Chamber and committees

Responsibility for policy on oil and gas exploration and production is a reserved matter and sits with the UK Government.

The Scottish Government continues to call for the climate compatibility checkpoint to be strengthened and to seek a four nation approach to developing climate compatibility tests, and is disappointed that the UK Government has again made announcements without consulting the devolved Governments.

The Scottish Government has made our position clear, we are committed to a just transition for Scotland's energy sector. Our focus, as outlined in the draft Strategy, must be meeting our energy security needs, reducing emissions and ensuring a just transition for our oil and gas workforce as North Sea resources decline.

We are already investing in the transition, through the Just Transition Fund and Energy Transition Fund, over half a billion pounds (£575m) to support a just transition. We will take the workers with us on our journey to net zero. We won’t do what Margaret Thatcher did to our mining and steel communities, where workers were discarded without hope.

The Scottish Government is clear that unlimited extraction of fossil fuels is not consistent with our climate commitments. That is why we are calling for a robust and transparent climate compatibility test to be applied to all new developments.

The Scottish Government has made our position clear, we are committed to a just transition for Scotland's energy sector. Our focus, as outlined in the draft Strategy, must be meeting our energy security needs, reducing emissions and ensuring a just transition for our oil and gas workforce as North Sea resources decline.

The Scottish Government continues to make progress on drafting the refreshed Tobacco Action Plan and this is due to be published in Autumn 2023.

The Plan will renew our focus on meeting our ambitious target of a Tobacco-Free Scotland by 2034. We are considering a range of evidence, including the latest international evidence, and are working closely with stakeholders, including Smoking Cessation Co-ordinators, ASH Scotland, the Poverty Alliance, Trading Standards and PHS to deliver actions that will further reduce the smoking rates.

The Scottish Government has a duty to ensure that Government policies protect the rights of disabled people and reduce inequalities. Strategies, Plans and policies related to net zero, energy and transport are thoroughly assessed to ensure they do not discriminate against disabled people through our Equalities Impact Assessment requirement.

We also engage with protected groups to develop fair policy. Examples include engagement on Scotland’s Accessible Travel Framework and co-designing Just Transition Plans for the energy and transport sectors.

We are currently working with several disability organisations to enable them to engage with their members on the development of our Just Transition Plans, to ensure the needs of disabled people are reflected both in the Plans and in wider Scottish Government policy.

We funded ASH Scotland and Young Scot to develop online resources on vaping which are available for young people, and their teachers or carers on the Young Scot website. We are working with colleagues in Education to review additional resources on vaping and tobacco smoking to ensure they provide the best impact.

However, it is up to individual schools to decide what to teach against the experiences and outcomes of the Curriculum for Excellence. Children and young people will learn about a variety of substances, and explore the impact risk taking behaviour has on life choices and health.

Enforcement of legislation around the sale and purchase of nicotine vapour products (NVPs) is carried out by Local Authorities as part of the Enhanced Tobacco Sales Enforcement Programme (ETSEP). This is overseen by the Society for Trading Standards Officers in Scotland (SCOTSS) and funded by the Scottish Government.

SCOTSS membership includes representation from every Scottish local authority trading standards service. We regularly meet with SCOTSS, our last meeting took place on 21 June 2023, and our standing agenda includes enforcement in relation to NVPs and tobacco.

Through this engagement, we continue to support strong national and local alliances to tackle the availability and sale of tobacco and NVPs to under 18s.

The impact of climate change policies on disabled people is a key consideration in just transition planning. We are currently engaging widely on priorities for our Just Transition Plans to ensure the transition to net zero and climate resilience reflects the needs of everyone across Scotland before developing the specific policies and engaging in bilateral meetings at Cabinet Secretary level. We are currently working with several disabled people’s organisations to enable them to engage with their members on our behalf and ensure that the needs of disabled people are reflected both in the Plans, and in wider Scottish Government policy.

The suitability of Zero Direct Emission Heating Systems is dependent on a number of factors, including, for example: the age of the property, its location, available space, and any energy efficiency improvements that have already been installed or are required to support the efficient operation of a zero direct emissions system.

Home Energy Scotland (HES), administered by Energy Saving Trust on behalf of the Scottish Government, is a domestic advice service that acts as a single point of access for free, bespoke, impartial advice on energy efficiency, renewable heating and fuel poverty support in Scotland. HES provides in-depth support to householders on low and zero emissions heating technologies, other domestic renewables and more complex energy efficiency improvements.

Later this year we will publish our Heat in Buildings Public Engagement Strategy, outlining how we will work with stakeholders to increase public awareness and understanding of the need to transition to renewable heating, the different technological options available to achieve this and how to access existing advice and support.

The deadline for receipt of the first quarter of the ASP minimum dataset (April – June 2023) was the end of July 2023. We intend to review the data quality and comprehensiveness of the initial submissions and expect to publish results when we are assured that the new collection is providing a robust national picture of Adult Support and Protection in Scotland.

The Heat in Buildings Strategy published in October 2021 set out a pathway to achieve zero emissions from all buildings in Scotland by 2045. As part of a phased approach, our ambition is to see domestic buildings meeting energy efficiency standards of equivalent to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) band C by 2033, where this is technically feasible and cost effective. We are currently consulting on reform of EPC design to support our emissions reduction aim. Scotland’s non-domestic buildings are hugely diverse, we are working with partners such as Local Energy Scotland to ensure that each non-domestic building has the advice and support required to lower their energy demands and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

We recognise that approaches to regulating energy efficiency standards of Scotland’s listed buildings must be balanced with respecting and preserving the special characteristics of those buildings and places.

We also recognise it may be more challenging for some homes and buildings to meet the energy efficiency standards than for others. We are working with stakeholders, including Historic Environment Scotland, to consider our approach to buildings which are listed or in conservation areas.

There may be circumstances in which the scale and range of measures possible may vary from the standard required. These circumstances include, but are not limited to, the method of construction, cost of measures required, the measures having an unacceptable negative impact on the fabric or structure, or the need for, but lack of, third party permissions.