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The Scottish Government recognises and pays tribute to the role the Royal College of Nursing members have undertaken within health and care services during the pandemic. The Government is giving due consideration to the recommendations highlighted in the report.

The report, and its recommendations, cover a range of areas including where work is underway in the context of remobilisation.

The importance of a sustainable, skilled workforce has already been emphasised by commitments in both our Programme for Government and National Workforce Strategy for Health and Social Care in Scotland, published on 11 March, 2022. This includes our commitment to increasing the NHS workforce even further, with 1,800 additional full time posts on top of projected workforce growth requirements.

The information requested on how many intensive care unit (ICU) nurses were employed in Scotland on 1 April (a) 2020 and (b) 2022 is not centrally available.

The number of nursing and midwifery staff by location of service delivery is published by NHS Education for Scotland at: https://turasdata.nes.nhs.scot/data-and-reports/official-workforce-statistics/all-official-statistics-publications/01-march-2022-workforce/dashboards/nhsscotland-workforce/?pageid=6429

The following table shows the number of nursing and midwifery staff by location of service delivery as at 31 December 2021.

We are working to deliver our Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan (ESJTP) in the context of a fast-moving energy landscape, and will publish a draft ESJTP in autumn 2022. As our first Just Transition Plan, the ESJTP will set out what is needed to deliver a just transition for the sector, in line with the Scottish Government’s approach to just transition. This includes work to support retention and creation of access to green, fair and high-value work, as well as ensuring access to required skills and retraining opportunities. As part of this, we will identify the opportunities and risks of the transition, including those associated with transitioning jobs.

Throughout this, we remain committed to ensuring green jobs are good, green jobs, drawing on fair work principles, complying with high workplace standards and paying fair wages. That is true across the economy, but especially important in sectors vital for reaching net zero, such as the energy sector where much public investment is targeted.

Energy Saving Trust operates the suite of energy advice services for home owners, SMEs and community groups on behalf of the Scottish Government.

To deliver this across Scotland the services are delivered by advice centre contractors through 5 regional advice centres and a centralised team covering out of hours. Each advice centre delivers the services to a consistent set of standards which are required by Energy Saving trust in the contract they have with the advice centre contractors.

The quality and consistency of advice provided by the programmes is directly monitored by EST. This monitoring includes the quality and relevancy of advice provided by an advisor, who are tasked with asking questions to understand each customer, their circumstances, their home/premises and their energy behaviours. This is so they can ensure advice topics they discuss are relevant and useful for each individual customer. Advisors use the same EST approved resource documents and facts and figures to ensure each topic they advise on is consistent.

The Scottish Government has regular contact to ensure EST are meeting pre-agreed targets and maintaining the high standard of the advice that is expected of these services.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07568 on 19 April 2022. 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 .

There are currently five Confucius Institutes hosted by universities in Scotland.

Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) provide an assessment of the theoretical energy performance of existing and new buildings. They are generated by accredited EPC Assessors, belonging to Assessor Organisations approved by the Scottish Government. EPC assessors are required to have the necessary skills and expertise to operate the software that produces EPCs according to the standardised national methodology (SAP) developed by the UK Government and used by the Scottish Government. SAP produces indicative recommendations on how to improve the EPC score– which can include low carbon heating technologies where they are cost effective (however energy efficiency measures are currently prioritised).

The Scottish Government recognises that at present, the information presented on EPCs needs to be reformed, in line with the recommendations of the Climate Change Committee. That is why we have consulted on reforming EPCs to ensure that the metrics and recommendations align with our net zero target. This includes reforming the current energy efficiency metric, which has often incentivised fossil fuelled heating ahead of zero emissions heating solutions. We are now completing further research and intend for reformed EPCs to provide additional information on suitable zero emissions heating systems, and to provide information on the costs associated with such systems, together with energy efficiency measures, and their impacts on the costs of heating a building. As part of our wider proposed legislative programme, we will consult further on the detail of our proposals and will ensure that accredited EPC assessors have the skills needed to produce the reformed certificates.

Building owners can also seek further specialist advice on low carbon heating options beyond those generated in an EPC from a heating specialist or Building Service Engineer (represented by the professional body CIBSE). The Energy Savings Trust, Home Energy Scotland and Zero Waste Scotland provide further information and advice on low carbon heating on the behalf of the Scottish Government.

Home Energy Scotland (HES) is the main advice and referral mechanism to all Scottish Government energy efficiency schemes for homeowners. Energy Saving Trust (EST) manages the HES Service on behalf of the Scottish Government. Home Energy Scotland provide regular figures to the Scottish Government on the numbers of households they advise and the value of that advice. The Scottish Government has regular contact with EST to ensure they are meeting pre-agreed targets and maintaining the high standard of the advice that is expected of these services.

Householders making an enquiry to the HES service are dealt with by trained and qualified (SQA) advisors. HES advisers use a series of tools to ensure that the advice provided is based on the most effective measure for each householders’ specific needs. A fabric first approach is also recommended to households to ensure that heat loss is minimised before the most efficient routes to supplying the remaining residual heat requirements are considered. The analysis provided by an advisor to a householder is informed by use of a personalised Home Energy Check (HEC). The Home Energy Check is generated using bespoke energy modelling software which is used to model the thermal and other energy use characteristics of each property based on data provided by the householder. The HEC can be completed online independently by the householder via the HES website or over the telephone with an advisor.

For vulnerable householders who may require a little more support to be able to engage fully with the service or for households considering installation of low and zero carbon heating or renewable energy technologies, further specialist advice is available which can include a visit from an advisor and a bespoke onsite survey of the home. Energy modelling software is again used to model the property and to generate measures recommendations and savings figures for the householder. Through use of approved bespoke energy modelling and ensuring that advice is only delivered by suitably qualified advisors, the quality of recommendations and advice given to householders is maintained at a consistent, high level.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07565 on 19 April 2022. 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 .