Chamber and committees

The worrying of livestock by dogs is completely unacceptable and is something the Scottish Government takes very seriously and recognises the distress and the serious welfare and financial implications it may cause.

From November 2021 to September 2023, 21 accused have been convicted with, at least one, protection of livestock from dogs charge. In all the cases, the charges were under the dogs (protection of livestock) act 1953 section 1(1)&(6).

As shown through the Budget process, the challenging fiscal landscape has necessitated some difficult choices across government. This, alongside the need to strengthen the pipeline of investment, has resulted in the Scottish Government (SG) having to take the very difficult decision to pause the Green Growth Accelerator (GGA) programme.

The SG provided £720k to six local authorities (LAs) in 2021-22 to develop business cases for low carbon projects to test the GGA model and the six projects supported are at varying stages of development. Officials are working with the LAs impacted to explore what alternative funding sources may be available to progress projects where funding exists; including through Scotland’s Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund and the Scottish Heat Network Fund.

Additionally, we are building on existing work across Government and recent collaborative efforts across the Government and public sector partners to identify and align investment behind key projects; strengthening relationships at the strategic and operational level to expedite the delivery of major public sector funded infrastructure projects.

We are liaising with the UK Government on its plans for the Green Industries Growth Accelerator to ensure that infrastructure and supply chain for offshore wind are supported via the fund. We are keen to collaborate with the UK Government to ensure GIGA funding is allocated in a way which complements and aligns with Scotland’s energy transition, including our up to £500 million strategic investment over the next five years to help anchor the offshore wind supply chain in Scotland. Through the novel work or our Strategic Investment Model, Scotland is well positioned to ensure the ongoing collaboration between governments and industry identifies key shared priorities to unlock infrastructure investment needed to build a thriving renewables industry for Scotland. We expect more details from the UK Government in due course.

The Scottish Government does not collect information on the amount spent by local authorities on taxi journeys for pupils travelling to school.

Based on 2021 UK food waste levels, the Waste Resources Action Programme has highlighted that food waste costs a four-person household around £1,000 a year. Available evidence indicates that reductions in food waste lead to cost-savings for households and businesses. As part of resetting our approach to tackle food waste set out in our Circular Economy and Waste Route Map proposals, we will continue to prioritise efforts to support householders to tackle food waste and highlight the range of benefits this would deliver, through the development and delivery of a food waste reduction intervention plan for households. We will continue to work in partnership with Zero Waste Scotland and other stakeholders to consider any further evidence that may be helpful.

Transport Scotland forecasts for financial year 2024-2025 include an indicative allowance for a contribution towards the Ardrossan Harbour project. Forecasts and allocations in future years will be guided by funding availability and the ongoing project review process.

Statistics from the ONS Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Economy (LCREE) survey provide estimates of renewables employment in Scotland. No data is available to provide additional geographic breakdowns below the Scotland level at present.

As the flowing table shows, the estimated number of direct jobs in renewable electricity was 8,000 in 2022 and 5,400 in 2018.

The Scottish Government received a copy of the EIS report on violence in schools in Aberdeen on 26 February 2024. The First Minister and myself have both read the report.

As shown through the Budget process, the challenging fiscal landscape has necessitated some difficult choices across government. This, alongside the need to strengthen the pipeline of investment, has resulted in the Scottish Government (SG) having to take the very difficult decision to pause the Green Growth Accelerator (GGA) programme.

It takes time to develop infrastructure projects and the six pathfinder projects supported through the GGA were at varying stages of development when the decision to pause the programme was taken. None were at the stage of investment and project delivery and consequently no assessment on return for investment has been undertaken.

Officials are working with the LAs impacted to explore what alternative funding sources may be available to progress projects where funding exists; including through Scotland’s Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund and the Scottish Heat Network Fund.

Additionally, we are building on existing work across Government and recent collaborative efforts across the Government and public sector partners to identify and align investment behind key projects; strengthening relationships at the strategic and operational level to expedite the delivery of major public sector funded infrastructure projects.

Ministers are actively considering the final content of the Aviation Strategy and expect to publish it in the near future.

It is important to ensure that the content of the Strategy is consistent with other Scottish Government policies that aim to encourage sustainable economic growth and to deliver our commitment to net zero emissions by 2045.