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The Scottish Government are not responsible for the staffing of the National Wellbeing Hub website. Funding is provided to NHS Lothian who are responsible for managing the website and the resourcing required.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the sustainability of local news as a key part of the public interest news sector in Scotland. In 2021, we established the Public Interest Journalism Working Group to consider the long-term sustainability of public interest journalism, including local news, and to recommend ways to ensure its ongoing resilience. We responded to the Group’s recommendations on 24 June 2022. This included a commitment to facilitate a Roundtable event to support the creation of a new Scottish Public Interest Journalism Institute, which was held on 23 November. While it is not for Scottish Government to influence the remit of the Institute, it is likely, in line with the Working Group’s recommendations, that part of its role will be to support local news.

The Scottish Government and public bodies also use local media, including newspaper, to promote initiatives such as public health campaigns.

The regulation of product standards and of consumer protection are reserved to the UK Government. Retrofit standards are set by the British Standards Institution (BSI). We are working with the BSI to support delivery of these standards in Scotland, ensuring they are relevant and reflect Scotland’s different climate, geography and housing types.

A Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment has been completed for the domestic quality assurance standards of the Scottish Government’s Heat in Buildings programme. It can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/domestic-quality-assurance-heat-buildings-programme-bria/

The PAS 2030 standard is a requirement for Warmer Homes Scotland (WHS). Warmworks, the managing agent for WHS, are responsible for ensuring their staff and sub-contractors are adequately trained. However, the Scottish Government also has a Quality Assurance and Audit (QAA) contract for WHS. This contract is managed by Pennington Choices who carry out audits on Warmworks sub-contractors to make sure that they have the appropriate accreditations.

WHS is due to end in 2023, and procurement is currently underway for a successor. The successor will adopt PAS 2035 standards. As the contract has not yet been awarded, the details of how this will be achieved are not yet available. A new QAA contract will also be procured for the successor.

The capacity and capabilities of the retrofit supply chain in Scotland are generally sufficient to meet the needs of our Area Based Schemes (ABS). Local councils have access to a framework of specialist contractors through Scotland Excel. Often these contractors have been PAS compliant for many years with longstanding training and apprenticeship programmes.

Inevitably some ABS individual projects are delayed due to a wide range of factors. The Scottish Government is working with councils and the supply chain to increase local delivery capacity and expand existing capabilities. This will help to reduce the risk and impact of unexpected project delays.

The regulation of product standards and of consumer protection are reserved to the UK Government. Certification of PAS 2030 is carried out by independent certification bodies, therefore the information requested is not held centrally. PAS 2035 is currently a standard that installers can work to and is not a certification. Therefore installers cannot obtain PAS 2035 certification.

The regulation of product standards and of consumer protection are reserved to the UK Government. Certification of PAS 2030 is carried out by independent certification bodies, therefore the information requested is not held centrally. PAS 2035 is currently a standard that installers can work to and is not a certification. Therefore installers cannot obtain PAS 2035 certification.

As colleges operate independently of Government, it is for them to decide on the shape of their curriculum, taking into account the needs of the region and communities they serve. We therefore do not hold information centrally on which individual colleges offer training courses relevant to PAS 2030 and PAS 2035. The information requested on training providers is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government established the independent review to develop a new funding model to ensure victims have access to high-quality, accessible specialist support. The call for written evidence is one part of the overall review process which includes around 80 engagement sessions with stakeholders.

The Call for Evidence report refers to respondents’ views that wide geographic coverage is needed for a range of services, including refuge. The necessity to take a holistic approach to the provision of services supporting people experiencing violence against women and girls, with a combination of different services working together in a coordinated way, was also flagged.

The Funding Review, as per its remit, will seek to provide recommendations on “the development of a Scotland-wide framework which establishes a definition of the minimum level of specialist service provision” and Ministers will consider it’s recommendations in due course.

Information on school facilities is not held nationally by the Scottish Government. Local authorities have a statutory responsibility to manage and maintain their school estate. They would be best placed to advise on facilities in their schools. In line with our principles of inclusion, the Scottish Government encourages schools to deliver a positive learning environment; one that supports the child’s or young person’s learning and wellbeing, creates a sense of safety, encourages participation and reduces stress.

In 2022, we ran a public consultation on the draft of the new physical intervention in schools guidance Physical intervention in schools: draft guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . The draft human rights-based guidance is clear that restraint and seclusion should only be used as a last resort to prevent a child or young person coming to harm. Safeguards must be followed at all times. This position is also clear in existing guidance on the use of physical intervention and seclusion.

We are carefully considering all consultation responses received and recognise that there are calls for further legislation in this area. A consultation analysis report is currently being prepared. Alongside the publication of the guidance, and in line with our original commitments, we are exploring options to strengthen the legal framework in this area, including placing the guidance on a statutory basis.