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The Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment is being led by Professor Louise Hayward. Professor Hayward is firmly committed to offering an approach that ensures the achievements of all learners, including those with disabilities, can be recognised. The commitment to proposing a system that works for each and every learner is evident in her recently published interim report.

During the Review’s public consultation Professor Hayward sought views on the specific question of how a system of qualifications and assessment can uphold the right of all learners including those with disabilities to have their achievements recognised.

I understand that Professor Hayward has met Angela Morgan, Chair of the Review of Additional Support for Learning Implementation, on several occasions and that Angela Morgan has also offered advice to the Independent Review Group. Professor Hayward is also visiting several schools which provide specialist education and learning for children and young people with additional support needs and complex health and medical needs, and will hear directly from learners, teachers and staff there.

The final Phase of the Review is now underway, and Professor Hayward is seeking views from a range of stakeholders across the education landscape, and beyond, on a draft model for the future of qualifications and assessment, this Phase is open until the 7 April. I look forward to receiving a final report before the end of May 2023.

The Scottish Government has not allocated funding to local authorities specifically for school meal debt since 1 January 2022.

As referenced in the answer to question S6W-15314 on 6 March 2023, the management of debt is an issue for education authorities and their finance departments.

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 Scottish Housing Regulator rather than the Scottish Government is the body which collects data on planned rent increases as part of their role to monitor social landlords performance against the Scottish Social Housing Charter. They have published details of the rent increases which Scottish social landlords will apply in 2023-24 for social housing tenants. The report shows average rent increases by social landlord's will be 5%. Rent increases by Scottish social landlords 2023/24 - March 2023 | Scottish Housing Regulator

The survey report, based on returns from 136 RSLs and the 29 local authorities that have housing stock, includes average percentage increase applied by landlords, the median rent increase and actual rent increases applied by each landlord.

My officials in Scottish Enterprise remain in regular contact with the Joint Administrators (Interpath Advisory) and continue to work with them to consider all viable options for the Stoneywood site in Aberdeen.

The administration process continues to progress and, prior to formal marketing of the site, Interpath Advisory had re-engaged with potential interested parties in February 2023. Discussions between the Joint Administrator and interested parties continue.

Number of applications in each academic year:

With respect to the following tables please note:

• The final term of the 2023-24 academic year allocation will fall in 2024-25 financial year.
• This commitment began between academic years and funding has so far been agreed on this basis. From 2024-25 the Scottish Government has agreed with COSLA that funding will be provided onto a financial year basis model which is consistent with other funds being provided to local authorities.

Academic Year 2022/23 Funding Breakdown

Safeguarding the Eskdalemuir Seismic Array is the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence and any decision to amend the seismic noise budget for the array is a decision for the UK Government.

The Scottish Government and Ministry of Defence have been working constructively together and the Scottish Government has conducted a series of technical studies over the course of 2020 to 2022 in order to provide updated wind turbine data that can be used in the noise budget allocation calculation.

The results of these studies are publicly available and are hosted on the Scottish Renewables’ website. The Scottish Government shared these studies with the MoD and we understand the MoD is in the process of reviewing their noise budget management. The Scottish Government continues to engage with the MoD as they develop their approach.

The public consultation analysis of the responses to the draft route map to achieving a 20% reduction in car km in Scotland by 2030 will be published alongside the final version of the route map in the coming months.

Support for slurry storage in 2023 is available through Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS), funded by the Agriculture Transformation Fund (ATF). No minimum level of grant has been set for the scheme. The maximum grant available for slurry storage specifically is £30,000, based on a standard cost of £15m3 of storage to maximum of 2000m3. In addition to the grant for the slurry storage, applicants can apply for the following slurry ancillaries:

• Associated equipment for above-ground storage tanks:

- base drainage sealed pipe assembly to external discharge including double lockable sluice valves: £1250

- galvanised ladder and platform: £1100

- fixed over-rim riser pipe with jetting nozzle and terminal connection: £1900

• Tractor-driven slurry pump and associated pipe, assemblies and connections with shaft and mountings: £4000

• Below-ground reception tank with cover lid: £235 per cubic metre (restricted to a maximum size of 36m3)

A calculator which can help applicants identify the additional storage capacity that is required in order to provide six months slurry storage has been provided with the full guidance on the rural payments website .

Since the introduction of the 1+2 approach to language learning in 2013 until the current 2022-23 financial year, the Scottish Government has provided local authorities with a total of £36.8 million in additional funding to support them to implement this approach in schools.

In the same period we have offered grant funding of approximately £15 million to organisations undertaking activities which support the 1+2 approach or complement its broader aims.