Seòmar agus comataidhean

Engagement between the Scottish Government and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in relation to the timing of Winter Heating Payment next winter is already underway. That includes discussion on the transfer of client data to Social Security Scotland.

As set out in S6W-15012 on 6 March 2023, DWP were unable to provide the data prior to 31 January 2023 that would have allowed earlier payments in the first year of delivery.

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

Public bodies are autonomous bodies and each one has a clear framework which balances operational autonomy and accountability to the public. Any processes in relation to disputes with service users, including in relation to debt to that body, are between the service user and the body, with established dispute resolution processes in place. There are established rights of review and appeal in relation to Social Security Scotland and Council Tax liabilities.

Scottish Ministers have consistently encouraged public bodies to share good practice on debt assistance and collection and to show empathy and dignity when working with people struggling with debt.

Specifically in relation to Council tax, whilst this is a local tax and each council is financially and administratively accountable to their electorate, we recognise the desirability of the best practice in council tax collection being adopted by all local authorities. Ministers raised the issue of Council Tax Debt and Recovery, including highlighting the recommendations of the Improvement Service and Stepchange Scotland’s May 2022 report on Collaborative Council Tax Collection, with the COSLA President, Vice President and Resources Spokesperson at a recent meeting of the ‘Joint Working Group on Sourcing of Local Government Funding and Council Tax Reform’.

Social Security Scotland offers a range of secure communication channels for clients. These do not include email, as unencrypted email is not secure and could place clients’ sensitive personal information at risk or expose the agency’s network and data to malware.

Emails from MSPs/MPs present less risk as it is easier to verify the sender’s identity, so Social Security Scotland does accept constituency casework via email. However, because such emails are unencrypted, client data may still be vulnerable, and Social Security Scotland accordingly recommends that MSPs/MPs use the Social Security Scotland Parliamentarian Enquiry Line as their primary channel for assisting constituents.

Social Security Scotland undertakes a broad and continuous programme of analysis of all aspects of the delivery of benefits, focussed on the live running performance of the system, client experience and evaluation of delivery.

Research on Early Experiences of Child Disability Payment was published in September 2022 and Client Survey research on Child Disability Payment on 8 March 2023. The next publication of Client Survey research on Child Disability Payment is scheduled for early summer.

The evaluation strategy for the benefit is in place and the first output will be published later this year. Analysis will focus on the impact of policy changes to supporting information.

This work informs Social Security Scotland’s approach to continuous improvement and the agency has used it to plan the action currently underway to improve processing times.

The Scottish Government is working with local government partners on the Additional Support for Learning Project Board to deliver the recommendations of the 2020 additional support for learning review by March 2026. All local authorities are considering the actions of the ASL Review, and will continue to consider the incorporation of actions within local improvement plans.

As our joint Scottish Government and COSLA Additional Support for Learning action plan notes, local commissioning has developed considerably since the Doran Review was published in 2012. This reflects the increased flexibility within schools and local authorities to develop tailored interventions through local delivery of our £750 million investment in the last parliamentary term and £1 billion in this parliamentary term to close the poverty related attainment gap. Local delivery of the Strategic Equity Fund and Pupil Equity Fund and greater alliance with the Third Sector are key features of local commissioning.

Progress in closing the poverty related attainment gap was reported in our five year impact report , published in 2021 and future progress will be reported in line with our Evaluation Strategy for the Attainment Scotland Fund 2022 – 2026 and the National Improvement Framework measures .

In addition, the Scottish Government is working with partners in ADES, COSLA and Education Scotland, to develop a national measurement framework which aims to support improved outcomes for children and young people with additional support needs.

Improved experiences of children and young people with additional support needs will continue to be considered as part of the action plan and progress can be followed through the published minutes of the Project Board.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-16755 on 2 May 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

The Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan Scheme supports landlords with the cost of installation for energy efficiency improvements, renewable systems and energy storage systems.

The scheme is delivered through a demand-led model where funding is applied for by the applicant directly, who in turn is responsible for sourcing an approved installer and paying funding to them once works are complete.

Once a funding agreement has been put in place, applicants have 12 months to claim the funding.

The number of funding agreements put in place and number of loans that have been claimed by applicants through the scheme since January 2022 are outlined in the following table:

The Scottish Central Government Energy Efficiency Grant scheme will invest, as a minimum, capital funding of £30 million in 2023-24 to enable the delivery of heat decarbonisation projects across the public sector, including the NHS, and £1.5 million of resource funding to enable the building of a pipeline of investment ready, strategic heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency projects across the public sector. Since the scheme was relaunched in 2022-23, Health Boards have successfully applied for over £13 million.

In addition, the Scottish Government has funded Health Boards to prepare initial net-zero route maps which will be used as a basis for planning the decarbonisation of the NHS estate.

More information on NHS Scotland’s approach to decarbonisation is set out in the NHS Scotland Climate Emergency and Sustainability Strategy 2022-2026 which is available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/nhs-scotland-climate-emergency-sustainability-strategy-2022-2026/

Consultation with statutory stakeholders was completed in January 2023. It was agreed through this process that given the May 2023 timetable was an interim step due to resource constraints, it could not be viewed in isolation and it was appropriate to hold a public consultation on the longer term proposals. ScotRail advises that this public consultation will be held in the coming months.