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The Scottish Government has not made any legislation that would require the adoption of a heat pump in any building.

Rather, as part of our Heat in Buildings Strategy, we have proposed that all homes will be regulated to use zero emissions heating systems by 2045. Such systems include, but are not limited to, heat pumps.

As set out in the Heat in Buildings Strategy Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA), the average cost of installing a heat pump is currently around £10,000 with, approximately, an additional £2,000 for energy efficiency measures to support the efficient performance of the heat pump. However, the cost of conversion to zero emissions heating systems is likely to vary across properties according to property type, size and condition.

The BRIA also explains that the impact on operating costs is also likely to vary across properties, with some seeing a slight increase in energy bills while others experience a reduction. The impact that installing a heat pump will have on energy bills is dependent on the relative price of electricity and the fuel being displaced, the relative efficiency of the heat pump and the heating system being replaced, and a number of other factors, including the design and quality of system itself, user operation, and the energy efficiency of the property in which it is installed. Wider system costs, for example upgrading energy networks, may have an impact on consumer bills.

We recognise that in decarbonising our homes we must not make fuel poverty worse, and the Heat in Buildings principles set out in the Fuel Poverty Strategy commit to delivering measures to help those in fuel poverty to manage their running costs.

Further analysis of the estimated capital and running costs of zero emissions heating systems has been undertaken as part of the Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment for the Heat in Buildings Strategy, which can be accessed at: Heat in buildings strategy: business and regulatory impact assessment - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

The member may also be interested in an independent report, commissioned by the Scottish Government, that assessed the suitability of low carbon heating technologies in residential buildings in Scotland. The report can be accessed at: Executive Summary - Low carbon heating in domestic buildings - technical feasibility: report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

The Scottish Government will produce a range of further impact assessments when we introduce legislation requiring zero emissions heating systems.

Veterans who have left the armed forces within the past two years are a priority access group for the Low Cost Initiative for First-Time Buyers (LIFT) shared equity schemes, which includes the Open Market Shared Equity and New Supply Shared Equity schemes.

As the tax authority with responsibility for the collection and management of Scotland’s devolved taxes, Revenue Scotland publishes monthly and annual data on its website regarding the number of property conveyances and non-residential leases subject to Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) and the associated tax liabilities. These are available at https://revenue.scot/news-publications/publications/statistics .

Local authority level data is published on an annual basis, as part of Revenue Scotland’s Annual Summary of Trends in the Devolved Taxes. The report for 2020-21, which provides data for the period from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2021, is available at: Annual Summary of Trends in the Devolved Taxes 2020-2021 | Revenue Scotland .

In particular, the ‘Data for Figure 17’ tab in the figures and tables file of this publication includes an estimate of LBTT excluding ADS declared due for residential conveyances by local authority and year. The ‘Data for Figure 23’ tab in the same file gives an estimate of LBTT declared due by Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) 2 area and year for non-residential conveyances. Local authority level estimates of non-residential conveyances are not provided to minimise the risk of disclosing protected taxpayer information.

We continue to make good progress with the delivery of the Mental Health Transition and Recovery plan, which was published in October 2020. The delivery of the plan is supported by our £120 million Recovery and Renewal Fund which is being used to transform services and increase our focus on prevention and early intervention.

A range of activity is being progressed. This includes work to enhance Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and psychological therapies, the implementation of the Eating Disorders Review and further roll out of digital innovations developed in response to the pandemic. We are also expanding the support available within communities, including the provision of £21 million (2021-2022) and £15 million (2022-2023) via the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for grassroots community groups to help tackle the impact of social isolation, loneliness and mental health inequalities amongst adults. A further £15 million has been made available to local authorities to provide community mental health and wellbeing support for children and young people.

This activity will continue in 2022-23.

Due to the local elections period, it is expected that the national rail conversation will get underway after 5 May local elections. Decisions on a more definitive timescale will be arrived at when agreement has been reached with Trade Union partners and other interested stakeholders.

It is envisaged that the national conversation will engage a wide ranging group of stakeholders including passengers, regional transport partnerships, rail unions, disability groups, businesses and educational interests.

Transport Scotland officials are currently considering the details on the most effective and productive engagement programme to deliver the national rail conversation.

The Energy Saving Trust maintains the Renewable Heat Database for the Scottish Government. The following table extracts domestic renewable heat installations over the period 2016-2020. Data for 2021 are not yet available. These data are derived from registrations under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, and as such likely underestimate the total number of installations due to lower coverage of new build homes.

The £150 cost of living payments are administered by local authorities. Councils have indicated that they are using the discretion we allowed to make payments as a credit to council tax accounts in the majority of circumstances to ensure delivery before the end of April 2022.

Where the support is delivered as a direct payment, local authorities have flexibility over how this is done. Our guidance does require councils to take reasonable steps to ensure recipients are not disadvantaged by the mechanism selected, including ensuring the recipient does not have to pay an administration fee to a third party in order to receive the payment.

We intend to issue a consultation paper on Phase 2 permitted development rights (PDR), including extensions to existing electric vehicle charging PDR, in the first quarter of 2022-23. The aim is to have resulting legislation in place by the end of the year.

In the meantime, processing of any required planning applications are a matter for individual planning authorities in the first instance. Current Scottish Planning Policy (paragraphs 275 and 289) sets out the need for planning authorities to support EV charging infrastructure in development plans and development management decisions.

The performance and resourcing of the planning system are key priorities; we are progressing a range of improvements through our planning reform programme and working closely with CoSLA, the Royal Town Planning Institute and Heads of Planning Scotland to address issues from resources to capacity and skills.

The Green Jobs Workforce Academy offers information on the career opportunities available, the skills needed to move into them and links to the required training and funding sources to support learners to do so.

As the Academy’s offer develops, it will become a comprehensive source of advice and information about the labour market opportunities coming out of the transition. Users will be able to register to receive personalised updates on their areas of interest, invitations to online and in-person events and information on opportunities which are relevant to them

Phase 1 of the Green Jobs Workforce Academy launched in August 2021, focused on 5 sectors identified by the Climate Change Plan Update and Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan as being crucial to the transition to net zero with. Phase 2, due to launch this year, will include the launch of the Careers Assessment Tool and further enhancement of content and training opportunities that the Academy offers.

The £150 cost of living payments are administered by local authorities who have discretion over whether to make them as a credit to council tax accounts or as direct payments in order to ensure delivery by the end of April 2022.

Local authorities have indicated that payments will be included as a credit in council tax bills for 2022-23 in the majority of circumstances. This is the most readily available means of delivering this support to eligible households as fast as possible. Some councils also indicated that payments to eligible low income households exempt from council tax, such as those in temporary accommodation or refuges, would be made as direct payments. In these circumstances, they have discretion over the method used which may include, for example, PayPoint cash vouchers, cheques or BACS transfers to bank accounts.