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There are currently no plans to use landlord registration to identify beneficiaries of private rented sector properties. The purpose of landlord registration is to ensure the owner is a fit and proper person to let houses and that the properties meet certain safety requirements. We are, however, looking to review this system and identify opportunities for strengthening the registration regime, and would encourage respondents to our New Deal for Tenants consultation to highlight examples of how that strengthening might be done.

Additional support needs, as defined under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) Act 2004 (as amended) arise if a child or young person is, or is likely to be, unable without the provision of additional support to benefit from school education. An additional support need can be of short or long-term duration. Under the Act, education authorities are required to identify, provide for and to review the additional support needs of their pupils. Local authorities are supported to carry out their duties under the Act by the statutory Supporting Learners’ Code of Practice.

The Scottish Government does not collect data on the length of time taken to identify or diagnose a child or young person’s additional support need. Under the Act, a formal diagnosis is not required in order for support to be provided.

Regulations amending the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 were made today.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Amendment (No.6) Regulations 2022 amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 and will take effect on 4 April 2022.

The Amendment Regulations remove the requirement to wear a face covering for persons who enter or remain indoors within a place of worship, and in any other indoor public place whilst it is being used as a place of worship.

These Regulations also remove the requirement for those at a marriage ceremony, civil partnership registration, funeral or commemorative event related to the end of a person’s life to wear a face covering for the duration of the event. The requirement is removed in respect of such ceremonies and events in all indoor places.

The Regulations have been published at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ssi/2022/123

The Scottish Government fully appreciates that many students are facing higher energy bills and increased financial hardship as a consequence of the current cost of living crisis.

Over £37 million of hardship funding has been provided to colleges and universities by the Scottish Government since June 2021. These funds are available for colleges and universities to use up until 31 July 2022.

Students in further or higher education currently experiencing financial hardship should apply to their college or university for support from Discretionary Funds. I wrote to college and university principals last month asking them to continue to prioritise the allocation of hardship funds to those students most in need, and to take account of the impact of rising energy bills.

The Scottish Government has also recently announced a £350 uplift to the undergraduate student loan package from 2022-23. This represents the first step in delivering our manifesto commitment to provide student support equivalent to the living wage over the next three years. This increase ensures that the most disadvantaged students in higher education will receive bursary and loan support of up to £8,100.

Twelve special schools have been built in the period from 2016-17 to 2020-21.

The Scottish Government has no plans to establish an arbitration service at local authority level for residential park owners.

The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce an independent residential park evaluation and grading system.

We recognise that, given the long-term investment horizons of insurance firms, reforms to Solvency II could enable the release of more productive investment into the economy which can be utilised to boost low-carbon infrastructure and achieve climate pledges. It is imperative, however, that the proper safeguards for the insurance sector within the existing Solvency II regime are maintained.

Through Scotland’s Global Capital Investment Plan and our Green Investment Portfolio, which brings together projects worth £3 billion, we are well positioned to attract investment in low-carbon investments that the industry has stated could be released by reforms to Solvency II. It will also be important for Scotland - as a major hub for the insurance and long-term savings industry - to ensure that the UK regime aligns where appropriate and keeps pace with the approach being taken by the European Union, particularly in relation to impacts on commercial (re)insurers with European platforms.

Ultimately, the regulation of financial services is reserved to Westminster and we await the full detail of the HM Treasury proposed reforms. We do note that the Economic Secretary to the Treasury has claimed the pending reforms will be an area for Brexit opportunity which will unlock tens of billions of pounds of investment by "slashing red tape.” The experience of Scottish businesses to date has shown that Brexit has not reduced “red tape” and instead has been the direct cause of trade friction, additional checks and bureaucracy and increased administration costs. Whilst we do welcome the ambition to release greater levels of capital for infrastructure and green investment, it appears that, in light of the European Commission’s recent proposals for amendments to the Solvency II Directive and for a new Insurance Recovery and Resolution Directive which promises to release 90bn of insurers’ capital for investment in the short term, similar benefits could have been achieved within the EU regime.

Since 2003 the number of blue badges issued in each local authority area has been published annually in the Scottish Transport Statistics and can be accessed via the following web link (see chapters entitled “Road Transport Vehicles”):

www.transport.gov.scot/our-approach/statistics/#42763

This information has also been tabulated and placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. Number 63235).

The Scottish Government does not hold the information for years 1999 to 2002.

Cemre Marin Endustri’s shipyard has provided Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd with a full report of their shipyard practices at the workplace. Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd has made a full assessment of the report including trade union recognition and have found all of the practices to be acceptable.