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The construction of the A92/A96 Haudagain Improvement project is well advanced.

In December 2021 my predecessor announced a revised anticipated date for completion of works allowing roads to open to traffic by the end of March 2022. This revised completion date was based on the latest information reported by the Contractor at the time and was subject to no further disruption occurring due to events such as adverse weather and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Contractor has reported impacts to programme critical work since then due to adverse weather, including a number of high profile named Storms all having an impact on the works (Storm Malik, Storm Corrie, Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice) in addition to cold temperatures causing ground frosts that have prevented programme critical road surfacing works being progressed. This has been compounded by ongoing disruption to the workforce as a result of COVID-19, with over 40% of the on-site workforce having to isolate due to COVID-19 earlier this month, and continued supply chain issues.

In light of the above, I can advise that based on the latest information from the Contractor I now anticipate that the works will be complete to allow the new link road to open to traffic by mid-May 2022 at the latest, although the Contractor is hoping to achieve an earlier date if possible, subject to no further disruption occurring due to adverse weather or the COVID-19 pandemic.

Transport Scotland will continue to engage with the Contractor to ensure that any risks to programme are mitigated where possible and to explore all opportunities to better this anticipated completion date.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (Framework) Order 2022 will be laid in Parliament on 31 March 2022. This Order will bring the Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland 2022, which was published on the Scottish Government’s website today, into effect from 26 May 2022.

Following a public consultation, the Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland 2022 sets out the strategic priorities and objectives for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) going forward. The Framework is structured around protecting communities in terms of prevention and response; innovation and modernisation; the impact of climate change; partnership working and the governance and performance arrangements for the Service.

It is now for the SFRS to set out in its next Strategic Plan how it will deliver the priorities identified in the Framework.

2022-23 Pupil Equity Funding Allocations, at both Local Authority and School level, were published on 29 March 2022 and are available to access here:- Pupil attainment: closing the gap - Schools - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The publication of Pupil Equity Funding Allocations totalling over half a billion pounds (£520 million) over a record 4 years, underlines our ambition to continue to empower our headteachers and teachers, who know their children and young people best. We have also provided an uplift of PEF per pupil to £1,225.

We have not yet calculated the impact of the April 2022 rise of the fuel price cap on the cost of raising households to EPC C.

The Fuel Poverty Strategy Technical Annex ( Supporting documents - Tackling fuel poverty in Scotland: a strategic approach - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) )published in December 2021 sets outs the estimated cost of retrofitting fuel poor households to meet EPC C under different scenarios.

Scottish Government analysis of the impact of the rise in the fuel price cap suggests that the proportion of households in fuel poverty in Scotland could increase to between 807,000 (32.3%) and 831,000 households (33.3%). The higher number of households in fuel poverty would therefore lead to an overall increase in the total cost for these households to reach EPC C.

Scottish Government is in the process of commissioning work which will consider revision to the EPC metrics and which in part will estimate the total cost of raising dwellings’ energy efficiency rating to meet energy efficiency targets.

Our Fuel Poverty Strategy contains a comprehensive range of actions addressing all four drivers of fuel poverty, We will keep progress towards the fuel poverty targets under review and will report every 3 years. If we consider that we need to change our approach to ensure that the targets are met, we will revise the Strategy.

To ensure that we meet our ambitious targets, we will continue to monitor rates of fuel poverty and, working with the independent Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel, we will develop an outcomes framework to assess the impact of our work.

The Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) is the source of National Statistics on fuel poverty in Scotland. These statistics are normally published annually. Due to the Covid 19 pandemic data collection for the 2020 SHCS survey was suspended as internal inspections of households were not possible. Due to this the key findings from the 2020 SHCS were not published.

Fuel poverty statistics will next be published in the key findings from the 2021 SHCS at the end of 2022 or early 2023.

The Scottish Government have committed to publishing a Waste Route Map to achieving our waste and recycling targets.

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.

We intend to publish our consultation for a new Circular Economy Bill and a route map with new measures to achieve our waste and recycling targets to 2025 and beyond, in May. Outputs from the review of the role of incineration in the waste hierarchy will inform the development of the final Route Map.

We are taking a range of actions, within our devolved powers, to help people facing the impacts of higher energy bills and other cost of living pressures. Our recent £290m support package includes an extra £10m to continue our Fuel Insecurity Fund, to help households at risk of self-disconnection, or self-rationing energy use. However energy pricing and obligations are reserved, so we must see action by the UK Government to address the energy cost pressures on householders.

This information is not held centrally. It is not possible to identify activity in specific hospital units/wards based on centrally available data.

The Scottish Government’s Home Energy Scotland (HES) Loan and Cashback scheme offers interest-free loans with cashback grant for renewable heating systems, including heat pumps. Loans of up to £10,000 are available, of which up £7,500 is available as non-repayable cashback grant. Through the Scottish Government’s Heat in Buildings Strategy, we have committed to replacing the cashback grant element of the scheme with a standalone grant during 2022-23. This will give households the option of accessing a loan, grant or combination of both.

In addition the Home Energy Scotland advice service includes specialist home renewables and zero emissions heating advice, via a team of specialist advisers and resources such as the Green Homes Network and the Renewables Installer Finder Tool. Over the past five years, over half a million households have used the Home Energy Scotland service to get advice and support on making their homes greener, warmer and cheaper to heat.