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Prior to the Refinery’s closure, we understood that significant financial investment would be required to retain refinery operations at Grangemouth. Noting the fiscal constraints within which Scottish Ministers are required to operate, such an intervention would clearly require UK Government action.

Given the expansive fiscal levers at its disposal, the UK Government must exhaust all options at its disposal to ensure a future for the Refinery site.

The Scottish Government has published a range of fire safety guidance applicable to a wide range of premises types, including existing high rise domestic and existing non-residential buildings. Given the complex nature of individual buildings of a height over 60m, specialist fire safety advice should be sought by the duty holder/s if required, including a robust fire risk assessment carried out by a competent assessor who will focus on the nature, use and specific circumstances pertaining to that particular building, as this will vary from one premises to another.

The Scottish Government has engaged with Trading Standards throughout the drafting of The Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 (the Vapes Regulations).

Council tax is a local tax, set and administered by individual local authorities, who had full flexibility in setting rates for 2025-26. The Scottish Government’s policy towards local authorities’ spending is to allow local authorities the financial freedom to operate independently. It is for locally elected representatives to make local decisions on how best to deliver services to their local communities. There will be no reduction in the local government finance settlement as a result of extended producer responsibility for packaging payments in the first year of the scheme (2025-26).

The Scottish Government engages with both Ineos and Petroineos as a matter of course. We remain open to discussion on all commercial options for the future of the Finnart Terminal and would urge the present owners to engage constructively with any parties with an interest in utilising it in the future.

Extended producer responsibility for packaging funding will be paid directly to local authorities by PackUK (the scheme administrator) and it will be for each local authority to decide how it manages this funding. Under the Verity House Agreement, local government funding in Scotland will not be ring-fenced or directed, unless there is a clear joint understanding to do so. Similarly, council tax is a local tax, set and administered by individual local authorities, who had full flexibility in setting rates for 2025-26. There will be no reduction in the local government finance settlement as a result of extended producer responsibility for packaging payments in the first year of the scheme (2025-26)

Project Willow did not specifically examine the Aker Solutions study focussed on Equinor Refining’s Mongstad facility. However, both hydrogen for fuel switching and the development of sustainable aviation fuel (HEFA and e-fuels) are proposed pathways in Project Willow. The potential usage of hydrogen as a means of decarbonising via fuel switching is already being progressed by Ineos O&P at Grangemouth and is being supported by investment from the Scottish Government of £5 million in the form of grant funding delivered by Scottish Enterprise.

It has always been the Scottish Government’s intention that extended producer responsibility for packaging funding should support investment to improve recycling rates and reduce carbon emissions, especially during the early years of the scheme. Therefore, there will be no reduction in the local government finance settlement as a result of extended producer responsibility for packaging payments in the first year of the scheme (2025-26). The funding purpose - to pay for the cost of managing household packaging waste - is clearly set out in legislation.

The Arms' Length External Organisations (ALEO) should mirror the Local Authority’s asset transfer policy and act within the spirit of the law. In addition to those bodies listed in Schedule 3 of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, Scottish Ministers may by order designate other bodies as a relevant authority. If an ALEO meets the criteria in section 78(4) and (5) of the Act, it can be designated as a relevant authority by an order under section 78(3) but this would not amend schedule 3. As there is no prescribed process by which organisations are considered for designation, each one of Glasgow City Council's ALEOs would have to be considered on an individual basis.

My officials confirmed with Network Rail that, taking account of available budgets, the refurbishment of Glasgow Central low-level platforms 16 and 17 will not take place in Railway funding Control Period 7 (CP7), which spans 2024-29. Network Rail will be responsible for determining when and if these renewals works take place, at a date beyond 2029.