Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-33566

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 24 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the outline business case for its proposed publicly-owned energy company.

The Scottish Government made a commitment to discuss the outcomes of the outline business case and agree next steps with local authorities before publishing the report. We have not been able to do this as we and local authorities have had to prioritise efforts to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. We are now reviewing the report in light of significant changes such as the declaration of a climate emergency and our ambitious net zero targets, and we are working with local authorities to determine our next steps. We will publish the outline business case once we have done this.

Question reference: S5W-35236

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 February 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 22 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the (a) laying of regulations for minimum energy efficiency standards and (b) compliance dates which will be set out in the regulations.

The draft Heat in Buildings Strategy (HBS) published on 5 February 2021, brings together the Scottish Government’s ambitions on energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation into a single framework, and provides an update to the 2018 Energy Efficient Scotland Routemap and the 2015 Heat Policy statement.

The draft HBS provides a framework to introduce regulations in a way that is proportionate and which considers the health and wellbeing of Scotland’s people, including continuing to target the eradication of poor energy efficiency as a driver of fuel poverty and ensuring our actions have no detrimental impact on fuel poverty, unless additional mitigating measures can also be put in place.

In summary the framework for energy efficiency standards, including proposed compliance dates is as follows:

	The Proposed Standard	Dates to lay regulations	Dates to meet the standards	Backstop dates for compliance
Private Rented Sector	To reach a level equivalent to EPC C for new tenancies	By 2025	2025-2027	2028 for all tenancies
Owner Occupier Sector	To reach a level equivalent to EPC C	By 2025	Triggers proposed between 2025-2034	2035
Social Housing	To reach EPC B	Standards reviewed in 2023	2024-2031	2032
Multi tenure/Mixed use	To reach a level equivalent to EPC C	By 2025	2025-2044	2045
Non-Domestic Buildings	More challenging energy improvement targets to reduce ‎ demand for heat and ensure zero emissions heat supply to apply ‎ at trigger points	By 2025	Triggers proposed between 2025-2044	2045

The HBS sets out our intention to consult on the detail of these proposed standards over the next few years, including on reforms to the assessment process and EPC metrics which will underpin the regulations.

Progress on initial standards within the PRS to reach a standard of EPC D have been paused as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and will be revisited as we emerge from the pandemic.

Question reference: S5O-05060

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that older patients in hospital are receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

Question reference: S5W-34858

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 11 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether self-catering accommodation businesses in island communities will have access to the same financial support as self-catering properties in areas subject to Level 4 restrictions.

Islands businesses in Level 3 are also eligible for support to the equivalent of Level 4 Strategic Framework Business Fund. Eligible businesses, including self-catering accommodation businesses will be able to access closure funds as well as, where applicable, the Large Self-Catering Grant. This is for larger self-catering properties which have been uniquely impacted by the single household rule introduced on the 23 rd of September. Self-catering businesses are eligible to apply for this support comprising one off payments of £2,000 if they have a property which accommodates 7 or more people for which they pay Non Domestic Rates.

Question reference: S5W-34850

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 11 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the current guidance which states that children under 12 can meet outside for organised activities, whether it will change this to instead refer to children attending primary school and younger, in order to prevent the potential isolation of some primary school children who will turn 12 from March onwards.

The Organised activities for children guidance was updated on 5 January 2021 to bring it into line with the Stay at home guidance . The guidance is for organised unregulated activities and services provided outdoors for children, including babies and toddlers, that are voluntary, third sector, parent or peer led or unregulated private providers delivering a service or activity directly to children and young people at Level 4 temporary lock down only. Areas that are not in Level 4 can continue to deliver organised activities for all children under 18.

In line with the broader socialisation rules, and based on expert advice, this guidance is now for under 12s only, and there is no intention to change it at this time.

The guidance will be kept under review and updated as necessary taking account of any further scientific or medical advice.

Question reference: S5W-34854

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of some people experiencing long-term symptoms of COVID-19, such as fatigue, that prevent them undertaking everyday tasks, when patients will be able to access treatment for the condition, long COVID, in a similar way to the services provided by NHS England.

