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The Scottish Government fully recognise the seriousness of the ongoing cost of living crisis and, through the emergency Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act, are helping tenants, who we know are at risk of being financially vulnerable and less able to absorb the impacts of the current cost of living crisis. The emergency measures include a 3% cap on applicable in-tenancy rent increases and stronger protections against eviction.

Annex F of the Statement of Reasons for the 2nd proposed extension of the Act provides analysis of mortgage rate rises for private sector landlords in the context of this emergency legislation. While this does not correlate to increases in rents, it does reflect the potential increases in costs that some landlords may be facing which could influence how landlords with Buy to Let mortgages set rents.

The emergency Act is giving important support to tenants, providing them with much-needed stability in their housing costs. It has gone further than anywhere else in the UK in helping protect tenants across the rental sector.

While the focus of the emergency legislation is to protect tenants, the Scottish Government recognises that some landlords may also be facing pressures from this cost crisis. That is why the Scottish Government has built in a number of safeguards that allow for consideration of landlords’ circumstances. The measures will be kept under review and the Scottish Government will work with the private rented sector to understand the impact.

The R100 contracts do not have a targeted number of premises broken down at local authority level. However, as of 31 May 2023 the R100 North contract has delivered 6,897 connections which equates to 11.3% of the R100 North contract targeted figures. For the R100 Central contract 8,905 connections have been delivered which equates to 27.6% of the R100 Central contract targeted figures. For the R100 South contract, 8,392 connections have been delivered which equates to 38.3% of the R100 South contract targeted figures.

Additionally, as the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS) is demand-led we do not have a targeted number of vouchers broken down at local authority level. However, as of 1 July 2023, a total of 3,288 connections have been delivered through utilisation of R100 SBVS vouchers.

While we do not have a targeted number of premises broken down at local authority level, and therefore cannot provide a percentage breakdown, we can provide details of the number of premises that have received a connection through the R100 contracts and the R100 SBVS at local authority level. Please see the following below for further information:

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) will dispose of the site at HMP Inverness in accordance with Scottish Government policy which is set out in guidance within the Scottish Public Finance Manual. Thereafter it will be for any potential purchaser to determine the future use of the site in conjunction with the relevant Planning Authority.

The requested application figures for heat pumps and high heat retention storage heaters for the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme and Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan Scheme are set out in the following tables:

The Scottish Government has remained committed to implementing the new model of neonatal intensive care as set out in The Best Start. That will see the most preterm and sickest babies receive specialist complex care in fewer centres. Evidence tells us long term health outcomes will improve for those babies if cared for in higher volume units.

We have been working with expert clinicians to plan for this service change and have identified that the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and Aberdeen Maternity Unit should be the Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) for babies and women requiring the most specialised care.

No neonatal units in Scotland will close. This is about ensuring the smallest and sickest babies are born where the they can readily access the very specialist care and services they may need.

Further information on the appraisal approach and framework can be found at

Information for parents can be found at Discharge Planning - Scottish Perinatal Network

The Health & Safety Executive, instructed by the UK Government, are developing a research methodology to assist with identification, assessment and remediation of RAAC. We will consider any steps required to be taken to ensure that students are not impacted by any universities or colleges that have to close any of their campus buildings due to the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

In the meantime, officials are working closely with the Scottish Funding Council in relation to this matter. The Scottish Funding Council is planning to provide guidance, prepared by authoritative organisations, to colleges and universities as soon as possible.

Neither the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme or the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Landlord Loan Scheme require the household or applicant to be in receipt of benefits to be eligible for funding. Accordingly, no information is collected in regard to this during the application process.

The HES Grant and Loan Scheme is available to all homeowners in Scotland. The PRS Landlord Loan Scheme is available to registered private landlords, acting either as an individual or a business, that owns privately rented properties.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Prisoners are charged £5.00 to use the Prisoner PIN phones for 100 minutes when calling a landline and are charged £10.00 when they call a mobile phone for 100 minutes.

There have been no changes to these prices in the last 4 years.

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) is part of the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service (SCTS). SCTS is an independent body corporate and does not answer directly to the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government typically meets OPG once every 3 - 6 months to discuss ongoing business matters, including registration of powers of attorney. The most recent meeting was in May 2023, where the introduction of a new IT system at OPG was discussed, which is expected to reduce processing times for power of attorney applications.

We will meet again over the course of the year to discuss what progress has been made with regard to power of attorney processing times.

The National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group (NSPLG) has made very strong progress in delivering the suicide prevention action plan, Every Life Matters . NSPLG’s final annual report published in October 2022 and can be found here . Delivery has been maintained since October, including focussed work on improving responses for people in suicidal crisis, using the principles of Time, Space and Compassion.

The delivery of Every Life Matters has created an excellent platform to drive forward Creating Hope Together - our ambitious new strategy and action plan , which the Scottish Government published with COSLA in September 2022. The evidence and support for Every Life Matters actions means we are continuing to deliver on those actions as part of our ongoing work.

The Scottish Government and COSLA published our suicide prevention delivery priorities for 2023-24 on 28 June 2023. These were shaped through stakeholder discussions and a range of evidence, including views from people with lived experience of suicide.