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All 32 local authorities in Scotland are currently working on producing their first Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) and Delivery Plan, in line with their statutory duty to publish their first iteration by the end of 2023 and then update them every five years. LHEES will set out the long-term plan for decarbonising heat in buildings and improving energy efficiency across an entire local authority area. LHEES will be the principal mechanism for locally led heat planning and will support local planning, coordination and delivery of the heat transition across Scotland.

To support the development of LHEES the Scottish Government published guidance in October 2022 setting out what is required when developing a Strategy and Delivery Plan. In addition, a methodology, made up of practitioner guidance, models, tools and templates, provides a practical approach that local authorities can use to develop their LHEES. However, this methodology is not mandatory allowing local authorities flexibility to respond to local variations.

Multi-year funding for local authorities to resource the development of their LHEES has been agreed in partnership with COSLA and began in 2022/23. This funding could cover, for example, recruitment of an LHEES coordinator or the procurement of technical services from consultants.

The Scottish Government is continuing to support local authorities to improve their knowledge and skills to develop their LHEES and are working with Zero Waste Scotland to provide on-going capacity building support including workshops, online video tutorials and one to one support. To help identify where local authorities would benefit from further support and understand progress the Scottish Government is in regular contact with local authorities including through quarterly monitoring and in-person visits. The Scottish Government also facilitates regular forums focused on key issues local authorities face in developing their LHEES, for example engagement with utilities and data.

The Scottish Government is working to embed LHEES and area-based approaches across its heat decarbonisation programme. We are working with wider stakeholders to align current and future delivery and funding programmes with LHEES to support a strategic approach to the decarbonisation of heat reflecting local contexts and tailoring support to specific needs of communities.

The Scottish Government published its Heat in Buildings Strategy in October 2021, which commits us, subject to legal competence, to introduce new regulations to require all buildings to reach a good level of energy efficiency by 2033, and use zero emissions heating and cooling systems by 2045.

As set out in the Programme for Government, the Scottish Government will consult in detail on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill this year. This will include further detail on how we propose to introduce regulations by 2025 to set minimum standards for energy efficiency equivalent to EPC C across all private housing, with backstop dates of 2028 for private rented sector (PRS) homes and 2033 for owner occupied properties, where cost effective and technically feasible.

The Scottish Government engages regularly with Inspiring Scotland across multiple policy areas including, but not limited to, the Young Person’s Guarantee, the Promise, children and families, mental health, autism and learning disabilities, rural and island communities, child poverty and procurement.

Levels of engagement are tailored to the requirements of each project and agreed in advance between Scottish Government officials and Inspiring Scotland representatives. Most meetings occur on a monthly basis however, ad-hoc meetings may also occur to discuss arising issues.

These regular meeting focus on matters relating to the development and management of projects we provide funding towards and provide an opportunity for Inspiring Scotland to outline progress made against delivery objectives which are agreed at the beginning of any grant management relationship.

The Scottish Government has regular meetings with The Promise Scotland both at ministerial and official levels. For example, the First Minister met with Fiona Duncan, Chair of The Promise Scotland on 7 April 2023, at which meeting the First Minister committed to supporting The Promise Scotland to ensure that Scotland keeps The Promise to the care community by 2030.

Information about Ministerial engagements is proactively released on the . The spreadsheets include a wide range of information including details of the organisation/individuals Ministers met along with the subject discussed.

In addition, Scottish Government officials engage with stakeholder organisations as part of the policy development process. Officials, from across portfolios, work closely with One Parent Families Scotland to better understand the needs of single parent families and to ensure these families achieve their potential, reach a decent standard of living and are able to contribute to Scottish society.

Officials, from across portfolios, have regularly met One Parent Families Scotland since May 2021 and will continue to meet with them for the purposes of policy development and grant funding monitoring.

The Scottish Government along with the Scottish Funding Council work with and engage, on an ongoing basis with a range of stakeholders including Universities Scotland and individual institutions, to monitor and secure the long term sustainability of the sector as a whole and ensure that Scottish Universities continue to deliver world class education.

These issues were discussed at a meeting between the previous Cabinet Secretary and Universities Scotland. As part of that discussion, it was recognised that as autonomous institutions Scottish universities are responsible for managing their long term institutional stability as operated through their own entry requirements, admissions policies and budgets. It was also agreed that it was vital to explore further the impact of the UK Government’s policy on immigration on Scottish Universities’ international student recruitment.

The Scottish Government welcomes the contribution that international students make to our society, culture and economy. International students add to the diversity of our communities, enrich the learning experience and support local businesses and jobs. Our priority is to become more active internationally fostering good global connections, and by promoting educational and research exchange to raise the profile of Scotland as a place to live, work and study.

In the period since this commitment was made in 2021 we have invested £38 million directly into Scottish businesses and associated digital support for them to access. This does not include the value of the programmes that our enterprise agencies deliver on our behalf.

A breakdown of the £38 million is as follows.

DigitalBoost Development Grant - £30 million

Digital Development Loan - £5.1 million

DigitalBoost National Programme - £2.9 million

Digital Productivity Labs Pilot - £600,000

Data Readiness Tool - £170,000

Total - £38.77 million.

The Scottish Government meets regularly with representatives of the Scotch whisky industry to discuss Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). The Scotch Whisky Association is a member of the DRS System Wide Assurance Group which meets often to monitor the progress of the scheme’s implementation.

Most recently, on 20 April this year, the First Minister and the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy, and Biodiversity, met with industry leaders, including representatives from the Scotch Whisky Association and other producers and retailers to discuss DRS and how all parties can work together to ensure a successful launch on 1 March 2024.

Throughout the development of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), all relevant business sectors, including glass producers, were consulted. The Scottish Government continues to engage with industry to ensure that our scheme launches successfully on 1 March 2024.

Most recently, on 5 April 2023 the Director of the Environment and Forestry Directorate replied to a letter from British Glass which restated the Government’s position that glass will be included in Scotland’s DRS.

This information is publicly available through the SEPA Waste Discover Data Tool: .

Please note, the impact of a cyber attack means there are data gaps covering 2019 and 2020.