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Offshore oil and gas licensing is reserved to UK Government. Scottish Government is clear the world cannot extract fossil fuels indefinitely, if we are to reach the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. Instead, we must accelerate development of renewable sources of energy, providing new jobs, and enabling a faster transition from oil and gas.

We are conducting analysis to better understand Scotland’s energy requirements as we transition to net zero, ensuring an approach that supports and protects our energy security and our highly skilled workforce whilst meeting our climate obligations. We will publish our Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan later this year.

In line with due process, the joint Scottish Government/COSLA Settlement Distribution Group will make recommendations on the allocation mechanism for the funding at their next meeting on 15 November. COSLA Leaders will be asked to give their final sign-off on 25 November.

As soon as possible after that date we will be in a position to share further information.

The Scottish Government doesn’t want anyone to stay in a hotel or temporary accommodation for longer than necessary. We are therefore taking action to strengthen the matching process to help more displaced people access host or longer-term accommodation as quickly as possible. Through our review of the super sponsor scheme, we have identified a number of interventions to improve matching that we are already taking forward. This includes introducing a new digital matching tool to support the matching process.

This is in addition to the £11.2 million the Scottish Government has committed to Local Authorities to increase capacity of resettlement teams, support refurbishment of properties, help integration and enhance the pace of checks.

We have also introduced the £50 million Ukraine Longer Term Resettlement Fund: Ukraine Longer Term Resettlement Fund - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . Through this Fund, the Scottish Government is working with Local Authorities and Registered Social Landlords to increase the number of homes available to support the longer term resettlement of displaced people from Ukraine, by improving and bringing void homes back into use. The Fund has so far provided over £400,000 to North Ayrshire Council and £6 million to Aberdeen City Council to increase the number of homes available to support displaced people.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) is the independent regulatory body for teachers and, as such, Scottish Ministers have no locus to intervene in their procedures. The GTCS fitness to teach policy sets out key principles and acts as a mechanism for dealing with a teacher who presents a risk of harm. The fitness to teach process also aims to ensure that we have a teaching profession in Scotland that is and remains fit to teach so that public trust and confidence in teachers is maintained and the learning of our children and young people is protected.

The Scottish Government Child Protection Unit engages with GTCS on a regular basis on child and public protection and safeguarding issues, and to clarify the role of the bodies that are responsible for dealing with teachers who present a risk of harm to children.

The Scottish Government has also recently established an internal forum on the implementation of the child protection guidance in schools, and will continue to facilitate discussions on reporting and investigation processes of child protection issues within schools.

The Scottish Government will consult on a draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan (ESJTP) in the coming months.

The ESJTP will outline a co-ordinated vision for Scotland’s future energy system setting out a route map of steps required to deliver the vision and highlighting the energy sector’s role in achieving our emissions reduction targets.

The Scottish Government is clear that unlimited extraction of fossil fuels is not consistent with our climate obligations and is not the right solution to the real cost of living crisis families are facing. We support the fastest possible just transition for the sector and the oil and gas workforce, the communities in which they live and work, and the regional economies that have greatly benefited from oil and gas activities and have much to gain from the transition to net zero.

I reaffirm the answer to S6W-11746, and in my letter of 26 October 2022 to the convener of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee in which I updated on progress with establishing the virtual energy agency and the dedicated National Public Energy Agency. I indicated that the virtual Agency - Heat and Energy Efficiency Scotland - which was launched on 26 October, is the first step in transitioning to a dedicated body by 2025. In addition I stated that the virtual agency and the transition to a dedicated body will be supported by an independent Strategic Board, chaired by Professor Lorne Crerar. The Board met for the first time on 11 October 2022, and will next meet on 13 December.

The costs associated with the Agency to date are £14,468.

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

Decisions on investment in the current water industry regulatory period (2021-27) are made with reference to the process set out in the Investment Planning and Prioritisation Framework (IPPF). Co-created with industry stakeholders, the Framework represents a balanced programme that makes progress towards the objectives set by Scottish Ministers in the short term, whilst also seeking confidence that the industry is on the best trajectory towards Scottish Water’s Strategic Plan and the co-created Water Sector Vision. Further detail on the IPPF and its operation is available on the Scottish Government’s website.

Scottish Water is subject to a statutory charge-setting environment for each regulatory period under which the industry’s independent economic regulator, the Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) determines the overarching financial limits for Scottish Water based on the lowest overall reasonable cost of achieving Minister’s Objectives for the industry in the relevant regulatory period (2021-27), including the amount of lending required. Decisions on priorities for investment, including in relation to sewer flooding, are taken with reference to the Ministerial Objectives and the process set out in Scottish Water’s Investment Planning and Prioritisation Framework. While the majority of capital available for investment derives from customer charges, the Principles of Charging set by the Scottish Ministers for the period confirm that Scottish Government will also lend Scottish Water up to a maximum of £1.03 billion to support investment decisions.

The Scottish Government fully recognises the serious impacts that sewer flooding can have on homes and businesses and the need for action to tackle the issue. In this regard I would highlight the launch of Scottish Water’s Improving Urban Waters Routemap in December 2021. This plan, backed with significant investment of close to half a billion pounds, aims to deliver a range of improvements across the sewer network including to reduce incidences of sewer flooding and help Scottish Water to respond more quickly when incidents do occur. The Routemap is available on Scottish Water’s website and the first annual report on progress is expected to be published by 21 December 2022.

That will be for our Local Authority partners to decide.

The £1.4 million Islands Cost Crisis Emergency Fund was developed acknowledging islands are uniquely exposed to the current cost crisis.

In line with due process, the joint Scottish Government/COSLA Settlement Distribution Group will make recommendations on the allocation mechanism for the funding at their next meeting on 15 November. COSLA Leaders will be asked to give their final sign-off on 25 November.

As soon as possible after that date we will be in a position to share further information. However, we can share that we will allow as much flexibility to Local Authorities as possible and support them to complement existing or new measures where appropriate.

In line with due process, the joint Scottish Government/COSLA Settlement Distribution Group made recommendations on the allocation mechanism for the funding at their meeting on 15 November. COSLA Leaders will be asked to give their final sign-off on 25 November.

As soon as possible after that date we will be in a position to share further information.