Chamber and committees

Regular informal meetings were held with Places for People Developments and officials in More Homes Division during that period to discuss progress on the Affordable Housing Supply Programme projects they were delivering. 

In addition, officials in More Homes Division regularly engage with the New Avenue Living Fund Manager for Places for People Capital. Performance Review meetings were held on 9 December 2021 and 7 February 2023 to discuss the delivery of over 1,000 homes for mid-market rent.

And on 20 September 2022, the Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights met with Places for People on the topic of Heat in Buildings.

The Scottish Government has no records of any meetings held with Athron Hill Development Company Limited since May 2021.

The Scottish Government has been cooperating fully with the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry since it was established, and will continue to do so.

The Scottish Government recognises that all recorded information relating to its business is subject to Freedom of Information law, irrespective of its format or the platform on which it is held. This includes any information held in or originally generated in WhatsApp or similar messaging apps. This responsibility is discharged through the relevant business units who have the responsibility for capturing this information as set out in the Scottish Government Records Management Policy

Following a recent review of updated security advice, the Scottish Government have restricted the use of, and installation of, the TikTok app from any Scottish Government managed phones including those used by Ministers. TikTok is therefore not installed on any Scottish Government managed devices. This approach brings us inline with other governments around the world.

Ministers and officials meet regularly with wellbeing economy stakeholders, including the Wellbeing Economy Alliance, to discuss our shared commitment to Scotland’s transition to a wellbeing economy. On 4 April 2023, within one week of my appointment as Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy, I met with representatives from the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Scotland as part of a roundtable discussion with wellbeing economy stakeholders.

The Scottish Government values the contribution the electronic music industry makes to our cultural and economic offer in Scotland. Those in the industry are talented and skilled artists, and are held in high regard. According to the Night Time Industries Association report, Scotland’s electronic music industry is worth £550 million to the economy and asks questions on support, regulation, education and promotion of the sector.

The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting the sustainable recovery of the night-time industry, as we have throughout the pandemic. We have backed our economic recovery with more than £1.7bn since March 2020 – on top of over £4.7bn provided in Covid-related business support. Some £256 million in Covid support funding was also provided to help cultural organisations to navigate the challenges brought on by the pandemic.

We are committed to working with the business community to ensure the smooth application of regulation and have established a Joint Taskforce with COSLA, local authorities, our regulatory agencies and business to consider the differing impacts of regulation on business.

Culture and creativity is also recognised within our National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) under ‘Productive places’ to sit alongside economic and sectoral policies as part of a joined-up response to the priorities of the National Strategy for Economic Transformation.

We are in regular dialogue with business organisations and leaders to monitor impacts of the cost crisis. We will continue to engage with the night-time industry and monitor the evolving impacts, while pressing the UK Government to help businesses and ensure sustainable development within the night-time economy.

The Scottish Government share many of the concerns raised by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and others regarding the Energy Charter Treaty. As our Vision for Trade makes clear, no part of a trade or investment agreement should limit the ability of the Scottish Parliament to regulate in devolved areas, or constrain much needed action to achieve our net zero goal.

We continue to engage with the UK Government and other Devolved Administrations on the UK’s future membership, and impact in Scotland, especially in light of recent developments amongst EU member states and the potential impact of this on the modernisation process.

The Scottish Government spent £16,662.50 (ex VAT) on 1,164 domains in 2022. Of these, 645 are categorised as active, and 507 are inactive.

The Bank’s three missions are - achieving a Just Transition to net zero carbon emissions by 2045; extending equality of opportunity through improving places by 2040; and harnessing innovation to enable our people to flourish by 2040. These missions, which reflect the ‘grand challenges’ facing Scotland over the coming decades, were set by Scottish Ministers in December 2020 to give the Bank long term strategic direction for its investment activity. Given the long term nature of these challenges and that the Bank is only just entering its third full year of operation, Ministers have no plans to review the three missions at this point.

The Bank’s recently published Impact Report provides an assessment of the Bank’s performance, including against its three missions, in 2022. This report was published on the Bank’s website on April 3 2023 ( Impact Report | Scottish National Investment Bank (thebank.scot) .