Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government have not met with NHS Lanarkshire to discuss the prevention of Mpox. However, Public Health Scotland, who are leading on planning and preparedness in Scotland, are working closely with public health colleagues across the UK, as well as NHS Boards in Scotland, to monitor the situation and prepare for any cases that we might see.

The Scottish Government meets regularly with UK Government and UK Health Security Agency in response to Mpox.

The Scottish Government will continue to engage with the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, Fossil Fuel Non Proliferation Treaty and other international climate change initiatives as part of a wider ongoing programme of analysis and engagement with a range of organisations and stakeholders.

The approach to the transport sector is consistent with other sectors in the Climate Change Plan (update) (CCPu) Securing a green recovery on a path to net zero: climate change plan 2018–2032 - update - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) which outlines a sectoral approach to meeting emission targets, it also recognises clear synergies and interdependencies across sectors. Part 2 of the CCP(u) outlines this coordinated approach, with specific reference to transport demand.

A key element of the Climate Change Plan update was the presentation of emissions envelopes for each sector annually over the period 2020 to 2032 and this includes the emissions envelope for the transport sector.

Our Net Zero Assessment aims to assist Ministers to make better informed decisions on budgets and policies by providing information on impacts on carbon emissions. Following completion of the current pilot within Scottish Government, it intends to roll the pilot out across all significant new Scottish Government expenditure decisions from the beginning of 2025.

Consistent with other sectors, transport sector policies and proposals will be included within the next Climate Change Plan covering the period of 2026-2040. The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill, which was laid in Parliament on 5 September, seeks to amend the current deadline to bring forward a draft of the next Climate Change Plan for Scotland, so the Plan can align with the timescale for carbon budgets.

As you will be aware, the majority of bus services in Scotland are operated on a purely commercial basis by operators who use their own commercial judgement on service routes and frequencies. Local authorities can identify where there is a social need for particular bus services and can subsidise these at their discretion however this is entirely a matter for the local authority to consider and action as appropriate.

In relation to rail travel, the Scottish Government brought ScotRail into public ownership to ensure that ScotRail focuses its delivery on the needs of Scottish passengers. ScotRail keeps its services under continued review to ensure its services meet passengers requirements as much as possible.

Alongside finalising the Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan (ESJTP), the Scottish Government continues to engage with the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance as part of a wider programme of analysis and engagement with a range of organisations and stakeholders. The final ESJTP will also build from the substantial independent evidence base on domestic energy transition in the context of the global Paris Agreement goals that was developed and published in support of the draft version.

In November 2021 we committed to increasing residential rehabilitation capacity from 425 to 650 beds and to increasing the number of statutory-funded placements by 300%, so that by 2026 1,000 people are publicly funded for their placement.

From a baseline of an estimated 425 beds in 2021, we provided funding for 140 additional residential rehabilitation beds through our Residential Rehabilitation Rapid Capacity Fund. Of this amount, 36 are now operational, with a further 34 due to open across Aberdeenshire and the Highlands and Islands in the coming months. The remainder will become operational over 2025-2026.

The increased investment has also led to a number of privately-funded developments within the sector, which contribute towards our overall bed target. Scottish Government analysts are collecting updated data about current capacity in Scotland, including these wider developments, which when published will provide a public record for progress against our commitments by March 2026.

Public Health Scotland's June report found ‘the available evidence suggests that the Scottish Government is on track to hit its target of 1,000 individuals per year publicly funded to go to rehab by 2026.’ The statistics show that in the full financial year 2023-24, 938 placements were approved.

Deep sea mining refers to the exploration for - or extraction of - minerals from the seabed at depths greater than 200 metres. Most of Scotland’s waters of this depth or greater fall within existing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Current Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) conservation and management advice for the West of Scotland MPA, which covers the majority of Scotland’s deep waters and seamounts, advises against seabed mining in such waters.

In 2019 the Scottish Government finalised its policy position of ‘no support’ for Unconventional oil and gas development: our position - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) unconventional oil and gas (UOG) development in Scotland. This policy position relates to onshore unconventional oil and gas development. This means development connected to the onshore exploration, appraisal or production of coal bed methane or shale oil or shale gas using unconventional oil and gas extraction techniques, including hydraulic fracturing and dewatering for coal bed methane.

As yet, the Scottish Ministers have not received any marine licence applications for deep sea mining in Scotland’s inshore or offshore waters. All marine licence applications are considered on a case-by-case basis. Any licensing application relating to seabed mining within Scotland’s seas would be subject to the licensing requirements set out in the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 for inshore waters (between 0 and 12 nautical miles), and the UK Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 for offshore waters (beyond 12 nm). Statutory environmental assessment requirements and policies set out in Scotland’s existing National Marine Plan would have to be factored into any potential licensing request and considered on the best available evidence.

Scotland’s National Marine Plan 2015 states that decision makers should ensure all the necessary environmental issues are considered, and safeguards are in place when determining whether any proposed marine aggregate dredging is considered to be environmentally acceptable. Any licensing request relating to seabed mining in Scotland’s seas would be subject to this policy.

Where an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is required, this must include a description of the relevant aspects of the current state of the environment and an outline of the likely evolution thereof without implementation of the project, as far as natural changes from the baseline scenario can be assessed with reasonable effort, on the basis of the availability of environmental information and scientific knowledge. Where an EIA Report is considered to contain insufficient information it is open to the decision-maker to request further environmental information.

Scotland's International Strategy - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) was launched in January 2024, building on the work of the Scottish Government’s Scotland's Global Affairs Framework - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

The International Strategy demonstrates the outcomes Scottish Government will achieve through international engagement for the remainder of this parliamentary term, within the current constitutional context. It acknowledges the need for the Scottish Government to deepen ties with key partners and increase economic opportunities to advance domestic policy including our commitment to reduce carbon emissions.

This includes showcasing Scotland’s high ambition and expertise on net zero and continuing to promote Scotland’s climate and environment work internationally, as climate change, biodiversity and renewable energy is one of the three priority areas identified in the Strategy. Our International Trade and Investment Plans, alongside our recently published Green Industrial Strategy, have a clear focus on net zero and are delivering renewable export opportunities and attracting high quality inward investment projects to support and strengthen our expertise and associated renewable supply chains. In addition, we will focus on the Just Transition and Scotland’s strengths and expertise in areas such as onshore and offshore wind, Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS) and hydrogen and be ambitious in our commitment to decarbonise heat and transport.

The Scottish Government will report on its progress towards these objectives in the 2024-25 International Strategy Annual Report.