Seòmar agus comataidhean

The following table gives spend to date for the 30 local authorities who have received Spaces for People funding; other statutory bodies have also received funding.

Many local authorities have yet to claim their full agreed grant. We do not have details of the split between installation and removal of schemes; this information is held at local authority level.

These projects are all being funded from the Scottish Government’s £254 million investment in the North East, which is in addition to the £125 million committed to the Aberdeen City Region Deal in 2016.

Option selection for rail improvements, towards which £200 million has been allocated, is scheduled for completion by the end of March 2022.

Following the publication of Draft Orders, Transport Scotland is currently dealing with objections to the Laurencekirk junction, towards which £24 million has been allocated.

Digital projects, towards which £10 million has been allocated, are progressing as expected. The City Network Extension project, connecting 57 Aberdeen City corporate sites to full fibre was completed in November 2021. The full fibre project in Aberdeenshire is due to be completed by the end of March 2022.

To date, no eligible projects have been submitted for housing infrastructure projects, towards which £20 million has been allocated. Scottish Government officials have been in discussions with officials from Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils to identify suitable projects following the launch of the Housing Infrastructure Fund (Round 2) in October 2021.

The Heat in Buildings Strategy confirms our intention to introduce – subject to consultation later this year – regulations requiring Scotland’s homes and other buildings to meet EPC Band C equivalent by 2033, where that is technically feasible and cost effective. This key proposal from the Heat in Buildings Strategy aligns with our commitment in Tackling Fuel Poverty Strategy in Scotland: Strategic Approach, of addressing poor energy efficiency and fuel poverty in homes.

We have previously consulted in December 2019 on proposals for introducing minimum energy efficiency standards in owner occupied housing, which included potential options for defining cost effectiveness and technical feasibility. We are further developing these definitions ahead of the planned consultation later this year.

The decrease in financial support required for the Northern Isles Ferry Services reflects a forecast recovery in fare box revenue, a reduction in the forecast fuel consumption costs and the exclusion of year one contract mobilisation costs that will not recur in 2022-23.

Transport Scotland has set out a Stage 1 and Stage 2 evaluation of the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme following the first full year of operation. The evaluation will assess the short and medium outcomes and the long term impact of the scheme by comparing conditions at different stages.

During the first year of operation (Stage1), short term outcomes of the scheme such as uptake of entitlement and travel behaviour will be evaluated. Uptake of the scheme will be monitored directly through the application process, which launched on 10 January 2022, and data on usage of the entitlement will be collected through recording of journeys made using the National Entitlement Card. Reports from this evaluation will be published on the Transport Scotland website.

It is an objective of the free bus schemes that bus operators should be financially no better and no worse off as a result of their participation. This objective should mean that there are not subsequent fare pressures on fare paying passengers as a result of the scheme. We have worked with the Confederation of Passenger Transport to arrive at reimbursement rates which seek to meet this aim. Usage of the Young Persons Scheme will be closely monitored to refine the reimbursement model as necessary.

The annual Scottish Greenhouse Gas Statistics publication is the main source of data used to assess territorial emissions of greenhouse gases in Scotland. Although each annual publication is accompanied by a spreadsheet containing all background data at its full resolution, it is not currently possible to distinguish between types of generation or fuels using these data.

The Travel Innovation and Strategy budget stream funds a range of transport interventions. The change in budget from financial year 2021-22 of £39.9 million to £21.6 million in 2022-23 reflects a reduction in the capital grant support required for the Glasgow Subway Modernisation programme due to the re-profiling of programmed works by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. There is no impact on deliverables through this budget movement.

The Scottish energy strategy, published in December 2017, confirmed the Scottish Government’s continued opposition to new nuclear stations under current technologies.

Our priority continues to be to support energy efficiency, develop Scotland’s huge renewable resource and to promote storage and flexibility. The opposition to new nuclear generation takes into account the continued operation of Torness, subject to safety cases being met.

We believe that nuclear power represents poor value for consumers. There remains considerable uncertainty around the economics of new nuclear generation, and the long-term storage of nuclear waste remains a difficult issue. The latest Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction delivered offshore wind at £39.65 per megawatt hour – substantially below the £92.50 awarded to Hinkley. Internal analysis tells us that in 2030 alone Hinkley could add almost £40/year to a consumer bill, whilst the equivalent offshore wind farm would reduce consumer bills by £8/year.

The Scottish Government is committed to working closely with all 32 of Scotland’s local authorities to address the climate emergency. Scottish Ministers frequently meet with local authorities to discuss a wide variety of topics encompassing the climate emergency: such as Programme for Government; budgetary matters; a just transition; and biodiversity. It is therefore not possible to give an exact number on how many ministerial meetings since April 2019 contained discussions of local authorities climate emergency planning.

In addition, Climate Change Officials meet with COSLA on a regular basis to discuss a range of shared interests related to the climate emergency. Cabinet Secretary NETZET is due to meet representatives of Dundee City Council and Highland Council to discuss plans to respond to the climate emergency in the coming weeks.

There are currently no plans to introduce a “Climate Change Business Bill” within the current parliamentary session.