Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-06233 on 25 February 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 .

Scottish Water is the only shareholder in Scottish Water Horizons Holdings Ltd, Scottish Water Horizons Holdings Ltd is the only shareholder in Scottish Water Business Stream Holdings Ltd and Scottish Water Business Stream Holdings Ltd is the only shareholder in Scottish Water Business Stream Ltd.

The £10m of equity invested by Scottish Water Business Stream Holdings Ltd in Scottish Water Business Stream Ltd (SWBS) was part of the precautionary funding facilities which were put in place for SWBS during 2020-2021 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and will be eligible to receive future dividends from Scottish Water Business Stream Ltd.

Scottish Water Horizons Holdings limited acquired the PFI companies for £16.2m on 19 December 2018 (see note 11 to the Scottish Water’s financial statements for the year ending 31 March 2019). The value of bank debt as at 31 March 2022 will be c. £31m. Scottish Water is the only shareholder in Scottish Water Horizons Holdings Ltd.

The Scottish Government plans on beginning work to re-open further accreditation rounds later this year and will make an announcement in due course. As this is an administrative exercise rather than a procurement exercise, there will be no new costs and all costs will be met within the existing social security portfolio budget envelope.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-06233 on 25 February 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 .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-06233 on 25 February 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 Scottish Government has no plans at this time to review the eligibility criteria for Funeral Support Payment but we continue to monitor and evaluate all our benefits.

During the development of Funeral Support Payment we consulted and engaged with stakeholders, including people with direct personal experience of the benefits system. This work helped to inform the eligibility criteria for Funeral Support Payment. As a result, we substantially widened eligibility compared to the UK Government’s funeral payment. This has allowed us to support 40% more people, who would have received nothing from the UK Government.

Eligibility for Funeral Support Payment is based on receipt of a qualifying benefit, ensuring support is targeted at those on lowest incomes. State pension recipients who are in receipt of a qualifying benefit - for example pension credit - are therefore eligible to apply.

The Scottish Government continues to urge the UK Government to maximise take-up of Pension Credit. This is a vital support for many older people, but we know that only around 6 in 10 of those who are entitled to it actually claim it. On 12 November 2020 we joined Welsh and Northern Irish Ministers in sending a joint letter to Secretary of State for Work and Pensions urging a more strategic approach to maximising the take-up of reserved benefits. To date no response has been received.

I met with the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland (MACS) on 25 January 2022. We share with MACS a concern to ensure the best service possible to disabled people and value for money for taxpayers. The Government has noted that Motability has committed to utilise their surplus profits for good causes, including a rebate to clients and future investment in greener vehicles. That is the right thing to do and we would urge Motability to ensure all those profits are used to benefit the public.

On disability benefits in Scotland, whilst Motability is currently the only provider accredited under the Accessible Vehicle and Equipment Scheme, we plan to begin work to re-open further accreditation rounds towards the end of this year. This will ensure we are doing all we can to encourage value and promote choice.

The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government met Motability Operations Limited on 21 October 2021 to discuss the Accessible Vehicle and Equipment Scheme in Scotland and the role of Motability as an accredited provider for the Scheme.

Scottish Government officials meet with Motability Operations Limited regularly to discuss matters related to the implementation of the Scheme.

The Scottish Government’s Accessible Vehicles and Equipment Scheme delivers a similar service to the current Motability scheme to people in Scotland.

SFRS has a capital budget of £32.5 million in 2022-23. Decisions on the allocation of its capital budget, including whether to prioritise fleet, equipment or buildings is a matter for SFRS.

The Scottish Government is in regular contact with SFRS to ensure it has the resources it needs to keep communities safe. SFRS is currently undertaking an assessment of the risks faced by communities and the assets which are needed to deal with those risks and this will inform future discussions on both capital and resource budgets.