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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 18 June 2025
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Displaying 3234 contributions

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Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2025-26

Meeting date: 14 January 2025

Gillian Martin

Yes, I believe so. It is a statutory requirement, under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, that everything that we are doing is costed.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2025-26

Meeting date: 14 January 2025

Gillian Martin

Absolutely.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Meeting date: 14 January 2025

Gillian Martin

The allocations would be for a particular plant. In other words, each plant would have its own allocations. I am trying to think of a scenario where that kind of transfer would happen. If, for example, a plant started doing the operations associated with another plant, the second plant would have its own allocations.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Meeting date: 14 January 2025

Gillian Martin

If my previous answer has not addressed that question, I can bring in Mariana Cover to do that. However, I do not think that it is an issue.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2025-26

Meeting date: 14 January 2025

Gillian Martin

There are a number of programmes that are associated with the heat in buildings spend, and I will mention some of them. We have been able to keep the home energy Scotland grant and loan scheme open for applications. It has been hugely subscribed, and I want to ensure that that vehicle, which is working very well, is able to adapt to the demand. Key infrastructure and building decarbonisation is done through the heat network fund, which is an ambitious programme that leverages private investment for delivery.

I am just having a look at some of the other things that are under that. We support 20,000 households to save up to £500 on their energy bills, and we are making homes warmer through a range of schemes. We have the warmer homes Scotland scheme; the social housing net zero heat fund; local authority area-based schemes, which have been very successful—indeed, demand is probably outstripping supply at the moment; the home energy Scotland grant and loan scheme; the small and medium-sized enterprise grant and loan scheme; Scotland’s heat network fund; and the green public sector estate decarbonisation scheme.

11:00  

That is on the heat in buildings side of things, but there is money going to community energy, too. I know that it is not directly related to heat, but the money for the community and renewable energy scheme—or CARES—allows communities to access advice and support when they are putting community energy projects together. Moreover, as I think that I mentioned last week, we are hoping to get some money from GB Energy’s local power plan. Obviously, that is not part of our budget, but it is a vehicle that has a tangential impact in addition to all the delivery schemes that we continue to fund.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2025-26

Meeting date: 14 January 2025

Gillian Martin

Last year, I asked for an assessment of the first tranche of the just transition fund. We are doing that work because I want the just transition fund to add value and to have a clear effect. I asked my officials to undertake an assessment of how the just transition funding that has been allocated to date has worked and what that has meant in relation to the increased capacity of those who received that funding and to the outcomes.

I want to continue to build on the just transition fund for the north-east and Moray. We have already allocated £75 million, and we are reopening the just transition fund this year. I am in the middle of working with my officials on what the new allocation of that offer will look like. It might have a number of different focuses, but I want it to be outcomes based.

There is a £15.9 million allocation in this year’s budget for the just transition fund, and I will go through some of the other funding. We have the funding for climate action hubs, and the support to the Just Transition Commission and the Climate Change Committee. I apologise to Mr Doris. We do give funding to the Climate Change Committee—he is absolutely right. I did not have the information in front of me, but I am trying to get the figure for him. I apologise, Mr Doris. There is the funding for the Climate Change Committee, the emissions trading scheme authority, the climate justice fund, the Scottish Climate Intelligence Service and Scotland’s climate week.

This year’s allocation for just transition funding will be £15.9 million. I am working on what the funding round that we put out will look like, based on the analysis of what happened with the £75 million allocation. It will be an assessment of who got it, what outcomes were achieved, what capacity it built and so on.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2025-26

Meeting date: 14 January 2025

Gillian Martin

Over 10 years, yes.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2025-26

Meeting date: 14 January 2025

Gillian Martin

I can cover that point, because it is absolutely fundamental to what we are talking about. I have already talked about the capacity of companies. Support for the offshore wind supply chain will have maximum impact on Scottish jobs. As we know, the oil and gas supply chain has brought the most economic value to Scotland over the decades, and that will be the case, too, for offshore wind, onshore wind and all the other renewable energies. If we get this right, we could have more people in jobs associated with renewables than we ever had with oil and gas, and we could have an increased number of people working in energy in Scotland as a result.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2025-26

Meeting date: 14 January 2025

Gillian Martin

Yes.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2025-26

Meeting date: 14 January 2025

Gillian Martin

That is a major part of the engagement that I have been having with the new UK Government. Ever since I took up the post of energy minister, I have been clear that community benefits should be mandatory. The previous Conservative Government did not agree with me. I also believe that there should be mandatory community engagement, but the previous Government did not agree with me on that, either. Now, I am in a situation in which I am dealing with a new UK Government and I think that my asks are having an impact.

Last year, we conducted a joint consultation on the issue that you raise. However, the Scottish Government is not waiting for the outcome of that consultation; we are already working on revising our guidance for community engagement as part of our own programme. I would expect that developers would sign up to that on a voluntary basis, but I hope that the UK Government will use its powers over guidance to make community engagement and community benefit mandatory. The previous Government was not interested in that.