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The duty to ensure compliance with the new legislation on interlinked fire alarms in domestic properties rests with local authorities. The legislation provides flexibility for people to fit the necessary alarms in due course if they have been unable to do so by the February 2022 deadline.

The Scottish Government published a joint statement with COSLA on 21 January, which set out that local authorities will be taking a proportionate and measured approach to compliance taking individual circumstances into account as well as reflecting the evolving situation with the COVID-19 pandemic. No one will be criminalised if they need more time and there are no penalties for non-compliance.

People who are experiencing financial hardship may be receiving, or be eligible for, a range of financial support services (both direct and in-kind), and the nature and amount of support will depend on individual circumstances. Therefore it is not possible to make a meaningful estimate of what would be required in terms of additional support to bring all those below the poverty threshold above that threshold.

Scottish Government recognise the positive contribution older people make to their communities and are committed to ensuring that people are financially secure and supported as they age. Fairness and human rights remain at the heart of the Scottish Government’s approach as we work to keep older people safe, cared for and connected, with access to the essentials they need, with funding of over £1.3 million to organisations who are directly supporting the needs of older people during the Covid pandemic, including funding for helplines, food distribution and keeping people connected.

The SSSC has been administering Postgraduate Bursaries on behalf of Scottish Government since 2004. Funding of £2,655m each year is provided to support up to 300 students undertake the postgraduate course in social work.

A review of the scheme was undertaken by SSSC in 2021 to widen access to eligible postgraduate students. In response to Covid -19 Scottish Government approved a Hardship Fund for postgraduate social work students in May 2020. The fund remains in place.

As part of the 2021 Manifesto Commitments, the Scottish Government committed to undertake a review into the funding provision for postgraduate students. The review will be led by SAAS and areas for exploration are in the early development stages and therefore I cannot confirm at this stage what courses will be considered as part of the review.

I refer the Member to the answer to question S6W-06940 on 14 March 2022

The post graduate social work bursary scheme provides a contribution to the fees level set by the individual universities. This is to ensure that the funding available is able to support up to 300 students

There are other sources of funding that can be applied for. Full details of these can be found at www.saas.gov.uk and www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/Funding-Support-Grants

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 does not hold information on how many older people who are in relative or absolute poverty have raised concerns about not being able to afford both heating and food this winter. The sources of information below provides indicators of levels of poverty; and engagement with stakeholder organisations.

Poverty and food insecurity

One indicator of levels of poverty and food insecurity is the latest Family Resources Survey (FRS). The most recent information available for 2019/20 showed that food insecurity rates for Scotland reflected those of the UK as a whole, and that the rate of food insecurity was lower for people over 65. Both the FRS and the 2020 Scottish Health Survey (SHeS) indicated rates of between 1% and 3% for over 65s, compared to 8% overall.

According to the FRS, around a quarter of people in both relative and absolute poverty were experiencing low, or very low food security. The relative poverty rate after housing costs for pensioners was 14% in 2017-20, or 150,000 pensioners each year - consistently below that for working-age adults (19%).

Fuel poverty

Data from the Scottish Government’s national Warmer Homes Scotland (WHS) scheme provides an indicator for those at risk of fuel poverty. The scheme is designed to help those living in or at risk of fuel poverty through installing insulation and heating measures into individual properties. Eligibility for the scheme is based on “proxies”, including certain benefits such as Employment Support Allowance (ESA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which are an indication of the likelihood of the household living in or being at risk of fuel poverty.

Referrals to WHS during the period 1 November 2021 and 28 February 2022 are as follows.

The Scottish Government does not hold separate data on the percentage rise in the cost of living for older people who are in relative or absolute poverty. The information below provides an indication.

Inflation, as measured by the Consumer Prices Index rose by 5.5% in the 12 months to January 2022. This has been the highest yearly increase since the 1990s.

Figures from the ONS suggest that retired and non-retired households have experienced similar levels of inflation rates since April 2021, and so have high- and low-income households. However, rises in costs are being driven by different things - including different exposure to transport costs (affecting non-retired people more heavily) and housing and household services (affecting retired people more). Separate figure are not available for Scotland

With regard to water charges, the water and sewerage charges for households will rise by 4.2% on 1 April 2022 – this means the average household charge in Scotland will be £391 in 2022-23. Water charges are linked to council tax bands and discounts which apply to council tax also apply to water charges (such as student exemption or the single occupant discount). From 1 April 2021 the water charges reduction scheme discount – available to customers in receipt of full Council Tax Reduction – has increased to 35%, up from 25%. Over the next year (2022-23), households in receipt of the full council tax reduction discount will actually pay less than they did in 2020-21.

A key driver of price increases is energy prices, which have increased significantly over the year and continue to increase due to the crisis in Ukraine. Low-income households are particularly exposed to increases in the price of energy as they spend a larger proportion of the household income on fuel and housing costs. The Institute for Fiscal Studies suggest that by April lowest-income households will be facing inflation rates of almost 7%, higher than the average rate of 6%. The Resolution Foundation estimate that later this year the poorest third of households will be spending at least 10% of their household income on energy bills alone, compared to around 7% now.

The information requested can be found in the publication Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland 2017-20 . This is available online at Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland 2017-20 (data.gov.scot).

The Scottish Government does not collect information on the number of foster carers registered with each local authority or voluntary provider.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the social work workforce. We greatly value their contribution to supporting the most vulnerable in society, particularly throughout the pandemic.

Over the last five years, £25 million funding has been invested to support the training of social workers, including via postgraduate bursaries and support for practice-based learning. The postgraduate social work bursary scheme provides a contribution to the fees level set by universities.

There are other sources of funding that can be applied for. Full details of these can be found at www.saas.gov.uk and www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/Funding-Support-Grants

There are a range of social work degrees available from full-time undergraduate to in-work postgraduate courses. Social work courses are offered at nine universities across Scotland. More information can be found here: Studying social work at university - Scottish Social Services Council (sssc.uk.com)

As part of our ambition to increase access to the social work profession the Scottish Government is working with Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Social Services Council to explore the creation of a Graduate Apprenticeship in Social Work.

The Scottish Government is acutely aware of the importance that our social work workforce has on Scotland’s community, particularly in the lives of our most vulnerable individuals. In order to fully support our community, the capacity and skill level of our social workers is of vital importance.

Although no specific campaigns have been run to raise awareness of the potential to study in the social work field, social work degree courses are often found to be oversubscribed year on year. There are currently nine universities in Scotland who deliver social work programmes. The number of individuals applying for these courses continues to exceed the number of places available, with an overall increase of almost 100 individuals in the last three years. This is shown by 629 applications in 2018-19 versus 720 applications in 2021-22.

As part of their response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) on behalf of Scottish Ministers developed the Temporary Social Work Register. This was a public campaign which called for anyone who had left the social work profession in the last five years, as well as final year social work students, to re-join the field on a temporary basis to help alleviate some of the pressures which the pandemic caused. This initially encouraged an influx of almost 300 applications to re-join the sector, with many finding employment.

Whilst no public campaigns were run for employment specifically in the social work field, the Scottish Government has undertaken three phases of the ‘CaretoCare’ campaign, which encourages individuals into a career in Adult Social Care, therefore raising awareness for the social services sector as a whole.