The Scottish Government has not made any assessment of the potential implications of buildings within the heritage sector containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). Assessment for the presence of RAAC and for putting in place appropriate measures is a matter for individual building owners, informed by guidance such as that available from the Institution of Structural Engineers and Historic Environment Scotland.

Scotland’s huge potential for renewable electricity generation, and hydrogen’s utility, means that it can also act as a vector for energy storage and a balancing service to the electricity grid. It can additionally act as a vector for transportation, particularly considering grid constraints.

We are engaging closely with the UKG, OfGEM, and National Grid ESO ahead of the launch of the National Energy System operator this Summer to underline the need for strategic planning and to ensure that hydrogen production, storage and system utility is considered and other areas such as progressive approaches to flexibility reform and grid connection timelines, as they affect the viability of hydrogen projects, are reflected in our engagement in strategic programmes such as the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) and Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) and the ESO Constraints Collaboration project which is seeking solutions for thermal constraints, which can reduce costs to the consumer or reduce the curtailment of renewable generation.

The Scottish Government is clear that hydrogen has a key part to play as a renewable and low carbon source of energy to help meet our net zero ambitions. We remain committed to delivering the strategic approach and actions required to support the development of the hydrogen economy in Scotland over the course of this Parliament.

We are committed to delivering on our Hydrogen Action Plan, and to a hydrogen investment programme. Whilst there are currently no plans to open a call for applications to the Green Hydrogen Fund as a direct result of the UK Government imposed 10% cut to the Scottish Government capital budget, we continue to support hydrogen projects across Scotland on a case-by-case basis and will engage with projects as they come forward. In doing so, we will be working with Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise and other stakeholders.

We also continue to support hydrogen innovation through our Hydrogen Innovation Scheme and, alongside Scotland’s academic researchers and industry, facilitate collaboration and develop impactful R&D projects including work on establishing the case for pipeline transportation of hydrogen from Scotland to Europe.

Scottish Government officials are engaging with National Grid on the Project Union initiative exploring the phased repurposing of the UK’s natural gas National Transmission System (NTS) to create a UK hydrogen backbone carrying 100% hydrogen. Decisions on the future of the Gas Grid are a reserved matter and are expected to be made in 2026 by the UK Government. We continue to routinely engage with UKG on a range of hydrogen policy matters including recent consultations on Transport and Storage Hydrogen Business Models

SGN are core members of the Scottish Hydrogen Industry Forum.

The Scottish 4G Infill (S4GI) Programme completed in November 2023 with the successful delivery of 55 new masts. No further masts will be deployed through the S4GI programme.

The following tables set out the 55 new masts deployed through the Scottish 4G Infill Programme which completed in November 2023 by year and by local authority area.

Decisions on the allocation of resources are a matter for the SFRS Board and Chief Officer.

Efficient and effective dissemination of wildfire prevention information to the public is key to preventing wildfires. Before igniting any flames in a rural or outdoor setting, the SFRS encourage everyone to check which area of Scotland may be at threat of wildfires. If a threat is in place, the key prevention advice from the SFRS is that people should refrain from igniting any flames. People can check the current threat levels in their area by visiting the following SFRS website:

https://www.firescotland.gov.uk/outdoors/wildfires/wildfire-danger-assessments/

When Scotland is at a high threat of wildfires, the SFRS work in partnership with the Scottish Wildfire Forum (SWF), to alert the public and partners to the threat of wildfires by issuing “Wildfire Danger Assessments”. SFRS issue alerts through their social media channels, their website and local media outlets, and request assistance from Local Authorities across Scotland to share safety messaging to seek engagement with as many members of public as possible. These warnings detail which areas across Scotland are most likely to be affected. The SFRS also alert the Scottish Government who pro-actively re-issue these warnings across digital and social media platforms.

We remain committed to the current regulation of short-term let accommodation. Over the last decade the sector has both grown significantly and changed in nature. That has brought economic benefits but also raised concerns about consistency of quality and the impact on neighbourhoods. The introduction of licensing brings short-term lets in line with other accommodation such as hotels and caravan parks, providing assurance to guests on safety and quality such as gas and electrical safety compliance and the suitability of hosts.

I am currently preparing an update for Parliament on the implementation of short-term let licensing. This will outline findings from our monitoring and ongoing engagement with stakeholders.

Since 2017-18 there have been substantial year on year increases in funding to support SFRS to create a modern and effective fire and rescue service. The 2024-25 budget for SFRS, at £393.3 million, is over £78m higher that the 2017-18 equivalent figure. All firefighters carry out a variety of prevention and response related roles and the Scottish Government does not allocate funding to SFRS for specific types of incidents. Decisions on the allocation of resources are a matter for the SFRS Board and Chief Officer.