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As part of the 2020-21 Programme for Government, the Scottish Government introduced the Green Jobs Fund, an investment of up to
£100 million aimed at supporting new and increased opportunities for green job creation across Scotland.

The Green Jobs Fund supported businesses and their supply chains to help them better transition to a low carbon economy. The support provided by the fund, all of which was capital, aimed to create green employment through investment in equipment, premises, and research and development.

Since its creation, between the Enterprise Agencies and Scottish Ministers, the Green Jobs Fund has provided £38.7 million in grant funding to support 122 projects. Figures provided by the recipients of these awards estimated that these projects will support up to 7354 jobs over the life of the individual projects.

The Green Jobs Fund has been discontinued. In addition to financial pressures associated with its continuation, the Fund formed a relatively small part of the Scottish Government’s broader investment in the transition to net zero. This includes many institutions, funding packages and investment vehicles which provide advice, support, and financial assistance for businesses at the forefront to building Scotland’s green economy.

The Green Industrial Strategy provides further strategic direction on how such investment supports the development, growth and scale-up of existing and new businesses seeking to take advantage of the global opportunities of the transition.

The requirement to provide evidence of letting to assessors to ensure compliance with the thresholds for self-catering holiday accommodation to be included in the valuation roll was introduced from April 2022 to counter a known tax avoidance tactic for second homes.

Assessors undertake annual audits to ensure that self-catering accommodation entered on the valuation roll meets the statutory requirements to be classed as non-domestic property. To provide clarity to self-catering accommodation providers on these requirements, and to provide greater certainty regarding the consequences of failure to meet the requirements, a statutory deadline to respond to requests for evidence was introduced from 1 April 2024. If evidence is not provided to the Assessor by the deadline, or if it is insufficient to establish if the requirements have been met, the Assessor must remove the property from the valuation roll under the current statutory framework.

The Scottish Government has no immediate plans to alter the rules for self-catering properties, however we do keep all policies under review and routinely engage with stakeholders on any issues with the operation of the system and associated legislation.

The Scottish Government has no specific plans to carry out a national alcohol needs assessment at the moment, but recognises the benefits of needs assessments to help develop our strategic priories for improving care and support for people impacted by alcohol.

Local areas currently rely on their own specific needs assessments, which we encourage them to undertake. The forthcoming UK-wide clinical guidelines for alcohol treatment will also underline the benefits of local needs assessments.

We are currently engaging with partner organisations including delivery bodies and the voices of those with lived and living experience to identify actions that will help develop and deliver future recovery focused systems of care.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill has now entered into committee stage in the House of Lords. Following the conclusion of the Bill’s passage through Westminster, we expect to consult on the extension of restrictions on smoke-free places.

I can confirm we will provide an update on the roll-out of the Health and Social Care app in Summer 2025 as set out in our Operational Improvement Plan, as well as in the answer to question S6W-35982 on 28 March 2025.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

The Scottish Government will work with teacher unions, and COSLA through the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers to agree our approach to delivering a reduction in class contact time.

The Scottish Government and COSLA are committed to working in partnership with the teacher unions to set out a timeline for implementation of this important commitment, so that meaningful progress can be made as soon as is practical.

The Scottish Government and COSLA are committed to working in partnership with the teacher unions to set out a timeline for implementation of this important commitment, so that meaningful progress can be made as soon as is practical.

Any changes to terms and conditions for teachers require tripartite agreement through the SNCT.

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost as it is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government and the whole of the public sector faces a very challenging situation as we continue to manage our finances through the current financial year, in 2025-26 and beyond.

Operating within a fixed budget, we have had to manage Scottish public finances in the face of higher inflation and cost of living pressures, making tough decisions to protect the most vulnerable in society.

As part of the Scottish Government 25/26 budget, Food Standards Scotland (FSS) was given a flat budget. FSS have notified the Scottish Government of a pressure due to increased staffing and delivery costs and the Scottish Government will work with FSS to manage the pressure. This has included the set-up of the FSS policy forum with relevant policy teams across Scottish Government to provide a co-ordinated response to the issues FSS face and facilitates the exchange of soft intelligence and problem solving.

Scottish Government have also committed to review the allocated budget in year.

The Scottish Government was concerned to hear about the withdrawal of funding from the Notre Dame Centre. We recognise that the potential closure of the Centre as a result will be causing concern for the children and families that use its services. Scottish Government officials have received assurances from the Integrated Joint Board that alternative services will be available and transition plans put in place for those currently using the services provided by the Centre.

Although it is for the IJB to make decisions about the local provision of services they fund, we expect these decisions to be made in consultation with the communities in which they are based. The Scottish Government also expects the IJB to consider the impact this may have on those that use the Centre, particularly vulnerable users, and on other services which may be asked to step in.