Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21034 on 15 September 2023. 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 .

ACER UK last provided assessments (Scottish National Standardised Assessments) for the Scottish Government in June 2022. This included a reading assessment for S3, but that assessment did not assess reading age. ACER UK have not provided any assessments for the Scottish Government for young people in S1-S2 or S4-S6. National Standardised Assessments are now provided by AlphaPlus Ltd.

I am pleased to announce that today we have published the Scottish Government report on the operation and effect of Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) in its first five years.

Later today, we are launching a consultation on the continuation of the minimum unit pricing legislation beyond 30 April 2024, when it is otherwise due to expire. We believe our proposals strikes a reasonable balance between the positive public health benefits and any effects on the alcoholic drinks market and subsequent impact on consumers.

The consultation builds on Ministerial engagement with business and health stakeholders which has taken place throughout the summer and is supported by an interim Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment which will also been published today.

We would encourage everyone to take the time to respond to the consultation.

The Strategic Board for Teacher Education met on 4 September to consider their workplan including recruitment and retention issues. This work is ongoing and will be complemented by the project I am commissioning on education workforce modelling and research, which will be completed by the end of the year. The SBTE will use findings from the education workforce modelling and research project provide me with further advice on initial teacher education programmes.

The Care Inspectorate publishes annual statistics on the numbers of childminders operating across Scotland. The most recent data, for 2021, were published in September 2022 and are set out in the following table.

The first meeting of the Cabinet Sub-Committee for the Promise will take place when the membership and remit have been confirmed.

There have been no legal challenges brought to date regarding Edinburgh’s Low Emission Zone.

Rather than permanent monitoring, which is the common approach for water companies in England, Scottish Water worked with SEPA to carry out a comprehensive Scotland-wide environmental study programme to assess and model the impacts of its assets on water quality. The programme was undertaken during the 2015 to 2021 investment period with an investment of £40m. These studies supported identification and prioritisation of River Basin Management Planning objectives, which were published at the end of 2021.

The computer models Scottish Water developed allow it to understand when CSOs will spill, under what rainfall conditions and the impact those spills will have on the environment. Instead of taking the approach of English water companies, targeted monitoring is being put in place to support the information already obtained from the models and to support operational performance. The Scottish Government is supportive of this evidence based and proportionate approach by Scottish Water. We also support their decision to invest inn widening monitoring by installing 1,000 new spill monitors by the end of 2024 with an investment of up to £70m.

Scottish Water’s Improving Urban Waters Routemap commits it to publishing near real-time spill data for all monitored CSOs by December 2024. The data collected by the 1000 new monitors will support SEPA’s and Scottish Water work to prioritise investment where it will most benefit our environment and communities. Continued investment by Scottish Water contributes towards Scotland’s water quality being at its highest level ever, with 87% of the water environment rated as good or better, up from 82% six years ago. Scotland’s River Basin Management Plan sets out objectives, including those for Scottish Water, aiming to improve water quality to 92% of the water environment to be in good or better condition by 2027.

In 2023-24, funding is being delivered within the context of the most challenging budget settlement since devolution as set out by the Deputy First Minister in our Medium Term Financial Strategy, which makes clear the difficult choices that would be required to reach a sustainable footing.

The Scottish Government has awarded a grant of nearly £650k to Coalfields Regeneration Trust (CRT) for 2023-24 which will enable the organisation to sustain its core operations and deliver its programme of work in Scotland. This builds on the £28 million provided to CRT to date.

In terms of the sustainability of CRT’s grant programme, officials have been signalling the need for CRT to move away from this historical arrangement and to explore other funding routes for this activity. This approach is to ensure the funding available can support CRT to maintain its focus on delivering its key services which will have the greatest impact on coalfield communities. This will also ensure CRT’s grant funding activity is in line with the latest grant making conditions and financial control measures, which apply across all Scottish Government grants.

The Minister for Local Government Empowerment and Planning held a constructive meeting with CRT on 14 September, providing the opportunity to discuss their concerns and the challenges. The Scottish Government will continue to work closely with CRT and others towards the regeneration of our coalfields communities.

The Green Heat Finance Taskforce will continue to meet over the autumn as it works towards producing its final report in early 2024, as discussed in response to S6W-21001 on 20 September 2023.

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