Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government laid the Climate Change Plan update in Parliament today.

The Climate Change Plan update can be accessed at https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781800044302 and sets out a pathway to our emissions targets up until 2032 as part of a green recovery from COVID-19 and our just transition to net zero emissions. It builds on the 2018 Climate Change Plan and sets out new, boosted and accelerated policies, putting us on a pathway to our new, ambitious targets.

Moving toward a net-zero nation will require all aspects of Scottish society to embrace significant changes in order for us to meet our targets. The Climate Change Plan update provides clear market signals to promote business confidence to invest in a low carbon economy and grow the market in these areas to deliver emissions reductions in a way that is fair and leads to a thriving net zero economy in the future. As many of the key levers are currently reserved to the UK Government, the Climate Change Plan update also sets out our calls on the UK Government.

The Climate Change Plan update has been informed by the Sustainable Renewal Advisory Group, the membership of which included MSPs from other political parties and experts from various sectors including CoSLA, business, trade unions, academia and representatives of other interests. We have also received advice from other interests including the UK Climate Change Committee and interim advice from the Just Transition Commission.

The global climate emergency has not gone away, and we remain absolutely committed to meeting Scotland’s world-leading statutory climate targets through a just transition to net-zero emissions by 2045. This is not the end of the journey and we will continue to engage with the public via the Citizens Assembly on Climate Change and other mechanisms in advance of developing the next full Climate Change Plan.

The draft Public Engagement Strategy for Climate Change and the Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan will be published separately today.

The Scottish Government currently has no plans to provide specific certification for people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine.

No discussions have taken place between the Scottish Government and the Environment Agency regarding the import of sewage sludge from the Netherlands.

SEPA has not been notified of any plans to process imported sludge from the Netherlands in Scotland.

In light of the challenges caused by COVID-19, I intend to bring forward regulations shortly which, subject to Parliamentary approval, will amend the commencement date for new minimum standards to 1 February 2022, allowing more time for the work required to meet the standards and to raise awareness.

We will continue to work with partners including the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to spread awareness of the work needed to meet the new safety standards for fire and carbon monoxide detectors before the new deadline – if it is agreed by parliament - and ensure timely, effective publicity takes place to ensure high levels of awareness and understanding.

We intend to publish the final Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy (“the Plan”) later today, in line with the commitments we set out in the Programme for Government. It will be available to view on the Scottish Government website from today here https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781800042421 .

The plan was informed by extensive stakeholder consultation which saw over 400 responses and well-attended events at 17 coastal communities right across Scotland. We would like to thank all of those who took the time to engage with us. This engagement has been invaluable in producing a framework which we believe is as ambitious as it is balanced. For example we very much appreciated the input of many fisheries and environmental stakeholders, and of community interests. Their views have helped shaped a plan which takes account of the wide range of interests and provides a framework for development designed to maximise the benefits to Scotland. The Plan also outlines further measures and requirements in areas where there is more to be done to understand the impact on the marine environment and it includes a fully inclusive and robust approach to ongoing review, to ensure that it can take into consideration new evidence and other developments going forward.

Scotland has an excellent reputation for offshore wind expertise and is recognised as having one of the best wind regimes anywhere in the world. The Plan presents a vision for the continued development of this valuable resource, whilst seeking to mitigate impacts on other marine users and interests. In doing so it will form a key part of our key strategic aims to deliver a Blue Economy Action Plan and chart a green recovery from Covid-19, helping us to achieve our statutory commitment to be a net zero society by 2045.

We intend to publish the final Offshore Wind Policy Statement later today, in line with the commitments we set out in the Programme for Government.

The Policy Statement will be available to view on the Scottish Government website from today here:

Offshore Wind Policy Statement - https://www.gov.scot/ISBN/978-1-80004-237-7

The Offshore Wind Policy Statement (OWPS) sets out the Scottish Government’s ambitions for offshore wind in Scotland out to 2030 in the context of our world leading 2045 net zero commitment and our green recovery focus. It outlines the huge potential for this technology, particularly floating offshore wind, and assesses the significant economic opportunity of future commercial scale deployment. Scotland has excellent offshore wind expertise and is recognised as having one of the best wind regimes anywhere in the World in which to deploy projects.

The OWPS has been informed by stakeholder consultation and engagement. This included public consultation on the draft OWPS between December 2019 and March 2020. The OWPS has been published alongside a Consultation Analysis Report, detailing the responses received during consultation.

The Scottish Government is also publishing the final Sectoral Marine Plan for offshore wind. The Plan provides the spatial framework for the first cycle of seabed leasing for commercial-scale offshore wind in Scottish waters. It identifies 15 Plan Options, including sites suitable for the deployment of floating and fixed technologies, capable of generating up to 10 GW of electricity, in this plan alone. The publication of the Sectoral Marine Plan will enable Crown Estate Scotland to progress the seabed leasing programme (“ScotWind”) and close the application window.

We have worked closely across portfolios on the preparation of these documents, at both Ministerial and official levels, to ensure consistency.

The Coronavirus Support Scheme for Self-Catering Businesses was put in place to provide help to those businesses who were ineligible for the various funding packages made available at the start of the pandemic. This additional self-catering fund has made 100 one-off grant awards of £10.000 each available to eligible businesses. Of this £1 million fund, a total of 97 Grants have already been allocated and 3 appeals have been upheld, shortly to be issued. A number of those who applied were rejected for not meeting the key eligibility criteria. This additional support will help enable tourism recovery, focused on greatest need.

Future Pathways is committed to ensuring that survivors of in care abuse and neglect experience continuity of support and have worked closely with the Scottish Government and Wellbeing Scotland to ensure this. Future Pathways and Wellbeing Scotland are meeting every month to share information about the impact of Coronavirus among other issues.

A minimum of £100,000 is earmarked for Wellbeing Scotland per year in accordance with their contract with Future Pathways. Additional funds may also be made available in line with needs of survivors.

Wellbeing Scotland is one of 54 delivery partners that are collectively offering a range of supports to survivors. In 2019-20 a total of £677,240 was disbursed to all partners by Future Pathways, of which £126,559 was disbursed to Wellbeing Scotland.