There are already a range of services in place, to support people experiencing symptoms of Long COVID, including local primary care teams, community based rehabilitation services and specialised secondary care where needed.

As we continue to learn and respond to the pandemic, it is crucial that the decisions we take are based on the latest available evidence and are aligned to clinical guidance. This includes decisions on whether to commission services dedicated to Long COVID.

At present this is using the knowledge and expertise already within our NHS to deliver care tailored to individual need across a wide range of specialisms.

We are engaging with people living with Long COVID, NHS Boards and the wider clinical community in Scotland to deepen our understanding of the symptoms and impact of Long COVID to help us continue to tailor the holistic diagnosis and the treatment, which patients need. This includes examining how to enhance and better co-ordinate existing pathways from primary and community care services to provide the multidisciplinary and person-centred support that people may require.

The recently published SIGN guideline should be used by clinical teams to initiate the treatment and support needed by those suffering from longer-term symptoms of Covid and to identify where they need urgent medical or psychiatric support. We are engaging further with clinical groups to develop more joined-up pathways, to provide a streamlined approach and minimise patients being passed from speciality to speciality unnecessarily.

We are also working closely with Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland to explore how third sector services, working alongside our NHS, can deliver holistic support for people experiencing Long COVID.

Question reference: S5O-05030

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans there are to increase the number of divisional police officers in the north east.

Question reference: S5W-34736

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 2 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release of 18 January 2021, Extra funding to support unpaid carers, what analysis it has carried out of local carer centre services to ensure that they can adequately support unpaid carers in their respective areas.

Local Authorities and Integration Joint Boards have statutory duties to support unpaid carers under the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016, many of which they often decide to deliver through local carer centres. Ensuring carer centre services are adequate is a matter for them, through their normal commissioning arrangements, taking account of the Scottish Government’s statutory guidance on the Act.

Local Authorities and Health Boards also have a duty to jointly prepare a local carer strategy covering, among other things, support available to carers locally; plans for future support; and an assessment of demand for carer support and the extent to which that demand is not being met.

The 2020-21 budget contains an additional £11.6 million in the local government settlement for Carers Act implementation. Added to similar increases in previous years since the Act came into force in April 2018, this brought the total additional investment for 2020-21 to £39.5 million per year.

The Scottish Government also funds national carer organisations to run a national network for local carer centres, and to provide capacity building support for carer centres on a range of issues to help them improve the support they can offer to carers. We have engaged with local carer centres to help focus this national network and capacity building support.

I also refer the member to the answer to his related question S5W-34721 on 2 February 2021 about action to ensure that support is available to unpaid carers who are unable to attend their local carer centre. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

Question reference: S5W-34721

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 2 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release of 18 January 2021, Extra funding to support unpaid carers, what action it is taking to ensure that support is made available to unpaid carers who are unable to access their local carer centre services.

The Scottish Government made available a £500,000 fund in April 2020 to support local carer centres and young carer services to transition to working remotely during the pandemic. A second round of the fund was opened in May 2020 to ensure all services had a chance to apply. This has ensured carers have been able to access information, advice and support online or on the phone whilst centres have been closed.

We also ran a national marketing campaign at the end of 2020 to encourage those with caring roles to self-identify and access the support available to them, including through local carer centres. The campaign was promoted on TV, in the press and on social media.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-34671 on 29 January 2021 for further information on other additional funding investment in the Time to Live fund.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

Question reference: S5W-34722

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 2 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release of 18 January 2021, Extra funding to support unpaid carers, when this funding will be made available to local carer centres, and which centres will be allocated funding, also broken down by the amount each will receive.

The information requested is not held centrally. This funding is being administered by Shared Care Scotland in line with its existing arrangements for distributing Time to Live grant funding to local carer support organisations.

Shared Care Scotland have transferred the funding to the organisations responsible for delivering Time to Live grants in each Local Authority area. The amount that each organisation received was proportionate to the carer population in their area.

We expect to receive an evaluation of how the fund has been used in May 2021.

Chamber and committees