Climate Action and Energy, and Transport
The next item of business is portfolio question time. The portfolio on this occasion is climate action and energy, and transport. There is quite a bit of demand for supplementary questions, so brevity in questions and responses would be welcome.
I note that, for question 1, Michael Matheson is not present in the chamber. I have not received an explanation for that; I expect one in due course.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with stakeholders regarding the development and scaling up of sustainable aviation fuel production, in light of the need to support the infrastructure, skills, and supply chains required to make Scotland a leader in the sector. (S6O-04987)
The Scottish Government, along with economic development agencies, regularly engages with aviation stakeholders, including on matters relating to sustainable aviation fuel. The Scottish Government’s aviation statement sets out our vision for aviation and recognises the potentially significant economic and environmental benefits of using SAF.
Thank you for that answer, minister. Will you organise a meeting with me to see how we can work together with stakeholders?
Always speak through the chair.
A number of stakeholder engagement meetings are already in place. I am not sure whether Foysol Choudhury has looked for another means of holding such a meeting. I am quite happy to have a meeting with him, but I am not entirely sure what that would lead to.
Energy Infrastructure (Community Engagement)
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with community groups that have raised concerns regarding the proliferation of energy infrastructure, including pylons, battery energy storage systems and wind farms. (S6O-04988)
It is vital that communities can have their say on proposed developments. Through public consultations, ministers invite representations from community councils on applications under the Electricity Act 1989 and carefully consider the views of community groups.
Our fourth national planning framework ensures that we assess potential cumulative impacts on communities and nature. Although they do not comment on applications, officials have engaged with MSPs and community groups—and Michael Shanks, the United Kingdom Minister for Energy, and I co-chaired a recent round-table meeting that had community group and developer representatives in attendance—to encourage best practice in community engagement and the co-ordination of development.
Despite what the cabinet secretary has said, communities feel that their voices are being ignored and that the Scottish National Party Government is riding roughshod over their concerns. Will the cabinet secretary put in place a moratorium, as asked for by my Scottish Conservative colleagues, on all new renewables applications until she has met all interested parties—all such parties, not just developers—and brought forward a coherent and transparent energy policy?
To meet groups that are opposed to or in favour of a development would risk breaching the ministerial code, as I have explained time and again. NPF4 already takes into consideration cumulative effect—
On a point of order, Presiding Officer.
I will take the point of order at the end of the cabinet secretary’s response.
It is important to point out that regulation of electricity transmission infrastructure is reserved to the UK Government. Indeed, the planned build-out of new transmission infrastructure was set in train by the UK Government under the Conservatives. In addition, when Conservative ministers were in post, I repeatedly called for mandating community benefits and for community engagement guidelines, but my calls were ignored.
On a point of order, Deputy Presiding Officer. I have looked carefully at the ministerial code, which says that the minister involved in a planning decision
“should only hold such a meeting if it is possible to meet all interested parties in respect of a particular proposal or, as an absolute minimum, to offer all parties the opportunity of such a meeting”.
I cannot understand why the cabinet secretary continually gives us the wrong information regarding the ministerial code.
Thank you, Ms Hamilton. You will know that the content of ministerial responses is not a matter for the chair.
United Kingdom Energy Policy (Impact)
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the UK Government’s energy policy, including licensing decisions and investment priorities, on jobs in Scotland’s offshore energy sector and on progress towards a just transition. (S6O-04989)
Decisions on offshore oil and gas licensing, consenting and the associated fiscal regime are all currently reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Government, along with the industry, workers and communities, is awaiting the UK Government’s responses to its recent consultations, which will have a major bearing on the future of the North Sea energy sector. In particular, we are calling for an end to the energy profits levy, which is having a negative impact on investment in clean energy, oil and gas decommissioning and the shared energy supply chain.
We continue to call on the UK Government to support a just transition by approaching its decisions on North Sea oil and gas projects on a rigorously evidence-led and case-by-case basis, with climate compatibility and energy security as key considerations.
Given that up to 400 energy jobs in the north-east are at risk every fortnight, does the cabinet secretary share my concern that the UK Government’s incoherent energy strategy is destabilising Scotland’s workforce? Does she agree that Scotland has all the energy but none of the powers and that only with independence can we properly manage our offshore mix of oil, gas and renewables to protect jobs and deliver a fair transition?
