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I have recently written to the profession about our plans for the recovery of NHS dental services.

Our commitment as a Government is to build back NHS dentistry, and ensure that NHS dental teams are focused on the need to tackle the backlog in routine dental care. Our NHS dental teams have been working hard throughout this pandemic in difficult circumstances, and it’s important that they feel supported by Government and representative bodies.

Which is why we have recently detailed a package of new improvements to support NHS dental teams, including new enhanced examination fees for all patients, both children and adults, with a particular emphasis on children and tackling oral health inequalities. This builds on recent announcements of £7.5m for new dental drills and £5m for ventilation improvements.

We want to build on what has been a hugely successful policy of protecting NHS dentistry during this pandemic period. We have provided £50m of financial support payments, in addition to between £30 and £35m of free PPE since the beginning of the pandemic, to ensure NHS dental services emerge well placed to care for the oral health of the population.

Glasgow Prestwick Airport, together with its partner South Ayrshire Council, signed a memorandum of understanding with Astraius to enable horizontal space launch activity from the planned Prestwick Spaceport.

Glasgow Prestwick Airport is operated on a commercial basis and at arm’s length from the Scottish Government, in compliance with our obligations under the Trade and Co-operation Agreement between the UK and the EU. Ministers do not intervene in the commercial discussions at the airport.

It is for the airport’s management team to consider all potential business opportunities to maximise the use of the assets of the airport and build on the progress which has already been made.

COP26 presents a unique opportunity to empower and support individuals across Scotland to take collective action towards our net zero target.

In Glasgow, we have awarded £18,000 to support the COP26 Pop Up Climate Café Programme. Our funding will enable Climate Café and Climate Reality to host 18-22 events from 1 to 12 November. These will create informal and welcoming spaces in communities, workplaces and campuses to talk and act on climate. To extend the reach of the cafés, some events will be held virtually.

We have also provided up to £198,000 to Keep Scotland Beautiful to deliver the Scotland’s Climate Festival initiative, which Glasgow communities can apply to. This initiative will support communities across the country to plan and deliver their own local climate festivals. Between 35-40 festivals will be held, as well as a number of virtual online events, launching during COP26 and running to March 2022.

Furthermore, we have allocated almost £950,000 to support children and young people to engage at COP26. This includes funding events and initiatives that will be open to children and young people within Glasgow.

To enable greater access, we have provided around £8,000 funding for a digital platform which will allow the live-streaming of all Scottish Government events at Scotland’s Climate Ambition Zone and at Atlantic Quay. In addition, our fully-funded climate change website – Net Zero Nation – will be open to the general public enabling them to access live-streams of Blue Zone and other online events.

Over the last Parliamentary term, over 6,000 affordable homes were delivered in rural and island areas across Scotland through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP). Between 1 April 2016 and latest published statistics to the end of June 2021, there has been a total of 100 affordable homes delivered through the Rural and Islands Housing Fund (RIHF), which forms part of the wider AHSP.

The fund is demand led and is open to a wide range of potential applicants, including those not able to access traditional funding streams such as community bodies, rural landowners, landlords and private developers. It complements existing investment in affordable housing directed through Registered Social Landlords and Local Authorities, filling gaps in provision.

The following table shows affordable homes delivered through the Rural and Islands Housing Fund in rural and island communities by local authority area.

Affordable homes delivered through the Rural and Islands Housing Fund by Local Authority

The Scottish Government recognises that COP26 is not an end in itself. It is a unique opportunity for meaningful engagement with people, communities, and businesses in Scotland and beyond, with the potential for a powerful lasting legacy.

In collaboration with Scottish Enterprise, the Scottish Government has created Scotland’s Climate Ambition Zone at the Lighthouse in Glasgow. Through a programme of over 60 in-person or hybrid events over the two weeks of COP26, this will showcase the opportunities for future business and investment that are presented by our commitment to delivering a just transition to a net zero economy in Scotland. Net Zero is at the heart of our global capital investment plan, ‘Investing with Purpose’, and our inward investment plan, ‘Shaping Scotland's Economy’. By grasping this opportunity to demonstrate Scotland’s strengths and the economic opportunity presented by a just transition, we will further invigorate the transformation of our economy to address the global climate emergency.

The Scottish Government is also committed to a summit that engages people and communities. We are supporting a range of events to engage the public before, during, and after the conference. This includes a series of pop-up ‘Climate Cafés’ across Glasgow over the two weeks of the conference, which will provide informal spaces for people in Glasgow to get together to learn about climate change and be inspired to act. We also want to ensure a long-term legacy for children and young people. The COP26 Youth Climate Programme includes a range of online and in-person activities that will provide opportunities for children and young people to learn and develop networks and skills. This will deliver a strong positive legacy, enabling younger generations to build on the summit and develop an ongoing dialogue with children and young people across Scotland and internationally, so that they are involved in Scotland’s climate discussions in the longer term.

In addition to delivering a legacy for Scotland, the Scottish Government is committed to supporting the delivery of a global legacy from COP26 by contributing to securing an ambitious and deliverable international deal. The Scottish Government will do everything it can to support the negotiations. One of Scotland’s key objectives during the summit itself is to build a bridge between the UN member states in the negotiating room and the governments of cities, regions and devolved nations like ours. As European Co-Chair of the Under2 Coalition, the Scottish Government will use its platform to encourage devolved, regional and state governments to agree ambitious climate action and push national governments to go further and faster. A successful COP26 deal will give Glasgow lasting legacy as a city that helped power the planet towards net zero.

The Scottish Government recognises the important role that co-operative business models play in our economy and there is a significant and increasing interest in co-operative business models in Scotland.

Co-operative Development Scotland (CDS) is the arm of Scottish Enterprise working in partnership with Highlands and Islands Enterprise and South of Scotland Enterprise to support company growth through collaborative, co-operative and employee ownership business models. CDS raises awareness of the value of co-operative and employee ownership models, and provides specialist advice. Its services are integrated to those of Scottish Enterprise (SE), Highlands & Islands Enterprise and Business Gateway.

Scotland for EO is the industry leadership group for employee owned businesses in Scotland, established in 2018 to empower the employee owned sector to direct its own development. Led by industry working in partnership with the public sector, the group champions employee ownership in Scotland and drives industry-wide collaboration and alignment.

Co-operative business models including Trusts, Partnerships and Community Interest Companies have all been eligible for the Covid-19 financial support made available to support businesses impacted by restrictions, including the Strategic Framework Business Fund, Sector Top up Funds and the Business Restart Grant.

Full electrification of the line between Edinburgh Haymarket and Aberdeen is not an absolute prerequisite for achieving the decarbonisation of Scotland’s railway by 2035. As set out in the answer to question S6W-03041, however, it remains the expectation that the East Coast Main Line between Edinburgh Haymarket and Aberdeen will be fully electrified.

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