Chamber and committees

This information is not held centrally.

As stated in answer to PQ S6W-10006, the next Climate Change Plan, a draft of which will be published next year, will include costs of delivering emissions reductions to meet the statutory targets between 2024 and 2040. The Scottish Government has published the updated Climate Change Plan for the period up to 2032 but has not yet set out a pathway for the other years to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 and hence does not yet have a basis for a cost assessment of achieving that goal. That will be covered as part of subsequent Climate Change Plans.

On 28 October 2022, Ferguson Marine wrote to the Net Zero, Energy & Transport Committee to inform them of a technical design issue with the Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) system on MV Glen Sannox.

In the letter Ferguson Marine set out their proposed approach to rectify this issue with the caveat that this will require agreement from Scottish Government, CMAL and CalMac. When an agreement is reached Ferguson Marine will update Parliament.

Both Scottish Ministers and the planning authority have a duty to ensure, whenever appropriate, that in granting permission for any development adequate provision is made for the preservation or planting of trees. In addition, a planning authority or the Scottish Ministers may make a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) if it appears to them to be expedient to do so and where relevant statutory tests are met.

The general principle under which the planning system operates in Scotland is that decisions should be taken at the most local administrative level unless there are compelling reasons for taking them at a higher level.

In line with this approach, Scottish Ministers will only use their powers with regards to tree preservation orders (TPOs) in exceptional circumstances where national issues of importance are raised. As such, we have no record of any TPOs made by Scottish Ministers since 2011.

More detail about tree preservation orders is available in Circular 1/2011: Tree Preservation Orders at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/01/28152314/0 .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12234 on 5 December 2022. 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 .

Social Security Scotland carefully considers the information on counter fraud activity that can be placed into the public domain to ensure that any information released does not undermine the ability of Social Security Scotland to prevent and detect crime. We consider that releasing figures for referrals to the Crown Office Procurator Fiscal could be prejudicial to ongoing investigations.

Social Security Scotland regularly publishes information on detected suspected fraud in its Annual Report and Accounts. The most recent Annual Report and Accounts covering the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022, were laid before the Scottish Parliament on 7 November 2022 and were also published on Social Security Scotland’s website: Social Security Scotland - Annual Report 2021-2022 .

The suite of final reports presenting the recommendations of the Second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) will be published on the Transport Scotland website on Thursday 8 December 2022. This represents a key milestone for strategic transport planning in Scotland. Setting out a 20 year framework for capital investment to drive the change we need to achieve the Scottish Government’s strategic vision and move towards Net Zero – the majority of the 45 recommendations contribute directly towards achieving emissions reduction.

This marks the culmination of over three years’ intensive work.

The evidence gathering and robust objective-led appraisal work feeding in to this review has been informed by stakeholder engagement from the very outset. The public have been provided with several opportunities for involvement, not least the three month statutory consultation on draft versions of the reports during January to April 2022. All responses to this have been carefully considered and used to inform refinement of the final recommendations.

The intention was to publish a Delivery Plan for these recommendations, alongside the final report. However, due to the current huge lack of certainty around available capital budget and fiscal policy over recent months, this has not been possible as yet. As such the Delivery Plan will follow in 2023, which will include more detail on prioritisation and delivery timescales, however, I am pleased to note that work is already underway on 38 of the 45 recommendations.

A number of active groups have a role in enterprise issues that fall within of the responsibilities of the Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise.

These include sectoral groups coordinating work to transform different segments of Scotland’s economy:

• Financial Services Growth and Development Board
• Industry Leadership Chairs Group
• Life Sciences Scotland Industry Leadership Group
• Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council
• Strategic Leadership Group for Advanced Manufacturing
• Tourism and Hospitality Industry Leadership Group
• Aerospace and Defence Industry Leadership Group
• Construction Leadership Forum

There are also groups which help support the delivery of the National Strategy for Economic Transformation:

• New Market Opportunities Partnership Delivery Group
• Productive Business and Regions Delivery Board
• Business Support Partnership

To support regional economic development, the following groups exist:

• Scottish City Region and Growth Deal Delivery Board
• Regional Economic Policy Advisory Group

There are additionally groups where the Scottish Government draws on external experience to inform policy decisions:

• Scottish Government and Business Organisations Meeting

• Ministerial Trade Board

• Scottish Taskforce for Green and Sustainable Financial Services

• Innovation Strategy Steering Group

Recommendation 75 of the Deer Working Group report was that “the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee of the Scottish Parliament should consider holding a short inquiry into the use of section 7 Control Agreements under the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 in the Caenlochan area.” Given the nature of that recommendation, and as we outlined in our response to the report, this is a matter for the Scottish Parliament.

Ben Macpherson MSP, then Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment wrote to the convener of the Environment Climate Change and Land Reform (ECCLR) committee on 24 March 2021 to bring this recommendation to their attention and offer the support of Ministers and officials in taking it forward.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-11872 on 24 November 2022. 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