I agree that only with the full powers of independence will we be able to fully deliver a just transition. In the meantime, workers must be at the heart of the transition, and the Scottish Government will support the energy workforce with the limited powers that are available to us.
More than £120 million has already been invested in the north-east through the just transition fund and the energy transition fund. That investment has helped to create green jobs, support innovation and secure the highly skilled workforce of the future.
The energy profits levy is not only putting oil and gas jobs at risk but having an effect on decommissioning activities, which would also provide work for the energy workforce, particularly in the north-east. More concerning is the effect that the levy will have on the development of offshore wind projects, because companies with licence agreements with oil and gas companies have also been involved in ScotWind projects.
As much as I do not like the Labour Government’s energy policy, at least it has the bottle to publish one. John Swinney’s Government has a presumption against new oil and gas projects, but wannabe First Minister Stephen Flynn seems to want the drilling to continue. Can the cabinet secretary state when the energy policy will be published, so that the devolved Government’s position will finally be clarified?
We have published many policy decisions on energy. Douglas Lumsden asked for policy decisions, and he need only go to the Government’s website to view a plethora of energy policy decisions.
The Scottish Government does have power in relation to consent for offshore renewables projects. It took quite a long time for the Berwick Bank consent process to be concluded, and there were previous concerns about the number of professionals and planners in the marine directorate. Has that shortage of personnel now been resolved, and will we have a swifter consenting process from now on?
As a result of feedback from the sector, we have doubled the capacity of the energy consents unit, and we have done so during a cessation of recruitment in the Scottish Government because of pressures on spending. We also now have apprenticeships associated with the ECU, so we hope to have a pipeline of even more qualified personnel coming into the Scottish Government. In addition, we have introduced a commitment to make decisions on consents within 11 months.
Biodiversity Strategy (Riparian Woodland Planting)
Deputy Presiding Officer, I thank you for your permission to leave before the end of the question session, and I apologise to you and to members for having to do so.
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the “Scottish Biodiversity Strategy to 2045”, including in relation to riparian woodland planting. (S6O-04990)
We published our strategic framework for biodiversity in Scotland in November 2024. The framework has three elements: the long-term strategy to 2045, which sets out the ambition for halting the loss of and substantially restoring biodiversity; the first in a series of delivery plans, which contains more than 100 actions; and statutory targets for nature restoration to drive action and delivery.
Native riparian woodlands are a very important habitat in Scotland for both biodiversity and people. The woodlands support a wide variety of plants and animals, with diversity increasing as the woodland matures. They have a critical role in cooling and maintaining water quality in burns and rivers to the benefit of rare and vulnerable species such as freshwater pearl mussel and Atlantic salmon. They also provide people and communities with natural flood management by moderating the flow of water from the hills into the rivers.
A lot of good work is being done in my constituency of Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley on riparian woodland planting. I refer specifically to the work of Symington community council, in partnership with other groups, to introduce extensive areas of woodland along the upper Pow Burn in order to create natural habitats and nature networks to reduce the flood risk downstream. What support is being provided to communities to support such endeavours?
I commend Symington community council’s ambition for nature restoration through planting riparian woodlands in the upper Pow Burn, as Elena Whitham has outlined. I hope to see other communities throughout Scotland follow its lead if we are to address the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.
Crucially, such initiatives can also benefit communities and individuals downstream with natural flood management and improved water quality. Eligible applicants can apply to the forestry grant scheme to support riparian planting, through which an enhanced payment rate is available. Our nature restoration fund has also supported riparian planting as part of wider, landscape-scale restoration projects.
Invasive non-native species are one of the key drivers of biodiversity loss in Scotland, including through the spread of invasive tree seed to adjoining land such as peatland. Research from the Royal Society of Edinburgh into public subsidies for tree planting and forestry shows that large, dense stands of non-native conifers, such as Sitka spruce, are having an adverse effect on biodiversity. What consideration has the cabinet secretary given to the recommendations in the RSE report to discontinue subsidies for commercial non-native conifer planting?
