Chamber and committees

Telecommunications policy is Reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Government does not collect or hold data on access to 5G services across Scotland.

However Ofcom’s mobile coverage checker ( https://checker.ofcom.org.uk/en-gb/mobile-coverage ) provides a spatial view of this data. Raw coverage data, at local authority and various Parliamentary constituency levels, is available at https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/multi-sector-research/infrastructure-research/spring-202

The Scottish Government is considering options around the appointment of an independent Chair of the National Joint Negotiating Committee.

This must be explored fully, and in partnership with employers and trade unions, to ensure the Scottish Government continues to maintain its position of not intervening directly in the national collective bargaining process.

Telecommunications policy is Reserved to the UK Government. Therefore the Scottish Government does not collect or hold this data.

Information about the availability of mobile services in Scotland can be accessed through Ofcom’s mobile coverage checker ( https://checker.ofcom.org.uk/en-gb/mobile-coverage ) which provides a spatial view of their data. Ofcom’s Connected Nations Report, published annually but refreshed on a quarterly basis, is underpinned by coverage data captured at local authority and Parliamentary constituency levels. This underlying data is publicly available at https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/multi-sector-research/infrastructure-research/spring-202

Discussions with both COSLA and individual local authorities about breakfast provision have taken place over the last eighteen months. These have covered issues such as existing delivery, and the range of possible delivery models and costs. The Scottish Government is currently working with the local authority facilities management organisation, AssistFM, to develop a clear picture of the scale and uptake of breakfast provision across Scotland.

There is a currently a mixed delivery of breakfast provision across Scotland with a range of service providers including public, private and third sector. We have conducted provisional modelling of breakfast provision and have begun work with local authorities and key stakeholders to better understand and map provision. We are continuing our mapping work which will contribute to more detailed modelling in future.

There is a currently a mixed delivery of breakfast provision across Scotland with a range of service providers including public, private and third sector. We have begun work with local authorities and key stakeholders to better understand and map that provision. This mapping work will inform the development of a delivery strategy for breakfast provision designed around the needs of children and families.

The Scottish Government will implement all relevant regulation to improve consumer experience of public charge points for electric vehicles in Scotland.

In June 2023 Transport Scotland published A Network Fit For The Future: Vision for Scotland’s Public Electric Vehicle Charging Network, which sets out the ambition for a world-class public charging network that works for everyone regardless of their needs. It highlights the need for a well-designed, comprehensive and convenient network of public charge points. The Vision can be found at this web link: A Network Fit For The Future: Vision for Scotland’s Public Electric Vehicle Charging Network | Transport Scotland . Government is supporting the delivery of this Vision through the £60 million Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund, which includes funding for Local Authorities to map out public charging needs in their areas through Strategy and Expansion Plans.

In addition, The Zero Emission Truck Taskforce, which includes Transport Scotland, is exploring the energy infrastructure required for HGVs, including consideration of hydrogen refuelling, and will publish an HGV Decarbonisation Pathway next year.

Somerville: Officials within the Scottish Government were aware of RAAC as a safety topic in recent years, through general engagement with the construction sector and specific organisations such as the Standing Committee on Structural Safety (SCOSS, now CROSS-UK) who issued their first safety alert on RAAC in May 2019.

The topic has since achieved broader prominence, supported by the creation of a RAAC study group by the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) in June 2021 and publication of IStructE guidance on RAAC assessment in March 2022 and in April 2023.

Roads authorities have existing powers to issue legal directions against any work happening on their network, including to curtail works which overrun without an acceptable reason. These are discretionary powers, and it is for each authority to determine whether it is appropriate to use those powers in each situation.

The planned 2024 review of road works Fixed Penalty Notices (Fines) will see the expansion of the number of issues that Roads Authorities can address, and an increase in the value of the penalty itself. This is in addition to the Road Works Commissioner’s penalty, which was increased from £50,000 to £100,000 in 2022. The Commissioner can issue this penalty where a utility firm consistently fails to co-operate with the roads authority.

Outside of the specific example of road works, for example, in building developments, we have no current plans to enhance those powers but recognising the challenging fiscal environment Councils face, we are committed to developing a Fiscal Framework with Local Government in order to ensure the sustainability of local services.

As part of the Scottish Government’s efforts to drive global climate ambition and action ahead of New York Climate Week and COP28, the First Minister and I met with the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, on 24 August. We discussed renewable energy, securing a Just Transition to a net zero and climate resilient future and our shared ambitions for COP28. The US Special Envoy asked about the constitutional position of Scotland, including independence, in the context of Scotland’s climate and net zero objectives. The First Minister set out the Scottish Government’s position on independence and the Scottish Government’s view of how this can be taken forward.