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The application, claim and repayment processes for the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme are currently administered by Energy Saving Trust (EST) via a competitively tendered contract. EST report their performance to the Scottish Government monthly against set Key Performance Indicators, which is monitored closely.

The Scottish Government is working to collate new data which will provide more detailed analysis of average application and claim processing timescales to assess the impact of recent and future streamlining improvements. This will be published in the longer term once it has been assured for accuracy.

Applicants to the scheme are able to track their journey and progress at any point through the application and claims portal.

Employment and taxation, including false and deceptive declarations by self-employed workers, are reserved matters.

The Scottish Government introduced eLearning in December 2024 which complements existing practical guidance to support the application of Fair Work First in procurement and to discourage ‘disguised employment’, including bogus self-employment.

A Girvan Bypass was considered as part of the transport appraisal that supported the second Strategic Transport Project Review (STPR2). However, this option is not one of the 45 STPR2 recommendations, which make up our long term framework for investment in transport infrastructure.

Specifically, a bypass was not recommended as, taking account of the accident history and the volume of traffic on the sections of the route where a bypass may be considered, other options to maintain and safely operate the existing asset were considered more appropriate within communities compared to constructing new road infrastructure. This includes speed enforcement, options to reduce trunk road severance and expansion of 20mph zones / limits.

It should also be noted, the second phase of the Girvan speed management scheme commenced early in the 2025-26 financial year. This phase includes measures to improve the road layout through improved road markings, which will in turn encourage positive driver behaviours.

I have asked Alison Byrne, Chief Executive of NRS to respond. Her response is:

As of mid-2023 (30 June 2023), the population of Glasgow City council area was estimated at 631,970. National Records of Scotland (NRS) has produced mid-year population estimates for Scotland’s 32 council areas on a consistent basis dating back to 1981. During this period, Glasgow City’s population was highest in mid-1981 at 712,370.

According to the 2018-based subnational population projections, which project the population of council areas up to mid-2043, the population of Glasgow City is projected to rise, reaching 662,740 by mid-2043. New, 2022-based sub-national population projections are due to be published later this year.

Population estimates are also produced for settlements. Scotland’s Census 2022 estimated the population of the Greater Glasgow settlement at 1,023,870 as of March 2022. Settlements are defined as groups of adjacent, high-density postcodes. For example, the Greater Glasgow settlement is larger than Glasgow City and includes areas like Paisley and Cambuslang.

We are working with Planning Aid Scotland (PAS) to strengthen local elected member training, addressing the housing emergency by building capacity and improve decision-making within the planning system. The Scottish Government supported PAS in producing a high-level training route map for elected member training. The recommendations have been considered and we expect the next stage to involve formulating and testing pilot training.

The Scottish Government supported Heads of Planning Scotland (HOPS) to take forward work on a set of standard templates for common planning conditions, good practice on Section 75 agreements and aligning consents. HOPS will share outputs with authorities once complete.

Our work with partners on stalled housing sites to overcome barriers and accelerate delivery of new homes continues at pace, and our blog of 9 June provides further details on progress. A progress report has been prepared and is available by contacting DirectorPAR@gov.scot.

The Scottish Government provides regular progress updates on all workstreams via it’s e-alerts, on X @ScotGovPlanning and on LinkedIn.

The Scottish Government set out its response to the Just Transition Commission Report A Just Transition for Aberdeen and the North East in a statement to parliament on 3 June. This confirmed that we accept the headline recommendations in principle and will take time to consider the report in detail before providing a full response.

Before we can undertake some of the planning that the sector needs, we need clarity from the UK Government in several key reserved areas, including the future regulatory and fiscal regimes for North Sea oil and gas.

The Scottish Government will also continue to provide support to the region and energy workforces within our devolved competence. This support includes the new £8.5 million round of the Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray and our £125 million investment in the Aberdeen City Region Deal.

Scottish Government does not centrally collect this information for its own construction contracts or for those awarded by other Scottish public bodies.

The Scottish Government is committed to working with the Fringe Society and all partners who deliver the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This is reflected in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society receiving £300,000 from the Scottish Government in 2025-26 to help grow the significant benefits the Fringe provides to Scotland’s economy, society and culture sector and to help safeguard the future of the Edinburgh Fringe as a world leading cultural asset, built on the principle of free access for all. We are currently working with the Fringe Society and wider Fringe ecosystem on its future sustainability including in areas such as commercial and visitor accommodation costs and accessibility for artists, audiences and venues

The Scottish Government monitors visitor accommodation costs using intelligence from a variety of sources including the Scottish Accommodation Occupancy Survey, published by VisitScotland Accommodation Performance I VisitScotland.org which provides data on peak and off peak tariffs for different visitor accommodation types, and Lighthouse data, published by VisitBritain UK short-term rentals | VisitBritain.org which provides monthly data on average daily rates for short-term rental properties in Scotland.

The Scottish Government fully values the importance of the music industry to Scotland’s culture and creative industries, and the value grass roots music venues deliver for the economy and the talent pipeline.

Whilst some issues that might assist grassroots music venues are reserved - such as dynamic ticket pricing and VAT rates - the Scottish Budget 2025 announced that music venues with a capacity of up to 1,500 will be eligible for the new 40 per cent hospitality relief from 1 April 2025 where the property meets the other eligibility criteria for this relief, including the £51,000 rateable value threshold which aligns with the threshold for the Basic Property Rate.

Recognising also that live music, of all genres, needs to flourish right across Scotland, 100 per cent relief continues in 2025-26 for hospitality premises, including music venues with a maximum capacity of 1,500 persons, located on islands, and in prescribed remote areas (Cape Wrath, Knoydart, and Scoraig), capped at £110,000 per business.

In addition to hospitality reliefs, the package of reliefs available in 2025-26 also includes the Small Business Bonus Scheme which remains the most generous relief of its kind in the UK. Around half of the properties in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors are expected to be eligible for 100% Small Business Bonus Scheme relief this year.

We encourage grassroots music venues to approach public funding for activity that is additional to their core programming, such as attracting audiences from different marginalised backgrounds through more varied programming.

Ministers will continue to liaise with stakeholders throughout the sector, such as the Music Venues Trust and the Events Industry Advisory Group (EIAG), to discuss challenges facing the industry, and to explore what can be done within our powers and resources to help overcome these.

The national Good Food Nation Plan must be published and laid in Parliament before the end of the period of 3 months, beginning with the expiry of the 60 day period of parliamentary scrutiny. For example, if the proposed plan is laid on Friday 27 June, the 3 month period would begin on 30 September, meaning that the final plan would need to be published and laid within the period of 3 months from that date.