With regard to woodland planting, I will have to defer to my colleagues in the rural affairs portfolio. However, the responsibility for action on invasive non-native species lies with me, and Mercedes Villalba knows that the matter has my full attention.
Night-time Public Transport Connections
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to improve night-time public transport connections between city centres and suburban areas, including support for late-night bus and rail services to improve affordability, safety and service reliability. (S6O-04991)
The Scottish Government delivered all the powers in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 to enable local transport authorities, working with stakeholders, to improve local bus services over the longer term, according to their local needs.
The complexity of rail network management and maintenance does not currently allow for night-time rail operations. However, recent ScotRail timetable changes introduced later services and increased evening frequency on some suburban routes, including the East Kilbride, Lanark and north Clyde routes. Additional late services from Exhibition Centre station and for specific events have also been added where possible.
ScotRail closely collaborates with its travel safe team and with the British Transport Police, which, along with staff hired for specific events and late services, are enhancing passenger safety. The removal of ScotRail peak fares for good and the planned £2 bus fare cap pilot will further improve affordability for passengers.
Although I welcome any steps that the Government is taking to improve late-night transport links, will the minister acknowledge the added pressure that is caused by the significant number of black hackney taxis in Glasgow that have been taken off the road because of low-emission zone regulations? The reduction in licensed taxis makes it even harder, particularly for women, to get home safely at night.
What additional support or urgent interventions will the Government consider to ensure that safe, affordable and reliable options are available to everyone who is travelling after hours, especially in areas where late-night buses or trains are limited?
Many factors lead to business decisions not to provide services. However, as I have already outlined, ScotRail and the Scottish Government have put in place a number of interventions to allow safe, affordable travel for people at all times of day and evening.
Heat Networks
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its progress on the development and expansion of heat networks across Scotland, including any plans it has to accelerate deployment to meet heat network decarbonisation targets. (S6O-04992)
The Scottish Government has supported local authorities to prepare local heat and energy efficiency strategies, which have identified opportunities for district heating schemes in every area of Scotland. Scotland’s heat network fund has awarded £11.9 million since 2022. Our Government’s heat network support unit is building a pipeline of investable projects, having so far supported 42 projects with funding of £2.3 million.
We are undertaking a strategic review of the role of the Scottish Government, local authorities and the private sector in deploying heat networks, and we will inform Parliament of our next steps in due course.
In Sweden, over half of homes are now heated by district heat networks, which are expected to use energy that comes almost entirely from renewable or waste sources. In the Netherlands and Denmark, municipalities have had statutory heat planning in place for decades.
Will the cabinet secretary outline what additional investment the Scottish Government will now allocate to our councils, given the huge financial and staff pressures that they face? That would make it possible for us not only to meet the Scottish Government’s targets by 2030, but to have municipally owned heat networks, which would have accountability and could reinvest profits back into their communities.
Given the number of heat networks that need to be built in Scotland, we are trying to put a strategy behind this work. Heat networks are very investable propositions. Local authorities will be able to invest in getting them off the ground, but they also need to be able to crowd in private finance.
I can point to a couple of councils in particular. Glasgow City Council is well ahead with heat network plans, and Aberdeen City Council is planning to extend existing heat networks, which are powered by waste-to-energy plants. There are plans across the whole of Scotland. Our strategy will try to bring those all together into a portfolio of investment, because we will need to crowd in private finance in order to get the scale of the development that we need, for exactly the reasons that Sarah Boyack has outlined.
As we move towards electrification to facilitate the decarbonisation of our homes, it is vital that we ensure that clean heat is affordable and accessible. Will the cabinet secretary join me in calling on the United Kingdom Labour Government to act urgently to lower energy bills, alleviate fuel poverty and facilitate the investment and take-up of clean energy technologies?
A country such as Scotland should not have fuel poverty. The Labour Government pledged to cut bills by £300, but now those bills are, on average, more than £280 higher than at the time of the general election.
UK ministers should immediately deliver a social tariff in the form of an automatic and targeted discount on energy bills to address unaffordable bills at source. In tandem, it is critical that we see urgent action on decoupling the cost of gas from the price for electricity that consumers pay. Both those actions will make a material difference in eradicating fuel poverty.
