Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23070 on 04 December 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23070 on 4 December 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 has received a number of requests from the UK Covid-19 Inquiry under Rule 9 of the Inquiry Rules Act 2006 and has been asked not to disclose the evidence that has been requested or provided, as have all core participants.

As a result, the Scottish Government is unable to confirm or comment on the details of any Rule 9 requests to individuals.

The Scottish Government remains fully committed in its cooperation with both the UK and Scottish Covid-19 Inquiries in their independent work to explore the handling of the pandemic and to identify the vital lessons we all need to learn.

Where flaring and venting is required as an operational safety feature in onshore industrial activities, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) act as independent regulators at regulated sites in Scotland. SEPA requires operators to prevent, or where that is not possible, to reduce emissions due to flaring and venting by the use of best available techniques.

Policy in relation to flaring and venting on offshore oil and gas platforms is reserved to the UK Government. The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) acts as the regulator with the relevant legislation requiring offshore operators to have the correct consents in place for the flaring and venting during production operations. The NSTA has a goal of reaching zero routine flaring by 2030 or sooner.

The Scottish and UK Governments are currently working collaboratively with regional partners to develop proposals with distinct sectoral focus to maximise cluster building, innovation and economic growth.

The proposals – which are in the early stages of development – will link to existing regional economic strategies, recognising the pipeline of skills required for priority sectors, and will include an attractive package of levers aimed at encouraging new businesses to locate in the regions providing opportunities for talent attraction, which will contribute positively to meeting current and future skills requirements.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23070 on 4 December 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 Fiscal Commission publish estimates and forecasts of the number of people receiving payments for Child Winter Heating Assistance. The Scottish Fiscal Commission do not publish estimates and forecasts for the number of people receiving payments by area within Scotland. In their May 2023 publication it was forecast that a total of 29,000 people will receive payments in the financial year 2023-24.

Social Security Scotland publish statistics for the number of historic payments for Child Winter Heating Assistance by Local Authority but not at constituency level. Statistics for 2023-24 are not yet available. In the South Lanarkshire Local Authority, 1,955 payments for Child Winter Heating Assistance were made in the Winter of 2022-23.

Internal Scottish Government analysis using the Social Security Scotland statistics, in combination with published population data, suggests an estimate of 500 payments were made in East Kilbride in the Winter of 2022-23.

Direct funding is not provided to private developers to finance their engagement in the planning application process. The Minister for Housing and I jointly hosted a roundtable on planning for housing on 16 November 2023. Support for small and medium-sized developers and housebuilders to progress through the planning processes in all areas was highlighted, as were matters relating to rural and affordable housing. We are now collating and prioritising suggested actions that can be taken collaboratively to accelerate delivery of more quality homes to create quality places.

Work to revise the current RSHP teaching guidance was taken forward with a group of key stakeholders, including the Scottish Catholic Education Service. This engagement included meeting to consider the basis of a section in the revised guidance relating to faith and belief, and sharing iterations of the revised guidance before the revised guidance was finalised ahead of public consultation.

The draft revised guidance makes direct reference to denominational schools, recognising that religious authorities with a role in education provide additional and complementary guidance on RSHP education. Links to resources provided by the Scottish Catholic Education Service are contained in the revised guidance. The new section on faith and belief also takes into account an inclusive approach to all faiths and makes clear that educational practitioners in all schools should ensure that RSHP teaching and learning is delivered sensitively and respectfully to faith groups.

Catholic schools in Scotland play a crucial and valued role in the education system. In recognition of the concerns raised, officials met with the Scottish Catholic Education Service in November and made it clear they will reinstate the text on denominational schools into the revised guidance.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information as the recruitment and employment of teachers are matters for individual councils.