Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is working with industry through the ministerially-led Construction Leadership Forum (CLF) to support the green energy transition, embracing the opportunities to grow Scotland’s economy, and as part of this work to explore natural material use. In addition, Scottish Government fund Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST), who have undertaken extensive research into innovative construction materials.

Construction Leadership Forum

In 2023, the Construction Leadership Forum (CLF) published a report commissioned by construction innovation centre, Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST), which identified and analysed the five highest value and highest growth low carbon energy supply chains in Scotland, and included natural construction materials. The report can be found online.

The CLF’s Transformation Action Plan was launched on 25 Jan 2024. Actions on key areas such as skills, net zero, and supply chains are now being implemented by eleven CLF working groups, overseen by a Transformation Board.

The CLF Net Zero working group, chaired by Stephen Good, CEO of BE-ST, and Gordon Nelson, Federation of Master Builders, has been meeting regularly and work is currently progressing. The group is focussed on driving a just transition to being net zero in embodied carbon, industry operations, and over asset life cycles, which was a commitment in the Construction Accord.

Built Environment – Smarter Transformation

The Scottish Government provide funding to Scotland’s construction innovation centre, BE-ST, who have undertaken extensive research into innovative construction materials.

BE-ST and Zero Waste Scotland asked the University of Edinburgh to prepare a report looking into the availability, performance, manufacturing supply chains, and market analysis of Natural Fibre and Circular Insulation options. Published in 2023, the report can be accessed online.

BE-ST have undertaken a number of other projects supporting and expanding the supply chains for natural construction materials, including:

• Sylvan Stuart Integra House: funded by BE-ST (then CSIC) with academic support from Robert Gordon University, exploring the application of (imported) blown wood fibre insulation. In order to consider this type of insulation as a valid method for Integra House, a series of blowing trials were undertaken at BE-ST to understand the potential of incorporating blown wood fibre insulation into the manufacturing process.
• MDF-R: blown-in recycled MDF (product now fully commercialised and available). Settlement testing was carried out at BE-ST to determine the optimum density with no settlement in accordance with British Standards. Testing also investigated the settlement of the installed product under vibration and the optimum density to remove the chance of settlement.
• Sisaltech: Developing Sisalwool product (product now fully commercialised and available). Product prototyping support – Sisal fibre and textile waste material blending on BE-ST’s Spike Former and Thermobonding line, with further prototype development on BE-ST’s Stonemaker casting press. BE-ST also provided consultancy on type testing, product certification and route to market.
• IndiNature: Developing the IndiTherm product (now fully commercialised and available). Product prototyping support – Hemp fibre blending on BE-ST’s Spike Former. BE-ST also provided consultancy on type testing, product certification, and route to market, and supported the certification process with an equipment loan to IndiNature, who have been supported financially through Zero Waste Scotland and the Scottish National Investment Bank.

Since the November 2023 publication of the Scottish Government’s position paper, Taking a Feminist Approach to International Relations, officials have taken forward a range of activities as part of our commitment to mainstream a feminist approach across key policy areas, including international development, climate justice, trade, and peace & security.

This includes working to embed gender equality throughout our international development work as well as developing specific gender equality programmes. In seeking to equalise power in our international development activities, we work directly with organisations in our partner countries of Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia and have established a Global South Advisory Panel. On trade, the Scottish Government is committed to addressing the gender export gap in Scotland, confirmed by the findings in the recent Gender Export Gap research report. We will be working with our delivery agencies and stakeholders in implementing the report’s recommendations, providing tailored advice, assistance, and international market access opportunities to help women-led businesses succeed on the global stage.

Scottish Government ministers regularly discuss human rights issues with international partners, including individual cases. We do not keep statistics on how often these issues are raised.

Through its International Development Fund, the Scottish Government has over the last year, following work with our partner countries, launched new programmes with a heavier focus on investment in health, education, equalities, and renewables, underpinned by and guided by our core Principles. We also launched two new major Climate Justice Fund programmes in 2023.

The Scottish Government separately provides funding to support Human Rights Defenders. The Scottish Government established the Scottish Human Rights Defender Fellowship in 2018 as a temporary relocation programme to support international human rights defenders at risk as a direct result of their work. The Fellowship – and Scotland – has welcomed 19 human rights defenders from 16 different countries, two of whom have been from our partner countries Malawi and Zambia.

As set out in the response to question S6W-34780, increasing the rate of the Additional Dwelling Supplement is intended to support increased opportunities for first-time buyers and home movers while raising vital additional revenue to support public services. This takes account of the latest Scottish Fiscal Commission forecasts for Land and Buildings Transaction Tax and its assumptions regarding the behavioural effects of the rate increase.

For progress on SaxaVord and Sutherland Spaceports, I refer the member to the answers to questions S6W-34559 and S6W-34600 on 6 March 2025. 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 is supportive of multiple launch locations, which increase Scotland's offering to the global market, add resilience to the Scottish launch sector and increase the chances of delivering economic benefits to local communities.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Following discussions with Historic Environment Scotland (HES), SPS has been granted an extension to the HMP Barlinnie public consultation on the proposed listing of buildings.

The extension has been extended until 31 May 2025 to allow SPS to fully consider the extent of the listing and accurately comment on all aspects that are material to the HES decision making process.

HES supported the request and indicated that an extension such as this is normal when considering complex cases such as HMP Barlinnie.

The use of contractors in SG is largely accounted for by resourcing requirements to strengthen key professional skills such as expanding our digital capabilities. Employing temporary and agency workers provides the flexibility required to meet immediate business and access specialist and other skills quickly.

Having grown the workforce to respond to the Covid-19 epidemic, the Scottish Government reviewed its workforce plans at the beginning of the 2022-23 financial year and the Resource Spending Review. Recruitment controls were introduced in 2022 and the Scottish Government has continued to prioritise reductions in contingent workers as an initial means of reducing the workforce size and cost. This approach has been in partnership with recognised Trade Unions. The number of contingent workers is now 39% lower than in March 2022.

One of the areas in which this was delivered was the Digital Directorate within DG Corporate. A number of roles were identified that would be needed on a long term basis which were currently occupied by contingent workers. An intentional cost saving strategy was implemented to replace some posts being held by contingent workers with directly employed staff. It is estimated that this process has saved Scottish Government £3.2m.

The delivery of domestic launch capability would close the last link in the end-to-end space value chain. This would allow the manufacture, launch and exploitation of small satellite data all to take place in Scotland and give the sector a unique offering to the global market.

This is something long recognised by the Scottish Government and is why we worked in collaboration with industry and academia to develop the jointly owned “A Strategy for Space in Scotland”. Published in 2021, this document sets out the ambitions for the sector regarding delivery of launch capability and facilitating wider growth of the Scottish space eco-system.