Chamber and committees

To the extent such systems are addressed under Scottish Building regulations, such provisions form part of the current review of energy standards.

This review will consult on detailed proposals for change later this year, with the intent of confirming changes in mid 2026 and implementing them in early 2028.

Any project developer will have to satisfy environmental and planning regulations throughout the project lifecycle.

The proposed national Good Food Nation Plan must be laid in Parliament on or before 29 June 2025. The date on which the expiry of the 60 day scrutiny period will fall will depend on the date on which the proposed national Good Food Nation Plan is laid before Parliament. A minimum of 30 of the 60 days must be days on which the Parliament is not in recess or dissolved.

The Scottish Government has no plans to publish a separate dedicated strategy for scaling up ecosystem-based approaches to climate mitigation, as these issues are addressed in our Biodiversity Strategy and Climate Change Plans.

Our Biodiversity Strategy and Climate Change Plans include policies to develop healthy and restored ecosystems with landscape scale nature-based initiatives, contributing to our nature and climate targets. This is an effective framework for policy, and we have recently announced that Scotland's Peatland ACTION partnership has put 14,860 hectares of degraded peatlands on the road to recovery last year, which represents a new record in one year.

The Scottish Government is unable to create a strategic Bitcoin reserve. As a devolved government we must operate within rules laid down by the UK Government and as set out in HM Treasury’s financial framework. These rules preclude speculating on currency movements.

We will update parliament in due course on the progress made against the recommendations set out in Project Willow.

The power to undertake reforms to the wholesale market is reserved to the UK Government.

The Scottish Government has been consistently been clear with successive UK Governments, NESO, Ofgem and industry that reforms must reduce costs for Scottish consumers, ensure our communities feel the benefit of the energy transition, protect investment in our renewables industry and support decarbonisation.

The Scottish Government is clear that the current wholesale electricity market is not fit for the delivery of our net zero ambitions, nor our aims to tackle fuel poverty.

We remain focused on delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, with at least 70% of these for social rent and 10% in rural and island areas, including new build, rehabilitation and acquisitions.

Backed by £768 million of investment this year, we are continuing to work with partners to increase the delivery of more affordable homes. We will report on all homes delivered through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme via our quarterly official statistics. Official statistics for the Affordable Housing Supply Programme are available on the Scottish Government website at Housing statistics - gov.scot.

Local authorities, as strategic housing and planning authorities, are responsible for assessing affordable housing needs in their area and setting out their investment priorities in their Strategic Housing Investment Plans (SHIPs). These plans set out planned proposals for affordable housing supply over a five year period, and should be available on each local authority’s website.

From 23 March 2022 to 31 December 2024, a total of 26,039 affordable homes have been delivered towards the target of 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, consisting of 19,945 (77%) homes for social rent, 3,644 (14%) for affordable rent, and 2,450 (9%) for affordable home ownership.

Our Operational Improvement Plan is clear that the Scottish Government will support an additional 10,000 National Treatment Centre (NTC) procedures in 2025-26.

In 2024-25 cataracts represented 36.5% of the total NTC capacity allocated. This year, this has increased to 44.9% of the total NTC capacity allocated. All of this ophthalmic activity is cataract procedures.

To the extent such systems are addressed under Scottish Building regulations, such provisions were updated as part of the February 2023 publication of Scottish Building Standards Technical Handbooks and supporting documents.

Provisions relating to the control of fixed building services are set out in the 2023 Domestic and Non-domestic Building Services Compliance Guides.