Seòmar agus comataidhean

Yes. The £2m programme awarded in 2021, managed by Scottish Centre for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) went live with an initial £600,000 “digital pioneers” project funding call in April 2023. More information on the programme can be found here - https://tec.scot/programme-areas/digital-inclusion .

The costs are recorded against all the civil cases relating to the prosecutions arising from the acquisition and administration of Rangers FC. The table below details expenditure from both the concluded and pending actions and includes legal costs and expert evidence instructed by the Crown and excludes the settlements (which are detailed in the following table) and staff costs. Please note that staff costs are not routinely recorded against individual cases as staff frequently work across a number of different workstreams concurrently.

Scottish taxpayers with earnings below £27,850 will pay slightly less Income Tax in 2023-24 than if they lived elsewhere in the UK.

Our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan sets out that in 2030, Scottish electricity demand that is not met from domestic renewable electricity generation could be met by other sources including energy storage, abated CCGT, or hydrogen. We anticipate that cross border transfers of electricity and interconnection to the wide diversity of technologies across the continent will continue to play a role.

Scotland has long been a net exporter of electricity. In 2022, Scotland exported 20.3 TWh, and imported around 1.5 TerrWatt hour of electricity, meaning that net exports of electricity were approximately 18.7 TerraWatt hours in 2022.

As well as scaling up renewables, we are taking action to our energy demand including our commitment to raise energy efficiency standards – so that all homes achieve at least EPC C by 2033. We are consulting this year on reforms to EPC for both domestic and non-domestic sectors to give more meaningful information on energy use. Over this Parliament, we have budgeted £1.8 billion to support the heat transition – that includes support for householders, businesses and communities.

In The Warren Report, (Jul/Aug 2022) Andrew Warren, chair of the British Energy Efficiency Federation said [QUOTE]: “My advice to Whitehall is simple. Whether you take the high road or you take the low road, you had best be copying Scotland’s initiatives.

The following table below details the settlement costs and expenses paid to litigants from all concluded civil cases relating to the prosecutions arising from the acquisition and administration of Rangers FC, broken down by financial year.

The following litigation requires to be concluded:

Imran Ahmad v the Lord Advocate: Proof before answer was heard by Lord Harrower in respect of quantum between 1-10 March 2023 and Lord Harrower made avizandum. The decision in this case is still pending.

David Grier v the Lord Advocate: On 12 April 2023 the Court of Session refused Mr Grier’s application for leave to appeal to the UK Supreme Court. Mr Grier thereafter filed an application for Permission to Appeal directly to the UK Supreme Court on 9 May 2023.

Shelagh McCall KC has been instructed to independently consider reports of criminal conduct from a legal perspective in relation to the prosecutions connected to Rangers Football Club. This process is in place to ensure that any allegations of criminal conduct are considered fairly and objectively.

The aforementioned cases and the work of Shelagh McCall KC remain ongoing at this time.

The Scottish Government and the Lord Advocate have committed to a process of a judge-led inquiry once all legal proceedings relating to the malicious prosecutions are at an end. The exact form and timing of an inquiry will be determined once all legal proceedings are concluded.

The Justice Directorate has been identified as the directorate to lead on providing advice to Ministers.

Most Integration Joint Board (IJB) reserves are earmarked for specific purposes, including the response to COVID-19, and cannot be used to fund other spending commitments. In 2022-23, surplus COVID-19 reserves were redistributed to meet COVID-19 costs across health and social care, whilst ensuring that IJBs continued to have sufficient funding to cover their COVID-19 costs.

Ultimately, it is for IJBs, including locally-elected representatives, to make informed decisions on how best to deliver services to their local communities.

Video appointments are an option across social work in Scotland via Near Me, through the Scottish Government’s purchase of a national licence for the use of Near Me by any part of the public sector that wishes to use it. Work continues supporting the social work sector on considering how and when video appointments work best, for example in accessing out of hours support. This work includes a funded and expert-supported programme in Fife HSCP (Health and Social Care Partnership) to establish use cases and develop pathways by the end of the year.

The Scottish Government published the responses to the consultation on the Data Strategy for Health and Social Care, and the analysis of those responses in November 2022.

Permitted development rights (PDR) apply to, amongst other things, the demolition of buildings, including public houses.

Our PDR review is ongoing. We consulted in 2019 on what we considered to be the priority areas for the review. The fourteen development types identified at that stage did not include demolition. A programme for a phased review of development types was then established. This programme is itself subject to periodic review as circumstances and priorities change.

The main focus of the current Phase 3 consultation is new and extended PDR for domestic and non-domestic renewable energy equipment, in light of the cost and climate crises.