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We are committed to the sustainable development of our seas and are working with stakeholders on our updated National Marine Plan (NMP2), a key delivery mechanism for Scotland’s Blue Economy Vision. NMP2 will provide the guiding planning framework to support our future licencing and consenting decisions.

We will work with stakeholders from across the marine sectors on the development of NMP2 planning policies to support management of our marine space, and reflecting our latest policy developments, including our recently published Vision for Sustainable Aquaculture which sets out our long-term ambitions for the sustainable development of the finfish, shellfish and seaweed sectors.

The development of the marine planning framework will build on the existing consenting regime for aquaculture developments. Planning permission for finfish and shellfish farms are determined in accordance with National Planning Framework 4 and Scotland’s National Marine Plan. Seaweed farming is subject to the requirements set out under section 15 of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 regarding decisions of public authorities affected by marine plans, including the National Marine Plan and any Regional Marine Plan, once adopted.

We will seek to ensure that National Planning Framework 4 and National Marine Plan 2 are aligned and consider any updates which are required to Planning Circular 1/2015: relationship between the statutory land use planning system and marine planning and licencing - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

Regional marine plans are developed by Marine Planning Partnerships, and must conform with the National Marine Plan currently in effect. The content of the regional marine plan is for these partnerships to determine based on local priorities.

In 2017 The Scottish Government published a Seaweed Cultivation Policy Statement to help facilitate the growth of the sector by setting out policy on the suitability of seaweed cultivation in different scenarios. This provides those wanting to operate in this sector with a better understanding of the type of development that may be given approval.

Information on Ministerial engagements is routinely published on the Scottish Government website and can be found at: www.gov.scot/collections/ministerial-engagements-travel-and-gifts/ .

Visits are not recorded by parliamentary or constituency region.

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 our first of a kind innovative regulatory growth targets. Benefits for rail freight are included in our rail pipeline projects and our mode shift capital and revenue support grants. We have also flexed passenger services on the Highland Mainline to accommodate a longer freight service and the Scottish Government will continue to maximise benefits for freight in its future investment in the rail network. The details Mr Cameron has requested from 2016 are as follows.

Dedicated rail freight projects:-

2012 – 2019 Investment of £13 million to deliver electrification to the Grangemouth freight terminals.

2018 – 2019 Investment of £11.3 million to provide a new rail freight connection at Blackford and improvements to Inverness Needlefield Yard. This also included investment on the Waterloo branch to improve the link with Aberdeen Terminals and the capability of the line to accept more traffic.

2019 – 2020 Investment of £4.2 million for a new crossover at Craiginches (between Aberdeen and Stonehaven), continued work at Inverness Needlefield Yard and trials on the Highland Mainline (between Perth and Inverness) to support longer trains.

2020 – 2021 Investment of £2.5 million including further work on Craiginches crossover and Needlefield yard and a trial to support moving timber by rail.

2022 – 2023 Investment of £3.2 million to provide a new freight connection at Dalcross and a linespeed improvement at Garriongill (near Wishaw), benefiting freight capacity.

2016 to date Investment of £6m inFreight Facilities Grants to support new and updated rail freight facilities.

2016 to date Investment of £4 million in Mode Shift Revenue Support.

Rail pipeline projects with benefits for freight:-

2012 – 2019 Investment of £160 million to deliver electrification and gauge clearance on the Shotts line along with signalling improvements benefiting freight capacity and improving access to Mossend Freight Terminal.

2019 - 2020 Investment of £13.5 million to provide increased capacity between Newtonhill (between Aberdeen and Stonehaven) and Craiginches.

2022 - 2023 Investment of £160 million to renew and modernise Carstairs Junction including the longest freight loop in Scotland, capable of accommodating 775-metre-long freight trains. An additional £6.8 million was invested to remodel Barnhill Junction to increase the speed of trains and provide capacity improvements over the constrained Tay Viaduct, enabling additional freight services. A further investment of £63 million was provided to electrify the route to Barrhead which is the first step in electrifying the Glasgow & South Western route from Glasgow to Carlisle.

The Scottish Government collects data on double glazing and draught proofing of loft hatches within occupied homes through the annual Scottish House Condition Survey.

Our Heat in Buildings Supply Chains Delivery Plan sets out practical steps that we will take to support the growth of the green heat sector. We continue to work in partnership with the sector to ensure that the appropriate support and training provision are aligned at a local level with business needs and future local demands.

A Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment was completed for the provisions contained within The Building (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2023 (which introduce the New Build Heat Standard from 1 April 2024). This contains an assessment of how the Standard may impact costs associated with new homes across Scotland.

Supporting documents - New Build Heat Standard 2024: business and regulatory impact assessment - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

This is covered in the Green Heat Taskforce Part 1 Report published on 22 November 2023 – in this report Nationwide is highlighted as an example of a lender currently offering zero percent interest loans.

Information on public sector support available to businesses in Scotland can be found on FindBusinessSupport.gov.scot.

For low carbon heating, such as heat pumps, the requirement is to use Microgeneration Certification Scheme installers to access Scottish Government funded support programmes. In relation to energy efficiency measures such as insulation, to access Scottish Government funding installers should be TrustMark registered businesses. Customers accessing the HES Grant and Loan scheme who cannot locate a TrustMark registered installer may use a Green Deal certified installer.