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The Super Sponsor scheme is designed to provide a quick and safe route for displaced people from Ukraine to come to a place of sanctuary by removing the need for applicants to be matched to an individual sponsor prior to being given permission to travel to the UK.

Once people have arrived, a national matching service, delivered by COSLA, will match those settling here with longer-term accommodation across Scotland.

Displaced people from Ukraine are asked to complete a short questionnaire that captures key information and preferences. This information is then used to find suitable longer-term accommodation. All 32 of our local authorities are taking part in this programme, and hosts have offered up their homes right across the country. The national matching service will ensure that people are offered settlement opportunities across Scotland, recognising that people will have different preferences and available housing is limited in some local authorities.

Scotland’s Baby Box ensures that every family with a newborn has access to essential items needed in the first six months of a child’s life. From the outset we have ensured that the only written information contained within the Baby Box is tailored to its specific aims and contents.

There are currently 7 leaflets contained within Scotland’s Baby Boxes including advice and information on safe sleeping, breastfeeding, postnatal depression and Social Security child payment.

The Nappy Voucher contained within the Baby Box signposts to the Scottish Government’s ParentClub website which highlights the benefits of using reusable nappies.

At present, there is no marked increase in applications to the Home Owners Support Fund (HOSF). However, to ensure the scheme has maximum impact as part of our response to the current economic situation, I can confirm my officials are currently reviewing HOSF to consider what more can be done through the scheme to support homeowners struggling with mortgage repayments as a result of rising interest rates and the cost of living crisis.

Women and Girls face the largest barriers to accessing secondary and undergraduate education in Pakistan. Since the scholarships were first launched in 2013, over 1,400 young women have been supported to study at University through the Scotland Pakistan Scholarship Scheme. In addition, over 13,000 children have been supported to go to school. The Scottish Government is proud to fund the scholarships.

The amounts the Scottish Government has spent on Women’s Scholarship in Pakistan each year since 2017 are as follows: £175,000 in 2017-2018; £175,000 in 2018-2019; £200,000 in 2019-2020; £200,000 in 2020-2021; and £200,000 in 2021-2022.

The amounts the Scottish Government has spent on Children’s Scholarship in Pakistan each year since 2017 are as follows: £150,000 in 2017-2018; £150,000 in 2018-2019; £200,000 in 2019-2020; £200,000 in 2020-2021; and £200,000 in 2021-2022.

As a result of the pandemic, local PPE Hubs were set up all over Scotland to provide free PPE to people providing social care support who need it, including unpaid carers. The Scottish Government continues to offer free PPE for unpaid carers and provision has been extended to September 2022. Unpaid or family carers who think they require PPE due to their caring role should contact their local carer’s centre and they will advise on how to access supplies locally. If their local carers’ centre is unavailable, they can call the Social Care PPE Support Centre on 0300 303 3020.

Where we have recommended symptomatic or regular asymptomatic testing to unpaid carers (and the population) this has always been provided free of charge. Our testing programme continues to be based on clinical advice and is kept under review.

We are committed to ensuring that people living in adult care homes can spend time with the people who are important to them. Open with Care guidance, which was updated on 1 June, emphasises the importance of maximising opportunities to spend time with others. Where a care home has an outbreak, residents should be supported to see one of their named visitors.

Using legal powers under the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act, two new statutory care standards were introduced on 31 March to ensure people living in care homes remain connected to their loved ones in order to support their health and wellbeing. The Scottish Government will further strengthen rights by including Anne’s Law as part of the forthcoming National Care Service Bill which will be introduced to Parliament shortly.

Following the pause on all adult screening programmes in March 2020, due to COVID-19, the Scottish bowel screening programme resumed issuing home testing kits from 12 October 2020. All those who were due to be sent a bowel screening kit during the pause were sent one after the programme restarted.

Bowel screening continues to operate in line with pre-COVID performance; the same number of invitations are being issued. However, because of COVID-19, individuals have been receiving their bowel screening kits 6 months later than in previous screening rounds. This is likely to continue until the end of the year, at which point all screening kits will go back to being issued 2 yearly as in the pre-Covid period. It should be stressed that invitations for first screenings (which are issued to participants as they turn 50 and become eligible for the programme) have continued to be sent out on time since the programme restarted and have not been affected by the pause.

As test kits are posted nationally, there is no variation on delays across the programme, and therefore it is not possible to provide figures broken down by Health Board.

We continue to emphasise the importance of being aware of the signs and symptoms of cancer, and to report any concerns to a GP as soon as possible so that these can be investigated. More information on the symptoms of bowel cancer can be found on the NHS Inform website at: https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/cancer/cancer-types-in-adults/bowel-cancer#signs-and-symptoms-of-bowel-cancer

Following approval by the UK Non-Native Species Programme Board, a four-countries collaborative group which directs action to implement the Invasive Alien Species Regulation across Great Britain, the GB Non-Native Species Secretariat which is located in APHA but provides specialist support to all four devolved nations, led the establishment of an Invasive Non-native Inspectorate as a pilot for 2021-22 across all of Great Britain. Following a successful initial year for the Inspectorate, resourcing has been continued for 2022 to extend the pilot for an additional year. During this time the Scottish Government will be reviewing whether to provide continued support for the GB Inspectorate.

My officials in Transport Scotland are aware of the DfT Roadside Vehicle Noise Measurement trials and will be monitoring their progress and effectiveness. Setting of legal limits for noise levels from vehicles is reserved to UK Government via the Construction and Use Regulations. Prioritising the management of transport noise is a key component in protecting our environment. Scotland’s Transport Noise Action Plan sets out how we seek to manage noise levels where necessary and practicable and aim to preserve environmental noise quality where it is good.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-08784 on 14 June 2022. 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 propose of the Landlord Register is to enable Local Authorities to complete checks on private landlords. Most private landlords are required to apply for registration with their local authority under Part 8 of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 . The applicant must provide information to help local authorities assess whether they are a fit and proper person to let houses.

The fit and proper person test is intended to provide a level of assurance that the owner of a let property is a suitable person to let privately rented property. It is a standard that all private landlords are required to uphold throughout the time that they operate as a private landlord.

The Landlord Registration System is an administrative system used primarily to manage these registration of landlords and rental properties by Local Authorities. It does not collect data regarding landlords and properties no longer registered. It does not include data on individual tenants, either those in a property or their destination on exit.