The Special Working Group of the Expert Commission on District Heating submitted its report on potential regulatory frameworks for district heating in Scotland to Scottish Ministers in February 2016. I welcome the report which will be published shortly. The recommendations in the report are currently being considered by the Scottish Government as part of the work to develop a new energy strategy alongside the third report on policies and proposals for climate change. Further investigation and consultation will be necessary to fully explore the implications of the recommendations with regards to devolved competence and their impact on both operators and consumers.

EU Structural and Challenge Fund funding spend in each of the last five years in:

(a) Scotland

(b) The Highlands and Islands and

(c) Orkney is as follows:

	Scotland (£)	Highlands and Islands (£)	Orkney Islands (£)
2011	162,279,283.36	27,149,283.62	1,672,841.84
2012	88,405,472.56	25,593,773.02	2,434,849.71
2013	85,598,361.89	20,403,525.08	3,826,567.42
2014	75,870,285.72	16,466,846.44	803,207.08
2015	77,386,720.88	17,584,625.26	974,992.05
Grand total	489,540,124.00	107,198,053.42	9,712,458.10

The answers have now been provided. The response was delayed as our priority was for ministers to work across portfolios, officials and the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs to all work in unison to find a solution. This has now been done, as set out in our responses to the above questions.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

As indicated in my answer to your question of 6 March 2015 (S4W-24609), the most recent meeting between the Scottish Government and the European Commission to discuss the introduction of a management fee for EU student studying at Scottish universities took place on 26 April 2012.

The Scottish Government does not hold a record of these discussions.

This information is not held centrally

As previously indicated in the answer your question on 23 February 2015 (S4W-24406), considerable discussion took place with EU representatives about the concept and application of management fees for EU students. My predecessor, Michael Russell MSP, made clear to the Scottish Parliament on 5 December 2013, introduction of such a policy would need to meet with EU requirements and is therefore difficult to implement.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The Scottish Government has no current plans to remove debt repayments owed to the Student Loans Company by Scottish-domiciled students and resident graduates.

Average student loan debt in Scotland is the lowest in the UK.

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it can take to encourage employers to allow (a) parents and (b) carers the opportunity to request flexible working.

The Scottish Government funds and is an active partner in the Family Friendly Working Scotland Partnership which was established 2014 to actively encourage family-friendly working across Scotland for parents and carers.

The Scottish Government supports the Scottish Top Employers for Working Families awards which celebrate progressive employers who recognise and promote exceptional practice, we have launched ‘Happy to Talk Flexible Working’, a strapline and logo for employers to use on job adverts to confirm that they are open to flexible working options, and we are establishing a network of champions who can help spread good practice and create more family friendly workplaces in Scotland.

No review into building standards for energy efficiency was cancelled in September 2015. The most recent review of these standards was undertaken between April 2011 and June 2014, with a public consultation in January 2013. This resulted in revised standards being published in October 2014 and brought into force on 1 October 2015. Work on the next review is currently programmed to commence later in 2016.

The Scottish Business Pledge is a voluntary commitment made by companies in Scotland to adopt fair and progressive business practices with the goal of boosting productivity, competitiveness, employment, fair work and workforce engagement and development. It does not refer specifically to nuisance calls and we have no plans at this stage to extend it to do so. However, we will continue to work with key stakeholders, including industry regulators, to determine what practical steps can be taken to better protect consumers, within the boundaries of our devolved powers.