Chamber and committees

As I mentioned, Scottish Water has a good story to tell about its wider performance, but I recognise Beatrice Wishart’s point about the need for continuing investment. There is continuing investment—in fact, £1 billion has been invested in the water network around the country, and we will seek to provide more investment. Scottish Water is taking action and is committing up to £500 million to improve water quality, increase monitoring of the highest-priority waters and, as I mentioned, deal with spills and overflows.

I thank Paul Sweeney for his question. I know that he is very interested in built heritage.

With regard to the member’s point about windows, the permitted development right for the alteration or replacement of windows in domestic or non-domestic buildings primarily means that, in most conservation areas, the front elevation of properties will continue to be under restrictions. There are different rules for listed buildings, too. However, as I say, local authorities have a degree of authority on this matter when approached by people in such situations.

On the member’s point about maintenance, I do not know whether he is alluding to the question of safety, but the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is informed of such applications and does have input into the process.

As for the member’s wider questions about the benefit to Scotland and the community, despite the fact that powers to mandate community benefits are reserved to the UK Government, Scotland has made progress through our voluntary good practice principles framework, which encourages developers to offer community benefits as standard on all renewable energy projects. We are currently undertaking a joint review of and consultation on the Scottish Government’s good practice principles for onshore and offshore energy developments, as part of which our approach to community benefits from battery storage will be considered.

Promoting carbon literacy is essential to achieving net zero. That is why, through the work of our enterprise agencies and Business Energy Scotland, we have ensured that support and guidance are available to help businesses to understand and reduce their carbon emissions while aiding climate resilience. That is also why we are committed to working in partnership with public bodies, including through the Sustainable Scotland Network, to help them to fulfil their climate change duties and demonstrate climate leadership. As part of that work, we are drafting new statutory guidance that will improve climate literacy across the public sector.

I recognise the criticality of the Grangemouth cluster and its contribution to Scotland’s economy. We are committed to playing our part to secure a sustainable and long-term future for the complex.

We have jointly funded the project willow study, which seeks to develop a set of commercial propositions for the site, and we have committed £50 million to the Falkirk and Grangemouth growth deal. I am also working closely with Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International to identify and work with partners with an interest in investing in the cluster.

In the draft budget, £8.75 million is directly attributed to Grangemouth. I am committed to working with industry and the community through the Grangemouth future industry board to identify interventions and projects that maximise outcomes. I also call on the United Kingdom Government to go further in ensuring that it leaves no stone unturned in achieving our shared ambitions for Grangemouth.

I agree whole-heartedly with Ms Whitham about the need to support the upskilling of businesses and organisations across our economy. That is vital if we are to deliver the changes that are needed for net zero and if we are to realise the significant benefits of adopting more efficient and sustainable practices.

As I have said, the Scottish Government continues to provide support for carbon literacy through our enterprise agencies and our work across the public sector, but we also need to see action from outwith Government. That is why I welcome the efforts of businesses such as The Way Forward 2045, which Elena Whitham highlighted and which she has mentioned in parliamentary motions.

In the past year, that business has been shortlisted for a VIBES Scottish environment business award in the just transition category. That kind of recognition is a further way in which we are encouraging positive change and greater carbon literacy across our economy.

A number of the interventions that I just mentioned are very much about the here and now. The Falkirk Council motion and Michelle Thomson have highlighted the tension that is at the heart of what the partners are doing to ensure that Grangemouth has a key role to play in Scotland’s net zero future. However, as Michelle Thomson said, we must also consider the here and now. It was disappointing to hear nothing at all from the chancellor yesterday—not a single commitment or comment—that would either help to avoid an abrupt and unnecessary closure of the refinery or support Grangemouth’s transition to play its part in Scotland’s green economy.

We need all the partners on the Grangemouth future industry board to work together constructively and with real urgency to do all that they can to progress the project willow recommendations when the report is produced. Given that it will fall to the UK Government to use its reserved powers to progress many of those recommendations, and given that the UK Government co-chairs the board, we will need the Labour Government to do what it has said it will do.

Scotland’s national planning framework ensures that the potential impacts of developments on communities and nature are important considerations in decision making. All applications are subject to site-specific assessments—[Interruption.] Are there problems with the microphone?

Even in circumstances in which proposals for solar are not covered by the generous permitted development rights that I have mentioned, people still have the option of applying for permission to install panels. That will be a matter for the planning authority, and such applications will be considered, taking account of and weighing up the very supportive renewable energy policy in national planning framework 4, alongside policy relating to heritage objectives and any other relevant considerations.

In May last year, the Scottish Government amended permitted development rights to allow solar panels and replacement windows to be installed on domestic and non-domestic buildings in conservation areas without the need for a planning application. That important change strikes an appropriate balance between tackling climate change and protecting important historic buildings and townscapes. Those rights are subject to specific restrictions, such as allowing solar panels to the rear of buildings in conservation areas.