Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is currently consulting on draft policy options for the installation of electric vehicle charge points in a number of different building types, including an option that sets out a minimum requirement for all new residential buildings with parking spaces.

The consultation ( Scottish Building Regulations: Proposed changes to Energy Standards and associated topics, including Ventilation, Overheating and Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure ) can be found on the Scottish Government's website.

We aim to publish a consultation response in early 2022.

The precise practical steps that each local authority took to conduct ventilation assessments of learning teaching and play spaces depended on the type/model/brand of CO2 monitors that the local authority used. Local authorities were asked to undertake assessments by reference to the Reducing Risks in Schools Guidance, which sets out the levels of CO2 that should be used to identify and prioritise spaces for improvement.

Details on individual assessments are held by local authorities. However, local authorities were asked to provide the Scottish Government with information on any ventilation mitigations or remedial action arising from the CO2 monitoring exercise. Local authorities have to date reported only limited instances of remedial action being required in their learning estates as a result of initial CO2 monitoring. Where actions have been required, they have most often been simple measures.

We want to ensure that wherever women seek menopause support, they get the care that they need. Menopause care is provided in different settings and in a variety of ways, in both primary and secondary care. We do not currently have the data to be able to accurately describe the variety of sources of menopause care in Scotland.

A key aim of the Women’s Health Plan is to ensure that when required women will have timely access to menopause support and services, be that though primary or specialist care.

To help achieve this we will provide access in each primary care team to a healthcare professional who has a special interest in menopause. We will also provide a specialist menopause services in every NHS Board – including a buddy system where sub specialisation is impractical.

We will be working closely with NHS Boards in order to progress these actions which will also enable us to build a comprehensive picture of the delivery of menopause care in Scotland.

Data on the number of people who have attended for menopause care in NHSScotland are not routinely available.

Up-until 2020 100% of sheep flocks selected for inspection had to have a full head count.

For 2020 in order to minimise Covid-19 related risks for farmers/crofters and Scottish Government inspectors the requirement to undertake a full head count at every inspection was removed.

For 2021 a partial head count was reinstated but only for sheep maintained on a farmer/crofter's main holding and sheep maintained on other land within a 5 mile radius of the main holding.

For 2020 and 2021, for farmer/crofters primarily with small flocks or where significant errors are found, some of the inspection controls have the same effect as undertaking a full head count.

The percentage of full flock head counts undertaken in each of the last five years which relate to inspections carried out in Shetland are set out in the following table. Figures for the current year aren't available as inspections are ongoing.

Under Zero Waste Scotland’s Revolve certification scheme the number of stores reporting fluctuates year on year which leads to variations in data collated. Zero Waste Scotland do not receive data from all certified stores in a given year.

The data is self-reported by reuse stores, who can update monitoring processes for their unique circumstances over time.

While Zero Waste Scotland collect data on sales income, it does not hold data on the full "economic impact" of the reuse stores which would also include metrics such as other income, services provided, alongside social and employment impact.

Data collected by Zero Waste Scotland is set out in the following table.

The Programme Business Case, published in February 2020, provides future forecasted operating costs for Social Security Scotland. The link to the Business Case can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.scot/publications/social-security-programme-business-case-executive-summary/documents/

The 2021-22 Autumn Budget Revision, published on 27 September 2021, set out the financial position for Social Security in the current year. The Social Security budget line captures staff and running costs, and Social Security Assistance covers benefits expenditure. The document can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.scot/publications/2021-22-autumn-budget-revision-budget-scotland-act/

The 2022-23 Scottish Budget, which is set to be announced on 9 December 2021, will set out what the Scottish Government will invest in Social Security over the next financial year. The 2021 Medium Term Financial Strategy will be published alongside the new Budget and will focus on the fiscal position within the Parliamentary term.

Tackling child poverty is a national mission for this government and we are making considerable investment to increase family incomes and reduce household costs. In 2020-21 we spent £2.5 billion in targeted support for low-income households, including nearly £1 billion to support low income families with children.

