Chamber and committees

The Renewables Installer Finder tool, funded by Scottish Government, provides information on Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certified companies who operate in Scotland and wish to list their information on the tool. The tool can be found at: Renewables Installer Finder (est.org.uk) According to the MCS, the certified companies typically have, on average, an estimated workforce of three installers. Since MCS certification is not a mandatory requirement for heat pump contractor companies, these figures will not capture all companies in Scotland.

The pace of the Heat in Buildings transition requires a substantial growth in supply chains, including heat pump installation and maintenance. Supporting Scotland’s current and future workforce to develop the skills needed for the net zero transition is a priority for this government. Our Heat in Buildings Supply Chains Delivery Plan sets out practical steps that we will take to support the growth of the green heat sector. We continue to work in partnership with the sector to ensure that the appropriate support and training provision are aligned at a local level with business needs and future local demands.

Training provision is available across both the public and private sector with scope to increase capacities to match increase in demand. In many cases, existing workers can be upskilled through relatively short training courses. For example, there are currently 4475 businesses listed on the Gas Safe Register in Scotland, with 8651 distinct engineers in Scotland qualified to work on domestic central heating. Many of these engineers will be capable of transitioning to heat pump installations through short training courses.

The consultation on a Heat in Buildings Bill will help to provide the certainty that industry has asked for to invest in skills. Ministers will host a supply chain round table as part of the consultation, to hear from the supply chain directly.

Questions regarding day-to-day operational matters of Historic Environment Scotland, including information relating to Historic Scotland membership numbers, are best answered by Historic Environment Scotland.

I have asked Historic Environment Scotland to respond directly to the member with a full reply to his question in writing.

Historic Environment Scotland is making good progress on its inspection programme which is due to conclude at the end of March next year. The Scottish Government supports Historic Environment Scotland’s approach that continues to put the health and safety of individuals first, reopening sites only when safe to do so.

The information the Scottish Government holds is that of the 70 sites that had access restricted due to High Level Masonry issues, there is now full or partial access at 53 of those sites.

As this is not the full information requested, I have also asked Historic Environment Scotland to respond directly to the member with a full reply to his question in writing . Details of the inspection programme and site re-openings are published on the Historic Environment Scotland website.

Questions regarding day-to-day operational matters of Historic Environment Scotland, including information relating to Freedom of Information requests made to Historic Environment Scotland are best answered directly by Historic Environment Scotland.

I have asked Historic Environment Scotland to respond directly to the member with a full reply to his question in writing.

Questions regarding day-to-day operational matters of Historic Environment Scotland, including information relating to Direct Debit membership prices, are best answered by Historic Environment Scotland.

I have asked Historic Environment Scotland to respond directly to the member with a full reply to his question in writing.

The Scottish Government has discussed food waste with a range of representative and third sector organisations. For example, an eNGO roundtable event took place with Stop Climate Chaos Scotland and Scottish Environment Link members, with representatives from: WWF; Friends of the Earth Scotland; Circular Communities Scotland; and Stop Climate Chaos Scotland. Another example is ongoing support and engagement with WRAP UK - a climate action NGO – which has expertise in food waste reduction. We have also engaged with FareShare on food redistribution. This engagement is complemented by programme partners at Zero Waste Scotland who work with community food groups and wider third sector organisations on food waste reduction.

Local Authorities are accountable to their local communities and have the financial freedom to operate independently, taking account of local needs.

As independent corporate bodies, it is the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

Ultimately, it is for locally elected representatives to make local decisions on how best to deliver services to their local communities.

The Scottish Government will publish a Review of the 2019 Food Waste Reduction Action Plan early in 2024 which will outline progress towards the 2025 target. We will also publish the second consultation for the Circular Economy and Waste Route Map, detailing the Scottish Government proposals to deliver our system-wide, comprehensive vision for Scotland’s circular economy to 2030.

This information is not held centrally.

In early 2024, the Scottish Government intends to publish its Review of the 2019 Food Waste Reduction Action Plan. Alongside this, Zero Waste Scotland will publish the 2021 nationwide statistics for food waste.

The Scottish Government is aware of recent announcements from the banking industry to further close bank branches and withdraw mobile branch services. This is an unfortunate continuation of a trend witnessed across the sector to reduce in-person services in Scotland.

The regulation of financial services is ultimately a reserved matter for the UK Government. Recently they have legislated in this space, through the Financial Services and Markets Act, to grant the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) greater powers to protect access to cash in the UK. The FCA launched a public consultation on these new powers on 7th December and my officials are working to arrange a meeting with their Chief Executive, Nikhil Rathi, in early 2024. I look forward to discussing this increased regulatory remit with Mr Rathi and exploring what more can be done to ensure the unique cash and banking requirements of Scotland’s rural and island communities are being addressed.

The Scottish Government absolutely recognises the important role in-person services still play to our communities – particularly in rural and island regions. Therefore, myself, ministerial colleagues and officials have met with senior representatives from the banking sector in recent months. In these meetings we have expressed concerns about how branch closures not only impact the most vulnerable customers but also the dynamics of town centres, particularly when the last bank in town closes. I have also reminded banks of the social responsibility they have to the communities they are choosing to leave. The Scottish Government are committed to working constructively with banks, not only to ensure that individuals and businesses can access the services they require, but also to encourage banks to engage with the communities they serve and understand the concerns of customers who live there.