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The Just Transition Fund was established to support and accelerate the transition of the region and support the role of Aberdeen and the wider North East as one of Scotland’s centres of excellence for the transition to a net zero economy. The call for year one projects closed on 15 July 2022 and expressions of interest are currently being assessed against the published Fund criteria. It will not be possible to indicate what portion of the Fund will be allocated specifically to upskilling activity until final decisions on awards have concluded. An announcement of successful bids will be made in due course.

The Scottish Government recognises the private sector action required to deliver a just transition to net zero. Our Global Capital Investment Plan outlines these opportunities and we are expanding our Green Investment Portfolio to bring together market-ready projects worth £3 billion as well as establishing an investor panel to attract investment to a pipeline of projects.

In the North East, we engaged extensively over Spring 2022 on the design of the £500 million Just Transition Fund to understand how it can have maximum impact in the region. We are also a full partner in the Aberdeen City Region Deal, which is stimulating private investment through partnership with Opportunity North East and has already seen £59 million of private investment committed to the region for digital infrastructure.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting and accelerating the transition of the North East as a centre of excellence for the transition to a net zero economy, as evidenced by our £500 million Just Transition Fund. The Scottish Government is also a full partner in the Aberdeen City Region Deal, contributing £125 million over 10 years alongside an additional £254 million, which will help ensure economic transformation for the North East with inclusive growth, increased wellbeing and a just transition to net zero. We are investing a separate £32.5 million through the Moray Growth Deal to support a number of projects that will grow the region’s economy.

As committed to within our Heat in Buildings Strategy, work is currently underway to develop a new Heat in Buildings Public Engagement Strategy, to be published in early 2023.

This will build on the broader approach to public engagement on climate change that we published last year, and will aim to:

• Increase understanding of the changes we need to see in how we heat our homes and buildings, and why;
• Raise the profile of energy efficiency and net zero carbon heating options so that people are aware of the benefits and begin to see them as a positive choice; and
• Raise awareness of advice and support services to maximise uptake of the help available.

The strategy will to set out a range of activities for public engagement that will be implemented over the transition to zero emissions heating, including: national marketing campaigns; education initiatives; a social research programme; and public participation in policy and delivery programme design, to ensure the needs of different (domestic and non-domestic) groups are considered. This reflects our commitment to supporting a just and fair transition.

To inform development of the strategy, this autumn we will undertake a Call for Evidence. Alongside publication of the strategy, next year we will launch a national conversation and campaign on heat decarbonisation, working with a range of practitioners, consumer organisations and others across Scotland to increase awareness of the heat transition with different audiences over the coming months. Early focus will be on building readiness for change amongst a wide cross-section of society ahead of the introduction of proposed regulations. We will also launch a national marketing campaign this autumn to promote awareness of our free and impartial advice and support services – Home Energy Scotland and Warmer Homes Scotland.

Speed restrictions on the Scottish rail network are imposed by Network Rail, as the owners of the rail infrastructure.

ScotRail advised that for week beginning 18 July 2022 there were approximately 11 services with a 20 mph speed restriction and 4 of these were likely to be as a result of rainfall rather than heat. The majority of services (approximately 26) had either a 30 or 60 mph speed restriction imposed for similar period.

Network Rail and ScotRail Trains hold weather plans in the event of extreme weather and these are activated when required.

Information on the total cost of operating waste incinerators in Scotland in each year since 2007-08 is not held centrally. Most waste incineration facilities in Scotland are privately operated and the Scottish Government does not routinely collect or hold data on the operational costs of these facilities.

Safety and security on our railways is reserved to UK Government and as such the British Transport Police (BTP) is responsible for the enforcement of the law on Scotland’s rail network. BTP can only investigate matters that are reported to them and not every incident reported to and recorded by ScotRail as the employer will be reported to BTP.

Therefore, ScotRail advised the following for how many assaults on ScotRail staff were reported since 2017, noting that 2017 is the last year that ScotRail holds data for:-

Detailed cost analysis for all of the routes included in the Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan are undertaken on a phased basis as initial plans for each route are progressively prepared.

Savings in carbon emissions from replacement of Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) rolling stock are calculated using emission rates from the DfT’s TAG Databook A3.3 (November 2021). This is undertaken when each individual project or line of route reaches the Outline Business Case stage of development.

The Scottish Government’s leadership in support for rail freight is outlined in our rail freight strategy and put into practice with significant investment and a first of a kind regulatory growth target. Our £25 million ring-fenced fund for rail freight for the period 2019-24 is unique to Scotland and we continue to offer Freight Facilities Grants unlike some other parts of the UK. These funding opportunities are generating private investment in rail freight facilities and unlocking opportunities for rail freight across the country.

Our rolling programme of efficient electrification, detailed in the Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan, will also encourage and facilitate modal shift to rail freight as it brings significant environmental benefits, improves connectivity and creates additional capacity supporting the key role rail freight has to play in helping us achieve our transport emission targets.