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The causes of winter excess mortality are varied and complex. The Scottish Government remains committed to improving health and to reducing health inequalities.

We have made an additional £5 million available to NHS Boards to support winter resilience across Health and Social Care. This funding is to support winter planning and enhance resilience across the services, making sure patients are seen quickly, efficiently and without delay. We are also committed to ensuring people can receive the right care and support, at the right time and in the right setting. Free personal care for people aged 65 and over in Scotland currently benefits approximately 77,000 older, vulnerable adults and we have committed to extending the policy of free personal care to all adults who require it by April 2019.

This Government has always prioritised tackling fuel poverty and we remain committed to improving the energy efficiency of Scotland’s homes. We are delivering our 2016 Programme for Government commitment to make half a billion pounds available over the next 4 years. This means that by the end of 2021, we will have allocated over £1 billion since 2009 on tackling fuel poverty and improving energy efficiency. In addition to this, we will consult on a new fuel poverty strategy and target shortly and take these forward in a Warm Homes Bill to be introduced to Parliament in 2018.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the energy efficiency of Scotland’s homes and buildings. Work is on-going to develop Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP) and we are committed to publishing a route map in 2018 that sets out the aim, objectives and clear milestones of SEEP. Alongside this, good progress is already being made and the share of the most energy efficient dwellings (rated EPC Band C and above) has increased by 74% since 2010. As set out in this year’s Programme for Government, we will confirm the introduction of new energy efficiency standards for the private rented sector to ensure tenants are able to enjoy homes that warmer and more affordable to heat, and we will consult owner-occupiers on improving the energy efficiency of their homes.

We are currently finalising our own Climate Change Plan which will set out the actions we will take in Scotland to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. We will publish the final Climate Change Plan in early 2018.

The Scottish Government increased the operational budget of SFRS by £21.7m in 2017-18. The finding for SFRS would go much further if the UK Government would allow the service to recover VAT like other fire services across the UK, adding an estimated £10m to their annual budget. The Scottish Government will continue to press for a change to VAT legislation to remedy this long running inequity.

Consideration of the budget for 2018-19 is on-going.

The SFRS is currently exploring how it should develop to meet the new and emerging risks facing our communities including how transformation of the service could see the SFRS do more for communities across Scotland. No decisions have been made yet on what the transformation will look like and any transformation will involve liaison and discussions with SFRS staff, partners (including unions and staff associations) and the public.

The priority of the SFRS and the Scottish Government is to ensure the resources are in place to enable firefighters to deliver a modern, flexible and effective service for the people of Scotland.

We are working through the Committee on Climate Change’s report, as well as the recommendations of Parliament and feedback from stakeholders as we finalise the Climate Change Plan, which we will publish early next year.

A response to the recent Committee on Climate Change report on Scotland’s progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions was laid in the Scottish Parliament on 12 October (laying number SG/2017/208). This makes clear that the Scottish Government will reflect carefully on all of the recommendations in the Committee’s report, alongside those arising from parliamentary scrutiny of the draft Plan and the most up to date evidence and modelling, as we work to finalise the Climate Change Plan for publication in February 2018.

The Scottish Government, in collaboration with academic and other expert colleagues, is constantly reviewing research evidence to inform the development of evidence based policy in relation to nursing in the care home sector. Whilst the current UK and International (mainly US) evidence base in this area is limited, and still developing, there are a number of consistent findings from the available literature:

• Access to the full range of health and social care professionals and high quality support work are the key to delivering holistic care.

• Nursing roles in care homes are broad and multifaceted, and outcomes for residents can include enhanced personhood and wellbeing, improved health and function, and enhanced quality of life.

• Positive outcomes on relatives, staff and the home from nurses in general are noted.

Recommendations from the evidence base call for:

• Greater clarity on the type of care home where nurses have the greatest impact, i.e. where there are complex healthcare needs.

• Greater clarity on the precise skills and knowledge that nurses are required to have to work effectively in these settings.

• Work to enhance the image and career choices for nurses working in care homes.

These findings and recommendations are central to the current discussions around the role of nursing in care homes through the auspices of the National Care Home Contract with stakeholders including COSLA, SSSC, Scottish Care and the RCN.

The National Health and Social Care Workforce Plan will strengthen and harmonise workforce planning practice, take full account of the future demand for safe and high quality services for Scotland’s people and help to more accurately identify and address gaps in supply, including within the Social Care workforce.

• Part 1 of the Plan focuses on NHSScotland workforce planning and was published on 28 June 2017.

• Part 2, covering the Social Care workforce, will be published jointly with COSLA later this year. This approach will enable different workforce planning systems to take stock, and move forward incrementally towards improved integrated planning across the full Social Care landscape.

• Part 3, covering the workforce in primary care, will be published following the conclusion of GMS contract negotiations.

We are working with all major stakeholders across Health and Social Care, including NHSScotland Boards, COSLA, Scottish Care and other organisations as we take the Plan forward.

In the last 12 months (Oct 2016 – Sep 2017) Transport Scotland officials made 830 claims for motor allowance through the Travel and Subsistence system. The Motor Allowance claim does not record the type of vehicle or fuel used so it is not possible to break this down further between petrol and electric vehicles.

Integration Authorities are responsible across Scotland for undertaking strategic needs assessments to inform their statutorily required strategic commissioning plans for their area. These plans are required to be prepared and reviewed on a 3 year rolling basis, so that Integration Authorities are planning for the medium to longer term, including identifying and determining the needs of their local population for care home places. This work considers needs, population dynamics and projections, service activity, supply and demand and gaps in provision, which in turn allows strategic commissioning plans to identify investments and disinvestments according to locally determined priorities within available resources, and which require to achieve or contribute to the national health and wellbeing outcomes.

Scottish Government officials are in regular dialogue with providers and receive live updates regarding any current issues. Scottish Government officials also hold a National Workforce Planning Group. This is the main stakeholder group driving the health and social care workforce plan and discussing the challenges facing the health and social care workforce both now and going forward into the future.

The National Care Home Contract is negotiated annually between COSLA, Scottish Care and CCPS. The Scottish Government is contributing to a range of work streams designed to reform and develop the National Care Home Contract, including in respect of workforce issues and quality and improvement. This will ensure that the National Care Home Contract remains fit for purpose and responsive to the changing needs of care home residents.