Chamber and committees

The project was chosen for funding through engagement with regional partners including the Oil and Gas and Energy Transition Strategic Leadership Group and the North East Regional Economic Strategy Group as part of the wider Energy Transition Fund support package to help deliver net zero and help the energy sector recover from the dual economic impacts of Coronavirus and the oil and gas price crash.

The location of the ETZ is primarily a matter for local partners, and the planning authority, in the first instance, not the Scottish Government.

Recognising the value of green space to local communities, a critical success factor of the project is that the ETZ must offer communities societal benefits including coastal access, open space, landscape and biodiversity enhancements and that project owners are able to demonstrate meaningful engagement with local communities as the project develops.

Recorded Police Warnings are an alternative disposal option that are available to police officers that allow them to deal more quickly and efficiently with a range of offences which already commonly result in non-court disposals, including for small quantities of specified controlled drugs. The types of crime covered by the Recorded Police Warning scheme are a matter for the Lord Advocate as part of her independent role as head of the system of prosecution therefore it would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment on this.

The Scottish Government is committed to tackling the barriers that prevent people from accessing treatment and services, including travelling to those services. We will consider all options in how we can best support people to access the treatment and support they need, when they need it.

We know that for many people, problematic substance use co-occurs with mental health problems and we are committed to improving integration between mental health and addiction recovery services.

The decision on which organisations can sign off eligibility certificates for the national concessionary travel scheme is taken at a local level, by local authorities. Any extension to the existing eligibility criteria of the National Concessionary Travel Scheme may require amending legislation.

The Scottish Government is considering options that could improve access to drug and alcohol services through supporting people to travel to those services.

The Scottish Government supports piloting supervised safe consumption facilities in Scotland given the evidence from other countries over the past 30 years.

The Misuse of Drugs Act (1971) is reserved to the UK Government, but we will continue to seek constructive engagement to move matters forward. The Minister for Drugs Policy, Angela Constance, has written to the UK Government on a number of occasions this year to engage with them on the evidence.

We are working with services to leave no stone unturned to overcome the existing legal barriers to implement safe consumption rooms in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to tackling the barriers that prevent people from accessing treatment and services and ensuring that people are able to access the treatment and support they need, when they need it.

We know that for many people, problematic substance use co-occurs with mental health problems and we are committed to improving integration between mental health and addiction recovery services.

The Scottish Government is also considering options that could improve access to drug and alcohol services, such as supporting people to travel to services and addressing digital exclusion.

NCT002 forms are used for mental health applications for concessionary travel and better integration between mental health and drug and alcohol services is an important part of ensuring that those who are eligible under existing concessionary travel scheme criteria are accessing the support they are entitled to.

Independent Licensing Boards are responsible for the day to day administration of the alcohol licensing regime within the legislative framework set out in the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 (“the 2005 Act”). The 2005 Act includes 5 high level licensing objectives, one of which is “protecting and improving public health”, which Boards must have regard to in carrying out their functions under the legislation. The 2005 Act places a duty on Boards to make an assessment of overprovision and include a statement regarding this in their licensing policy statement. Boards are empowered to consider the unique circumstances of their area and decide whether, based on local needs, it is appropriate to restrict access to alcohol through limits on new licences, licences of a particular type, or variations of existing licences. In light of this the Scottish Government has no plans to adopt the “surrender provision” which operates in Northern Ireland.

The recording of information on the lobbying register is a matter for regulated lobbyists in line with the requirements of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016.

All Ministerial engagements are proactively published by the Scottish Government and are available at the Gov.scot website .

Any changes to the lobbying register would be a matter for the Scottish Parliament to consider in the first instance.

On parts (a) and (b) of the question - this information is not held by the Scottish Government.

On parts (i), (ii) and (iii) of the question - we do not give specific financial support to windfarms, but have supported offshore wind innovation via grant funding totalling over £9.5 million since 2014, to initiatives which help towards the reduction in cost of this technology.

This includes almost £8 million to the Carbon Trust to support the Offshore Wind Accelerator and Floating Wind Joint Industry Project - programmes which utilise a market-led approach to address technical challenges in order to lower the levelised cost of energy. We have also provided £1.5 million to the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, to match fund a number of projects in partnership with industry and the Welsh Government through their Floating Offshore Wind Centre of Excellence. These projects explored barriers and opportunities for floating wind in Scotland across innovative areas including oil platform electrification using floating wind, floating substructure fabrication in Scotland, and mapping the Scottish supply chain.

‘Scotland’s Vision for Trade’, published on 26 January 2021, sets out the Scottish Government’s principles and values for the trading relationships it wants Scotland to have. This provides a framework for making decisions about international trade in a way that enables Scotland to fulfil its role as a good global citizen.

The framework set out in ‘Scotland’s Vision for Trade’ reinforces the principles already set out by Scottish Government in its Guidance on Due Diligence: Human Rights, and Scottish Enterprise’s own 2019 Customer Due Diligence Procedure. This procedure includes how the company conducts itself overseas. Such checks are based on a rigorous process and independent evidence.

The Scottish Government engaged with Scottish Enterprise in developing the Vision and communicated ‘Scotland’s Vision for Trade’ and its principles to Scottish Enterprise, including through a series of presentations for all staff who work on Scottish Enterprise’s international priorities. Within their 2021-22 business plan, Scottish Enterprise commits to ensuring the principles set out in ‘Scotland’s Vision for Trade’ are incorporated into their approach and delivery.

The Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise has written to the Scottish Enterprise Chief Executive to set out priorities, highlighting a values-based approach to trade and investment, as set out in ‘Scotland’s Vision for Trade’.

Scottish Enterprise does not provide funding for the manufacture of munitions. The support provided is mainly focused on helping firms to diversify and develop civilian applications for their technology and ensure Scotland continues to benefit from the thousands of jobs in the defence, aerospace and shipbuilding sectors.

The licensing of arms exports is a reserved matter over which the Scottish Government has no control. We have impressed upon the UK Government our expectation to act responsibly as regards export licensing.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-00298 on
‎ 29 July 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers