Chamber and committees

There is no set timescale for ministerial decisions on energy consents. The consideration to be undertaken by ministers before reaching a determination will depend on the particulars of each application.

Scottish Ministers have an initial 28-day period from when an application is notified to them to consider whether to call it in or clear it back to the authority. This can be extended should Ministers require more time to consider the matter. Ministers can also recall an appeal for their own determination and do so in exceptional circumstances.

When an application is called in or an appeal recalled, Ministers aim to issue decisions on cases within 2 – 3 months of receiving the independent Reporter’s report from the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division. These are targets, not statutory deadlines, and these timescales can sometimes increase where there are more complex issues involved.

The Scottish Government confirmed to the Scottish Parliament on 18 April 2024 that we will publish, by autumn, the updated route map for reduction in car use by 20%, including a timeline for demand management.

We have always been clear that reaching our target of a 20% reduction in use will require a broad combination of interventions, including infrastructure, incentives and disincentives. The updated route map, produced in partnership with CoSLA, will be published in due course.

Scottish industry has made good progress in reducing emissions but there is more to do. Reducing industrial emissions is central to Scotland’s net zero commitment and our economic ambitions as outlined in our Green Industrial Strategy.

Realising the environmental and economic opportunities in net zero is a collective endeavour with many policy, fiscal and regulatory levers reserved at the UK level, including for carbon capture and storage which is critical to decarbonise industry. Last week the UK Government announced that £22 billion of funding for carbon capture projects in England, but provided no update on the Acorn Project.

Caring for our peatlands, and reducing peatland emissions, through protection, management and restoration is critical to achieving net zero by 2045.

Through the Peatland ACTION partnership we are funding the restoration of our peatlands. We are also working hard with our Peatland ACTION delivery partners to tackle the many barriers to upscaling peatland restoration in this relatively young sector

In addition to interventions on herbivore control as well as other farm management interventions, we are also considering the regulatory and fiscal measures that could further incentivise peatland restoration and create the conditions to keep our peatlands in good condition.

Alongside this, work continues towards implementing a ban on the sale of peat in Scotland and we have established an expert group to develop the guidance and tools needed to inform decisions on windfarm development on peat.

Review of NHS Hyperbaric Medicine Services in Scotland is due to conclude in July 2025.

It is imperative adequate time is taken to review, due to the specialist nature of the facilities and services provided, to engage subject matter experts and consultants to participate in the review process. Assurance has also been provided that the Review Consultation Group includes contributions from a wide range of stakeholders including the British Hyperbaric Association, The British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC) and Scottish Sub Aqua Club (ScotSAC).

Whilst the review is on-going all NHS patients whom would have been treated at Oban are transferred to Aberdeen. It should be noted that the transfer of patients to Aberdeen is normal pathway for the sickest patients as Aberdeen hosts the only Category 1 chamber in Scotland.

The Scottish Government has provided £3.7 million for the development of the Offshore Energy Skills Passport, which is an initiative led and driven by industry.

The responsibility for development and delivery of flood protection schemes rests with individual local authorities, who are best placed to respond to local resilience needs.

The Scottish Government provides funding to local authorities to enable delivery of these important projects. £570million will be invested in flood resilience in the period 2016-2026. 40 of 42 have received funding to support development. 2 are not eligible because they have previously received funding.

15 of the cycle 1 flood schemes have now been completed. The status of those that remain is as follows:

The Offshore Energy Skills Passport is an initiative led and driven by industry.

The most recent statement from the key industry delivery bodies, Renewable UK and Offshore Energies UK, indicates that an initial version of the Passport will be available for workers to access later this year.

The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting the Passport’s successful implementation. Ministers last met with Renewable UK and Offshore Energies UK to receive updates on progress on 10 September 2024.

Supporting communities to build resilience to emergency events is an established and integral part of the Scottish Government's approach to resilience and will remain so going forward. Scottish Government promotes community-led action, based on local priorities, and provides a combination of investment and other forms of support in ways that build on the strengths and resources of individual communities. Scottish Government works to embed community resilience through a number of connected policy areas which enables collaboration between community resilience groups, voluntary sector organisations, Government and statutory responders, through established networks and relevant meetings at the national and more local levels. As part of Scotland’s National Adaptation Plan and wider Just Transition commitments, the Scottish Government is developing a Flood Resilience Strategy, due to be published by the end of this year, which will set out what needs to be done to make Scotland’s communities more flood resilient over the coming decades. We continue to fund the Scottish Flood Forum’s vital work to support flood risk communities. Scottish Government has also committed up to £5.5 million, in 2024-25, to fund a network of Climate Action Hubs so that, by Autumn 2024, every area of Scotland will have access to a Hub, alongside a support package for delivery. The Hubs will empower communities to take further collective action, shaped locally, to transition to low carbon, reduce emissions, and improve resilience in the face of ongoing climate change and extreme weather events. The Ready Scotland website and associated digital campaigns also provide a range of advice and support to individuals and communities to help them to prepare for and respond to weather-related disruption.