Chamber and committees

In 2019 the Scottish Parliament set ambitious climate change emission reduction targets to net zero emissions by 2045 and a 75% reduction by 2030. This means that by 2030, emissions from homes and buildings will have to fall by 68% against current levels. Transforming the way we heat our homes and buildings, in order to meet these legally binding targets, will touch the lives of almost everyone in Scotland.

The Scottish Government recently consulted on the draft Heat in Buildings Strategy which states that by 2030 around 50% of homes will need to convert to a zero or low emissions heating system, including the vast majority of 167,000 off-gas homes that currently use high emissions oil, LPG, and solid fuels.

A number of respondents offered their support for the consultation paper’s suggestion that the immediate focus should be on low and no regrets interventions and that one of these should be the deployment of individual building heat pumps in buildings off the gas network which currently use high carbon heating fuels. However, there was also concern that the combination of being off-gas grid and living in a hard-to-treat property presents risks around increased fuel poverty.

The Scottish Government has a strong offer of fuel poverty support suitable for those in rural and island areas. Both Warmer Homes Scotland and our Area Based Schemes, which target fuel poor households, take a “zero emissions first” approach to the provision of new heating systems. Ending the provision of new oil/LPG systems through these schemes, in favour of offering low carbon alternatives, is a further step on this path to phasing out these polluting technologies. This year we have increased funding to a record £50 million for Warmer Homes Scotland (an increase from £32 million in 2020-21) and £64 million for our local authority led Area Based Schemes (an increase of £9m compared with 20-21).

The shared policy programme also commits to provide additional support for rural and islands homes which require bespoke and targeted advice.

Transport Scotland received Nestrans’ ‘Case for Change’ in November 2020, the first of three consecutive appraisal s reports for the study, which includes consideration of a range of multi-modal options, including potential options for stations at Newtonhill and Cove.

This Nestrans’ study is ongoing and the conclusions are still to come forward, including what potential options may emerge from the study. Further details on the study can be provided by Nestrans.

Transport Scotland officials are in regular contact with the Department for Transport regarding bus service provision and issues impacting on bus driver numbers. Discussions, which are ongoing, seek to identify and address issues delaying licence applications and driver testing to ensure timely recruitment and training processes. Officials will remain closely engaged with Department for Transport officials as this work progresses.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

Local authorities are independent corporate bodies with their own powers and responsibilities, separate from the Scottish Government. As long as they act lawfully, it is up to each local authority to structure the council and form a decision making process that is appropriate for the individual local authority.

New regulations require that, where applicable, from November 2022 local authorities, along with other public bodies, report a target date for achieving zero direct emissions of greenhouse gases and targets for reducing indirect emissions of greenhouse gases. Overall, around 50% of reported public sector emissions are now covered by a net zero target that aligns with, or is more ambitious than, the 2045 national target.

Since 2015, local authorities, along with other public bodies, have had a duty to report on their compliance with the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, as well as their annual organisational emissions.

The Scottish Government has established the Bus Decarbonisation Taskforce, comprised of leaders from the bus operating, bus manufacturing, energy and finance sectors, including representation from rural bus operators. The Taskforce has explored energy infrastructure in depth and actions now being undertaken by the Taskforce include production of a “How To” guide for bus operators about working with the electricity sector to plan for and install the necessary charging infrastructure. The Taskforce has also discussed the suitability of hydrogen fuel-cell buses for rural bus services, and the challenges and opportunities associated with hydrogen refuelling stations. The Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund is currently available to bidders and is designed to encourage collaborative and consortium bids, with support of up to 75% of the cost of battery-electric charging infrastructure, and up to 85% of the cost of hydrogen fuel-cell charging infrastructure.

It is an objective of the National Bus Travel Concession Scheme for Young Persons that bus operators are reimbursed for the costs of carrying concessionary passengers so as to leave them no better and no worse off through their participation in the Scheme. This objective should mean that there are not subsequent fare pressures on fare paying passengers as a result of the scheme.

We have worked with the Confederation of Passenger Transport to arrive at the reimbursement rates for the Scheme which seek to deliver this objective.

The new Scheme will be monitored closely in order to identify any significant adverse financial impacts, generally or for individual operators or groups of bus operators.

The proposed National Bus Travel Concession Scheme for Young Persons is expected to increase patronage and cause modal shift but the precise impact of these changes is uncertain. The Scottish Government will monitor the scheme to assess the level of take up and the impact it has on people’s travel behaviours and on other modes of transport, including active travel.

Evidence from the existing National Bus Travel Concession Scheme for Older and Disabled Persons indicates that people who benefit from free public transport tend to be more active as a result. These journeys can be used to access outdoor activities and most will involve an active component, for instance to get to or from the bus stop.

The Scottish Government has established the Bus Decarbonisation Taskforce, comprised of leaders from the bus operating, bus manufacturing, energy and finance sectors, including representation from rural bus operators. At its first meeting the group set out its vision for a future where “Bus operators are exclusively running zero-emission battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell buses, and the bus sector provides an excellent service meeting passengers’ day-to-day needs”. The guiding vision informs all aspects of the Taskforce’s work. The Scottish Government is making £120 million available over the coming years to support operators in both urban and rural areas transition to zero-emission technology. The first phase of our Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund, worth £50 million, is currently open for bids. A second phase will be subject to review of the first.

Since June 2020 the Scottish Government has made up to £210 million in additional financial support available to enable bus operators to continue to run services during the pandemic. It is for individual operators to lead dialogue with trade unions and to determine pay arrangements with their employees. Scottish Government funding is provided on a not for profit basis and any pay increases for staff would need to be funded by bus operators through efficiencies or any reserves they may have accrued prior to the pandemic.