Mentions:
1: Whitham, Elena (SNP - Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) build heat standard would not, in fact, have prevented someone who had the same house type as me—an older - Speech Link
2: Burnett, Alexander (Con - Aberdeenshire West) for the people and sectors that it impacts. - Speech Link
3: Harper, Emma (SNP - South Scotland) Committee as well as going to the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee. - Speech Link
4: Martin, Gillian (SNP - Aberdeenshire East) I am alive to the fact that people put in biomass boilers for primary and secondary heating. - Speech Link

Correspondence May. 29 2024

Found: people do not have the technical skills to draw out a floor plan and have to pay for it to be done.

S6W-27496

Asked by: Sweeney, Paul (Scottish Labour - Glasgow)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what help is available to support veterans and armed forces personnel to seek out and engage with public or third sector-provided services, such as services relating to health and housing, which they may be hesitant to engage with due to fear of perceived stigma.

Answered by Dey, Graeme - Minister for Higher and Further Education; and Minister for Veterans

The Scottish Government continues to provide annual grant funding to Veterans Scotland who have developed Veterans Assist. This online resource signposts and connects the veterans community and their families with the organisations and services best placed to provide the information, advice and support they need from across Scotland. This includes information on the various Armed Forces and veterans Champions, including in Health Boards and Local Authorities, as well as information on healthcare, housing, employability, finances and more.

In relation to healthcare, and to better support veterans and their families access and engage with primary healthcare providers, the General Practice Armed Forces and Veterans Recognition Scheme opened to General Practices across Scotland in November 2023. By providing easily accessible training materials, the scheme aims to raise awareness among General Practice teams of some of the health challenges that veterans and Armed Forces families face as a result of military service. The training is currently being further developed for use by staff in secondary care.

The Scottish Government also continues to provide funding support to Housing Options Scotland, which specialises in providing free, independent, and bespoke cross-tenure housing information, advice, and advocacy services to disabled people, older people and, through its Military Matters project, members of the Armed Forces and veterans community.

In addition, the Scottish Government is also looking at making kitemarking a requirement for all organisations that receive grant funding through the Scottish Veterans Fund from this financial year onwards, so that recipients can demonstrate their commitment to being welcoming and inclusive to our LGBTQI+ veterans. The Scottish Government, in March 2023, also launched a campaign working with the business community to help employers understand the benefits that veterans bring to the civilian workforce, which in turn supports changing perceptions, tackling stigma and increasing employment opportunities for veterans.

Correspondence May. 28 2024

Found: The survey captured responses from 4,203 people aged 18+ and the data was weighted to be representative

Correspondence May. 28 2024

Found: Ariane Burgess MSP Convener of the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee