Chamber and committees

I have laid a report in Parliament today, which provides an update on the actions the Scottish Government is taking to help meet our renewable heat target. The report is now available on the Scottish Government web-site, at http://www.gov.scot/ISBN/9781788513760.

During the 2016 calendar year, an estimated 4.8 – 5.0% of Scotland’s non-electrical heat demand was supplied from renewable sources. Renewable heat capacity increased by 13% and renewable heat generation decreased by 11%, when compared with 2015. This reduction in output was primarily due to the closure of the Tullis Russell paper mill in Fife, a significant user of renewable heat. However, while figures for 2016 represent a decrease from 5.4% in 2015, had the Tullis Russell Site remained open and heat demand remained static, renewable heat generation would have increased. The Scottish Government remains committed to decarbonising our heat supply whilst maximising the benefits of doing so for Scotland. We continued to demonstrate leadership and ambition in terms of our specific policy interventions, for example, the development of regulations around Local Heat & Energy Efficiency Strategies and district heating and, more broadly, Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme.

In addition, the Energy Saving Trust have published today the report Renewable Heat in Scotland 2016, which provides further details on these figures. The Energy Saving Trust report is now available at http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/renewable-heat-in-scotland2016.

This Scottish Government is committed to supporting veterans and ensuring they are not disadvantaged by their service in the Armed Forces. Where it has devolved responsibility, the Scottish Government provides direct support to veterans in a wide number of ways, including in healthcare, housing, and employability. Renewing our Commitments, published in 2016, sets out our achievements and future priorities for the Armed Forces and veterans communities.

Some recent examples of the support provided are:

Almost £1.1 million has been provided through the Scottish Veterans Fund since its launch in 2008, supporting a total of 144 projects for veterans. The current fund, which totals £600,000 to 2019-20 and includes a dedicated stream for employment, supported by funding from Standard Life Aberdeen. On 2 October, the 2018-19 round of funding was opened for applications.

From 1 April 2017, £5 million has been committed to ensure that veterans in receipt of social care in Scotland will now get the full value of their war pensions.

In March 2017 I launched Capitalising on Military Talent, a toolkit, developed with key partner organisations, which is designed to help employers recognise the skills that Service leavers and veterans bring to the civilian workplace.

In June 2017, the Scottish Government Veterans Portal, available on the Scottish Government website (https://stage.mygov.scot/veterans/) was launched to bring together a range of useful information on housing, health, jobs, education and veterans support services both in Scotland and the rest of the UK, making it easier to source information specifically for veterans.

Scottish Government officials met, in July 2017, with representatives of Shared Lives Plus to discuss the models of care they currently provide in Scotland.

The Scottish Government welcomes models of care which help to fulfil the Scottish Government's vision, in which people can live longer, healthier lives in their own home or in a homely setting.

Presiding Officer, I know this is an issue that Richard Lochhead has a long-standing interest in and I am pleased to update members on progress. As part of the draft Energy Strategy consultation we asked people to consider the potential role and purpose for a Government Owned Energy Company that would help the growth of local and community energy projects. A stakeholder workshop was also held in late March to support this process and a number of suggested roles were put forward to Government for consideration through the workshop and in response to the consultation on the strategy itself.

The next stage is to complete analysis of these suggestions and views expressed on the role of a Government Owned Energy Company before including recommendations alongside the final Energy Strategy which we have committed to publish by the end of this year, at the latest.

All local authorities are able to bid into the Community Links fund, administered by Sustrans and funded by Transport Scotland, for building cycle paths in both urban and rural areas. Once built, the local authority or other bodies such as The Forestry Commission, Scottish Natural Heritage, the National Parks or Scottish Canals adopt the path and maintenance then becomes the responsibility of that organisation.

In 2017-18, the Scottish Government provided over £3 million pounds to expand and maintain the National Cycle Network, most of which is in rural areas.

Transport Scotland, as the trunk roads authority, is a statutory consultee on planning applications which have an impact on the trunk road network. Our existing transport appraisal guidance provides advice to developers, infrastructure promoters and planning authorities on how to consider transport and land use matters through an objective and robust, evidence-led approach. We are in regular contact with partner delivery agencies.

Transport Scotland is currently refreshing the design guidance document ‘Cycling by Design’. As part of this process, we have had initial consultations with a wide range of stakeholders, including local authorities, Regional Transport Partnerships and lobbying groups.

As part of the Active Travel Task Force work, which I announced in November last year, a review of barriers to better infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists is underway. The Task Force has received written and oral evidence from many stakeholders and will submit recommendations to me by the end of this year.

Transport Scotland works in partnership with local authorities and other partners to keep under review cycling and other active travel projects. Our Cycling Action Plan for Scotland 2017 outlines how we will deliver our vision with monitoring and evaluation as a core outcome.

The process for re-designating the National Cycle Network (NCN) is the responsibility of Sustrans, the UK Charity which owns the NCN.

In re-designating a NCN path, the route manager or responsible party, mainly local authorities, would approach and discuss the route with Sustrans. The route would then be assessed against NCN standard criteria and strategic route assessment criteria. If it met these criteria, a route number would be issued and the responsible party would then be expected to sign the route to standard, with support from Sustrans.

As part of the criteria, the route would need to link communities, be of a given minimum distance and serve a core strategic purpose, for example, encouraging recreational cycling, cycle tourism, or everyday journeys.

Some local authorities such as Edinburgh, Fife and Moray and have their own numbering systems for signing local and regional routes that either don't meet NCN criteria or do not have 'national significance'.

The forthcoming Transport Bill will support our aspiration to deliver a safe, efficient, cost-effective and sustainable transport system for the benefit of the people of Scotland.

Its detailed content is still in development but we anticipate that the Bill will include provisions on obstructive and inconsiderate parking, the regulation of road works and bus services, and smart ticketing. By helping to tackle issues such as congestion and irresponsible parking, we would expect the Bill to be of benefit to all road users, including cyclists.