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Ensuring that we have a suitably qualified workforce in place will be imperative for delivering a smooth rollout of energy efficiency and zero emission heating measures which will support us to achieve our net zero ambitions.

We currently offer support to the sector through a number of schemes which includes the Low Carbon Skills Grant which is available to heating and plumbing apprentices’ to undertake heat pump training as part of their qualification.

To further ensure the quality of works carried out we also provide funding to assist Scottish SMEs installing heat pumps in achieving MCS certification for the first time through the MCS Certification Fund.

We will continue to keep our offers of support under review to ensure that they are aligned at a local level with business needs and future local demands.

Delivery partners for each scheme, including local authorities where relevant, are currently responsible for the coordination of suppliers to ensure they have sufficient capacity in place to deliver schemes. It is likely that this arrangement will continue but we are committed to working with delivery partners to support the development of local and national supply chains and skills.

The recent Policy Prospectus confirmed the Government’s continuing, strong commitment to matters covered by the Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands portfolio, and set out actions that government is taking across a number of portfolios in order to create jobs, strengthen food production and food security, and support repopulation and green skills development in our rural communities – boosting the rural and coastal economy.

The Prospectus highlights a number of these commitments, including around Housing, where we will ensure that at least 10% of our 110,000 affordable homes target in remote, rural and island communities. We are also making available up to £25 million in a demand led fund targeted at affordable homes for key workers, such as those working in the public sector and emergency services; and the £30 million Rural and Island Housing Fund plays an important role in offering support to community groups.

The Rural Delivery Plan, that we will publish by the end of this Parliament, will further confirm how this Government is delivering for Scotland’s rural, island and coastal communities.

The composition of the ministerial team and the allocation of portfolio responsibilities are routinely kept under review by the First Minister and shift as a variety of factors require.

The Scottish Government now routinely mandates the payment of at least the Scottish real Living Wage (£10.90) to employees directly involved in the delivery of its contracts. The 6% of contractors referenced in the Annual Report 20-21 was made up of 16 suppliers. Recent analysis of these suppliers and the associated contracts has revealed that of these 16, 14 now pay the real Living Wage either through a change of contractor during a re-let or via contract management processes. For the 2 remaining suppliers, one contract is currently being retendered due for award in July 2023 and the other is due for re-tender in 2024.

The Scottish Government is taking steps to maximise the payment of the real Living Wage, by including Fair Work First Criteria, including providing fair pay for workers in the delivery of the contracts where relevant and proportionate.

The Scottish Government intervened to secure the future of Glasgow Prestwick Airport when the business was under threat of closure. It was in the public interest to secure the continued operation of Glasgow Prestwick Airport as an asset of strategic importance to Scotland.

Glasgow Prestwick Airport has performed well in a highly competitive aviation market and is now a profitable business, however we remain committed to returning the airport to private ownership at the appropriate time. Any decision to sell Prestwick Airport must be informed by what is right for the long-term success of the business and it's contribution to the local and Scottish economy.

There is considerable potential for Glasgow Prestwick Airport to drive economic development as the anchor of an aerospace cluster in South Ayrshire. The Scottish Government will work with all relevant parties to make the most of this opportunity.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17797 on 17 May 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The Scottish Government does not hold this information and it is not collected by Public Health Scotland.

The right to public assembly is an important human right that the Scottish Government is committed to uphold.

We have no plans to extend the provisions in the Public Order Act 2023 which create new offences and new police powers relating to protests in England and Wales. In May 2022, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans wrote to the Minister of State for Crime, Policing and Probation and confirmed that the Scottish Government would not be requesting that any of the provisions in the Public Order Bill be extended to Scotland.

There have been no discussions with the SEC management team specifically on the financing of the proposed expansion since it was raised with the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture in April 2022. Due to budgetary pressures, we are unable to provide a capital finance package to fund the planned expansion. However, we continue to engage with the SEC, which has an excellent track record and reputation for hosting conferences and events, to build on their success.

Three agencies have been opened outside of the Lothian region since 2007 with no relocations during this time. There is one Agency located in the West Scotland region.

There have been multiple changes to Scottish Government Directorates over the last 15 years. Available data would not provide accurate assessment of the number of Directorates relocated or opened outside of the Lothians over the period.

Directorates particularly in DG Net Zero and DG Communities continue to be located outside of the Central Belt in locations close to their stakeholders and operations.

Support for households is currently accessed via Home Energy Scotland or via local authority-led Area Based Schemes. Funding for these schemes is allocated annually by the Scottish Government.

It is likely that this arrangement will continue in the short term, but we are committed to working with delivery partners, including Local Government to ensure the efficient and delivery of support to households.

As noted in response to S6W-16779 the Scottish Government is working with wider stakeholders to align current and future delivery and funding programmes with Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies to support a strategic approach to the decarbonisation of heat reflecting local contexts and tailoring support to specific needs of communities.