Chamber and committees

As a reserved matter, the Scottish Government has no powers over the smart-meter roll out and does not hold information on its progress. The UK Government publishes quarterly statistics on the smart meter roll out which are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/smart-meters-in-great-britain-quarterly-update-september-2024

The UK Government has made a commitment that all households will be offered a smart meter upgrade by the end of this year. However, many in Scotland, particularly those in our rural and island communities, face ongoing difficulties with smart meter connectivity, wiring or a lack of engineers, thus preventing them from upgrading or causing metering issues when they do.

Since the start of the smart meter roll out in January 2022, the Scottish Government has engaged regularly with the UK Government and Ofgem to ensure all smart meter users across Scotland have full network access.

While telecommunications is reserved to the UK Government, we have proactively addressed poor network coverage through digital infrastructure programmes such as Reaching 100% and the Scottish 4G Infill (S4GI) programme. We have delivered 55 mobile masts in rural and island areas, all of which are available on an open access basis and could potentially be used to site smart meter radio infrastructure.

However, the Data Communications Company (DCC) controls the digital energy infrastructure for Great Britain, and collects and shares smart meter data with energy suppliers via the Wide Area Network (WAN). In establishing how best to collect this data, the DCC took the decision that in the “north” region of Great Britain, including Scotland, the use of long range radio would allow signals to travel further across hills and mountains, reaching more rural communities more easily. It is clear that this does not always work in practice and many households and businesses are unable to install a working smart meter.

On 8 January, I wrote to the UK Minister for Energy Consumers, Dr Miatta Fahnbulleh, calling for the UK Government to take steps to allow the DCC to use mobile technology to provide a signal to homes in Scotland. In her response, Minister Fahnbulleh advised that the DCC is currently undertaking work to develop technical solutions to overcome the connectivity issues that currently prevent some consumers from accessing the WAN.

Further, on 10 March, I reiterated my view to Ofgem that an update to the DCC license conditions would provide enduring protection to consumers given the pace at which technical solutions are likely to change and the potential for meters to become unfit for purpose through no fault of the consumer.

Fit-for-purpose smart meters provide numerous benefits to consumers including real time usage data which can help consumers cut their energy usage and save money. It is therefore critical that the UK Government, Ofgem, and the DCC work together to urgently resolve these issues.

A comprehensive range of monitoring activities are undertaken across Scotland for a variety of purposes. This includes for public health, at designated bathing waters, and assessing the state of the water environment. No new monitoring activities are planned in the Clyde estuary north of Largs.

Between 2022-23 Rape Crisis Scotland were funded £408,675 through the Delivering Equally Safe fund. This funding supports the implementation of the Equally Safe at School whole school approach to preventing GBV and the continued delivery of the national sexual violence prevention programme.

Additionally, Rape Crisis Scotland was funded £43,000 in 2022-23 to fund a prevention and training post which oversees the effective implementation of the Equally Safe at Schools programme.

The Scottish Government also funds and supports other education-based programmes and initiatives aimed at tackling violence against women and girls and the attitudes which perpetuate it such as; the Mentors in Violence peer education programme, the preventing and responding to gender based violence: a whole school framework and Rape Crisis Scotland’s national sexual violence programme for secondary schools.

As set out in the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, the Chief Constable of Police Scotland is responsible for the policing of Scotland, and is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority for this, rather than to Scottish Ministers directly.

It is therefore not the place of Ministers to issue guidance on operational policing matters. The member may wish to write to the Chief Constable on this issue.

I have not met with the Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, the Commissioner for Victims of Crime Northern Ireland or the Victims Commissioner, London since 29 March 2023.

The management of Police Scotland’s call handling capabilities is an issue for the Chief Constable. Police Scotland’s three year business plan seeks to ensure that victims are fully heard and supported through a service that is tailored to their needs, and that the service works with partners to ensure vulnerable people can access appropriate care at the right time.

The Scottish Government is aware of the launch of Raneem’s Law in England and Wales, whereby domestic abuse specialists will be embedded within 999 control rooms across five police forces. Police Scotland’s Public Protection Development Programme (PPDP) includes work to develop an improved initial response model, to ensure all victims receive a real-time trauma informed response, including safeguarding and signposting to the most appropriate support service at the earliest opportunity.

Marine Planning in Scotland’s waters is governed by two Acts – the UK Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 and the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010. Together these set out the requirement for the development of marine plans.

A Planning Position Statement for NMP2 was published in November and covers how the requirements of the Marine Acts and other relevant legislation are being considered in the development of NMP2, as well as the initial thinking on policy direction for NMP2.

The responses to the consultation on the Planning Position Statement are currently being considered, and these stakeholder perspectives alongside the policies established in the fisheries management strategy and fisheries management plans, will inform the development of the NMP2.

There have been no formal discussions with INEOS regarding the development of a Small Modular Nuclear Reactor for their site in Grangemouth. Scottish Government Officials did approach INEOS in 2022 when the potential use of a SMR was reported in media, and the business subsequently confirmed that the technology does not form part of their roadmap for net zero. There is no record of any conversations between Scottish Government and Rolls Royce on this matter.

The total number of hours of other activity carried out in 2023-24 is not held, but relevant information in relation to orders successfully completed is available.

In the financial year 2023-24, 6,742 unpaid work or other activity requirements imposed as part of a Community Payback Order (CPO) were successfully completed. Of these successful requirements, 884,844 hours were completed.

This above information is available from Table 14 from Justice Social Work Statistics in Scotland: 2023-24 – Part 2 - gov.scot.

Of the hours carried out as part of successfully completed unpaid work or other activity requirements in 2023-24, 66,646 hours (8%) were recorded as other activity.

These statistics remain a stark reminder of the unacceptable levels of domestic abuse that occur in Scotland, and the devastating impact on victims and survivors. It is vital that perpetrators are held to account, and that women and children have access to frontline services dealing with violence and domestic abuse.

The 23% increase is in relation to crimes recorded under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018. These crimes relate to a course of conduct only and therefore do not include all crimes relating to domestic abuse. A range of factors could be attributed to this increase, including the increasing time since this legislation was introduced and therefore a longer period over which a course of conduct can be committed and recorded through this Act.

To support victims, we are providing more than £7.5m to Women’s Aid groups in 2024-25 through our Delivering Equally Safe Fund and £1.2m (£1.197m) over this year and next to Scotland’s Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline which provides round the clock support - 0800 027 1234.

Our Equally Safe Strategy is focused on early intervention and prevention and through the Delivering Equally Safe Fund (DES), 119 projects are supported from more than 100 organisations.

We have also recently announced a £2.4m uplift to the Delivering Equally Safe Fund for 2025-26, to allow all fund recipients to continue the vital work they undertake to prevent violence and support survivors of VAWG.