Seòmar agus comataidhean

The process to return Glasgow Prestwick Airport to the private sector continues and decisions have still to be taken in relation to the prospective sale of the business.

We have committed to updating Parliament on the sale process at the appropriate stage and to protect the integrity of the process we will not be making any further comment at this time.

The act of ‘spiking’ women is absolutely abhorrent and the Scottish Government remains absolutely committed to working with partners to tackle this unacceptable behaviour.

I chaired an urgent roundtable with partners and representatives from across the sector on Thursday 4 November, including from police and industry, to discuss how we can achieve the right balance of targeted and universal intervention to ensure the safety of the public.

Our Equally Safe Strategy sets out Scotland’s ambition to tackle and eradicate all forms of violence against women and we will continue to implement this with a clear and decisive focus on primary prevention of violence. We are dedicating resources to tackling attitudes and inequality within every space for women and girls.

The Scottish Government is committed to working to improve the family justice system in Scotland, as set out in the 2019 Family Justice Modernisation Strategy. However, since this Strategy was published, a number of areas of work across the Scottish Government were paused to enable an effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic, whilst also ensuring core services remained operational. As we move towards recovery from the pandemic, the Scottish Government will prepare an update on the Strategy and look at how best to take forward actions in the Strategy which remain outstanding, including whether amendments are required to the Child Abduction Act 1984.

The process to return Glasgow Prestwick Airport to the private sector continues and decisions have still to be taken in relation to the prospective sale of the business.

We have committed to updating Parliament on the sale process at the appropriate stage.

The Heat Networks (Scotland) Act 2021 has set out ambitious targets for heat network deployment, requiring 2.6 terawatt hours of output by 2027 and 6 terawatt hours by 2030.

To help meet these targets, the Scottish Government will invest £400 million over the next five years in large-scale heat decarbonisation infrastructure through the successor scheme to the Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP). However, we cannot rely on public investment alone to fund the development of low carbon heat networks in Scotland and government support must be used to leverage private investment into heat networks if the targets are to be met. The LCITP provided grants for up to 50% of project capital costs with the remainder being match funded and the successor programme is likely to take a similar approach. Financial mechanisms such as the Green Growth Accelerator will also be key in stimulating investment.

The regulatory system laid out within the Heat Networks (Scotland) Act will play an important role in boosting confidence in the sector and providing greater certainty for investors. For example, the Act provides for the award of Heat Network Permits which will provide investors greater assurance over the potential customer base available, helping lower investment cost.

Detail on how we will meet the ambitious heat network targets will be provided in the Heat Networks Delivery Plan, which we will publish for consultation in due course.

The Scottish Government estimates the cost of building-level measures to reach our emissions targets over the 24 year period to 2045 will be in the region of £33 billion. We have committed to investing at least £1.8 billion over the five year period of this parliament. This funding will help kick-start market growth while supporting those least able to pay.

As set out in the Heat in Buildings Strategy, we are working to develop an appropriate market framework to help consumers overcome the upfront investment costs and to attract and secure further private investment and finance to help meet the costs of the transition. We will establish a Green Heat Finance Taskforce by the end of 2021 to recommend ways the Scottish Government and private sector can collaborate to scale up investment. In addition we will explore other options, including the use of local tax powers, linking the mortgage market to energy performance and emissions, and options for new market mechanisms including potential obligations on market actors. Where action is needed in reserved areas we will work with the UK Government.

Heat in Buildings Strategy – https://www.gov.scot/publications/heat-buildings-strategy-achieving-net-zero-emissions-scotlands-buildings/

The Scottish Government commissioned a review to synthesise evidence on the operation of heat pumps with relevance to Scotland. The report is available at https://www.climatexchange.org.uk/research/projects/heat-pump-use-in-scotland-an-evidence-review/

As the report sets out, the temperature output from a heat pump or boiler is different from the temperature rooms are heated to: heat emitters, such as radiators, transfer heat into rooms by being heated to a higher temperature than the air in the room. While the output temperature of a heat pump is often lower than temperatures boilers commonly produce, when appropriately configured with building fabric and radiators or underfloor heating they efficiently bring indoor temperatures up to adequate levels. In addition, the report sets out evidence on less common high temperature heat pumps.

The microgeneration certification scheme (MCS) certifies heat pump installers to ensure that systems are appropriately designed to provide sufficient heat.

The Scottish Government provides funding to local councils through our Area Based Schemes to deliver energy efficiency improvements to households living in or at risk of fuel poverty. The guidance for the scheme specifies an average amount per property for the intensity of grant-in-aid that can usually be provided for fabric improvements.

This maxima was increased by £500 for all categories of property from 1 April 2020. This reflected feedback about increased costs of providing insulation received from all 32 councils and managing agents involved in delivery of the programme in
‎ 2019-20. Local councils can provide a higher intensity of grant-in-aid for households in extreme fuel poverty or other relevant factors, for example where there are additional costs due to non-standard construction type.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-03712 on
‎ 4 November 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Every year we seek feedback about proposed changes to our ABS programme guidance from every local council. This guidance is also shared in draft with COSLA for information and comment. Scottish Government officials are also regularly approached by individual councils to discuss and where needed, to agree a higher intensity of grant-in-aid for projects with extra costs.