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The Aviation Statement sets out our commitment to contributing to the global effort to reduce CO2 emissions and the specific actions Ministers will take to do so. The Scottish Government has not sought to predict aviation emissions for the years in question.

The UK Government’s Jet Zero strategy, with its associated emissions trajectories, will apply throughout the UK. As the Aviation Statement makes clear, it is therefore vital that Jet Zero should benefit Scotland and Ministers will work with the UK Government to secure that aim. Scottish Ministers support the harnessing of new technologies across aerospace to meet climate targets. In addition to the technology-related actions in our Aviation Statement, the Scottish Government has established an expert working group to provide recommendations on increasing the production and use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Scotland.

This is not the Scottish Government’s policy position. The Memorandum of Understanding with Heathrow notes the potential to offer slots for up to 21 additional daily domestic flights per day. This figure relates to the whole of the UK, not only to Scotland. The amount of capacity between Scotland and Heathrow now and in the future will be determined by airlines matching supply to demand.

Health Boards and Health & Social Care Partnerships are responsible for considering local health needs and taking population growth and infrastructure expansion into account when planning and providing for General Medical and Dental Services.

The Scottish Government annually uplifts General Medical Services funding specifically to account for population growth. In 2023/24, this amounted to £8.3 million.

The Scottish Government also introduced dental payment reform on 1 November 2023; this programme aims to better reflect the increased costs of modern dentistry, providing longer term sustainability and encouraging the dental sector to increase its existing NHS provision.

The latest statistics from Public Health Scotland show 90.9% of the population of Lothian Health Board were registered with a NHS dentist on 31 March 2024, over 833,000 adults and children: tables.xlsx (live.com)

The information requested on how many epilepsy specialist nurses there have been in each NHS board in each of the past two years is not centrally available.

Information about school clothing grants is recorded centrally through the Scottish Local Government Financial Statistics returns. Information about the number of school clothing grants paid to eligible families as well as expenditure on school clothing grants, during the five most recent financial years for which we hold this information, is as follows:

The Scottish Government has worked with partners to develop national guidance on school uniform and clothing in Scotland. This is expected to be published in autumn 2024. The guidance will support schools and education authorities to develop and implement affordable and sustainable uniform and clothing policies that recognise the individual needs, circumstances and identities of all pupils and reduce costs of families.

The guidance will encourage schools to regularly and actively promote the availability of the school clothing grant among pupils and their families, and offer appropriate support to apply for the school clothing grant wherever it is necessary to do so.

In addition to the guidance, we have developed a supporting resource for parents and carers. This will also be published in the autumn. The resource will highlight the key messages from the guidance and signpost families to sources of support, including information about the school clothing grant.

We are working with partners, including organisations who support parents and carers, to ensure that these resources are widely disseminated.

We will continue to work with stakeholders to explore further opportunities to highlight the availability of the school clothing grant to families to ensure that those who are eligible can access this vital support.

The refreshed Learning for Sustainability (LfS) Action Plan was published in June 2023. The Learning for Sustainability Leadership Group – which meets quarterly – is overseeing delivery. The Leadership Group commenced an annual stocktake process in July to assess progress against the Action Plan and to agree key priorities for 2024-25.

Further to the Scottish Government’s response to S6W-25156 on 22 February 2024, key areas of progress since publication of the Action Plan include:

? The development of a new LfS Mentor Network, which launched in February 2024 with over 97 engagements undertaken in its first 6 weeks, which reached more than 600 practitioners across 20 local authorities. The Network provides a forum for educators to provide peer-to-peer support and advice;

? The formation of a sub-working group leading on development of LfS Indicators that will support practitioners and wider stakeholders to embed a whole-school approach to LfS and delivery of our Target 2030 vision;

? The creation of a range of resources that draw on examples and activities from across Scotland to support educators to deliver good practice approaches to LfS. These resources will be hosted on the new and bespoke LfS online portal that launches in Autumn; and

? Continued close engagement with Education Scotland, His Majesty’s Inspectorate for Education (HMIE), the Care Inspectorate and the Scottish Social Services Council to help consider alignment of LfS principles and approaches as part of on-going reviews of relevant inspection frameworks and practitioner standards.

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 Chancellor has set out plans to end universal Winter Fuel Payments in England and Wales by restricting it to those receiving Pension Credit and other means tested benefits from this year onwards. This decision was taken without any consultation or discussion with Scottish Government Ministers, which is deeply disappointing given both governments committed to resetting the relationship between them.

The UK Government’s approach reduces the Block-Grant Adjustment associated with devolution of the UK’s Winter Fuel Payment by an estimated £140 million to £160 million in 2024-25 – nearly 90% of the cost of the Scottish Government’s new replacement benefit, Pension Age Winter Heating Payment.

Following careful consideration of the options available for Scotland it is with deep regret that I confirm that the Scottish Government must replicate the decision made by the UK Government and restrict eligibility for Pension Age Winter Heating Payment to older people on relevant eligible benefits. This has been a very difficult decision and not one we want to, or expected to, be making. However, despite all efforts to review our financial position it is a necessary decision when faced with such a deep cut to the budget and in the most challenging financial circumstances since devolution.

The timing of the UK Government announcement has meant it is not practical to make changes in good time for the launch of Pension Age Winter Heating Payment. Delivery will therefore be deferred until winter 2025. However, I can offer reassurance that the Scottish Government is in discussion with the Department of Work and Pensions, which has committed to make payments this winter to eligible pensioners in Scotland on terms equivalent to Winter Fuel Payments in England and Wales.

We are also keen to understand the UK Government’s wider plans to protect energy customers in greatest need, such as a social energy tariff, and will work closely to ensure that they take every possible step to drive up the take-up of Pension Credit and other benefits which pensioners are entitled to.

I refer the member to the answers to questions S5W-32637 on‎ 9 November 2020 and S6W-22271 on 16 November 2023.

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 .