Chamber and committees

The Skills Delivery Landscape Review was carried out as an independent review, and as such the Scottish Government was not involved in consultations that led to the recommendations.

As set out in Fit for the Future: developing a post-school learning system to fuel economic transformation the Independent Advisor, James Withers, ran an open call for evidence and engaged directly with a range of individuals and organisations as a core part of his review process.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19549 on 9 August 2023. 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

Scotland has led the UK in providing affordable housing. We are making £3.5 billion available in this Parliamentary term, towards the delivery of more affordable and social homes. An estimated 3,480 households with children have been helped into affordable housing in the year to March 2023.

We also know that many victims of domestic abuse will have particular housing and support needs, and that is why we are also firmly committed to implementing the social housing tenancy related provisions at Part 2 of the Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Act 2021 and aim to bring these provisions into force by early 2024, subject to the necessary rules and forms of court also being in place.

As part of the Homelessness Prevention Duties we propose to make it a legal requirement for social landlords to develop and implement a domestic abuse housing policy which outlines how they will support their tenants who are experiencing domestic abuse.

The Scottish Government has had no discussions with the Scottish Housing Regulator about allocation rules for the victims of domestic abuse. The legal framework for social housing allocations in Scotland is the responsibility of the Scottish Government. The Social Housing Allocations Practice Guide for social landlords published by the Scottish Government is clear that landlords should consider giving a high level of priority to anyone who is experiencing domestic abuse.

Oil and gas licensing is matter that is reserved to UK Government. Through our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, we have set out a clear pathway to deliver on global commitments and capitalise on the enormous opportunities offered by becoming a net zero economy. Our focus must be meeting our energy security needs, reducing emissions and ensuring a just transition for our oil and gas workforce as North Sea resources decline.

Membership of the Beyond Oil & Gas Alliance forms part of a wider programme of analysis and engagement with a range of organisations and stakeholders.

We are committed to a just transition that supports those employed in oil and gas and will continue to work with the sector to remove barriers and seize opportunities offered by the renewable sectors – with no person or region left behind. The Just Transition Fund has already supported an £11 million package of skills projects. In addition, through the Just Transition Participatory Budgeting Fund in the North East and Moray, which has already supported 45 community projects, and the Pilot Community Climate Assembly project, communities and individuals in the region are being actively engaged in discussions on climate action, and empowered to explore what a just transition means for them. Our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan was developed through extensive engagement with industry, trade unions, communities and workers and we will continue to engage with local communities on the importance of a just and fair transition.

The Scottish Government has not stopped offering interest free loans for residential solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage systems. The Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan currently provides grant funding of £1250 for the installation of each of these measures, with a further £4750 available as an interest free loan for each. This funding is available where these measures are installed alongside a renewable heating system.

Previously, the HES scheme also provided interest free loans for installation of solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage systems where not installed alongside a renewable heating system. For the reasons behind this decision, I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19607 on 28 July 2023, lodged by Richard Leonard. 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

This update to the scheme was communicated directly to potentially affected applicants to the scheme, and notified on the Home Energy Scotland Grant & Loan web page, rather than through a press release.

There was no specific consultation on this decision, however the update to the scheme is in line with the priorities and principles which were set out in our Heat in Buildings Strategy. We consulted on a draft of this Strategy in February 2021.

The terms of the scheme are clear that funding is available on a first-come first-served basis while budget lasts. Any advance announcement would have risked a surge in applications that could have overwhelmed the advice and application services, as well as resulting in a total value of applications which would have exceeded the available budget.

The following table provides a breakdown of measures installed and the number and value of grants and loans paid in full through the Scottish Government’s Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme (formerly HES Loan and Cashback Scheme) for domestic properties in the Financial Year 2022-23.

Regular engagement takes place with the COSLA Environment and Economy policy board. Most recently this included presenting a paper to the board on 23 June providing an update on local authorities progress with their Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies (LHEES). LHEES will provide area-based plans for decarbonising all buildings in a local authority area, including those owned by local authorities, in line with net zero commitments, which support and guide capital investment (both public and private) over the longer term. The cost of decarbonising local authority buildings specifically has not arisen as part of these discussions, but LHEES will set out what is required to achieve this when they are published by the local authorities. Local authorities are required to publish their first LHEES by the end of 2023, and this duty reinforces the wider duty on public bodies to contribute to the delivery of our national statutory targets to reduce emissions.

To support the decarbonisation of local authority buildings, the Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund has been launched in partnership with Salix offering up to £20 million in grants to support local authorities, as well as universities and arm’s-length external organisations to decarbonise their buildings. The funding forms part of the £200 million already committed to the public sector for energy efficiency and renewable heating over the next five years - part of the wider plan to spend £1.8 billion in this current parliamentary session on decarbonising Scotland’s buildings.

More widely, in our Heat in Buildings Strategy the Scottish Government committed to “work with COSLA to strengthen and integrate governance arrangements on heat and energy efficiency, to ensure effective delivery over the long term.” A liaison role was created in 2022 to provide capacity within COSLA to engage across the Heat in Buildings programme and embed a partnership approach. This resulted in the establishment of the Heat in Buildings Local Government Oversight group, which meets on a regular basis to provide a forum for dialog between relevant Scottish Government and COSLA officials on the Heat in Buildings programme and wider heat transition.

The Scottish Government accepted the recommendations in the 2022 Planning for Skills Report and have taken action to improve our assurance and oversight of skills planning, including through the actions taken as part of the Shared Outcomes Framework (published in March 2022). The Scottish Government also published the National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET) in March 2022, which includes analysis and actions to develop Scotland’s Skilled Workforce.

In Autumn 2022, the Scottish Government initiated the independent review of the Skills Delivery Landscape, led by James Withers, to provide recommendations on how the skills functions of our public bodies, including skills planning, should change to ensure the system remains fit for purpose for delivering the ambitions in NSET.

In his final report, published in June 2023, James Withers recommends that the Scottish Government takes responsibility for national skills planning. Following that report, in its Initial Priorities paper, published on 28 June 2023 alongside the Purpose and Principles for post-school education, research and skills, the Scottish Government accepted the basis of many recommendations made by James Withers including taking responsibility for national skills planning and enhancing the role of employers in shaping system planning priorities, pathways and provision.

We will be working over the coming months, with partners, to explore the practicalities of implementing these priorities including our approach to developing new national and regional skills planning processes.

The Scottish Government welcomes the report detailing offshore workers’ demands for a just energy transition and agrees that listening to and acting on recommendations from workers is critical to ensure a Just Transition.

We must ensure a fair and just transition for our skilled offshore workers and that is why we have provided £100,000 in funding to the STUC to ensure workers’ voices are at the heart of our just transition planning.

The recommendations provided within this report are being carefully considered as part of the work to finalise the Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan (ESJTP).