Chamber and committees

Page 4 of the Market Framework for Natural Capital - Engagement paper references estimates from the November 2023 Scottish Government research publication 'Assessing the cumulative and cross-sector economic benefits of investment in natural capital in Scotland'. It estimates that £12.5 billion of further investment in natural capital is required in order to meet policy goals, and that this further investment would create 146,000 direct and 197,000 direct and indirect jobs.

However, there is an error at Page 4 of the Market Framework for Natural Capital - Engagement paper in that it references these estimates in relation to 'natural capital markets ' rather than to 'natural capital ' as stated in the research report which does not distinguish between the role of public and private investment in providing the additional £12.5 billion of further investment. This error will be corrected by deleting 'markets' from the sentence on page 4 of the Engagement paper on the Scottish Government website.

Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of ICIAs completed by other Relevant Authorities who are responsible for publishing their own assessments in the way that they consider appropriate.

The Just Transition Plan for Mossmorran is at very early stages of proposal, a comprehensive stakeholder engagement exercise will form a critical component of the work plan. The Scottish Government has had early engagement regarding the proposal with business operators. In line with the principles of co-design, it is our intention to engage extensively with all stakeholders including industry, the workforce, the local authority, UK Government, MSPs and the wider community. We will apply a place-based approach that will ensure that the views of all stakeholders are considered, working to reach collective agreement on the plan’s long-term vision and actions.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27341 on 15 May 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

The Scottish Government does not collect or hold data on current 4G and 5G mobile notspots.

Ofcom produces an annual Connected Nations report including coverage and performance of mobile networks at local authority area. This is accessible at https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/multi-sector-research/infrastructure-research along with underlying datasets.

Delivery of the Scottish 4G Infill Programme completed in November 2023 and no further funding has been allocated to this programme beyond 2023-24 .

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of applications which have been earmarked to be used for temporary accommodation. It is for grant applicants to allocate the properties acquired.

In relation to the number of applications which have been (a) received and (b) approved for the National Acquisition Programme I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27110 on 14 May 2024.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The Scottish Government has worked with agencies and other partners, including internationally, to deliver initiatives in support of the development of zero emission mobility technology. These include funding the University of St Andrews to deliver, in partnership with Strathclyde University, a four-year Hydrogen Accelerator programme. The Accelerator has helped to support several innovative projects including the Scottish hydrogen train, which was demonstrated at Bo’ness in 2022.

We are working with industry and enterprise agency partners to develop a Hydrogen Sector Export Plan for publication this year. The plan will set out the steps needed to realise Scotland's export potential - including the development of critical infrastructure to support the transport of hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives, short-term export opportunities around skills and the supply chain, and the economic opportunity for Scotland represented by renewable hydrogen exports in the longer term.

In December 2023, South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) established a Short Life Working Group to consider and recommend a future model of clinical care within the Specialist Palliative Care service in Lanarkshire. This process concluded in March 2024.

The Scottish Government was not involved with the short life working group, but South Lanarkshire HSCP has kept Scottish Government officials updated on this process and subsequent discussions, including a number of roundtable meetings being convened with key local stakeholders.

It is the responsibility of Integration Joint Boards to plan and commission adult palliative care services for their areas using the integrated budgets under their control.

The establishment of the National Acquisition Programme (NAP), was backed by investment of at least £60 million from local authority resource planning assumptions within the Affordable Housing Supply Programme in 2023-24 to help to reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation. A total of £83.146 million was spent through the National Acquisition Programme in 2023-2024. The NAP enables local authorities and registered social landlords to acquire properties of the right types, in the right places, in line with their strategic priorities.

The following table provides a breakdown of how much each grant applicant received and the corresponding percentage of this spend when compared to the total spend figure of £83.146 million.