- Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 22 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the impact of the updated fiscal framework.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 22 May 2024
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Current Status:
Withdrawn
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 15 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline any research underpinning the decision to close all VisitScotland information centres.
Answer
VisitScotland’s Strategic Change Programme seeks to ensure that they continue to make the biggest possible positive impact on the visitor economy.
As part of VisitScotland's Strategic Change Programme, a detailed review has considered their role in information provision. VisitScotland's future information strategy is based on research including trends and data that show how visitors plan their trips. As part of the review process, VisitScotland also took into account data related to their iCentre network.
The following key research sources were utilised:
In addition to the above, VisitScotland drew upon the professional knowledge and experience of their staff.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 15 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact on local economies of the decision to close all VisitScotland information centres.
Answer
VisitScotland has taken the decision to close its iCentre network by March 2026 in response to reduced footfall and demand for information, with data showing that the majority of visitors to Scotland access information ahead of travelling to the country. As this was an operational decision for VisitScotland, the Scottish Government did not conduct an impact assessment.
However, data indicates that the previous phase of iCentre closures in 2018-2019 did not negatively impact the visitor economy. Since 2019, the number of overseas visitors to Scotland has increased by 14%, with the number of tourism businesses increasing by 6%.
VisitScotland continues to support the growth of the visitor economy in every region of Scotland through its marketing activity, support for events, destination development and free-to-access business advice and support programme.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 April 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 15 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated to Breathing Space in the last four financial years, including 2024-25, broken down by year.
Answer
The Scottish Government has invested over £7.3 million to deliver the Breathing Space service over the last 3 financial years, as follows:
2021-22: £2.372 million
2022-23: £2.354 million
2023-24: £2.6 million
Breathing Space forms part of a wider range of mental health and wellbeing services delivered by NHS 24, including the Mental Health Hub, the Enhanced Mental Health Pathway and Living Life.
The 2024-25 funding for mental health services, including Breathing Space, is currently under discussion with NHS24.
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 15 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-26975 by Richard Lochhead on 24 April 2024, and in light of the UK Government’s publication, Project Gigabit progress update - April 2024, whether it expects Project Gigabit procurement covering Fife to launch throughout 2024.
Answer
The Scottish Government and Building Digital UK (BDUK) have worked together to develop a number of potential Type A (local) and Type B (regional) Project Gigabit procurements in Scotland. The Scottish Government will lead delivery of these procurements, so that Project Gigabit and our own Reaching 100% (R100) programme can work together in Scotland.
A potential procurement in the Fife, Perth and Kinross areas has been identified as part of this process. It is expected that this procurement will launch later in 2024, so long as the Scottish Government is confident that there is the continued supplier interest necessary for it to succeed.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 15 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what consultation took place with (a) staff and (b) trade unions before the decision was made to close all VisitScotland information centres.
Answer
a) A formal staff consultation was not triggered prior to the announcement as there are no compulsory redundancies.
Staff are VisitScotland's priority, and they are engaging with them to discuss their options such as re-skilling, redeployment and voluntary redundancy.
VisitScotland have established a staff engagement programme, which involves every iCentre and allows for both collective and individual engagement and representation throughout the change programme.
b) VisitScotland consulted with Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union prior to the announcement and continue to work with them during the on-going change programme.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 May 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 15 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in driving technological progress and advancing innovation in Scotland through its Hydrogen Innovation Scheme, as set out in its Hydrogen Action Plan.
Answer
The Hydrogen Innovation Scheme (HIS) aims to support the development and demonstration of renewable hydrogen technologies and products needed to support our ambition of 5GW installed hydrogen production capacity by 2030. The HIS targets support for innovation under the themes of renewable hydrogen production, hydrogen storage and distribution, and integration of hydrogen into our energy system.
Successful applicants were announced by the then First Minister Humza Yousaf at the All Energy Conference in May 2023. Over £7m in HIS funding grant awards were made to 31 to feasibility and demonstration projects in Scotland.
To date, 10 projects have been successfully completed, with the remaining 21 projects due for completion by March 2025. All have performed or are performing well in meeting their agreed outputs.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 May 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 15 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is supporting the Scottish Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) Cluster to produce low carbon hydrogen at scale, as set out in its Hydrogen Action Plan.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the development of the Acorn project and the Scottish Cluster, which are essential for the production of low carbon hydrogen at scale. I attended the Inter-Ministerial Group in February and sit on the UK CCUS Ministerial Forum to represent Scottish interests and make the case for progress on Acorn to be accelerated. The Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, and the previous Cabinet Secretary for Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy have also written to the UK Government in recent months to make the case for the acceleration of the Acorn project.
The decision to award the Acorn project is reserved to the UK Government and despite announcing in July 2023 that the Acorn project is ‘best placed’ to meet the criteria, there is still no final decision from the UK Government. This adds further delays to the deployment of CCUS in Scotland.
- Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 May 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 15 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy on 18 April 2024, whether it will outline who has been involved in the proposal for a Just Transition Plan for Mossmorran, and who will be involved in the creation of the plan going forward.
Answer
The Mossmorran Just Transition Plan proposal is at very early stages of consideration and will be initiated fully following delivery of the Grangemouth Plan. The Scottish Government has held early discussions with both operators at the Mossmorran complex regarding the proposal. In line with the principles of co-design, it is our intention to engage extensively with all stakeholders including industry, the workforce, the local authority, UK Government, MSPs and the wider community.
