- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 February 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 7 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its work to deliver on the 2021 Scottish National Party manifesto commitment to "ensure every child in Scotland leaves school with the ability to cycle safely", and how much it has spent on this work in each year since 2016.
Answer
Bikeability Scotland is the national cycle training programme for school children which supports the next generation of confident and responsible people travelling by bike. A record 60,000 children benefited from cycle training across all levels of the programme in 2022-23, and 66.7% of all primary schools delivered essential life skills through Level 2 on-road training.
Ensuring that every child leaves school with the ability to cycle safely, is not only about training. It’s also about providing a safe environment through the development of active travel infrastructure. We are committed to supporting many more people to walk, wheel or cycle for everyday journeys and are allocating record funding for that purpose.
The Active Travel budget for 2023-24 increased to a record £189.2 million. This is a nearly £40 million increase on the active travel budget from the previous financial year providing scope to greatly expand and expedite the delivery of active travel infrastructure, behaviour change programmes and access to bikes across the country. We are investing in ambitious on and off-road segregated walking and cycling routes, safer junctions and improved design of place.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 February 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 7 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how it will engage with stakeholders, including educational institutions, industry partners and international organisations, in order to implement its International Education Strategy effectively.
Answer
Continuing the collaborative approach to developing the International Education Strategy (IES) the Scottish Government will establish an Implementation Group to oversee its implementation, with representation from partners across the sector. This Group will provide leadership and strategic oversight and ensure the strategy’s actions are delivering our shared ambitions for international higher education.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 February 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 7 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what the potential impact of the reduction to the Just Transition Fund contained in its draft Budget 2024-25 will be on job creation in Scotland.
Answer
Existing Just Transition Fund projects will continue to be funded in 2024-25, supporting projects and communities across the North East and Moray to create jobs, support innovation, and secure the highly skilled workforce of the future.
Scotland already outpaces the rest of the UK in creating green jobs, and our forthcoming Just Transition Plans will set out how the Scottish Government will continue to work with businesses and key partners across the economy to ensure we continue to build on this success, attracting investment into Scotland, and supporting our new and existing workforce to access the reskilling and upskilling they need to take on the green jobs of the future, while helping ensure employers and businesses are supported in attracting the talent and investment they need to continue driving green growth. Publishing a Green Industrial Strategy will also set out how we will help businesses and investors realise the opportunities of the global transition to net zero.
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 7 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24652 by Mairi McAllan on 7 February 2024, whether it will provide the information requested regarding whether an impact assessment was conducted regarding the £37.8 million, or 75.6%, reduction to the Just Transition Fund in its Budget 2024-25, and for what reason it did not provide this information in its answer.
Answer
A response to this question was provided in S6W-24652 issued on 7 February 2024.
- Asked by: Clare Haughey, MSP for Rutherglen, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 March 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the impact in Scotland of the energy price cap.
Answer
I meet regularly with the UK Minister for Energy Consumers and Affordability to discuss the pressures facing Scottish energy consumers and the need for urgent action to address these. During our last meeting, in January, I stressed the importance of working collaboratively to reduce the pressures facing consumers, calling again upon the UK Government to use its reserved powers to introduce a social energy tariff.
I believe that a social energy mechanism, supported by many consumer organisations, could be funded by the excess profits of energy producers, protecting those most vulnerable against future price spikes. I have also met with the chair and CEO of Ofgem to discuss these and other related matters”.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 February 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 7 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact in Scotland of the findings of the Competition and Markets Authority's investigation into some of the UK's biggest housebuilders, including whether they have been sharing information that could influence house prices.
Answer
Scottish Ministers welcome the publication of the Competition and Markets Authority's completed investigation into the housing market, in particular those findings relating to Scotland and the published Scotland summary. We are considering their findings carefully and will respond formally in due course.
We also note the intention to investigate further issues relating to potential market information sharing and other matters. It is right that this is considered carefully and Ministers will consider this in turn when the Authority have completed their work on this issue.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 February 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support renewables manufacturing in Scotland for those sites not within designated green ports or investment zones.
Answer
Our strategic investment of up to £500 million over the next five years will help stimulate and support private investment in the infrastructure and manufacturing facilities critical to the growth of our world-leading offshore wind sector. We are kick-starting our commitment to anchor our offshore wind supply-chain in Scotland with investment of £67 million next financial year. We are committed to maximising the public benefits of our renewables revolution.
It is vital that industries in Scotland have a fair opportunity to access funding under the UK Government's Green Industries Growth Accelerator. The Scottish Government is engaging with the UK Government to help ensure GIGA delivers for Scotland's businesses and communities.
Our National Strategy for Economic Transformation also sets out our ambition for Scotland to continue to take global leadership in the design, development and operationalisation within the renewables sector.
Our Making Scotland’s Future (MSF) programme helps ensure a coherent and focused approach to the provision of support to the manufacturing sector.
Centred within the MSF lies the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) which represents investment of £75 million from the Scottish Government and its agencies. NMIS works with industry to unlock productivity gains, develop new products and processes, and has a mission to make Scotland a global leader in advanced, sustainable manufacturing.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 February 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is giving consideration to ensuring regional balance across the successful investment proposals progressed through the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council's (SOWEC) Strategic Investment Model.
Answer
As the world’s largest commercial round for floating offshore wind, ScotWind puts Scotland at the forefront of offshore wind development globally.
The Strategic Investment Model (SIM) is coordinated by offshore wind developers, the Scottish Government, enterprise agencies and Crown Estate Scotland. Each SIM project is considered in terms of its relevance to developing the offshore wind sector in Scotland.
In October the First Minister announced strategic investment of up to £500 million over the next five years to help stimulate and support private investment in the infrastructure and manufacturing facilities critical to the growth of our world-leading offshore wind sector.
ScotWind provides an exciting opportunity to create thousands of good Scottish jobs and we want to ensure a just transition that takes our existing skilled workforce and supply chain with us. That is why we are kick-starting our commitment to anchor our offshore wind supply-chain in Scotland with investment of £67 million next financial year.
We are committed to maximising the public benefits of our renewables revolution and we will explore all options open to us to do so.
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 7 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-03036 by Angela Constance on 31 January 2024, whether the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs is aware of the reported correspondence between the recognised trade union at HMP Kilmarnock, Community, and the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), in which the union explicitly states its concerns, regarding the transfer of the prison, on behalf of its members, and whether the (a) cabinet secretary and (b) SPS has responded to these concerns.
Answer
The Scottish Government is aware of correspondence in which Community has raised concerns regarding aspects of the transition process and trade union recognition. Myself and the Scottish Prison Service have responded.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 14 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with North Lanarkshire Council to improve the school estate.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 14 March 2024
