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As required by Section 103 of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010, the next report to the Scottish Parliament on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) will be published in 2024. Reporting occurs in a 6-year cycle. The last report was published in 2018, and is available here: Marine Protected Area Network - 2018 Report to the Scottish Parliament - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

There are currently 2522 publicly available charge points registered on the ChargePlace Scotland network.

The Scottish Government welcomes this report, commends the working group for its detailed work and recognises the important part that the recommendations play in creating a secure future for Gaelic in Scotland. The report’s recommendations will be allocated to appropriate policy areas within the Scottish Government for response and a combined response will be provided to the Short Life Working Group, the authors of this report. The Cabinet Secretary will also meet with the Chair of the working group responsible for this report. In addition, the Scottish Government will also consider if progress could be made with any of the recommendations of the report by means of including relevant provisions in the Scottish Languages Bill or the forthcoming version of the National Gaelic Language Plan.

The Scottish Government unequivocally condemns any form of hate crime. The latest figures from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service are a reminder to redouble our efforts to tackle hate and confront prejudice wherever it occurs. We are resolute in our commitment to tackling all incidents of hate crime and we encourage everyone who experiences or witnesses hate crime to report it directly to the police or by using a third party reporting centre.

In March, we published a new Hate Crime Strategy which sets out our vision for a Scotland where everyone lives free from hatred and prejudice, and where our communities are empowered, inclusive and safe. The strategy makes a number of commitments including ensuring improved support for victims of hate crime, improving data and evidence on hate crime and developing effective approaches to preventing hate crime. It will also support implementation of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021.

A delivery plan, setting out our immediate and longer term activity, will be published later this year.

The Scottish Government does not routinely collate data about electric vehicle charge points which are not part of the ChargePlace Scotland public charging network. Data about public charging devices on privately-managed networks can be obtained from third party data suppliers, such as Zap-Map, who publish monthly statistics on electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Police Scotland provided an update on the National Dashcam Safety Portal (NDSP) to officials at the Strategic Partnership Board meeting on 5 June, the highest tier to the Road Safety Framework to 2030 governance structure.

Prior to this, officials received a scoping paper from Police Scotland that outlines what will be required in order to initiate a business case that considers the development and anticipated demand of the pilot project before full national capability can be implemented.

Officials will meet with Police Scotland on 20 July to discuss the next steps.

The potential impacts on the future transport connectivity needs and any impacts on the Clyde & Hebrides and Northern Isles Ferry Services will be considered as part of the Islands Connectivity Plan in conjunction with the local authorities responsible for implementing the Islands Growth Deal.

Orkney Islands Council and Shetland Islands Council are wholly responsible for their inter-island ferries, including considering any such impacts.

The Scottish Government offers a range of grants for the installation of electric vehicle charge points at properties, including flatted dwellings where there is access to shared off-street parking. The residential grants are delivered by the Energy Saving Trust (EST) on behalf of Scottish Ministers and are designed to ensure that a lack of traditional off-street parking is not a barrier to EV adoption. More information can be found on the EST website.

Being unable to charge at home using a private charger should not be a deterrent to making the transition to EV. The Scottish Government has invested over £65m to develop the ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) public electric vehicle charging network. CPS now has a network of over 2,500 publicly available charge points spread across Scotland, making it the 4th largest network in the UK and the most comprehensive per head of population outside London.

As part of the comprehensive approach being taken by the Scottish Government, new legislation has also been introduced to ensure new buildings in Scotland are equipped with charge points – for flats with designated parking, one socket for per flat should be provided. Steps have also been taken to amend existing Permitted Development Rights legislation to make it even simpler and quicker to install charging infrastructure, including in residential areas containing all dwelling types.

Orkney Islands Council is wholly responsible for their inter-island ferries, including setting the service levels. However, the strategic document of the Islands Connectivity Plan will aim to set a vision and outline good practice for delivery of ferry services in Scotland which will support local authority delivery plans.

The Scottish Government has engaged Cosla, setting out its position on tariffs for the use of public charge points, a significant proportion of which are owned by Local Authorities. It is important that tariffs are structured to avoid unduly subsidising those who can afford to pay, support infrastructure maintenance and create the conditions that will be attractive for the future private investment that will be needed to grow the network. As highlighted in a market insights report (Opportunity Through Tariffs to Encourage Private Investment in EV Infrastructure Across Scotland) published by Scottish Futures Trust last November, adoption of such pricing regimes does not preclude local authorities from introducing flexible and off-peak pricing structures to enable more affordable charging.

As energy market policy remains reserved to UK government, the Scottish Government cannot take all of the action it would like to in order to support Scottish consumers. We welcome the intention set out by UK government to consult on how to rebalance the price of gas and electricity. The UK government’s Review of Electricity Market Arrangements presents an opportunity to reflect on the structure of the wholesale electricity market and consider what can be done to ensure it serves the best interests of consumers and delivers net zero. However, this review will take time, so the UK government must also work to identify short-term opportunities to support bill payers today.