This year, through our Scottish Child Payment and Bridging Payments, we will put around £130 million directly in the pockets of low income families across Scotland. By the end of June over £351,000 was awarded to families in South Ayrshire through the Scottish Child Payment, and over £645,000 was awarded through Bridging Payments by the end of August. We will further increase the support available to families by doubling the Scottish Child Payment to £20 per week as early as possible and will set out how we will do this as part of the budget bill process.

We also made a £130 Low Income Pandemic Support Payment by the end of October for every household who received Council Tax Reduction in the month of April – an investment of up to £65 million, expected to benefit over 500,000 households across Scotland, including an estimated 10,600 in South Ayrshire.

To help raise educational attainment, to date, we have made more than £15 million available to South Ayrshire Council through the Attainment Scotland Fund, of which £3.5 million is available this year. And to help parents with the cost of the school day we have further increased the value of school clothing grants, and also started expansion of universal Free School Meals and school holiday provision, for which South Ayrshire Council will receive around £1 million.

In 2021-22, South Ayrshire Council will receive a total funding package of £232.7 million to support local services, which includes an extra £6.3 million to support vital day to day services, equivalent to an increase of 2.9 per cent compared to 2020-21.

To date, the council have been allocated an additional £30 million to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, through the local government settlement - over and above their regular grant payments.

However, the Scottish Government’s policy towards local authorities’ spending is to allow local authorities the financial freedom to operate independently. As such, the vast majority of funding is provided by means of a block grant. It is the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

We will continue to work closely with local authorities to deliver the action required on child poverty and will publish our next Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan in March 2022 which will set us on a critical path to achieve our shared child poverty targets.

By contrast, the UK Government’s decision to cut Universal Credit from the start of October could remove over £460 million in social security spending from Scotland by 2023-24. Based on the latest data available (May 2021), the Scottish Government estimate that around 4,800 children in South Ayrshire will be affected by the cut from the start of October.

The following table shows the actual funding provided to Cunninghame, Irvine and Trust Housing Associations between 2011-12 to 2020-21, and planned funding levels for 2021-22, through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) to deliver affordable homes. The AHSP supports delivery of new build homes, rehabilitation projects, conversions and off-the-shelf purchases of both new and second hand homes.

Figures for future years planned investment by housing associations have not been agreed. Each Local Authority prepares and publishes its Strategic Housing Investment Plans (SHIPs) annually, setting out their strategic priorities for affordable housing over a 5 year period. SHIPs for the period 2021-26 currently published by local authorities, may include information relating to housing projects for these associations which have been identified as priorities.

Funding provided through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme to Cunninghame, Irvine and Trust Housing Associations 2011-12 to 2021-22*

he Scottish Government Council House Build Programme was introduced in April 2009, the aim being to incentivise local authorities to build new homes. This was the first such central government support to councils in a generation.

The following table shows the funding provided to North Ayrshire Council through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) for council house building since 2011-2012 to 2021-22.

Rents for social rented homes should not be set without regard to the importance of affordability for tenants. The Scottish Government therefore considers the proposed rents for Registered Social Landlord social rented homes at the point of first let as part of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme grant assessment process.

Applications from Registered Social Landlords for grant funding to deliver projects through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme at tender stage contain information on any projected rent levels at the date of completion which are more than 5% above the relevant social rent benchmark published by the Scottish Government.

Information on the number of units which were approved at tender stage which contained Registered Social Landlord projected rent levels at the point of completion which exceeded the relevant social rent benchmark by more than 5% began to be collected in 2018-19.

The following table shows the number of units approved at tender stage – by Registered Social Landlord – where the projected rent levels at the date of completion were more than 5% and up to 10% above, and more than 10% above, the relevant social rent benchmark. The table also shows – by Registered Social Landlord – the average forecast yield above benchmark (calculated as the weighted average of the rent as a percentage above benchmark) where the projected rent levels at the date of completion were more than 5% and up to 10% above, and more than 10% above, the relevant social rent benchmark.