Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has commissioned several pieces of research to consider biofuel feedstock production in recent years.

The report Perennial energy crops and their potential in Scotland: evidence review examines the potential for a sustainable expansion of perennial bioenergy crop production on low-grade agricultural land or underutilised land, focusing on short rotation coppice, miscanthus and short rotation forestry.

The study Comparing Scottish bioenergy supply and demand in the context of Net-Zero targets considered how biomass can contribute to negative emissions when deployed as Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), including reviewing domestic supply.

Transport Scotland commissioned independent research to understand the role that low carbon or alternative fuels, which include biofuels, can play in supporting transport decarbonisation

Research currently underway is considering the economic opportunities from energy crops in Scotland for rural communities.

Any decision to extend local concessions to the trams rests with the City of Edinburgh Council. The Scottish Government has no role in the ownership and operation of the tram system which is run by Transport for Edinburgh. The Scottish Government currently has no plans to extend the National Concessionary Travel Scheme for Older and Disabled Persons to Edinburgh Trams.

In addition, Edinburgh Trams do not run to West Lothian. Lothian Country is due to take over some of the bus services due to be withdrawn and West Lothian Council are in the process of tendering other routes.

More widely, the Fair Fares Review is progressing to ensure a sustainable and integrated approach to public transport fares. The review is considering both the cost and availability of services and the range of discounts and concessionary schemes which are available on all modes including bus, rail and ferry to ensure our public transport system is more accessible, available, and affordable, with the costs of transport more fairly shared across government, business and society.

The Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland’s active and past Enforcement Notices are published on www.dwqr.scot/regulator-activity/enforcement/ . Monitoring requirements for Scottish Water are set out in The Public Water Supplies (Scotland) Regulations 2014. Some additional sampling is specified as a requirement of Enforcement Notices, and Scottish Water is expected to undertake additional operational sampling based on its assessment of risk.

The Drinking Water Quality Regulator’s annual reports summarise data on water quality in public and private supplies across Scotland, as well as covering water quality events and incidents and consumer contacts to Scottish Water. They are available at www.dwqr.scot/information/annual-report/ .

Scottish Water holds information for seven years, in line with HMRC guidance. The following information has been provided for the last seven years across water and waste water. A new framework was put in place in 2021-22.

Scottish Water sets out information on its supply chain and broader expenditure in its Annual Reports, available at www.scottishwater.co.uk/Help-and-Resources/Document-Hub/Key-Publications/Annual-Reports .

Scottish Water publishes its procurement strategy and reports on its website at www.scottishwater.co.uk/Help-and-Resources/Document-Hub/Key-Publications/Procurement-and-Supply .

The industrial action and pay negotiations are a matter for Scottish Water as the employer and the recognised Trade Unions. Correspondence was received from UNISON, GMB and Unite.

The completion of an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) is a matter for Scottish Water. Scottish Water has confirmed that an EIA was carried out and updated as necessary.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The annual National Records of Scotland publication on drug-misuse deaths does include data on the geographic split of drug deaths by substance, but the categories only include ‘any opioid’, ‘heroin/morphine’, ‘OST’, and a few medicinal opioids (such as codeine). There is not any information provided specifically on fentanyl, or any other synthetic opioids, broken down by geographical area.

Across Scotland the number of deaths where fentanyl was implicated since 2018 are as follows:

The procurement of a plating line was part of an integrated package of proposals which is being revised currently by the Board of FMPG. The precise value of capital investment requested for individual elements of the initial bid is commercially sensitive.