Chamber and committees

Our policies continue to support suitable hydrogen projects and proposals of smaller scale Schemes of this funding scale may fall under the banner of local energy systems, in which case support may be available through:

• CARES which may be able to provide funding support: https://www.localenergy.scot/funding/ . This scheme has supported projects such as the Huntly hydrogen project in the north east: https://www.localenergy.scot/projects-and-case-studies/case-studies/community-owned/huntly-hydrogen
• The Local Energy Systems Scottish Industry network (LESSIN) can also direct towards funding whilst providing other types of support - https://es.catapult.org.uk/impact/projects/local-energy-systems-scottish-industry-network/

Where there is clear economic benefit (jobs, regional growth etc.) and a contribution to net zero and in particular Scottish Enterprise’s Hydrogen Economy national programme ambitions, Scottish Enterprise’s place team may be able to become involved as a partner on projects and provide support for certain activities such as strategy development, market and economic research, meetings and events, facilitation of workshops & appraisals

Any prospective hydrogen production project owners in the North East are also encouraged to contact Scottish Enterprise’s hydrogen economy national programme team ( [email protected] ) so that they are aware of the project and can connect it to other relevant projects, companies and initiatives.

If the project involves buses (including mini-buses for smaller projects), Transport Scotland’s Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge fund ( https://www.transport.gov.scot/public-transport/buses/scottish-zero-emission-bus-challenge-fund/ ) could help with the cost of the vehicles, but also associated infrastructure (e.g. hydrogen refuelling stations at a very attractive 85% intervention rate).

Additionally, the Hydrogen Policy Statement published on the 21 December 2020 sets out the Scottish Government’s vision for Scotland to become a leading Hydrogen Nation with an ambition to generate 5GW’s of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen by 2030, committing to £100 million funding to accelerate the hydrogen economy in Scotland over the next five years.

The framework provided by the Hydrogen Policy Statement is informing the development of a Hydrogen Action Plan in 2021 which will provide further detail on the planned approach and necessary actions to assist the growth of a Scottish hydrogen economy.

In the development of the Hydrogen Action Plan, the Scottish Government is considering a wide range of options and actions to provide financial support to companies investing in the Scottish hydrogen sector to assist the Government in meeting the ambition to reach 5GW’s of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen production by 2030 as set out in the Hydrogen Policy Statement.

The following table shows a breakdown of breaches of the Unsuitable Accommodation Order from 2017-18 to 2020-21 by local authority. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5 for disclosure purposes.

Data on temporary accommodation taken from the HL3 data collection is only available for all local authorities from 2017-18. Although some local authorities have provided data prior to this, there is not enough to provide a meaningful national picture and this data has not been subject to the rigorous quality assurance procedures required to finalise the data to official statistics standards.

Important:

Over the 2020-21 reporting period i) there was a significant change to legislation and ii) temporary exceptions were put in place at very short notice in response to COVID-19, both of which have had considerable impacts on the data. The urgency of having to adapt to the revised legislation without any specific guidance means that local authorities have reported inconsistencies in the information captured regarding breaches which is likely to affect comparability. For these reasons, these figures should be treated with caution.

Changes in legislation:

Prior to 5 May 2020, a breach was encountered when a household with a pregnant woman and/or child is in unsuitable temporary accommodation for more than 7 days. From 5 May 2020, this was extended to all households. Therefore, the total number of breaches across the year 2020/21 will include those based on both old and new legislation.

Covid-19 exceptions:

Temporary exceptions were put in place to allow local authorities to provide households with accommodation in response to COVID-19.

The legislation noted that a placement was not considered unsuitable if:

• a person in the household has symptoms of coronavirus and the household requires to isolate; or
• the accommodation is required to provide temporary accommodation to ensure that a distance of 2 metres can be maintained between a member of the household and a person who is not a member of the household in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus; or
• the local authority is unable to place the household in suitable accommodation as a result of the impacts of coronavirus on temporary accommodation supply in the area, provided that where a household includes a child or a pregnant woman the household is not placed in unsuitable accommodation for more than 7 days.

(To note: the third of these only came into effect on 30th September 2020, halfway through the 2020-21 reporting period.)

A household placed in unsuitable accommodation for longer than 7 days where an exception did not apply must still be recorded as a breach.

Number of breaches of the Unsuitable Accommodation Order, by local authority: 2017-18 – 2021-2020

In accordance with CalMac Ferries Limited (CFL) terms and conditions, and Passengers' Rights Regulations, concerning the rights of passengers when travelling by sea and inland waterway, the operator does not have liability to reimburse passengers for unused accommodation as a result of cancelled ferry services. However, if a sailing is cancelled or delayed due to reasons within the operator’s control, and passengers require to pay for overnight accommodation, the operator will reimburse these costs in line with Passenger Rights regulations.

In circumstances where passengers have paid for accommodation that was unused due to ferry cancellations, they are advised to reclaim these costs through their travel insurance.

A guide to Sailing Disruption and Passenger Rights Claims can be found on CFL’s website at the following link: https://www.calmac.co.uk/travelling-with-calmac/help-for-passengers/passenger-rights .

