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I met with the Music Venue Trust on 20 September to discuss the current situation and challenges of grassroots music venues in Scotland. Actions included raising the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on the sector with my UK Government counterpart to understand what can be done on reserved matters; discussing how the impact of rent increases is being handled across sectors with relevant Scottish ministers; and, providing a recommendation on the options for taking forward a roundtable discussion on a ticket levy in Scotland.

The Cross-Sector Working Group on RAAC remains our main forum for engagement with public sector partners and key stakeholders in the private sector. Meetings provide updates on sector progress, recent UK information and topics of interest such as RAAC identification and assessment process and a presentation and Q&A with IStructE. The minutes of the meetings of that group are published on The Scottish Government Website.

Outwith those meetings, officials will also continue to engage with sector organisations on a one-to-one basis.

The information requested relates to Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) data and is not held by the Scottish Government.

SQA has advised that the information requested is available from their website at: https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/105160.12093.html .

Due to retention periods, this information is only available from 2018 onwards. The assessment arrangements data is broken down by arrangement type and not centre type.

The Scottish Government announced the launch of the Young Person’s Guarantee in November 2020, with the aim to protect young people against the immediate economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Between November 2020 and March 2023, 1019 employers have signed up to the Young Person’s Guarantee, offering 35,790 opportunities to 16-24 years olds in Scotland.

Officials will next meet with representatives from Disability Equality Scotland on 1 November 2023.

We meet regularly with Disability Equality Scotland as part of the development of the Immediate Priorities Plan and will continue to engage with representatives as the longer-term Disability Equality Strategy is developed and implemented.

The dates of the announcement and establishment of the working groups that are currently active in the Education and Skills portfolio are as follows:

The Scottish Government, in partnership with local authorities, has been pioneering the transition to net zero in schools through the £2bn Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP). The LEIP targets the reduction in operational energy - e.g. heat, light, power, catering and ventilation - in new and refurbished projects.

LEIP funding is predicated on the achievement of outcomes, including measuring the amount of energy consumed in comparison with a set target level. To better understand this issue, a comparison was carried out between schools constructed or refurbished to Building Regulation standards and the enhanced specification required to meet the LEIP level. This included, for example, improved insulation, higher levels of airtightness and controlled ventilation with heat recovery. While the cost of these measures varies depending on the individual project, an assessment indicated that costs were likely to be approximately 5-8% higher. While the target energy level is only mandatory with LEIP projects, local authorities have been adopting this approach in other projects across their estates, as well as looking at other measures that could be adopted such as the use of solar photovoltaics, heat pumps or wind turbines.

As the LEIP continues, further measures are planned to support the transition to net zero. These include using zero direct emissions heating systems, encouraging the use of electric vehicles by providing charging infrastructure and introducing a new target for embodied carbon. The cost of achieving these outcomes will vary with individual projects, however, an assessment has indicated a range of 6-7% extra might be required. Many of these initiatives are already being included in projects within the current phases of the LEIP and in local authority investment in their learning estate.

The Scottish Government does not maintain such a list.

Our 2018 guidance on human rights due diligence sets out recommendations on how we, our executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) should undertake appropriate due diligence on companies, including their human rights record, before entering into an investment relationship with them.

Any indications of concern would be raised with the local authority. The Scottish Ministers would consider how best to support the local authority including and may seek assurance that action would be taken to address concerns.

In a case of serious financial failure, such as bankruptcy, the Scottish Ministers may make use of legislative powers to ensure appropriate steps are taken to remedy the situation.

The number of decisions to refuse applications for onshore wind developments*, with a capacity of less than 50 megawatts, which have been upheld (appeal dismissed) by the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division is set out in the following table.

The number of decisions to refuse applications for onshore wind development which have been overturned (appeal allowed) by the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division are provided as a point of comparison.