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Adults and children with a learning disability who were coded in their GP systems, have now been invited for vaccination as at-risk groups. Criteria from the Green Book (GB) was used to develop queries to run across GP IT systems to identify and extract data on those identified as being eligible based on GB criteria. In addition, the Scottish Government has worked across carers and disability policy areas to cascade information via the third sector to organisations who support people with a learning disability – to further highlight this offer.

The Scottish Government provides Historic Environment Scotland with considerable funding: a total of £72.9m in 2020-21 and £75.9m in 2021-22. Historic Environment Scotland is responding to the safety concerns identified at the properties in care using its existing resources of both Government funding and other income.

I can confirm that while there is restricted access at these specific sites in East Lothian, there is still public access available to the grounds of Tantallon Castle, and to the grounds, exhibition and shop of Dirleton Castle.

The Scottish Government will continue to discuss the sites with restricted access regularly with Historic Environment Scotland, whose programme of prioritised inspections will inform the timescale for reopening.

The Scottish Government does not gather information about the FOI performance of other Scottish public authorities. However, the Member may wish to note that since April 2013 public authorities have submitted FOI handling data to the Scottish Information Commissioner on a quarterly basis: FOI and EIR statistics database (itspublicknowledge.info) .

Individual NHS Boards may hold additional information.

The latest available statistics on NHS Waiting Times published up to 31 December 2021 can be accessed using the following link:

https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/nhs-waiting-times-stage-of-treatment/

Public Health Scotland (PHS) notes that at 31 December 2021, 533 patients were waiting for treatment as an inpatient or daycase in NHS Grampian within the specialty of oral and maxillofacial surgery. 557 patients were waiting for a new outpatient appointment.

To improve waiting times across Scotland, the NHS Recovery Plan was published in August 2021. The 5 year plan will support an increase in inpatient daycase, and outpatient activity to address the backlogs of care, which will be supported by the implementation of sustainable improvements and new models of care.

We do not have the information requested as we are still in the test phase of this programme which will help establish eligibility. In this government’s first 100 days, we established six pilot schemes to test how best to provide free bikes for school age children who cannot afford one. A further four pilots were then established by the end of 2021. These pilots will run for up to 12 months, testing different approaches and delivery models which will then be independently evaluated to help inform a national rollout.

The Scottish Government does not gather information regarding spending by other public authorities on handling information requests. Any information gathered by NHS Boards, regarding the cost of responding to information requests should be sought directly from the relevant Board.

We do not have the information requested as we are still in the test phase of this programme which will help establish eligibility. In this government’s first 100 days, we established six pilot schemes to provide free bikes for school age children who cannot afford one. A further four pilots were then established by the end of 2021. These pilots will run for up to 12 months, testing different approaches and delivery models to help inform a national rollout. Sustrans are running a pilot in Dumfries & Galloway, Cycling Scotland are running a pilot in Midlothian and Scottish Cycling are running a pilot in North Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and Scottish Borders. To date, there have been 238 bikes issued in Dumfries & Galloway. We do not have figures for the bikes in the remaining four local authorities as they are accessed through a non-ownership model linked to training.

The Scottish Government does not gather information about the FOI performance of other Scottish public authorities. However, the Member may wish to note that since April 2013 public authorities have submitted FOI handling data to the Scottish Information Commissioner on a quarterly basis: FOI and EIR statistics database (itspublicknowledge.info) .

Individual NHS Boards may hold additional information.

Recent advice from our statutory advisers, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), states that “sustainable bioenergy is essential for reaching net zero”. Given resource supply limitations, it must be used in those applications with the highest greenhouse gas savings (those with CO2 sequestration and/or displacement of high carbon alternatives).

The Committee recommends that the preferred use for bioenergy will be with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) in electricity, hydrogen and biojet applications.

Overall the Scottish Government’s aim is to see bioenergy used where it has the greatest value in reducing emissions, however this decision is also dependent on which sectors will make the best use of the bioenergy feedstocks that we can grow sustainably or produce domestically in comparison with those we may need to import.

We will publish a Bioenergy Action Plan in 2023 which will set out a strategic framework for the use of bioenergy.

In the near term our programmes which support decarbonisation of heat are promoting those technologies which have a clear long-term role.

The 2021 consultation on the draft Heat in Buildings Strategy included 7 consultation workshops, which were open to all interested participants. Of the 156 attendees, 147 identified themselves as representing an organisation. Workshop attendees were not asked to register their personal circumstances, so information on how many were off-grid householders was not recorded.