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Apprenticeships are a key way for all employers to invest in their workforce, providing the skills the economy needs both now and in the future.

Published in December 2020, the Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan (CESAP) sets out the actions we need to take to ensure our workforce is able to support the transition to net zero. Agile and responsive work-based learning, including apprenticeships, will support these ambitions and the CESAP notes the importance of developing new work-based learning pathways to capitalise on net-zero opportunities and maximising the uptake of apprenticeships in green jobs.

In this context, the Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) commissioned IFF Research to carry out a consultation with SAAB members, and other employers, covering industry views on the importance of reflecting sustainability into Scottish apprenticeships, and the steps required to achieve this. A final report of findings and recommendations was published in November 2021 which highlighted the need to raise awareness of climate change amongst apprentices and their employers.

Ministers are due to meet SAAB to discuss their findings on 27 January 2022. Although climate literacy skills are not currently mandatory within our apprenticeship frameworks, we are keen to work with SAAB and businesses to explore how we could effectively integrate climate awareness into work-based learning in Scotland, ensuring apprenticeships remain flexible and relevant to the current working environment as we transition to net zero, and encouraging apprentices to be at the forefront of behaviour change within their organisations.

The Scottish Government will continue to work collaboratively with Skills Development Scotland, the Scottish Funding Council and the Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board to maximise apprenticeships and prioritise a recovery that creates new jobs, good jobs and green jobs, supporting the long-term future of work-based learning and the economy.

The Scottish Government continues to support public sector leadership on the climate emergency through ongoing engagement with key bodies such as the Sustainable Scotland Network, Scottish Leaders Forum, Environment and Economy Leadership Group and the Scottish Cities Alliance. Such engagement allows the Scottish Government to discuss the sector priorities and challenges in achieving our shared net zero ambitions, implementing the updated Climate Change Plan and any support needed for the reduction of carbon emissions across all 32 of Scotland’s local authorities.

Since 2015-16, around 180 listed Scottish public bodies, including all local authorities, have been required to report annually on compliance with their statutory climate change duties. The Scottish Government funds the Sustainable Scotland Network (SSN) to produce an annual analysis of the submitted reports, which shows progress on emissions reduction. This includes analysis of progress across a number of areas of public sector climate action, including on transport fuel, electricity and waste reduction. Reported emissions from the public sector continue to decrease, with Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions down 28.5% since mandatory reporting began in 2015-16.

Our building by building approach aims to offer reassurance and our priority is always to secure the safety of people in their own homes. Inspections are underway and we expect the first completed reports soon.

We expect that the majority of buildings will be shown to be safe, but where issues are found, then we will seek the most appropriate solutions to remediation. We urge other parties, such as developers, to continue to play their part where construction is found to be unsafe.

As the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, I am responsible for audiology services.

There are multiple directorates in the Scottish Government with an interest in the delivery of audiology services in Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-05254 on 25 January 2022. 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

We are committed to supporting public sector employers in improving wellbeing policies for employees, including exploring the benefits of being part of the four-day working week pilot.

The 2022-23 public sector pay policy introduces the option for employers, in discussion with trade unions, to take a multi-year, reform approach to pay. Employers pursuing this option can explore piloting a four day working week.

More detail regarding four day week pilots in the public sector will be set out in due course.

As set out in our Programme for Government, the Scottish Government has already increased its ambition and commitment to deliver more social homes by increasing our affordable homes target from 100,000 to 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, with 70% of these being for social rent.

Housing to 2040 sets out our long term vision for Housing in Scotland. While a longer-term ambition allows for greater foresight, it does present challenges with predicting how circumstances might change or what unforeseen events might arise. That is why we will carry out a review at the mid-point of the target period, to assess if plans should continue unchanged or be adapted.

Scottish Government officials continue to hold frequent meetings with SEPA to support the organisations recovery measures following the cyber-attack in December 2020.

All applications made to SEPA for authorisation under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations for new marine finfish farms or significant changes to existing farms are subject to public consultation. Information about these applications is made publicly available on SEPA’s consultation hub: https://consultation.sepa.org.uk/permits/car-regulations-aquaculture-applications/

Additionally, as part of its pre-application process for marine finfish farm developments ( https://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/water/aquaculture/pre-application/ ), SEPA produces screening modelling and risk identification reports. These reports are published on SEPA’s website (the first posted 6 September 2021) ( https://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/water/aquaculture/screening-modelling-and-risk-identification-report/ ) to inform pre-application consultations with interested parties as well as the later consultation on any application. The reports

A small subset of the information submitted to SEPA by applicants (ie large raw data sets, such as visual imagery footage of the seabed) is not available via SEPA’s website because of the large data file sizes involved. This information is provided by other means to the public on request.

Information relating to assessing fish farms was unavailable for the majority of 2020, however was restored on 6 September 2021.

The Scottish Government is committed to working with local authorities, including by funding in key areas for public sector climate action through a mix of competitive and other funding programmes. Inviting bids from local authorities enables us to identify relevant projects, and to offer access to financial and other support tolocal authorities working in these areas . Combined, our funds represent a comprehensive package of support for local authority climate action.

Some examples of our strong climate funding offer to local authorities include: non-competitive funding for investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure and decarbonisation of public sector fleets to all of Scotland's local authorities, with over £65 million of funding awarded over the last decade, competitive funds like the £200 million Green Growth Accelerator programme, an outcomes-based funding model for local authorities, and our Switched on Towns and Cities Programme, which has awarded over £14 million of funding to five projects (/local authorities) to support decarbonisation of transport.

We strongly support the Scottish Parliament’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee’s ongoing Inquiry into the Role of Local Government and its Cross-Sectoral Partners in Financing and Delivering a Net- Zero Scotland. The findings of the inquiry will be a valuable contribution to how we can further develop our relationship with and support towards local governments.

The Scottish Government regularly engages with local authorities and the wider public sector, including through COSLA and the Sustainable Scotland Network (SSN), where current opportunities and challenges within local authority climate action are frequently discussed. Scottish Government officials also engage with the Improvement Service on the capacity needs of local authorities in delivering net zero.

Since 2015-16, around 180 listed Scottish public bodies have been required to report annually on compliance with their statutory climate change duties. To assess progress on emissions reduction, the Scottish Government funds SSN to produce an annual analysis of the submitted reports. New regulations, which came into force on 9 November 2020, require Scottish public bodies from November 2022 to report, where applicable, how they will aligns spending plans and use of resources to contribute to delivering their emissions reduction targets.