Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-28344 on 15 July 2024. 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 .

The Scottish Government is supporting housing associations to retrofit their housing stock through the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund. We are making available up to £200m this Parliamentary Session to support clean heat and energy efficiency projects in socially rented homes.

‎ Projects are eligible for up to 60% of the costs of clean heating systems and 50% of energy efficiency measures, including Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) which also helps to prevent the occurrence of mould and condensation.

The Scottish Government monitors grant funded projects closely, requiring frequent updates to ensure they are implemented effectively and that benefits are realised.

The Scottish Housing Quality Standard requires social landlords to meet minimum energy efficiency standards and to have in place satisfactory ventilation, as well as ensure that there is no rising or penetrating damp. The Scottish Housing Regulator wrote to all Social Landlords in December 2022 on the importance of appropriate systems to identify cases of mould and damp.

Earlier this year the Scottish Government consulted on a new Social Housing Net Zero Standard. This included proposals to require landlords to devise a ventilation and monitoring strategy to accompany energy efficiency interventions where mechanical ventilation isn’t installed. We are now considering the consultation responses received before progressing.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-28344 on 15 July 2024. 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 .

The Scottish Government was only able to officially confirm and announce the programme after the completion of the tender process in early June therefore initial work has been limited to a small planning group comprising the Scottish Government, Public Health Scotland (PHS) and Health Boards. As we are now able to confirm cohorts and launch plans, we are working closely with PHS to engage a range of partners to raise awareness of the programme and encourage those eligible to come forward. The Scottish Government, working in partnership with PHS, has engaged with a range of key stakeholders including Health Boards, NHS Education for Scotland (NES), National Services Scotland (NSS) and maternity services throughout this process. Promotion and engagement is also ongoing through charities such as Age UK.

The Scottish Government approved £21 million of funding for the 2021-2024 period to support equality and human rights in Scotland through the Equality and Human Rights Fund Equality and Human Rights Fund: projects funded - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . Of that total, nearly £5.5 million is specifically allocated to fourteen organisations delivering a range of activities to engage with and support black and minority ethnic organisations and communities in Scotland. Overall, the funded organisations have provided support to 4,168 people, and 747 organisations.

The Scottish Government also established a short term Anti-Racism Interim Governance Group to Develop National Anti-Racism Infrastructure (AIGG), which was comprised of academic experts, young people and community leaders with specific expertise in anti-racism in Scotland. An important part of the group’s work was commissioning participatory community research Community-Report-_-Executive-Summary-September-2023.pdf (antiracismobservatoryforscotland.org) to engage with racialised communities across Scotland to ensure they are informed and engaged with the work being done to progress anti-racism in Scotland.

The Scottish Government has long-standing and continued engagement with a variety of organisations in the minority ethnic sector, including our strategic partners BEMIS, CRER and CEMVO, to collectively drive change for our diverse communities across Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-28344 on 15 July 2024. 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 .

Scottish Government is currently undertaking work with Health Improvement Scotland (HIS) to consider commencement of their functions in relation to the regulation of independent ambulances as part of the next phase in the regulation of independent healthcare.

Should these functions be commenced then, as an independent healthcare service, any service falling within the definition of an independent ambulance service could be inspected using the powers in the Healthcare Improvement Scotland (Inspections) Regulations 2011.

An official body to carry out audits and inspections will be specifically considered as part of any work on the potential regulation of private first aid companies.

The Programme for Government will be presented to Parliament at the earliest opportunity following the UK General Election.

Provision for the regulation of independent ambulance services already exists in the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978, but Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s (HIS’) functions in relation to independent ambulance services have not yet been commenced. The commencement is being considered as part of the next phase in the regulation of independent healthcare.

Scottish Government is engaging with HIS on this topic and stakeholder engagement will be undertaken to gather first hand insight into the requirements for effective regulation of private ambulances. Additionally, the definition of an ‘independent ambulance service’ within the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 may need revised to ensure it meets current needs.

Stakeholder engagement will also be undertaken to consider appropriate and proportionate next steps, in the potential regulation of independent first aid services.

Once the scope of further regulation has been developed, a public consultation will be required.

The Scottish Government and partners continue to take a variety of steps to promote healthier food and diet, including an increase in plant-based meals. The 2021 Out of Home Action Plan (OOHAP) and the 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan underpin this approach.

Public Health Scotland’s pilot of the Eating Out Eating Well Framework (announced in the OOHAP) is supporting people and business to facilitate access to healthier and sustainable options including, for instance, suggesting businesses may want to display and promote vegan and vegetarian meal options, or switching high-fat dairy products to plant based ones.

The Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2020 have strengthened the provision of balanced and nutritious food to children, including setting standards for the maximum amount of red and processed meat that can be provided to primary and secondary school children each week, in addition to setting standards on the provision of fruit and vegetables.

The Healthy Living Programme, delivered in partnership with the Scottish Grocer’s Federation is supporting over 2,400 convenience stores to provide affordable healthier food options, especially in lower income areas, including promotion of fruit and vegetables as recommended by the Eatwell Guide.

Our Parent Club website provides free advice on healthy eating, as well as recipe ideas to support individuals and families prepare healthy meals including how to increase their consumption of fruit and vegetables, featuring a range of vegetarian options. In 2023-24, the recipe page had 326,979 visits.

RSV is one of the leading causes of hospitalisation in the first year of life and can also cause severe complications for older adults which may require hospitalisation. Protecting infants by vaccinating pregnant women and birthing people, and the adult RSV vaccination programme are therefore expected to prevent a significant number of GP consultations, hospitalisations and ICU admissions per year.

While estimates of vaccine uptake are not currently available, the Scottish Government will continue to work with Public Health Scotland (PHS) and other key stakeholders to maximise uptake of the vaccine across both programmes, which will have a positive impact on winter pressures across the NHS. Health Boards collect data using local IT systems, which vary across Scotland, and PHS is currently working to collate data to record vaccination events.