Chamber and committees

Scottish Water will deliver 95 improvement projects set out in its Improving Urban Waters Routemap Annual Update 2025 by December 2027. These projects include 19 overflows impacting Water Quality and 27 with sewage-related debris issues.

For Portobello specifically, Scottish Water, in collaboration with SEPA and the council, is currently carrying out a £1m study to identify potential bathing water impacts. This includes a pollution study to determine possible misconnections between the combined sewer system and the surface water/burn network. It also includes updating an impact assessment model to identify whether routine overflow events from the combined sewer system are impacting bathing water performance.

Each location can present unique challenges. Given this and level of investment often required, an evidence-led, targeted and prioritised approach to managing water quality at specific locations is essential. Within the last 10 years, Scottish Water has invested £2.7bn in improving and maintaining Scotland's public drainage system and infrastructure, with the Improving Urban Waters Routemap committing an investment of up to £500m.

In preparation for the current investment period (SR21-27), comprehensive studies were carried out to prioritise actions. Investigations found that 24 overflow locations required upgrades to deliver an improvement in water quality, and these are included in Scotland's third River Basin Management Plan (211222-final-rbmp3-scotland.pdf) to be delivered by December 2027.

The 2026 ScotWind Supply Chain Development Statement updates show that total projected spend in Scotland has increased between 2023 and 2026 by nearly £2.3bn for the 16 projects included in the updates, from an estimated £23.3bn to £25.6 billion.

Developers’ SCDS updates include ambitions to go beyond committed spend which suggests an additional potential £10.5bn manufacturing expenditure in key areas such as foundations, turbine components and electrical infrastructure in Scotland as the supply chain matures.

These insights will support the Scottish Government and our delivery partners in targeting intervention where it is needed most, including through our strategic investment in offshore wind, to drive sustainable growth across Scotland’s offshore energy supply chain.

The SCDS updates make clear the level of projected spend in the Scottish supply chain is very substantial. These projects will spend millions of pounds throughout their development, through activities such as surveys, engineering and construction, which will support jobs across Scotland and the rest of the UK.

We expect developers to help build the resilience of our domestic supply chain and deliver on their SCDS commitments. Failure to do so can trigger remedies ranging from financial penalties to an inability to progress to a seabed lease.

The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit and Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Economics recently published a report showing Scotland’s net zero economy contributes £10.2 billion GVA and supports more than 105,000 jobs, accounting for 4.9% of Scotland’s economic output and 3.9% of employment (The Scottish Net Zero Economy in 2025, CBI).

ScotWind projects have already delivered over £750 million in revenues to the public purse.

The decision on whether care payments should be backdated due to processing backlogs rests with the relevant local authority. Where an assessment has been completed and a decision has been made on a person's eligibility and support needs, local authorities should consider the circumstances of any delay in implementing support. This includes considering whether support was provided within a reasonable period following the assessment and, where appropriate, whether backdating of payments is justified.

Heat in Buildings is allocated £302.5m capital in the 2026-27 Scottish Budget, which includes funding for Scotland’s Heat Network Fund. This budget provides flexibility across schemes, and spending via Scotland’s Heat Network Fund is dependent on there being demand from projects that meet essential criteria and represent good value for money.

The Scottish Government is providing long term funding to support local authorities to develop and deliver their Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies (LHEES) with funding committed for each local authority of £75,000 per year until 2027-28.

Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies(LHEES) support local authorities to take a strategic approach to the delivery of heat networks. The Scottish Government has reviewed all 32 LHEES and found that all local authorities have assessed the potential for heat networks and identified any potential heat network zones in their LHEES. Where appropriate, local authorities have also identified actions to support heat network delivery in their LHEES delivery plans.

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has received a full submission from the marketing authorisation holder, Sanofi, for teplizumab (Tzield®), to delay the onset of Stage 3 type 1 diabetes in adult and paediatric patients 8 years of age and older with Stage 2 type 1 diabetes.

The SMC’s advice in relation to the routine use of teplizumab in the NHS in Scotland is expected to be published in 2027. The medicine product page on the SMC’s website will be updated with the advice, when published.

Our consultation on proposals for a new installation and maintenance licence to grant heat network organisations statutory rights and powers ran from 13 March to 5 June 2026. We are now analysing responses, and a full report will be published in due course. The consultation paper sets out our intention to include the necessary provisions in the Heat in Buildings Bill later this parliamentary session. The consultation paper can be found at:https://www.gov.scot/publications/installation-maintenance-licence-heat-networks/