Chamber and committees

Since 1 January 2021, a total of 15 planning appeals for renewable energy developments in the rest of Scotland have been allowed and 11 have been dismissed.

The breakdown of that total by year and by planning authority are set out in the following table. The information includes appeals dismissed for context.

National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) places climate and nature at the centre of our planning system and makes clear our support for all forms of renewable, low-carbon and zero emission technologies, including new and replacement transmission and distribution infrastructure, whilst ensuring that potential impacts on our communities and natural assets, including cumulative impacts, are important considerations in the decision-making process.

There are no national reporting frameworks for identifying and highlighting gaps in bridge inspections or asset knowledge.

Each bridge is inspected every two years as set out in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges. For bridges within the trunk road network, which fall under the responsibility of Transport Scotland, our Operating Companies are contractually obliged to validate every piece of information we hold on every structure. This amounts to approximately 3 million data points and is currently underway.

The Scottish Government published The Implementation Guide for 20 mph Speed Limits in Scotland in October 2024.

This national guidance is in place to support a consistent, evidence-led roll out of 20 mph speed limits on appropriate roads across Scotland. This can be viewed at: The Implementation Guide for 20 mph Speed Limits in Scotland | Transport Scotland

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00712 on 16 June 2026. 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

Scotland’s National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) makes clear that potential impacts on prime agricultural land, communities, nature and cultural heritage, including the cumulative effects of developments, are important considerations in the decision-making process.

On 27 May, the Scottish Government announced that the first round of applications for the First Homes Fund will open by the end of June, providing first-time buyers with a £10,000 contribution towards a deposit on their first home at a property value of up to £300,000. The maximum contribution via the FHF is £10,000, this will be calculated as a percentage of the purchase price up to a maximum of the formal valuation.

On 25 March 2026, the then Housing Secretary, Mairi McAllan, announced the Scottish Emergency Heating Oil Scheme. It launched on 1 April 2026.

Due to the pre-election period, which began on 26 March 2026, the Scottish Government was unable to advertise this scheme due to restrictions in Government business and communications activity

Advice Direct Scotland have utilised the heating oil and liquid petroleum gas supplier network and have contacted over 1,600 third sector organisations to raise awareness of the Scottish Emergency Heating Oil Scheme.

The Scottish House Condition Survey provides a snapshot of the Scottish housing stock in each survey year including the construction age, built form and primary heating fuel of Scottish domestic buildings.

Local Authority level analysis uses a three year pooled sample in order to mitigate the smaller sample sizes involved when analysing sub-national geographies. In this case, survey data from the period 2022-2024 are averaged.

The total number of dwellings using Oil or LPG as their primary heating fuel by Local authority over the 2022-2024 period is presented in the following table.

Table 1: Number of dwellings using Oil or LPG as their primary heating fuel by Local authority 2022-2024.

It would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment on the merits of any proposals.