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Operational decisions about the provision of childcare services within Scotland’s colleges are the responsibility of each individual college. Colleges must determine how best to secure their own sustainability, for instance through providing childcare services, while continuing to deliver provision to meet regional needs.

The Scottish Government provides funding to local authorities to deliver 1140 hours of high quality early learning and childcare (ELC) to all eligible children. Our ELC delivery model is provider neutral, recognising that decisions about ELC service delivery remain for local authorities to make based on their understanding of local demand. Under this model, college childcare services can apply to deliver funded ELC provided they meet the conditions set out in the National Standard for funded ELC and meet the usual requirements.

The Scottish Government’s Public Sector Pay Strategy sets out our commitment to No Compulsory Redundancies.

Historic Environment Scotland is making good progress on its inspection programme which is due to conclude at the end of March next year. The Scottish Government supports Historic Environment Scotland’s approach that continues to put the health and safety of individuals first, reopening sites only when safe to do so.

The information the Scottish Government holds is that of the 70 sites that had access restricted due to High Level Masonry issues, there is now full or partial access at 53 of those sites.

As this is not the full information requested, I have also asked Historic Environment Scotland to respond directly to the member with a full reply to his question in writing . Details of the inspection programme and site re-openings are published on the Historic Environment Scotland website.

Questions regarding day-to-day operational matters of Historic Environment Scotland, including information relating to Direct Debit membership prices, are best answered by Historic Environment Scotland.

I have asked Historic Environment Scotland to respond directly to the member with a full reply to his question in writing.

The Innovative Finance Steering Group last met in December 2022. There are no formal meetings of the Group currently planned. The further operation of the group will be reviewed following the budget.

Scottish Women’s Aid is administering the pilot on behalf of the Scottish Government. The information requested is being collected by individual Women’s Aid groups involved in the pilot and will be provided to Scottish Women’s Aid to support administration.

We will work closely with the delivery partners to evaluate the pilot once all funds are spent with a view to evidencing the impact that providing this intervention has on women and to understand how effective it is at preventing their homelessness as a result of domestic abuse.

We will publish the evaluation, along with available data, after the pilot ends.

The Scottish Government is fully committed to the National Fraud Initiative and looks forward to hearing the results of the data pilot currently being run with local councils in London on this issue. The Scottish Government will await confirmation from Audit Scotland who run the National Fraud Initiative in Scotland if it intends to undertake a similar pilot exercise in Scotland.

On 22 December 1999 in Larkhall, Lanarkshire an explosion destroyed the dwellinghouse at No. 42 Carlyle Road. All four occupants of that dwellinghouse, including two children, were killed. Criminal proceedings were taken against Transco PLC in relation to the explosion on 22 December and the deaths of the four individuals, with the company being charged, in the first alternative, with the common law offence of culpable homicide and, in the second alternative, a contravention of sections 3 and 33(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Prosecution on the culpable homicide charge was unsuccessful. The trial proceeded on the charge under sections 3 and 33(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the jury unanimously found the company guilty of that offence on 25 August 2005. A fine of £15 million was imposed.

The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 created a new offence of corporate homicide in Scotland.

COPFS Health and Safety Investigation Unit leads the investigation and prosecution of all work-related deaths and all health and safety cases across Scotland. It provides advice, support and direction to investigators from Police Scotland, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Local Authorities and other regulatory agencies from the very earliest stages of an investigation.

Every fatality at a place of employment or fatality that occurs as a result of a work-related activity in Scotland is investigated as a potential corporate homicide. The very nature of this category of case means that detailed and lengthy investigation, often involving technical and medical issues and expert opinion, may be required. The Work Related Death Protocol for Scotland – which has been signed by COPFS, Police Scotland (ACPOS), British Transport Police and HSE - ensures that when a work-related death occurs, a thorough, co-ordinated and multi-agency investigation takes place allowing all possible offences to be considered.

Once reported each case is carefully considered by lawyers within the COPFS Health & Safety Investigation Unit and turns on its own facts and circumstances. Corporate homicide is considered in every work-related death reported for prosecution, and lines of investigation in connection with corporate homicide are explored regardless of whether or not such a charge was reported in connection with the death.

Since 2008 16 cases have been reported to the Crown in respect of corporate homicide as well as other charges. Of those cases two remain under consideration by the Crown. Two cases, reported in 2011 and 2016, were marked for no proceedings. In the remaining cases all have resulted in guilty convictions in a solemn court. Whilst there have been no convictions under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 the cases have resulted in guilty pleas to breaches of either section 2 or section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 or maritime health and safety legislation. The Court has the same sentencing powers available to them for these offences as for the offence of corporate homicide. The fines issued in these cases range from £4,000 to £234,000.

The Scottish Government currently has no plans to introduce a RAAC Register in Scotland. We expect building owners to communicate risks associated with RAAC in their buildings to the public, service users and employees, this includes the Scottish Government. The UK Government do not have a RAAC register.

To date, the low carbon Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme has allocated £26,732,792 to 33 projects bringing persistent vacant and derelict land back into use.