during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Asylum is a matter reserved to the UK Parliament. The Scottish Government does not hold data on deaths of people seeking asylum in any type of accommodation.

The Scottish Government is aware of the Independent Commission of Inquiry into Asylum Provision in Scotland. The Scottish Government has not yet received any request to participate in the Inquiry, but will respond positively and appropriately, should we do so.

Decisions on the allocation of its capital budget including fleet, equipment and buildings is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Board. SFRS has a 10 year capital programme based on risk and decisions on fire station investment forms part of a wider review that the SFRS is carrying out on the assets it needs to protect communities from risk.

The safety of Scottish Fire and Rescue Service staff is paramount and SFRS continues to monitor the remedial measures which were immediately put in place to rectify the potentially defective roofs found in 14 fire stations. All 14 stations have had an options appraisal to identify the best option to rebuild or refurbish.

There is preliminary work underway to create a feasible Scottish scheme that works for Scottish homeowners and the Scottish tenure system.