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Architecture and Design Scotland provides non-chargeable advice and resources to a large number of public and private organisations. This service is extensive and has been provided via a wide range of programmes, events and initiatives since the organisation was established. A breakdown of the number of organisations that the NDPB has provided free advice and resources to is not held centrally.

Architecture and Design Scotland publishes an Annual Review which contains details of their work, including information on many of the organisations and locations that have received free advice and resources through the work of the NDPB. Architecture and Design Scotland Annual Reports can be accessed at https://www.ads.org.uk/our-corporate-documents

Architecture and Design Scotland originally identified 154 towns to be part of its Climate Action Towns project as set out in the following table.

Following the PCS ballot results, Scottish Government officials held regular meetings in the run up to the strike action with Chief Executives of those employers in the Scottish Administration where PCS had a mandate for strike action, including with the Keeper of Registers of Scotland. All employers provided business continuity plans ahead of the strike action, considering the impact of any action on the operation of their services. Registers of Scotland confirmed they had robust contingency plans in place to keep all customer-facing services running, and they would continue to accept applications to the registers they manage and provide a customer support service. Services continued to operate at Registers of Scotland during 1 February 2023.

The following table sets out a breakdown of Architecture and Design Scotland budget allocations for 2022-23.

The Scottish Government discussed with Architecture and Design Scotland the effect of the Public and Commercial Services Union industrial action on 1 February 2023. There was no significant impact on its business.

As part of a continual cycle of feedback and sharing lessons learned, Scottish Government and COSLA jointly published ‘Scotland’s Learning Estate Strategy - Connecting People, Places and Learning’ in 2019. This includes information from a findings report which draws out experiences from projects in the £1.8bn Scotland’s Schools for the Future (SSF) Programme.

Information is gathered via a Post-Occupancy Evaluation of each school constructed or refurbished through the SSF Programme, and this is a requirement of funding to ensure that lessons learned help inform future investment. A review of this feedback is currently being undertaken and will distil findings by summer 2023 to help identify any actions needed to review guidance or develop new methods for sharing best practice.

In addition, an ongoing series of shared learning events which will are open to all local authorities has also been established as a forum to work collaboratively. These will occur quarterly and include the annual Learning Places Scotland Conference.

The Architecture and Design Scotland report, Designing for a Changing Climate: Carbon Conscious Places , offers examples of good practice to support a whole place approach to responding to the climate imperative, carbon targets and local places.

The key findings of the report were disseminated widely through a public online launch, presentations to Young Planners Scotland conference, the Scotland's Climate Assembly, and promoted through articles in professional journals. The launch of the report was covered on BBC and STV TV, reaching a wide audience.

The report is included as a reference document within the Scottish Government Update to the Climate Change Plan (2020) and has informed the offer from the Key Agencies Group to local authorities for support with developing the new style of Local Development Plans. The publication webpage was viewed over 3,000 times between October 2020 and January 2023.

The impact on approaches, projects and decisions has not yet been formally evaluated.

Two Scottish Government civil servants from Planning, Architecture and Regeneration Division are involved in the Scotland + Venice project on a varying part time basis.

In the last five years NatureScot have taken regulatory action under section 10(2) of the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 five times. Prior to this, notice of section 10 emergency measures have been issued on at least three occasions.

The significant cut by the UK Government in support for businesses with their energy costs beyond March is very concerning, particularly for the more vulnerable sectors.

Scottish ministers wrote to the UK Government at the end of last year to express our disappointment at the lack of opportunity we were given to engage in the review of the Energy Bills Relief Scheme, and to stress that any continued support should be aimed at those businesses and sectors who need it the most.

We will continue to work with stakeholders to analyse the impact of this reduced level in support upon businesses and to raise our concerns with the UK Government at every opportunity.