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The Scottish Government have used the data from the 2019 Scottish House Condition Survey to estimate the likely impact of energy price increases since 2019 on fuel poverty. This has been done by increasing modelled fuel bills in line with increases in the Ofgem price cap for the average dual fuel bill. This was based on an increase of 71% over the weighted average price caps in 2019 of £1,170 to an anticipated price cap of £2,000 in April 2022.

The analysis indicates that between 807,000 (32.3%) and 831,000 households (33.3%) could now be in fuel poverty as a result of the April 2022 price cap.

The analysis accounts for the mitigations announced by the Scottish and UK Governments in response to the April 2022 price cap increase, namely the UK Government’s £200 energy bill rebate and the Scottish Government’s £150 council tax credit for those in council tax bands A to D or in receipt of council tax reduction. The range provided depends on whether the Scottish Government’s £150 council tax credit is treated as a reduction to fuel bills or an increase in incomes, which are calculated differently within the fuel poverty definition.

Data on complaints regarding the removal of care packages is not aggregated centrally – complaints may be made to the Scottish Government, the Care Inspectorate and individual Health and Social Care Partnerships, rather than to a single organisation.

The pandemic continues to present challenges for supported people, the social care workforce, and unpaid carers. We are working closely with Health and Social Care Partnerships to urgently address these pressures. We have made clear our expectation that disruption or removal of care packages should be avoided. Health and Social Care Partnerships have provided assurances that those care packages of most clinical urgency will continue during this difficult period.

More than £175 million has been invested through Warmer Homes Scotland, the Scottish Government’s national fuel poverty scheme since its launch in September 2015, helping over 25,000 households throughout Scotland.

Eligibility for the scheme is based on both the property and the individual meeting the qualifying criteria. Individual eligibility is based on “proxies” - certain benefits which are an indication of the likelihood of the household living in or being at risk of fuel poverty. The eligibility criteria are designed to target support at households who are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of poor energy efficiency and heating systems. This includes those with a long term health condition (as well as carers, older people and families with children under 16 years of age).

During the lifetime of the scheme, the eligibility criteria have been reviewed and amended to manage demand and increase referrals, and in line with policy priorities. Households also move in and out of fuel poverty and the receipt of qualifying benefits.

For these reasons an estimate as outlined is not possible.

The Scottish Government has committed to procuring a new enhanced successor to Warmer Homes Scotland when the current contract expires in June 2023, with a formal procurement process now underway. As outlined within the Fuel Poverty Strategy, working with the Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel, we will seek to ensure the eligibility criteria is aligned with the updated Scottish fuel poverty definition and that assistance continues to be targeted at those who need it most.

As independent Chair of the review of the role of incineration in the waste hierarchy in Scotland, Dr Colin Church has determined the scope, process and timelines of the Review.

In December 2020, Dr Church set out in a Call for Evidence his intention to commission a further piece of work, since he believes an assessment of the options to decarbonise the existing residual waste treatment infrastructure in Scotland may take longer than the intended timescale for the review.

This further work will not impact on the delivery date of the Review Report or Scottish Government’s ability to respond to the Report. Dr Church has stated his aim is to submit the report by Easter 2022 and we will publish it as soon as possible after this.

We do not hold this information centrally. Private contractor costs that have been incurred relating to Test & Protect staff would be held by the Boards recruiting the relevant staff members. In addition, costs relating to private contractors for staff working at test sites were awarded and managed by the UK Government as part of the National Testing Programme, and are not managed by the Scottish Government.

On 1 March 2022, there were 71 UK Government-operated test centres, 39 Scottish Ambulance Service-run mobile test centres, and around 50 temporary local authority and health board-run asymptomatic test sites across Scotland. There were also 23 operational small-scale test sites in NHS Highland and NHS Grampian, resulting in a total of around 180 test sites.

As the First Minister said in her 15 March statement when she announced the Test and Protect Transition Plan, the primary purpose of testing is changing from population-wide testing to reduce transmission, to targeted testing to support clinical care. It will also be required on an ongoing basis for surveillance, outbreak management and health and care workforces.

Until the end of April, we will continue to advise those with symptoms to get a PCR test. PCR test sites will remain open during this period, though opening hours and locations may change during the transition. Test sites will close at the end of April – although a small number of mobile testing units and lab capacity will be retained for our longer term contingency and testing purposes.

A copy of the Test and Protect Transition Plan can be found here: Supporting documents - Coronavirus (COVID-19): Test and Protect - transition plan - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The 2021 Fuel Poverty Strategy, states that the required level of capital expenditure to bring fuel poor households up to EPC C, including the replacement of existing fossil fuel heating systems, will be in the region of £6 billion. The Scottish Government have committed to investing at least £1.8 billion this parliamentary term to help kick-start growth in the market and support those least able to pay. Alongside public investment, we need innovative mechanisms to increase individual and private-sector investment into energy efficiency and zero emissions heating. The Scottish Government has established a Green Heat Finance Taskforce to recommend ways that the Scottish Government and private sector can collaborate to scale up investment. It will provide an interim report by March 2023 and final recommendations by September that year.

Zero Waste Scotland have shared the draft of the Operational Assessment of Alternative Residual Waste Treatment Technologies report with the Review. It is for Dr Church, as independent Chair, to determine if and how this is incorporated into the Review.

Dr Church, the independent Chair of the Review, has stated his aim is to submit the report by Easter 2022 and we will publish it as soon as possible after this.

Scottish Government officials have had initial discussions with the UK Government, and other administrations regarding continued support for the survivors of Thalidomide in Scotland. Officials also continue to engage with the Thalidomide Trust to discuss future funding, with a further meeting scheduled next month.

The NHS Recovery Plan, published August 2021, commits an additional £20m for the Detect Cancer Early (DCE) Programme, to provide greater public awareness of signs and symptoms of cancer and support the development of optimal cancer pathways to improve earlier diagnosis rates. Research is currently being undertaken to better understand the possible barriers and levers to early diagnosis that any new DCE campaigns should focus on. In addition, our public facing website (getcheckedearly.org) signposts people to the possible signs and symptoms of cancer including sarcoma.

The Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer support primary cancer professionals to ensure those patients with potential symptoms of cancer are swiftly referred into secondary care. In addition we have invested £3m in establishing Scotland’s Early Cancer Diagnostic Centres, providing patients with non-specific symptoms suspicious of cancer access to a fast-track diagnostic pathway.