As I advised Parliament on 26 May, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Green Party committed to exploring opportunities for cooperation and joint working

I am pleased to advise Parliament that the Scottish Government has today published drafts of a joint cooperation agreement and a shared policy programme, Working together to build a greener, fairer, independent Scotland .

https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-and-scottish-green-party-cooperation-agreement

https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-and-scottish-green-party-shared-policy-programme

Together, these set out our plans for close cooperation and collaboration that will allow us to work together to deliver the bold policies and programmes we need for the challenges we face. We are also determined that this new approach will change the dynamic of our politics for the better and in line with the founding principles of our Parliament.

Licensing of shooting ranges and gun clubs is a function of Police Scotland and is not part of the planning system.

Decisions on planning applications, including for shooting ranges, are primarily a matter for the relevant planning authority. Scottish planning policy sets out that planning decisions should be made at the most local level appropriate wherever possible. Where a planning authority were to refuse permission the applicant has the right of appeal which would be either to the Local Review Body or to Scottish Ministers.

Scottish Ministers have the power under current legislation to ‘call-in’ any application for their own determination. While Ministers exercise these powers sparingly, it is open to any individual to contact the Scottish Ministers to request call-in of any application prior to a decision being issued by the planning authority.

The Scottish Government has no plans at this time to review the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019.

The Scottish Government has no plans to review the arrangements currently in place through which qualified clinicians, taking on board the patients’ medical history and lifestyle, agree with their patients, on a case-by-case basis, whether they would benefit from opioid substitution treatment (OST) or not. It is for patients and their clinicians to determine what is best for them and this will include agreement on the type and dosage of relevant OST. Methadone remains the most popularly used type of OST in Scotland, and there is strong evidence that supports its use.

From the recently published National Records Scotland (NRS) report on drug related deaths in 2020, methadone, on its own, was implicated in a very small number of deaths (7). However, it is increasingly implicated in deaths alongside other drugs suggesting that poly-drug use and non-compliance with treatment is the biggest factor. To increase our understanding in this area, and to inform policy making going forward, the Scottish Government is commissioning research to investigate the role and risks of methadone in drug related deaths.

Ministers are also keen to make sure as wide a range of OST and other treatment options are available, particularly long-acting buprenorphine – which has been deployed successfully in Scottish prisons throughout the pandemic. In addition, publication of the new Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards on 31 May 2021, emphasises the importance of allowing people to make informed choices about the type of medication and help available to them and to be supported to make an informed choice with regards to what medication to use for MAT.

Transport Scotland undertakes an annual assessment of the safety performance of the entire trunk road network, including the A90, and considers accident patterns and rates in the form of Route Accident Reduction Plans. In the short term, a Vehicle Activated Sign will be installed at this junction, with the aim of raising driver awareness and improving safety.

Recommendations for future transport investment will emerge from the ongoing second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) which is considering potential improvements to the trunk road network (and all other modes) across Scotland. The Aberdeen City Region Deal - Strategic Transport Appraisal Pre-Appraisal Study, recommended a package of possible road improvements for the A90 from Ellon to Peterhead and Fraserburgh. This, together with the other 34 remaining recommendations, are now subject to further appraisal as part of this review.

The appraisal process for STPR2 is considering the performance of all options against transport planning objectives, which are aligned to our National Transport Strategy priorities and outcomes. We also need to consider Value for Money based on performance against these objectives and the five Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance Criteria. This will be an important consideration given the pressures on current and future public finances. The interventions will seek to contribute to our vision of a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system helping deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for communities, businesses and visitors.

Until the appraisal process is completed, it is not possible to make individual decisions on upgrading specific sections of the A90, including the Toll of Birness. STPR2 will conclude later this year, with publication of recommendations for investment and an appropriate statutory consultation period.

Scotland’s councils have been allocated an additional £1.5 billion in direct support through the local government finance settlement.

Furthermore in 2020-21, the Scottish Government replaced £972 million of Non-Domestic Rates Income for the cost of COVID-19 reliefs with additional General Revenue Grant of the same amount, effectively protecting this important income stream for local government and at the same time providing rates relief for businesses. In 2021-22 the Scottish Government replaced a further £726 million of Non-Domestic Rates Income with additional General Revenue Grant of the same amount for the same reason.

The Scottish Government’s policy towards local authorities’ spending is to allow local authorities the financial freedom to operate independently. Local authorities must use their resources as efficiently as possible and deliver services effectively to ensure the best possible value. Decisions on the level of reserves and how reserves are used, are also rightly the responsibility of individual councils. In light of this, how much of this additional funding local authorities have allocated and to which services is not yet available and similarly how much remains within local authority reserves is not held by the Scottish Government. All of this information will be provided in the annual Local Financial Returns (LFRs) which individual local authorities complete and return to the Scottish Government. The summary of these returns is subsequently published on the Scottish Government's website.

The figures provided are for the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Loan and Cashback scheme and relate to financial years 2017-18 to 2020/21 inclusive.

The Scottish Government launched the HES Loan scheme in 2017-18, merging the previous HEEPS Loan and Home Renewables Loan schemes. Cashback grants for energy efficiency measures were included from the beginning, and a new cashback offer for renewable/zero emissions heating was made available from October 2020.

Total Recipients of Loans and Grants from 2017-18 to 2020-21

There is no minimum capacity that secure accommodation must be kept at.

There are a total of 84 secure care placements in Scotland including 6 emergency beds which can be used for a limited time if required. Demand for secure care placements in Scotland is complex and capacity fluctuates on a daily basis.