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The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) are currently engaged with criminal justice partners, including the Police Service of Scotland, Transport Scotland and the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service to develop relevant infrastructure and guidance for the possible introduction of Speed Awareness Courses in Scotland.

The possible introduction of Speed Awareness Courses in Scotland requires enabling legislation. The United Kingdom Government has introduced the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill which is currently being considered by the House of Lords. The Bill includes provision for police forces in England and Wales to recover costs from drivers who are the subject of a road traffic diversionary courses.

Whilst the Bill does not include substantive provision to allow Police Scotland to recover costs from drivers, the Bill makes provision for the Secretary of State to make such provision for Scotland, similar to that provided for in England and Wales, by statutory instrument. Any such provision by statutory instrument would require to be made following passage of the Bill.

The Scottish Government has committed to delivering a new deal for tenants and to consult on the options, deliver legislation and implement an effective national system of rent controls by the end of 2025.

We will set out our proposals for taking this work forward in our forthcoming rented sector strategy which we aim to publish for consultation by the end of this calendar year.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-03374 on 25 October 2021. 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 .

In our Heat in Buildings Strategy, the Scottish Government has committed to phasing out the need to install new or replacement fossil fuel boilers (in off-gas grid areas from 2025, and in on-gas areas from 2030) subject to technological developments and decisions by the UK Government on reserved matters.

We will consult in further detail on this issue during 2022. Should any legislation be required subsequently, it will be subject to a range of impact assessments to allow the Scottish Parliament the opportunity to fully scrutinise the impacts.

In our effort to remove emissions from heating buildings, the Scottish Government has separately a zero emissions first approach in our delivery programmes and will phase out funding for fossil fuel heating systems by 2024 (where it is not detrimental to our fuel poverty objectives).

We have already phased out oil and LPG boilers from Warmer Homes Scotland, Area Based Schemes and Home Energy Scotland Loans.

No households have had their replacement oil or LPG boilers or heating systems cancelled as a result and all Warmer Homes Scotland and Home Energy Scotland Loan applications with committed offers signed prior to 6 September 2021, for either replacement oil/LPG boilers or heating systems, will have these honoured and receive their installations/loans. No local council has reported plans to install an oil/LPG boiler or heating measure as part of their Area Based Scheme.

From now on, households eligible for assistance under Warmer Homes Scotland will be offered low-carbon alternatives, where these are technically appropriate for the property. These include High Heat Retention Heating Systems, Air Source Heat Pumps, Ground Source Heat Pumps, Micro-hydro, Micro-wind and Micro-CHP systems. Some of these measures may be of particular benefit to households living in rural and island areas that are not served by the gas grid. Warmer Homes Scotland operates a national pricing mechanism, meaning that rural and island homes are not disproportionately affected.

Since April 2021 our Area Based Schemes have included additional funding to provide low carbon and micro-generation measures as part of a whole house approach. Local councils are encouraged to offer these measures to households living in or at risk of fuel poverty, where this is technically feasible and will result in lower energy bills. Our Area Based Schemes also provide additional funding and support for remote rural and island communities to reflect the delivery challenges in these locations, including higher installation costs.

The Scottish Government’s consultation on the regulation of electricians closed on 12 February 2021. All responses were analysed and a report was published on 23 March 2021. A link to the report can be found on the consultation web page at https://consult.gov.scot/energy-and-climate-change-directorate/a-consultation-on-the-regulation-of-electricians In addition, on the same web page can be viewed the submitted responses where consent had been given to publish the response. The Scottish Government is currently considering its response to the consultation and key stakeholders will be updated in due course.

The recently announced Social Security Scotland recruitment campaign will support the effective national roll-out delivery of Child Disability Payment and, in due course, Adult Disability Payment in line with our values of dignity, fairness and respect. This will also provide capacity to process new claims and support the transfer of existing cases from the Department of Work and Pensions. In 2022-2023 alone this will ensure that payments in excess of £2.2 billion are made safely and securely to over 400,000 people with lasting health conditions or disabilities. In addition, we are also building capacity for the introduction of further benefits beyond Child Disability Payment and Adult Disability Payment, including Scottish Carers Allowance.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with Food Standards Scotland and other partners to raise awareness of the importance of vitamin D, particularly amongst those at highest risk of deficiency.

On 11 October, Food Standards Scotland (FSS) launched a new national campaign to raise awareness of vitamin D and encourage people in Scotland to take a daily 10 microgram supplement throughout the winter months. The campaign will run between October 2021 and February 2022 and follows on from previous promotional activity undertaken by FSS earlier this year. Action to target specific population groups at higher risk of vitamin D deficiency is being considered and will be integrated throughout the campaign.

Leaflets highlighting the importance of vitamin D and supplements are available in a range of languages and formats. Healthy Start vitamins, which contain Vitamin D, are provided free to all pregnant women in Scotland throughout their pregnancy and have been since April 2017. Vitamin D supplements are also available free of charge for breastfeeding women and all babies up to the age of one.

The Scottish Government has committed to delivering a new deal for tenants and to consulting on the options, deliver legislation and implementing an effective national system of rent controls by the end of 2025.

Our aim is to ensure quality, affordability and fairness for everyone who rents their homes and we will set out our proposals for taking this work forward in our forthcoming rented sector strategy which we aim to publish for consultation by the end of this calendar year.

Tenant participation is at the heart of our work to develop the Strategy and we are working in partnership with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Tenants Information Service and the Tenant Participation Advisory Service, as well as existing tenant groups, to understand tenants’ lived experiences and hear their views.

Alongside the views of tenants and stakeholders who respond to the consultation on the strategy, we will consider a wide range of information, evidence and expert views on rent controls, including examining international comparisons, to inform the policy development of this important area of work.

Vitamin D status is measured annually as part of the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS).

The latest report is available at: NDNS: results from years 9 to 11 (2016 to 2017 and 2018 to 2019) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Scottish Government is not currently undertaking research to assess levels of vitamin D deficiency in the general population, including in relation to deprivation.

We welcome the MS Society’s Neurology Now report as an important document highlighting the issues for people with MS and wider neurological conditions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. I am pleased to say that I recently met with officials from the MS Society to discuss the findings of the report and the ongoing development of MS services in Scotland.

Let me assure the member that the Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all people living in Scotland with MS are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and person-centred. As you may be aware, we are investing £4.5 million over 5 years to implement our Neurological Care and Support – National Framework for Action. This Framework aims include improving the provision of co-ordinated health and social care and support, developing sustainable workforce models and ensuring high standards of care for people living with neurological conditions, including MS.

Over the past year we have invested over £300,000 to projects which improve the health and wellbeing of people with MS in Scotland.

Regarding a reporting framework to measure improvement, we have commissioned NHS Healthcare Improvement Scotland to work with NHS boards, integration authorities, the third sector and people with lived experience to assess progress in implementing the General Standards for Neurological Care and Support. Undertaking this work will identify areas of improvement across NHS Scotland and help to drive forward better standards of care for people with neurological conditions.