To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the development of the changing places toilet fund. (S6O-04201)

I provided an update to Parliament on the changing places toilet fund during Jeremy Balfour’s members’ business debate on the subject on 11 December. I also provided answers on 6 January to five written parliamentary questions that were submitted by Mr O’Kane on the issue. As I have said previously, I will provide a further update once arrangements have been finalised, and subject to parliamentary approval of the Scottish Government’s budget bill.

I thank the Minister for that answer and the previous answers to which she refers.

According to PAMIS—Promoting a More Inclusive Society—when the funding was initially announced in 2021, the average cost of equipment for a changing places toilet ranged from £12,000 to £17,000. The minister will be aware that significant rises in construction costs and the costs of equipment over many years have vastly increased the overall cost of building a changing places toilet.

The Government has caused delays. There has been repeated reprofiling of the fund, which has caused exasperation for disabled people, as the minister has heard and well knows, and it is clear that projects across the country now cost more money and that the fund has been devalued.

Has the Government done any analysis of how many projects it would expect £10 million to fund? How many fewer projects might there be as a result of the delays around the issue?

We have done a great deal of work on the issue over a number of years, and I am absolutely delighted to have seen such good progress in Scotland. The number of changing places toilets in Scotland has risen from 25 to 269, which means that Scotland has the highest number of changing places toilets per head in the United Kingdom. That is an increase of almost 30 per cent compared to 2019, when the Scottish Government introduced the new Scottish building regulations, so it is not the case that we have made no progress in relation to that funding.

The member will be aware that we are operating in an extremely challenging financial context. We had to make difficult decisions collectively and flex to respond to changing circumstances. However, on 11 December, I was pleased to be able to confirm that work is on-going to establish the number of projects that we have and how the fund will be distributed and profiled, and the funding will be in place next year.

Ministers’ support for the investment has been solid and steadfast. The best thing that the member can do to ensure that that investment becomes a reality is to vote for the budget.

Changing places toilets make a real difference to disabled people and their families, and we would all like to see further provision of them. Will the Minister outline a wee bit more about how the Scottish Government will ensure that the CPT fund is designed to meet the needs of those who need it most?

I recognise the level of cross-party interest and support for changing places toilets. During the debate on 11 December, members from every party, including Stephen Kerr, Stuart McMillan and Paul O’Kane, all committed their support for more provision of the facilities.

We are working closely with PAMIS to develop the fund so that it takes account of users’ needs. PAMIS has significant technical expertise and experience of supporting local projects across Scotland. I updated the cross-party group on changing places toilets on 14 November, when I sought initial views on the fund criteria. I would like to continue that engagement and to learn lessons from similar funding schemes. We are able to learn a great deal from what has happened in England. It is clear that the fund will need to be flexible enough to take account of different local circumstances across Scotland.

What meetings has the Minister had with third sector organisations other than PAMIS in the past six months regarding the setting up of the changing places toilet fund?

I am afraid that I do not have that information to hand. I can certainly write to the member and let him know what engagement the Government has had on the fund over the past six months.