Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-30246 on 11 October 2024. 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

As you will know, delivery of Green Freeports are a joint initiative between the Scottish Government and the UK Government, with a detailed programme in place to do this. Responsibility for the various incentives (including tax and seed capital) lie with the appropriate government.

The Forth Green Freeport consortium recently submitted their Full Business Case (FBC). Officials are currently reviewing this - including analysis of potential tax and customs incentives across the sites.

Tax sites were designated at an earlier stage of the business case process, and include an area of land owned by Petroineos Manufacturing Scotland Ltd (PIMSL). This area is not involved in the current fossil-fuel refining operations, and is designated for bio-refining and low carbon fuels manufacturing. The nature of the potential development in this particular area is the subject of a proposed study, called Project Willow, which it is intended will be developed in collaboration between PIMSL, INEOS, the Scottish Government and its agencies.

The Forth Green Freeport is focused on the transition to net zero, and supporting that transition through targeted seed capital funding. None of the proposals for seed funding include the proposed Petroineos import-export terminal, nor are there customs sites proposals involving Petroineos.

Once the business case process is complete, both governments and Forth Green Freeport will agree a detailed Memorandum of Understanding which will include monitoring and evaluation of the delivery and impact of the Green Freeport. The Scottish Government has worked in partnership with the UK Government to ensure that specific provisions on Just Transition, Fair Work and the Real Living Wage are critical parts of Green Freeport monitoring and evaluation.

The decision by Petroineos to cease refinery operations is of course a blow to the workforce and local community. PACE (Partnership Action for Continuing Employment) is the Scottish Government’s initiative for responding to redundancy situations. Through providing skills development and employability support, PACE aims to minimise the time individuals affected by redundancy are out of work. PACE partners SDS and Scottish Enterprise had a joint introductory meeting with Petroineos on 3 October 2024 to outline the support available to employees impacted by the planned closure of refining operations.

We believe that the wider Grangemouth site retains the potential to be utilised as part of Scotland’s low-carbon transition, and it has been identified as a potential site for future low carbon technologies which will not only drive Scotland’s economy, but contribute to our transition to net zero.

This is why the Scottish and UK Governments have confirmed a £100m package for Falkirk and Grangemouth, including our £40 million contribution to the Growth Deal and £10 million for community projects in Grangemouth and an additional £10m announced by UK Government after Petroineos’ decision to close the refinery site, as well as the £1.5m Project Willow study (jointly funded by the Scottish and UK Governments) which aims to look at options for developing new long term industry at the refinery site.

My officials will continue to work in partnership with the Forth Green Freeport team, and with UK Government counterparts in order to ensure the successful delivery of the Green Freeport, to the benefit of the communities in the region, and to the wider economic success of Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-30246 on 11 October 2024. 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

The Scottish Government confirmed to the Scottish Parliament on 18 April 2024 that we will publish, by autumn, the updated route map for reduction in car use by 20%, including a timeline for demand management.

We have always been clear that reaching our target of a 20% reduction in use will require a broad combination of interventions, including infrastructure, incentives and disincentives. The updated route map, produced in partnership with CoSLA, will be published in due course.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-30246 on 11 October 2024. 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

The Programme for Government announcement is a new long-term commitment to provide £100 million of funding which will grow, with institutional investment, to create a fund of at least £500 million to support the construction of around 2,800 homes for mid-market rent, making public funds go further.

The new MMR Fund will form part of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme which already supports mid-market rent and funding will be linked to the fund's performance and growth, over a number of financial years. Decisions on future AHSP funding will be set out as part of the Scottish Government's annual budget process. The next step is the commercial process to commission a fund manager and expected delivery timescales will be set out at that stage.

While there was support among respondents to our consultation last year, concerns were also expressed about the proportionality and cost of such a scheme and about the capacity of local authorities to absorb and meaningfully enforce additional licensing requirements. We are therefore assessing whether less onerous and more proportionate approaches, such as registration schemes linked to codes of conduct, could deliver similar outcomes to licensing.

We have laid before Parliament today the third annual progress report against our Heat in Buildings Strategy and the first report against the Heat in Buildings Monitoring and Evaluation Framework: www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836018100.

The report describes significant activity in key areas, including through our delivery schemes, new build regulations, heat networks, the energy efficiency of our homes and steady growth in clean heat installations. This follows our recent consultations on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill, a Social Housing Net Zero Standard and EPC reform, and in relation to which we will confirm next steps shortly.

Development of the 43 UK Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) is an important element of the UK Fisheries Act (2020) and the 2022 UK Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS). The four UK fisheries policy authorities (UK Government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government and DAERA) have been working together and in partnership with stakeholders to develop the FMPs according to the parameters set within the JFS.

A significant amount of work has already been completed, however, this work is complex and further stakeholder engagement and consultation is needed. The statutory deadlines therefore need to be amended to ensure the right time and space to develop and deliver robust and effective plans.

A consultation paper proposing amendments to Annex A in the JFS, which contains the list of FMPs and the revised timetable for their delivery, has today been published. The consultation will be led by DEFRA and will run for 6 weeks from 10 October to 21 November. The deadline for the Scottish-led FMPs will be moved to the end of 2026.

We already have a strong suite of management measures in place to sustainably manage our fisheries and safeguard our fish stocks. FMPs will support further improvements where these are needed and will help deliver increased transparency in the way in which fisheries management takes place across the UK.

The Rural Affordable Homes for Key Workers Fund is a five year demand led fund of up to £25 million from the Affordable Housing Supply Programme budget and is available to local authorities and registered social landlords to purchase existing suitable properties in rural and island areas to provide affordable homes for key workers where there is identified need. The fund will run from 2023-24 to 2027-28. There are no plans for the fund to be made available to landlords in the private rented sector.