Chamber and committees

Following the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs on 16 May 2024, the Director of Justice in the Scottish Government wrote to Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs), to make them aware of the Cabinet Secretary’s statement.

The letter committed to keeping ADPs informed regarding plans for emergency release and other measures as they continue to be developed.

The Scottish Government, with the Scottish Prison Service, has established an Operational Delivery Leads Group, to support planning and delivery in relation to emergency release. Representatives from ADPs will be invited to join the group.

In addition to this, we are working with health boards to ensure that the impact on prison healthcare teams is understood and considered within decision-making and, to support these teams respond to the current high levels of the prison population, whose needs are increasingly complex. Following the statement, a network of Executive-level leads from all Health Board areas and national and local SPS representatives met to discuss the prison population increase and will continue to correspond on all significant developments, meeting whenever necessary.

The Scottish Recommended Allowance (SRA) currently applies to placements of children in foster care and eligible kinship care. Continuing care rates are for each individual local authority to determine.

We are considering a range of issues that impact young people and their carers as young care experienced people prepare to move on from care into adulthood.

We will launch a public consultation in Summer 2024 which will ask for views on the support required to help young people as they move on from care. This will include questions on the improvements which can be made to the provision of Continuing Care.

The Scottish Government committed at the time the Scottish Recommended Allowance (SRA) was launched to, maintaining the 2023-24 levels of support for the allowances going forward, and to reviewing the funding implications for future years from 2024-25.

We are carefully considering what is affordable for 2024-25 given we have already invested an additional £16 million per year, and the financial challenges facing the whole of the public sector. We plan to make an announcement shortly following discussions with COSLA.

The UK Government’s Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) provides an opportunity to take a whole systems view of our future electricity market and consider how it can be reformed to support further renewable deployment, ensure security of supply and reduce costs for consumers. We are clear that any reforms should support a fair and just transition to net zero. We provided a response to the second REMA consultation on 3 May.

We are aware of the potential impacts, both positive and negative, that locational marginal pricing could have for market participants, and we are cognisant of concerns expressed by the renewables industry in Scotland. We are also aware of potential benefits for consumers, including those in or at risk of fuel poverty, as well as for the decarbonisation of industry, heat and transport through electrification. We continue to call on the UK Government to act quickly to provide further clarity on market reform options.

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on how the Scottish National Investment Bank's £50 million investment in the Ardersier Port will benefit (a) the local area, (b) industry and (c) its climate ambitions.The Scottish National Investment Bank has invested £50 million in Ardersier Port alongside a similar £50 million investment from the UK Infrastructure Bank. This investment follows a £300 million capital commitment from Quantum Capital - the largest private sector port investment for offshore wind to date. The project aligns with the Bank’s net zero mission.

As a result, Ardersier Port is expected to become of strategic importance in supporting the growing offshore wind industry over the coming years. Once operational, the facility will significantly increase the offshore wind port capacity, to support the transition to net zero in Scotland and the UK. As one of the largest industrial regeneration projects in the Highlands in decades, it will re-establish the port as a major local employer, supporting and creating hundreds of jobs. At full capacity it is estimated that the site has potential to enable around 3,000 jobs and reskilling opportunities for the local area.

The global transition to net zero offers enormous economic opportunities for Scotland. Offshore wind is at the heart of both our energy and economic policy. We have made a commitment to invest up to £500 million over 5 years to anchor our offshore wind supply-chain in Scotland. This will support market certainty, helping to create a highly productive, competitive economy, providing thousands of new jobs, embedding innovation and boosting skills. Investments like Ardersier show the Scottish public sector can play a key role in building market confidence and anchoring core parts of the global offshore wind sector in Scotland.

The Scottish National Investment Bank makes commercial investments, debt and/or equity, in businesses and/or projects in line with the three strategic missions set for it by Scottish Ministers. The Bank’s investment decisions are independent of Government.

The information on whether the Bank’s investment in a company or project is debt or equity may be available on the Bank’s Portfolio page at: https://www.thebank.scot/portfolio or from the Bank direct.

The Scottish Government does not hold details on the number of or percentage equity stakes the Bank holds in companies or projects.

In 2023, 70 bursaries were awarded to individuals wishing to change career and undertake a Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE).

Since the introduction of the scheme, 659 bursaries have been awarded.

Glasgow City Council administers and enforces their LEZ and as such receives all penalty charge notice payments. The spending of any monies received from penalty charges in respect of a LEZ scheme is a matter for the local authority. These funds can only be used for the purposes of facilitating the achievement of the scheme’s objectives and thus support air quality/climate change emission reduction measures or supporting the operational cost of the scheme.

Every year, the Scottish Government clearly sets out how many bursaries are available. Arrangements for the 2024-25 bursary scheme are currently under consideration by the Teaching Bursary advisory group and will be publicised shortly.

Scottish Government’s responsibilities for its public bodies include taking appropriate steps to ensure that the landscape is appropriate. This does not require an independent review.