Question reference: S6W-21956
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 2 October 2023
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Current status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 October 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether its Infrastructure Investment Plan is compatible with the emissions targets set out in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, in light of a reported breach of statutory duties identified by the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland and Good Law Project.
Answer
Scottish Ministers accept that the documentation published to date falls short of the requirements of Section 94A of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. Scottish Ministers are committed to complying fully with these requirements and are engaging with Environmental Standards Scotland on this matter through the informal resolution process. To this end, the Scottish Ministers intend to publish an assessment of the extent to which investment in accordance with the Infrastructure Investment Plan is expected to contribute to the meeting of the emissions reduction targets in Part 1 of the 2009 Act. In the context of the informal resolution process, it is the Scottish Ministers’ intention to share with ESS the proposed assessment prior to publication. This will be done as soon as possible and before the end of the calendar year, with publication anticipated in early course thereafter.