Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41745 on 18 November 2025. 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.

Data for the last full calendar year (2024)indicate that 7,355 heat pumps were installed in Scotland, 1061 more than for the last full calendar year. Over 2,500 heat pumps were funded by the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme in 2024.

The sustainable aviation fuel working group met on three occasions in 2024: 15 February, 9 April and 14 May.

This new pilot scheme is a unique chance for communities to take ownership of renewable energy projects which need upgrading and extend their operational life, bringing long-term benefits to the local area.

The 50-megawatt cap reflects the current size of community energy projects in Scotland – offering significant scope for larger-scale projects to be developed on the FLS sites. This cap will be kept under review throughout the pilot, as part of ensuring successful delivery.

This new pilot scheme is a unique chance for communities to take ownership of renewable energy projects which need upgrading and extend their operational life, bringing long-term benefits to the local area.

The Community Asset Transfer Scheme (CATS) is well-established, utilising an existing legislative framework that provides consistency of approach, a structured time bound route, and a defined appeals mechanism, if required.

Community bodies applying through FLS’ CAT Scheme will not be subject to a competitive tender. However, communities will still be required to pay rent, just as any business or community body would need to if operating a commercial wind farm on public land. FLS is responsible for undertaking due diligence and evaluation of the community proposal before agreeing a long-term lease of public land and a commercial rent.

FLS will engage with communities at an early stage on the criteria and options available to them, and signpost them to support available from the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) managed by Local Energy Scotland. Further information on the CATS notification, evaluation and decision process for repowering will be available by Spring 2026, before the first sites are notified.

Scotland’s Heat Network Fund (SHNF) is a demand-led capital grant scheme designed to support the deployment and expansion of zero-emission heat networks across Scotland. All applications are assessed against mandatory criteria to ensure alignment with the Fund objectives, including reducing carbon emissions, tackling fuel poverty, and demonstrating value for money.

We welcome the UK Government’s announcement to expand the Armed Forces Covenant into further areas of Government activity including criminal justice. We note it is planned by the UK Government to provide for the necessary legislative detail for this approach in their next Armed Forces Bill in 2026. This Bill is not yet published and we will consider carefully the full details once they are available. This further detail will help inform engagement with justice partners including Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service and the Scottish Prison Service.

We have already engaged with criminal justice agencies on how best to meet the need of veterans within custody following the ‘Veterans and Law’ report, which was published in October 2024. This included recommendations relating to identifying and supporting veterans as they move through the criminal justice system, with a coordinated, easy to access approach to support them alongside third sector organisations to help prevent offending and support rehabilitation.

We remain committed to working with criminal justice partners to further explore opportunities to help support veterans in the future, including as part of the forthcoming expansion of the Armed Forces Covenant.

Responsibility for private water supplies rests with those who own or operate them, with statutory duties set out in the relevant regulations. Local authorities have duties to monitor supplies, provide advice where standards are not met, and take enforcement action where necessary to ensure owners and users meet their statutory responsibilities.

Where a private supply is consistently failing, it is for the owner or operator to decide whether to apply for a connection to the public water mains. Applications are made through Scottish Water’s standard process and are subject to technical feasibility. There is no separate prioritisation for these cases, and applicants for all connections applications are liable for the associated costs.

Consideration of the options for change included in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Service Delivery Review impacting Inverclyde have included extensive analysis of historic response data along with assessment of the current and future risks present in communities. No decisions have yet been taken on the conclusions of the Service Delivery Review. Decisions on the location of fire stations, the number of appliances and the crewing patterns of staff are operational matters for SFRS. SFRS continues to respond to every emergency with the appropriate level of resources.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41655 on 18 November 2025. 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.