Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21029 on13 September 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

The Scottish Government is deeply concerned about the impact that scams can have on individuals and our wider economy, particularly given the ongoing cost of living crisis.

As well as working closely with partners such as Police Scotland, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), and Fraud Centre Scotland, we support the publication of a regular CyberScotland Bulletin which provides information on the latest cyber threats, scams, and news.

We have also partnered with The Data Lab to create the Scottish AI Alliance who deliver a free online course, Living with AI (available at livingwithai.me ). This is designed to help people inform themselves about AI and how it is used in our daily lives.

Anybody who has fallen victim to a scam should contact Police Scotland in the first instance. However, they should also be aware of the Scottish Government funded services - Victim Support Scotland and consumeradvice.scot who can help by providing free, emotional and practical help.

In order to determine the number and distribution of the additional graduate posts across local authorities, datasets are used from the Care Inspectorate on the postcode location of Early Learning and Childcare settings, as well as the latest Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation.

The most disadvantaged areas are defined by the latest Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), which identifies the 20% most deprived postcode areas in Scotland. Funding for Equity and Excellence Leads has been allocated to local authorities based on their share of the nurseries located in the 20% most deprived postcode areas, according to Care Inspectorate data on the location of nurseries. To ensure that this commitment benefits as many children as possible local authorities have flexibility to draw on their local data to prioritise how they allocate their additional teachers or graduates across settings.

The 3 local authorities without a nursery in the 20% most deprived postcode areas (Orkney, Shetland, and Western Isles) each receive funding for 1 additional full-time equivalent (FTE) teacher or graduate.

Insights gathered to date indicate that families find it difficult to navigate the childcare system. In response we have been considering what a digital service to simplify that process might look like.

The Scottish Government-funded Farm Advisory Service (FAS) is and will continue to offer a range of high-quality generic and bespoke consultancy and specialist advice to Scottish farmers, crofters, and land managers. This includes advice on sustainable practice at its core.

Current and future advisory services will be monitored and contractually required to prioritise inclusion and accessibility for all support, including the uptake of sustainable practices.

I refer to recent answers regarding the Clydebridge site in Cambuslang, in particular my answers to written questions S6W-17169 on 4 May 2023 and S6W-17708 on 16 May 2023.

The Clydebridge site is not currently operational and no staff are currently employed at the site. The future of the site, including any plans for development, is an operational matter for Liberty Steel.

Scottish Government maintain an open dialogue with Liberty Steel and have a number of regular meetings with them. We are not aware of any plans to install an electric arc furnace at the Clydebridge site at this time.

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 Scottish Government is in regular contact with NFU Scotland, as a stakeholder and member of the Agricultural Reform Implementation Oversight Board (ARIOB).

The Scottish Government thanks Audit Scotland for a thorough, clear and wide-ranging report on Adult Mental Health Services in Scotland. Ministers recognise how closely some of the content of the report mirrors our vision, outcomes and priorities that we set out in our Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

While we will take the time to carefully consider other specific recommendations, and the wider substance of the report, we can commit to publishing the outcomes and measures framework to guide evaluation of the local implementation of Mental Health and Wellbeing in Primary Care services by the end of the year. Further details on the framework will be provided in the forthcoming Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy Delivery Plan.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

We recognise the importance of swimming pools and other sports facilities in supporting the physical and mental health of the nation. sportscotland, our national agency for sport, are supporting Scottish Swimming to deliver the Scottish Swimming Facilities Project to accurately understand the current swimming pool provision, life cycle and predict the landscape in the short, medium and long term.

The Scottish Government has no current plans to provide financial support for homes to use Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil for heat. However, we already offer a comprehensive support package for domestic heat and energy efficiency measures through our Home Energy Scotland service.

As we deliver our Heat in Buildings programme our delivery programmes and support mechanisms will support the phase out of fossil fuel heating systems towards zero emissions heating systems in existing buildings, in tandem with achieving a good standard of energy efficiency across all buildings, in line with our strategic priorities.

In line with the recommendation of the Committee on Climate Change, we agree that bioenergy – such as biomass, bio-heating oil and bio-propane - should only be used in those applications where its carbon reduction impact is maximised, where alternative options are not available, and where it comes from sustainable sources. We recognise that, for a small number of homes, bioenergy might offer the only feasible way to reduce emissions from heating to displacing fossil fuels, especially where electric heating or heat pumps are unsuitable. We will therefore consider how such homes may be dealt with under any future regulatory system.