Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government does not hold this information as the recruitment and employment of teachers are matters for individual councils.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-22410 on 7 November 2023. We are working with health boards to understand how best to achieve national consistency so that patients undergoing home dialysis are protected from the impact of high electricity prices, wherever they live. I expect to provide a further update on this in the coming weeks. 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 .

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21592 on 4 December 2023. 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 .

I refer the member to the answer to S6W-22410 on 7 November. In addition to the action outlined in the answer, our priority is to do everything we can to help those worst affected by the Cost Crisis which is why, having doubled the Fuel Insecurity Fund last year to £20 million, we have done what we can this year and tripled it to £30 million.

The Scottish Government does not provide funding for residential homeowners to replace existing double glazing. Funding through our domestic Heat in Buildings schemes is prioritised for energy efficiency measures which provide comparatively better energy use and emissions savings, taking into account the cost of the measure; and for which demand would be lower without government support.

Details on loan funding provided through our Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme for double glazing and insulated doors can be found at: https://www.homeenergyscotland.org/funding/grants-loans/overview/

Housing Associations can apply for grant funding from the Social Housing Net Zero Heat fund for the installation of energy efficiency measures that deliver both carbon savings and reduction in fuel bills for social housing tenants. These measures include double and triple glazing and insulated doors. The fund is making at least £200 million available to registered social landlords (RSLs) to help install zero emission heating systems and improve energy efficiency in social housing during this parliament.

Should a business or commercial landlord be recommended improvements for their windows and doors through the Business Energy Scotland advice service and meet the eligibility criteria for the SME Loan and Cashback scheme, they could be eligible for between £1,000 - £100,000 interest free loan and up to £20,000 in an energy efficiency cashback grant. Making the total amount of Scottish Government funding available for these measures to be £120,000.

The Scottish Government continues to progress work towards the elimination of cervical cancer in Scotland, in line with the targets set by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This work has included the introduction of a one-dose schedule of the HPV vaccine, increasing screening uptake and continued investment in treatment.

In March 2023, we provided funding to the University of Strathclyde to undertake a project modelling when Scotland might expect to eliminate cervical cancer. That work will help us set a target date for elimination of cervical cancer, and will require further work to improve uptake levels of both the vaccination and screening programmes. To support this we continue to provide £1 million annually to tackle unequal uptake across cancer screening programmes, and this summer, launched the Equity in Screening Strategy, which seeks systemic solutions to inequalities across all programmes. In addition we have provided £456,000 to Jo’s Trust for a project identifying barriers that prevent specific groups attending cervical screening. This learning will be embedded across the screening programme.

Our inclusive vaccination programme is designed to help reduce inequalities in uptake of vaccinations. On 27 th November 2023, Public Health Scotland (PHS) launched a campaign to raise awareness of the vaccines offered in secondary school, including HPV to help boost uptake.

Direct funding is not provided to private developers to finance their engagement in the planning application process. The Minister for Housing and I jointly hosted a roundtable on planning for housing on 16 November 2023. Support for small and medium-sized developers and housebuilders to progress through the planning processes in all areas was highlighted, as were matters relating to rural and affordable housing. We are now collating and prioritising suggested actions that can be taken collaboratively to accelerate delivery of more quality homes to create quality places.

Through the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme, the Scottish Government currently provides up to £8,000 in interest free loan funding for private residential homeowners to upgrade single glazing to double glazing or to install secondary glazing. Homeowners can also currently access up to £4500 in interest free loan funding for insulated doors. Replacement of single glazed windows can also be supported through our Area Based Schemes where this provides value for money.

Housing Associations can apply for grant funding from the Social Housing Net Zero Heat fund for the installation of energy efficiency measures that deliver both carbon savings and reduction in fuel bills for social housing tenants. These measures include double and triple glazing and insulated doors. The fund is making at least £200 million available to registered social landlords (RSLs) to help install zero emission heating systems and improve energy efficiency in social housing during this parliament.

Should a business or commercial landlord be recommended improvements for their windows and doors through the Business Energy Scotland advice service and meet the eligibility criteria for the SME Loan and Cashback scheme, they could be eligible for between £1,000 - £100,000 interest free loan and up to £20,000 in an energy efficiency cashback grant. Making the total amount of Scottish Government funding available for these measures to be £120,000.

The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short-term Lets) Order 2022 requires licensing authorities to maintain and publish a public register of short-term let licences on their website, or other website established for that purpose. The register is required to include a note of the kind and terms of each licence granted by the licensing authority, as well as other information set out in paragraph 13 of Schedule 2 of the Licensing Order.

Licensing authorities are also required to share content of their public register with the Scottish Government on a quarterly basis for statistical analysis purposes. The Scottish Government publishes a quarterly statistical return on short-term let licensing applications. The first return was published on 31 August 2023 covering the period from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. The second return for the period 1 April 2023 to 30 June 2023 was published on 20 November 2023. We expect the return covering the period up to and including 30 September 2023 will be published in early 2024.

Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/1441 of 31 August 2022 amended Commission Regulation (EU) 546/2011 as regards specific uniform principles for evaluation and authorisation of plant protection products containing micro-organisms. It did not amend Commission Regulation (EU) 546/2011 as regards bees principles.

The Health and Safety Executive, as the UK regulator, closely monitors EU developments. Regulatory changes at GB level are considered in line with our domestic governance structure. The UK National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides , which outlines the UK approach to minimise the impacts of pesticides, will be published this year.