Chamber and committees

Specific information of this nature would be regarded as commercially sensitive and therefore not appropriate for disclosure. Ministers have however stated that re-procurement would have potentially added a delay of around 2 ½ years to the anticipated delivery of vessel 802.

A detailed options appraisal upon a range of options, to complete the delivery of Hull 802, was completed by the due diligence team of officials, independent experts and Ferguson Marine.

Any quotations received during this process would be regarded as commercially sensitive and therefore not appropriate for disclosure.

As the cost of living crisis continues, the emergency Act aims to give important support to tenants, and to provide them with much-needed stability in their housing costs and additional eviction protections. It has gone further than anywhere else in the UK in helping protect tenants across the rental sector.

Since devolution, there has been significant overall growth in the privately-rented sector, through a period of increasing regulation and market intervention, and we consider that healthy markets, responsible landlords and public sector intervention can co-exist.

As last year’s Cross Party Group on Housing report on Rent Control acknowledged, regulated markets can be attractive to institutional investors. We also note that in the publication by the British Property Federation, assessing the impact of the emergency Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022, it is recognised that rent control is not seen as a reason not to invest if part of a stable policy environment.

We take a close interest in the way policy in Scotland interacts with the rest of the UK, noting the Royal Institution Of Chartered Surveyors comments of 8 June 2023 that “interest rate rises are also impacting the rental sector and combined with looming reforms proposed in the [UK] government’s Renters (Reform) Bill, landlords are increasingly deciding to leave the sector and sell up property, causing further constraints to lettings supply.” We also note the intention of the Welsh Government to consider forms of rent regulation.

By its nature, the emergency Cost of Living Act is time-limited and the rent cap and eviction protections cannot be extended beyond March 2024. The temporary rent cap provisions apply only to in-tenancy rent increases, with rent setting for new housing supply continuing to be set by the market.

We will continue to listen to feedback and engage with stakeholders, monitor the data and consider whether the legislation remains proportionate and necessary.

Scotland’s National Innovation Strategy will be published on Friday 9 June, setting out our 10 year vision to make Scotland one of the most innovative small nations in the world.

The Strategy has been developed by the Scottish Government in close collaboration with industry, academia and the wider innovation ecosystem.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of supporting the provision of indigenous minority languages in the education sector. There are a range of measures in place to support the varied needs of Gaelic and Scots in our schools and the use and learning of both languages. These measures to promote the use and learning of both languages include initiatives that improve access, classroom delivery, teacher support and more. Good progress has been made recently with the Scottish Government’s published consultation report on Gaelic commitments and the report prepared by the Short Life Working Group on Economic and Social Opportunities for Gaelic. We also expect to make further progress with the forthcoming Scottish Languages Bill.

Council tax is a local tax, set and collected by each local authority, with every council financially and administratively accountable to their electorate. It is important that local authorities retain the tools to enforce the payment of council tax by those who have the means to pay but choose not to do so, whilst the Council Tax Reduction Scheme ensures nobody has to meet a council tax liability they cannot be expected to afford.

Support for care experienced young people when they become parents is threaded through a number of Scottish Government policies.

These include the Family Nurse Partnership where first time parents aged under 20 are supported by family nurses from early pregnancy until their child’s second birthday. This intensive, relational based support helps address social and economic factors, such as housing stability, welfare, education, employment and money advice. Over the next few years the Scottish Government has committed to extending this programme to young parents aged 21 and under, and to target parents aged 25 and under who have experience of care..

Through Early Learning and Childcare, parents with experience of care can access up to 1140 hours a year of funded childcare for their child from their second birthday. There is evidence of the particular benefits of high quality ELC for children from disadvantaged circumstances, which includes children with experience of care or whose parents have experience of care. We are continuing to work with local authorities to maximise uptake of the existing offer of funded ELC for eligible two-year-olds.

Support is also available through the five family payments: the Scottish Child Payment, Best Start Foods and the three Best Start Grants. These payments could be worth around £10,000 by the time an eligible child turns six years old.

As part of our commitment to Keeping the Promise, we will continue to develop and invest in policies to support care experienced parents.

The stark warning from the World Meteorological Organisation that global temperatures will temporarily breach 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming during the next five years means that we will experience increased intensity and frequency of heatwaves, flooding, wildfires, supply chain disruption and storm events here in Scotland. This underlines why it is more important than ever that we take lasting action to secure a net zero and climate resilient future in a way that is fair and just for everyone.

We are making progress on reducing our domestic emissions through delivery of our updated Climate Change Plan. The latest data show our emissions are down by over 50% since the 1990 baseline, over halfway to net zero. The hardest part of the journey is ahead of us, as we need to halve our emissions again by 2030, and we can only achieve this through collaboration. The Scottish Government is currently in the process of developing our next draft Climate Change Plan on emissions reduction, alongside three sectoral Just Transition Plans, on Transport, Buildings and Construction, and Land Use and Agriculture. We will also be taking account of consultation responses to revise the Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan to deliver a just transition to net zero in the energy sector.

Alongside this, we are continuing to deliver over 170 policies and proposals in the current Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Programme, the Scottish Government is also now developing the next programme. Public consultation is anticipated for the start of 2024 with the aim of publishing a final statutory programme in Autumn 2024. While progress is being made, we acknowledge that more needs to be done.

Scotland cannot act with credibility here at home if we are blind to the fact that the impacts of climate change and a transition to net zero are not felt equally – that those who have done the least to contribute to the climate crisis are impacted first and worse by it. Developed countries like Scotland have a moral responsibility to support developing countries to help secure a global transition in a way that is fair and just. Through the Climate Justice Fund, Scottish Government will meet this responsibility through continuing to lead international advocacy for climate justice and action on loss and damage.

The Scottish Government provide annual funding to Energy Saving Trust (EST) who are an independent organisation working to address the climate emergency. EST then deliver the EV infrastructure fund on behalf of Scottish Ministers.

EST publish stats on their website which cover the number of chargepoints installed in Local Authority areas across Scotland and the total amount of funding paid per financial year, the link can be found here - Domestic chargepoint funding - Energy Saving Trust .

The specific information you have requested can be found in the following tables:

Domestic Chargepoints funded in Island locations based on postcode data: