Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21565 on 4 October 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

It is inappropriate to comment on live proceedings or speculate on any possible outcomes and how they will be managed. The Scottish Government’s response to any challenges to Scotland’s Low Emission Zones will be considered on a case by case basis.

There were 17,425 all-sector new housebuilding starts during the 12 months to June 2023. We are aware of the global issues affecting construction which are impacting the pace of housing delivery and are working closely with the construction industry and housing partners to mitigate this where possible.

We are pleased that all-sector new housebuilding completions of 23,346 are at their highest annual, year to end June rate, since 2008. This is an increase of 7% (1,481 homes) on last year, as reported on in the latest set of Scottish Government Quarterly Housing Statistics published on 12 September 2023.

In response to feedback from those with lived experience, we have funded the charity, Health in Mind, to establish specialist peer support groups for those affected by historic forced adoption.

The service launched for enquiries in August 2023 and is ready to offer support to mothers, adult adoptees and anyone else impacted by these historic practices. It is person centred, trauma informed and led by those with lived experience. At present, there have not been enough enquiries to create peer support groups. However, peer support is also being offered on an individual basis. Health in Mind, with the guidance of their lived experience advisory group, continue to promote the service and are focusing on the roll out of service information across Scotland.

We encourage people to consider whether this support might be of benefit to them. Further details of the service, volunteer opportunities and the meet the team events are available online: https://health-in-mind.org.uk/how-we-can-help/national-services/historic-adoption-trauma-support-service/

The Verity House Agreement will better enable local and national government to work together to achieve better outcomes for people and communities across Scotland. The Scottish Government will continue to work in partnership with COSLA to agree a more detailed programme of work, a fiscal framework, and an accountabilities and monitoring framework, to underpin the Verity House Agreement in the coming months.

Decisions on future local government finance settlements will be the subject of negotiations with COSLA on behalf of all 32 local authorities and will be announced as part of the outcome of future Scottish Budgets.

The Scottish Government is investing £34.2 million in the North East Glasgow Health and Care Centre in 2023-24, which is part of £66.4 million investment in the centre that covers the period 2019-20 to 2024-25.

A further £6.0 million is being invested across various other primary care capital projects in NHS Highland in 2023-24.

All of the above projects are progressing on time and within budget.

The Scottish Government places great importance on community sports and leisure facilities, such as swimming pools. They are crucial to the wellbeing of all our country and most importantly, for our children and young people to be healthy and active.

We are fully aware that local authorities are facing challenging financial circumstances, particularly in the maintenance and operating of facilities such as swimming pools, largely due to energy costs and other cost of living pressures.

The 2023-24 Local Government settlement of £13.5 billion provides a cash increase in day to day spending of over £793 million, a real terms increase of £376 million. As confirmed this week in the Autumn Budget Revision, all consequentials available from the UK Spring Budget have now been allocated, with the Local Government Settlement increasing by £264 million accordingly.

sportscotland are working with local and national partners to help them assess the impact of any potential facility closures and these discussions will continue over the coming weeks and months. It is vital that all avenues are explored to ensure, where possible, that local clubs and communities have access to sport and leisure facilities.

In addition, sportscotland are supporting Scottish Swimming to undertake the Scottish Swimming Facilities Project. This is a detailed piece of work to accurately understand the current pool provision and life cycle, and to predict the landscape in the short, medium, and long term.

We understand that access to facilities is necessary for a range of sporting activities. That’s why our Programme for Government for 2023 to 2024 sets out our intention to convene a working group, including representatives of sports organisations, community organisations and CoSLA, to explore how community access to community facilities, such as the school estate, can be enhanced. This will be a priority action in our refreshed Active Scotland Delivery Plan.

In June 2023 the Scottish Government published the National Innovation Strategy which sets out our ten year vision for Scotland to once again become one of the most innovative small nations in the world.

The Strategy sets out a number of programmes to enable us to achieve our vision and ensure all of our businesses, people and institutions are ready and able to meet the global economic challenges and opportunities we face over the next ten years. These include a National Productivity Programme, a Research Commercialisation Programme and the publication of an annual Innovation Scorecard.

Work on implementing the Strategy has begun, in close partnership with our enterprise agencies, and the Programme for Government recently announced an additional £15m enterprise package which will be utilised to help deliver the Strategy.

Further details will be announced following the conclusion of delivery discussions between the Scottish Government, it’s agencies and institutions.

Local government revenue funding is 2.6 per cent higher in real terms than it was in 2013-14 - as confirmed by the Accounts Commission. Local authorities also have a range of revenue raising powers that are not available to other public services, including newly devolved powers over empty property rates relief.

Scottish councils have been treated fairly throughout UK imposed austerity but we recognise the challenging environment they face and that is why we are committed to a New Deal with Local Government in order to ensure the sustainability of local services.

The Scottish Government believes that every child should be given the opportunity to learn to swim, it is a life skill that can save lives.

In response to terrible tragedies in Scotland’s waterways during 2021, the Scottish Government brought together key water safety organisations to collaboratively develop a Water Safety action plan. The Plan outlines key initiatives to improve education, data, local area water safety planning and incident reviews.

In addition, the Scottish Government have been working with Scottish Swimming, Education Scotland, sportscotland and Scottish Water to develop interventions and approaches to provide opportunities for children to become confident, safer and competent swimmers. Inclusion has been central to the approach and there is a specific focus on targeting areas within quintile 1 of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. Four Delivery Pilots have taken place to support schools to understand and consider different approaches on how best to support young people to access school swimming. An evaluation will be published in October and we will work with Scottish Swimming and sportscotland to utilise the learning from these pilots to consider the best approach for a continued roll out of a national framework for school swimming.