Chamber and committees

A feasibility study has not been carried out on building a new plastic recycling plant. As part of the assessment identified in the answer to S6W-00674, Zero Waste Scotland have commissioned work to better understand and forecast the volumes of materials, including plastics, collected for recycling. Once this work has been finalised, we will consider the next steps.

In the meantime, we will continue to work with local authorities and Circularity Scotland Ltd, as scheme administrator of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme, to explore options that could unlock investment in plastics reprocessing, such as pooling recyclate and longer contractual periods.

Transport Scotland undertakes an annual assessment of the safety performance of the entire trunk road network, including the A90, and considers accident patterns and rates in the form of Route Accident Reduction Plans. In the short term, a Vehicle Activated Sign will be installed at this junction, with the aim of raising driver awareness and improving safety.

Recommendations for future transport investment will emerge from the ongoing second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) which is considering potential improvements to the trunk road network (and all other modes) across Scotland. The Aberdeen City Region Deal - Strategic Transport Appraisal Pre-Appraisal Study, recommended a package of possible road improvements for the A90 from Ellon to Peterhead and Fraserburgh. This, together with the other 34 remaining recommendations, are now subject to further appraisal as part of this review.

The appraisal process for STPR2 is considering the performance of all options against transport planning objectives, which are aligned to our National Transport Strategy priorities and outcomes. We also need to consider Value for Money based on performance against these objectives and the five Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance Criteria. This will be an important consideration given the pressures on current and future public finances. The interventions will seek to contribute to our vision of a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system helping deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for communities, businesses and visitors.

Until the appraisal process is completed, it is not possible to make individual decisions on upgrading specific sections of the A90, including the Toll of Birness. STPR2 will conclude later this year, with publication of recommendations for investment and an appropriate statutory consultation period.

Any remuneration paid to Professor Iain Docherty in relation to the production of his Scotland’s Railway after the pandemic report is a matter between Mr Docherty and Abellio ScotRail.

The Scottish Government is fully committed to the decarbonisation of its vehicle fleet, including vehicles used in the Government Car Service.

The 2019/20 Programme for Government outlined our commitment to phase out the need for all petrol or diesel cars in the public sector fleet by 2025 and for all other new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030. Investment in ultra-low emitting and electric vehicles is necessary to meet that commitment.

Prior to procuring any replacement vehicles, evaluations and trials are conducted to identify potential future options for fleet replacement. This approach identifies vehicles that are fit for purpose, meet current and expected future business requirements and ensure that the Scottish Government continues to honour its commitment to decarbonisation.

At the time they were purchased, Tesla Model 3s had been identified as the most suitable fully electric vehicle capable of meeting operational needs. The Scottish Government will continue to investigate available options before purchasing any further vehicles for its vehicle fleet.

Licensing of shooting ranges and gun clubs is a function of Police Scotland and is not part of the planning system.

Decisions on planning applications, including for shooting ranges, are primarily a matter for the relevant planning authority. Scottish planning policy sets out that planning decisions should be made at the most local level appropriate wherever possible. Where a planning authority were to refuse permission the applicant has the right of appeal which would be either to the Local Review Body or to Scottish Ministers.

Scottish Ministers have the power under current legislation to ‘call-in’ any application for their own determination. While Ministers exercise these powers sparingly, it is open to any individual to contact the Scottish Ministers to request call-in of any application prior to a decision being issued by the planning authority.

The Scottish Government has no plans at this time to review the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019.

Short-term lets can offer people a flexible and cheaper travel option, and have contributed positively to Scotland’s tourism industry and local economies across the country. However, we know that in certain areas, particularly tourist hot spots, high numbers of lets can cause problems for neighbours and make it harder for people to find homes to live in. The Scottish Government considers regulation of short term lets to be vital in balancing the needs and concerns of residents and communities, alongside wider economic and tourism interests.

The draft Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment published for consultation on 25 June 2021 estimates average, indicative fees in the range £223 and £377 for a three year licence. These estimates are based on full cost recovery.

The actual levels of fee are up to local authorities and are likely to include higher and lower tiers. The total revenue from fees must not exceed the costs of the scheme in each local authority.

Short-term lets can offer people a flexible and cheaper travel option, and have contributed positively to Scotland’s tourism industry and local economies across the country. However, we know that in certain areas, particularly tourist hot spots, high numbers of lets can cause problems for neighbours and make it harder for people to find homes to live in. The Scottish Government considers regulation of short term lets to be vital in balancing the needs and concerns of residents and communities, alongside wider economic and tourism interests.

Guidance for local authorities on overprovision is set out in chapter 3 of the Licensing guidance part 2: supplementary guidance for licensing authorities, letting agencies and platforms .

In considering whether there is or would be overprovision in any locality, licensing authorities must have regard to:

1. the number and capacity of licensed short-term lets in the locality,

2. the need for housing accommodation in the locality and the extent to which short-term let accommodation is impacting the availability of housing, and

3. such other matters as they consider relevant.

We have set out in guidance for local authorities that the data which licensing authorities use to evidence overprovision should be drawn from reliable sources, for example using data from their licence schemes.

The Scottish Government, through Home Energy Scotland (HES), already provides free, impartial advice to households both on and off the gas grid on how to decarbonise the energy supply of their homes. This includes a specialist home renewables advice service.

Through the Home Energy Scotland (HES) loan and cashback scheme, we provide interest-free loans of up to £17,500 for renewable measures with an additional 75%, up to £7500 cashback for homeowners to replace fossil fuel heating systems with renewable heating systems.

All households can also access support through the Green Homes Network which allows them to learn from the experience of others who have already installed measures, and the Renewable Installer Finder Tool which helps identify installers and suppliers in their area.

Some owner-occupiers may also be eligible for support via our fully-funded national energy efficiency/fuel poverty scheme - Warmer Homes Scotland – which is providing increasing numbers of renewable heating systems particularly to off-gas grid homes.

These Scottish Government-funded advice and support schemes can be accessed through Home Energy Scotland, run by the Energy Saving Trust.

The Scottish Government, through Home Energy Scotland (HES), already provides free, impartial advice to households both on and off the gas grid on how to improve the energy efficiency of their homes.

Additionally, through the Home Energy Scotland (HES) loan and cashback scheme, we provide interest-free loans of up to £15,000 with an additional 40% cashback up to a total value of £6,000, for homeowners to install energy efficiency measures in order to improve the EPC rating of their property.

Some owner-occupiers may also be eligible for support via our fully-funded energy efficiency/fuel poverty schemes – Warmer Homes Scotland or the local authority Area-Based Schemes.

All these Scottish Government-funded advice and support schemes can be accessed through Home Energy Scotland, run by the Energy Saving Trust.

We have committed to taking action to realise the right to adequate housing in Scotland. To establish the best way to make the right to adequate housing a reality, we have said that we will undertake a comprehensive audit of our current housing and homelessness legislation.

The aim of the audit is to identify where there are gaps in current domestic legislation and where remedies for violations of housing rights can be strengthened. It will assess how well current legislation protects marginalised groups and meets the needs of people with protected characteristics. The audit findings will help us understand how the introduction of a right to adequate housing in Scotland will impact on people's lives.

This work will begin later in 2021.