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The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people is a top priority for the Scottish Government. We are committed to improving support for children and young people’s mental health, in order to ensure early intervention and prevention of suicide.

We do not take a prescriptive approach to the education curriculum in Scotland. The curriculum is not statutory and therefore it is for individual schools and local authorities to decide which approaches they use to help them deliver relevant and engaging learning.

Schools are encouraged to develop the curriculum to suit their local context and meet the needs of children and young people, this can include delivering learning on suicide prevention. It is good practice for schools to consult with children and young people and respond to their views appropriately, to ensure this meets the needs of all children and young people in the school or educational setting.

Education Scotland's National Improvement Hub contains resources and learning for school staff to support young people in relation to self-harm and suicide. In addition, in June 2021, we published an online professional learning resource aimed at school staff to support young people’s mental health and wellbeing. The resource includes a section on suicide.

There has been no specific assessment by the Scottish Government of the additional cost of living pressures experienced by residents in Edinburgh. However, in November 2022 the Scottish Government published a report: ‘The Cost of Living Crisis in Scotland: Analytical Report’ which drew together analysis to provide an overview of emerging evidence on the cost of living crisis. Although the report didn’t specifically look at the impact on Edinburgh residents it did identify, at a national level, those low income households who will be most negatively affected by the cost of living crisis.

The Scottish Government is continuing to monitor the cost of living crisis closely and has announced a number of measures to support households, including residents in Edinburgh. This includes introducing emergency legislation to put in place a rent freeze, increasing the Scottish Child Payment (SCP) and doubling both the Fuel Insecurity Fund and the December 2022 SCP Bridging Payment.

The Scottish Government is currently undertaking a thorough review of its options in relation to collecting data on secondary breast cancer in Scotland, taking consideration of clinical time required and how it can be used to improve services. We are currently in dialogue with Public Health Scotland, NHS England and the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership alongside breast cancer specialists and the Third Sector.

Local authorities have reported that in 2021-22 103 play park renewals were completed with a further 82 renewals in progress. The following table shows how many play parks were renewed in each local authority in 2021-22. Local authorities will report at the end of the financial year on the number of play parks renewed in 2022-23.

The Scottish Government has not carried out recent assessment of the financial viability of independent, third sector Scottish Hospices.

As confirmed by the First Minister in the Chamber on 15 December 2022, the Scottish Government will meet with Hospice representatives to discuss the pressures they are facing, in common with other voluntary and statutory sectors, due to the impact of increased inflation and energy costs.

Scottish Ministers are committed to ensuring that people with mental health issues have access to independent advocacy. We recognise that advocacy is central to empowering people with mental health issues to have their voices heard and participate fully in decisions about their care.

Under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act, people with a mental illness have a right to independent advocacy.

We have provided funding of £500,000 per year to NHS Boards and £177,000 to the Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance (SIAA), and will continue funding to ensure people are supported to understand their choices and make their own decisions. The SIAA is a membership organisation which is responsible for promoting, supporting and defending independent advocacy in Scotland.

We also provide funding for third sector organisations who ensure collective advocacy for those with lived experience of mental health issues. This includes £188,000 this year to Vox Scotland who represent the voices of those with lived mental health experience to Scotland’s politicians and health professionals.

The Scottish Mental Health Law Review published its final report at the end of September 2022 and set out proposals for reform, including recommendations relating to the future provision and funding of independent advocacy services.

Cross-government work is now underway to assess these proposals and we will set out our response in due course.

Scottish Government officials had discussions with the Existing Homes Alliance during 2022 as part of the Alliance’s work to develop a Rural Homes Just Transition Package .

Reducing emissions from our homes and buildings is one of the most important things we can do to help end Scotland’s contribution to climate change, and communities have a key role to play within this.

The Scottish Government’s £300 million Heat Network Fund offers capital grant funding for the rollout of new zero emission heat networks and communal heating systems, as well as the expansion and decarbonisation of existing heat networks across Scotland.

At the start of December, our Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) launched the Community Heat Development Programme. This programme will work with eligible community organisations and groups of householders to help develop their ideas for locally-generated, low and zero carbon heat project ideas.

All households occupying a new home warranted after 1 April 2024 will be impacted by the proposed prohibition on the installation of Direct Emissions Heating Systems, including gas boilers, from that date. We will publish details on the projected number of new build homes and conversions impacted by the Standard as part of our Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) which will be made available alongside the regulations in spring 2023.

Scotland has some of the strongest homelessness legislation in the world and local authorities have a legal duty to provide support to anyone at risk of homelessness, including veterans.

Preventing homelessness from happening in the first place is the best and most effective way to end homelessness. We commissioned the Veterans Scotland Housing Group to set out specific strategies to prevent homelessness for veterans and their report was published in January 2022. We accepted the 24 recommendations in principle and are engaging with partners on next steps.

Additionally, we continue to support the charity Housing Options Scotland to provide its Military Matters project, helping veterans and serving members of the Armed Forces to find the right home in the right place. We also published a guide on the Scottish Government website with housing in Scotland information and contacts of organisations who may be able to help veterans obtain housing suitable for their needs.