Chamber and committees

We understand that the UK Government's Heat Pump Ready funding programme will be open to businesses across the UK and our enterprise agencies have highlighted this funding opportunity to companies based in Scotland. We will carefully consider any further funding requirements for heat pump innovation in our Heat in Buildings Supply Chain Delivery Plan, to be published next year.

The Scottish Government will establish a Scottish public inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005 by the end of this year, to scrutinise decisions taken in the course of this pandemic, and learn lessons for future pandemics.

Public discussion and engagement about a draft COVID-19 Inquiry Establishment Aims and Principles paper took place between 24th August and end of September. Analysis of the engagement is being used to help shape drafting of the terms of reference for the inquiry. A report covering public engagement on the inquiry will be published in due course.

Discussions are underway with the Lord President to identify a candidate to chair the inquiry, in line with our previous commitment to having it led by a judge.

A statement on the appointment of the chair and the terms of reference for the inquiry will be made to the Scottish Parliament in accordance with the requirements of the Inquiries Act 2005.

The Scottish Government are aware of a technical issue which affect EE 4G mobile telecoms access in Uig, Lewis. Scottish Government officials have been in regular contact with EE for the duration of the issue.

We understand this issue has taken longer to resolve than originally anticipated due to the availability of replacement parts, caused by global supply chain issues.

EE sought to provide interim solutions until the service could be fully restored which included reinstating SMS and voice services, with some limited data access.

EE have now resolved the issue by upgrading the entire module which also gives the mast site increased resilience.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-04100 on 15 November 2021. 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

Scottish Government only hold procurement records for its own fleet. A breakdown of purchases of petrol and diesel fuelled vehicles is provided in the following table.

The Scottish Government has invested over £50 million in development of the ChargePlace Scotland network. Funding is provided to all of Scotland’s local authorities to provide communities across Scotland with a robust user-focused charging network ensuring that no area is left behind. The majority of this investment has been through the Local Authority Install Programme, meaning that local authorities are responsible for the procurement of charge points and the associated warranty and maintenance packages.

Recent offers of grant for the Local Authority Install Programme include a requirement to embed the Place Principle in delivery, supporting the National Performance Framework’s collective purpose for Scotland. This establishes an expectation to plan and work with local communities and recognise the benefits of planning, investment and implementing activity at the regional level of place, where that focus could drive faster rates of sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

Many local authorities carry out procurement using frameworks established by organisations such as Scotland Excel. These frameworks are also covered by the Sustainable Procurement Duty and therefore consider the wider social, economic and environmental aims of procurement in a consistent manner as required by the sustainable procurement duty under the Act.

Whilst Scottish Ministers fund the operation of the ChargePlace Scotland public EV charging network, installation and maintenance of the infrastructure is the sole responsibility of the respective charge point owners. Funding has been provided to local authorities to support maintenance up to 2022.

To support development of a resilient and reliable national network, that in turn supports Scotland’s economic, environmental and social well-being, all grants for electric vehicle charging infrastructure include conditions requiring the grantee (charge point owner) to have a warranty & maintenance contract in place to ensure infrastructure remains in good working order.

To ensure ChargePlace Scotland is an inclusive network, suitable for all EV drivers across all areas of Scotland and to complement our existing ‘Common Requirements and Good Practice Guide for the ChargePlace Scotland Network’ , we are developing guidance documents to aid the planning and installation of charge points in areas with varied geographic and demographic characteristics, including rural and island communities and areas at the top of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation.

We are also involved in the development of Accessible Electric Vehicle Chargepoint standards that will be applicable across the United Kingdom. Through Scottish Enterprise’s Can Do Innovation Challenge framework we have already contributed £390,000 to Scottish SMEs, supporting the development of innovative ideas to make charge points more accessible. Engaging the disabled community and stakeholder organisations throughout the process.

We are also working with Scottish Futures Trust to consider the most appropriate structures and approach to expanding public charging networks across Scotland. Ensuring a Just Transition will be embedded as a core principle so that no parts of Scotland are left behind.

In addition to our work on charging infrastructure we are continuing our support for decarbonisation of the Scottish bus fleet and have committed £120 million over the coming 5 years. The Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB) is designed to encourage the market to bring forward new and innovative ways to finance the transition to zero-emission bus fleets and will support Scotland’s green recovery, providing immediate economic stimulus and supporting the Scottish Government’s bold ambitions to decarbonise the bus fleet.

The Scottish Government launched a consultation for a refreshed Onshore Wind Policy Statement on 28th October 2021 which sets out our ambition for an additional 8-12 gigawatts of installed capacity by 2030. The policy statement also references the potential for refurbishment and recycling of wind turbines, supporting the recent Zero Waste Scotland report 'The Future of Onshore Wind Decommissioning in Scotland'. The Scottish Government are fully supportive of this work and its alignment with our zero waste policies.

The Scottish Government provides grant funding to a wide range of organisations to install electric vehicle charging stations. Grantees who are Local Authorities or public bodies appoint charge point installers through their own procurement process. Grantees in the private sector or members of the public select a local installer from the Energy Saving Trust’s list of approved installers ( Domestic charge point funding - Energy Saving Trust ). There is no cost for a business, including Scottish SMEs, to register to be added to this list, should they be interested in doing so.

We do not hold information on the proportion of electric vehicle charging stations that have been installed by small and medium-sized enterprises based in Scotland.

Installation of an electric vehicle charge point requires a range of skills, including works related to electrical connections, civil engineering and supply and installation of charging units. This range of work provides opportunities for local businesses, including SMEs, to benefit from investment in development of the electric vehicle chargepoint network and subsequent maintenance and repair.

We want to encourage new, innovative, home-grown ideas to aid the decarbonisation of transport in Scotland and ensure Scottish businesses are positioned to deliver competitive solutions and services across the sector. We have provided £780,000 of funding to Scottish SMEs through the Can Do Innovation Challenge framework , supporting businesses to design and to build the commercial case for innovations related to electric vehicle charging.

To support business and economic development across Scotland we are supporting Scottish innovation across Technology Readiness Levels to enable existing and new Scottish companies, including SMEs, to secure a share of the Zero Emission transport market. We are also providing support for the stimulation of the Zero Emission Mobility technology market and stimulating technological innovation which will improve user experience and encourage further uptake of zero emission vehicles.

The Scottish Government has today published its Draft Heat Networks Delivery Plan for consultation. The Consultation will run until 15 December and can be accessed at https://consult.gov.scot/energy-and-climate-change-directorate/heat-networks-delivery-plan

This consultation document fulfils the requirement of the Heat Networks (Scotland) Act 2021 to consult with relevant persons in preparing the heat networks delivery plan (Part 1). It outlines in draft how the provisions of the 2021 Act, and any other supporting policies, will contribute to increasing the use of heat networks in Scotland. It sets out the proposed approach that the Scottish Ministers intend to take to increase the use of heat networks in Scotland and how the statutory targets will be met. In addition, it outlines how progress will be measured and the expected contribution that heat networks will make toward meeting the emission reduction targets.

Over this parliamentary term we are investing at least £1.8 billion in heat and energy efficiency in buildings, including investing £400 million to support the development of large-scale heat infrastructure, such as heat networks.

The consultation document also seeks views on policy proposals relating to aspects of the emerging regulatory regime.

I have also written to the Conveners of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee and Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee. The Government looks forward to engaging with interested parties on this issue.