Those critical policies are necessary to support long-term energy affordability, protect consumers from volatile global fossil fuel prices and support investment in new heat network projects.
I wonder whether the minister is familiar with the B-Neatpump project, which has been developed by the Malin Group and Star Refrigeration in Glasgow. It would be a massive industrial opportunity for Scotland if we could manufacture at scale those river-based heat pumps, which can be not only used along Scottish coastlines but exported around the world. If the cabinet secretary observes that the pricing signal is correct, will she encourage that kind of manufacturing opportunity in Scotland as best she can?
Absolutely. A number of projects are transferring heat from rivers into heat for homes. Paul Sweeney makes a very good point that, where we are building out heat networks, we should do as much as possible of the manufacturing for them in Scotland.
Textile Waste (Recycling and Repurposing)
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that Scotland is ready to recycle and repurpose textile waste when the landfill ban comes into force at the end of this year. (S6O-04993)
The Scottish Government has been supporting local authorities in their preparations for the ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste, including by increasing the amount of waste that they recycle through our £70 million recycling improvement fund.
We recently consulted on the approach to the collection of textile waste by local authorities. That consultation closed on 17 June this year, and the results are currently being analysed.
We have also confirmed that textile products will be a key focus of our product stewardship plan, and we will consider the textiles sector in our forthcoming circular economy strategy.
I thank the cabinet secretary for that response and for recognising the innovative work by ACS Clothing in my constituency when she responded to my written question earlier this month. The company was delighted, and I trust that she will keep championing its work and the work of other companies as we all strive to close the loop on textile waste.
Does the cabinet secretary agree that Scotland has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead globally on textile recycling and on repurposing technologies that can help to prevent textiles from going to landfill or being incinerated or exported elsewhere? Will she give serious consideration to establishing a Scottish industry academic consortium as part of the upcoming circular economy strategy for Scotland that she mentioned, to help to accelerate the turning of textile recycling technologies into commercially viable solutions?
As Stephanie Callaghan will know, I was very pleased to visit ACS Clothing last year to see at first hand the fantastic work that it does, which is truly incredible. The company was able to tell me not only about the amount of clothing that it prevents from going to landfill, but about the work that it is doing to reduce the emissions that are generated from the cleaning of the products that it resells and the amount of water that it uses. It is working hard to reduce its own emissions.
Textile products will be a key focus of the product stewardship plan. We will also consider textiles as part of the forthcoming circular economy strategy consultation. I can confirm that our proposals will include working closely with the sector, including trailblazing businesses such as ACS Clothing, to address barriers to circularity. Future actions to support the sustainable textile sector in Scotland will be guided by those plans and by the results of the consultation on approaches to local authority textile waste collections.
What carbon budgeting has been carried out in relation to assessing the impact of transporting waste from Scotland to England when the landfill ban comes into force?
I am working hard with my officials and the waste sector to ensure that we keep as much of our waste as possible in Scotland to be recycled. I will not countenance the idea of waste being sent to landfill in England. We will have a landfill ban, and I am working with the sector at pace to ensure that everyone is ready for that. Local authorities have already done a great deal of work to reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill, and I am confident that we will have a solution in place.
On a point of order. Presiding Officer. Can you offer me guidance on how I can get an answer to my very simple question: when will the Government release its energy strategy? On 17 occasions in the past year and a half, I have asked ministers to bring forward a timeline. If the cabinet secretary has time to jet around the world selling Scotland’s countryside, surely she has time to come to Parliament and release a strategy that has been three years in the making.
Presiding Officer, I believe that the cabinet secretary’s failure to do so is discourteous to this place, that it falls far short of the standards that you yourself set for this place and that it shows a lack of the courtesy and respect to members and the chair that the MSP code of conduct demands. I seek your guidance on what other methods I can use to get an answer, which my constituents and business deserve.
Thank you for providing advance notice of your point of order, Mr Lumsden. As you will be aware, the content of ministerial responses—as I suggested to your colleague Rachael Hamilton earlier—is not a matter for the chair; it is a matter for the Scottish Government. You have put your point on record.
There will be a brief pause before we move on to the next item of business, to allow front-bench teams to change over.
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