Chamber and committees

a) A formal staff consultation was not triggered prior to the announcement as there are no compulsory redundancies.

Staff are VisitScotland's priority, and they are engaging with them to discuss their options such as re-skilling, redeployment and voluntary redundancy.

VisitScotland have established a staff engagement programme, which involves every iCentre and allows for both collective and individual engagement and representation throughout the change programme.

b) VisitScotland consulted with Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union prior to the announcement and continue to work with them during the on-going change programme.

The Hydrogen Innovation Scheme (HIS) aims to support the development and demonstration of renewable hydrogen technologies and products needed to support our ambition of 5GW installed hydrogen production capacity by 2030. The HIS targets support for innovation under the themes of renewable hydrogen production, hydrogen storage and distribution, and integration of hydrogen into our energy system.

Successful applicants were announced by the then First Minister Humza Yousaf at the All Energy Conference in May 2023. Over £7m in HIS funding grant awards were made to 31 to feasibility and demonstration projects in Scotland.

To date, 10 projects have been successfully completed, with the remaining 21 projects due for completion by March 2025. All have performed or are performing well in meeting their agreed outputs.

It is Scottish Government policy to place children in secure accommodation where detention is required by the court.

Subject to Royal Assent, once the relevant provisions in the Children (Care and Justice) Scotland Bill are commenced, this will ensure that the use of Young Offenders Institutions (YOI) will be prohibited for under 18s.

The Bill passed on 25 April - discussions have already begun with secure accommodation providers, the Scottish Prison Service, The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and local authority representatives. The aim is to arrange the transition of young people from YOI to secure care or community alternatives as soon as is safely possible. We will update Parliament once firm arrangements are in place.

Oversight and governance of the Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal (SOWSD) is led by the Scottish Onshore Wind Strategic Leadership Group (OWSLG).

The OWSLG is accountable for delivery of the Sector Deal, including review and approval of the work programme. The group will publicly report at least annually on progress, including on the forecast of operational onshore wind to 2030 and beyond. The group currently meets on a quarterly basis, with Ministers attending meetings twice a year.

In relation to the commitment on a skills paper, the Scottish Government commissioned research to identify the skills and workforce required to support the deployment of onshore wind up to 2030. This research was published through ClimateXChange on 14 May 2024 Workforce and skills requirements in Scotland’s onshore wind industry | ClimateXChange

The Scottish Government has committed to developing a Just Transition Plan for the Mossmorran industrial complex, work will commence in early 2025. This will allow for a thorough evaluation of the approach taken at Grangemouth to maximise learning and outputs. We will follow the principles of co-design and include a wide range of appropriate stakeholders from the community, industry, workforce and public sector. The Scottish Government intends to publish the plan by the end of the parliament.

VisitScotland’s Strategic Change Programme seeks to ensure that they continue to make the biggest possible positive impact on the visitor economy.

As part of VisitScotland's Strategic Change Programme, a detailed review has considered their role in information provision. VisitScotland's future information strategy is based on research including trends and data that show how visitors plan their trips. As part of the review process, VisitScotland also took into account data related to their iCentre network.

The following key research sources were utilised:

• VisitScotland insight data over a number of years as published in their annual reports: Our Annual Performance Report | VisitScotland.org
• VisitBritain: MIDAS - Full Research Report - Dec 2022
• Expedia: Expedia Group's Path to Purchase Study on Traveler Behaviors: Key Findings and Methodology
• TripAdvisor: E conomicPortraitofTraveler2023

In addition to the above, VisitScotland drew upon the professional knowledge and experience of their staff.

VisitScotland has taken the decision to close its iCentre network by March 2026 in response to reduced footfall and demand for information, with data showing that the majority of visitors to Scotland access information ahead of travelling to the country. As this was an operational decision for VisitScotland, the Scottish Government did not conduct an impact assessment.

However, data indicates that the previous phase of iCentre closures in 2018-2019 did not negatively impact the visitor economy. Since 2019, the number of overseas visitors to Scotland has increased by 14%, with the number of tourism businesses increasing by 6%.

VisitScotland continues to support the growth of the visitor economy in every region of Scotland through its marketing activity, support for events, destination development and free-to-access business advice and support programme.

Delivery of the Scottish 4G Infill Programme completed in November 2023 and no further funding has been allocated to this programme beyond 2023-24 .

Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of ICIAs completed by other Relevant Authorities who are responsible for publishing their own assessments in the way that they consider appropriate.

The Scottish Government does not collect or hold data on current 4G and 5G mobile notspots.

Ofcom produces an annual Connected Nations report including coverage and performance of mobile networks at local authority area. This is accessible at https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/multi-sector-research/infrastructure-research along with underlying datasets.