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Heat pumps will be a strategically vital technology to deliver low carbon heat in buildings as part of the Scottish Government’s statutory target to meet net zero emissions by 2045. Following a call from the Climate Emergency Response Group, we have established an expert advisory group to make recommendations to Scottish Ministers on the scope of a potential heat pump sector deal for Scotland.

The group is independently chaired by Mike Thornton of the Energy Saving Trust and supported by Scottish Government officials. In June, the group published a detailed interim report offering views across a range of important issues for the heat pump sector. Since then, the group have met to discuss these issues further with a view to finalising their recommendations in late summer. We are confident that the group will meet this objective and we have committed to responding to the group's recommendations in our final Heat in Buildings Strategy.

The Scottish Government are continuing to progress work on a draft NPF4 and will lay it in the Scottish Parliament in Autumn 2021. Public consultation will run alongside Parliamentary scrutiny.

The scientific report published on 9 August by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change makes absolutely clear the severe threat and heightened risk the climate emergency poses to the planet. However, it also shows that with immediate, concerted international action to reduce emissions, it is still possible to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5°C in the longer term.

Offshore fossil fuel exploration and development is an area where key decisions on licencing, regulation and policy are reserved to the UK Government. On 12 August, the First Minister wrote to the UK Prime Minister calling for significant enhancements to the climate conditionality associated with offshore oil and gas production. As set out in that letter, there is no doubt how important our highly skilled oil and gas industry and workforce are to Scotland, but we must ensure that they, and the existing infrastructure, can help Scotland seize the opportunities of the just transition to net zero - we cannot rest on business as usual in the face of a climate emergency. In this context, the Scottish Government has also recently committed to undertake a programme of work and analysis to better understand Scotland’s energy requirements as we transition to net zero and how these align with our climate change targets and the aims of the UN Paris Agreement. This work, which will report by the end of 2022, will supplement a wide range of evidence that will be considered to take an informed policy decision on the contribution of North Sea production to the global climate emergency and to Scotland’s economy, security and wellbeing.

In terms of other forms of fossil fuel extraction, the Scottish Government has previously confirmed a finalised policy position of no support for onshore unconventional oil and gas development in Scotland and will develop policies on conventional onshore oil and gas development and coal extraction in alignment with our climate change obligations and wider energy policy.

We are proud that Scotland is at the forefront of global efforts to respond to the climate emergency. Legally binding targets have been set to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors of the economy by 2045 at the latest, with a world-leading interim 2030 target of a 75% reduction. In December 2020, the Scottish Government updated our Climate Change Plan to set out how we will deliver this ambition as part of a green recovery from COVID-19. The indicative Nationally Determined Contribution document we have published in advance of the COP26 Summit outlines the full range of actions we are taking to contribute to the Paris Agreement, through reducing our emissions, building resilience to the impacts of climate change and supporting international efforts, for example by using our position as Co-Chairs of the Under 2 Coalition and through doubling our Climate Justice Fund.

The Scottish Government is committed to strengthening compulsory purchase powers for local authorities and introducing new compulsory sale orders. We are developing these proposals in the context of policies set out in the Housing to 2040 route map (see Housing to 2040 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) ) to tackle empty homes and vacant and derelict land.

We are committed to encouraging interest and wide public involvement in the preparation of Scotland’s fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4). In preparing NPF4, we want to engage with a wide range of stakeholders in the community, public, voluntary and private sectors.

Our programme of engagement so far has provided opportunities for community councils to contribute, starting with the initial Call for Ideas. This was supported by a range of resources, including a roadshow visiting 13 communities around Scotland plus a community grant scheme. Subsequently we published the Position Statement in November 2020. Community Councils were among those responding to the Position Statement. We have also supported open discussion sessions targeted at communities to explore the issues raised in the position statement.

The Climate Change Plan sets out the Scottish Government’s commitment to develop a Routemap to meet our ambitious 2025 waste and recycling targets in a way that maximises carbon saving potential.

The Scottish Government is working with partner organisations to develop the Routemap, and consider the role that Scottish Landfill Tax and all other potential measures could play in ensuring that we meet the targets and support Scotland’s journey to net zero in the period to 2030.

On the specific issue of biostabilisation, Zero Waste Scotland has commissioned a study to better understand the potential for this as a municipal residual waste treatment process in Scotland.

All councils are now offering 1140 hours of funded ELC to all eligible children, making high quality early learning and childcare available to families in line with the increased statutory entitlement which came into force on 1 August. This will save parents up to £4,900 per year for each eligible child. Up to 130,000 children are expected to benefit this year.

Scotland is the only part of the UK to offer the equivalent of 1140 hours to all 3 and 4 year olds regardless of their parents’ working status, putting children first. This is a fantastic achievement that has been delivered in the face of the pandemic by Scottish Government, Local Government and our local delivery partners.

The Scottish Government and Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd have investigated the options for utilising zero emission electric propulsion systems and found that the current commercially available technology is best suited to the smaller vessels. The Small Vessels Replacement Programme will see up to 7 of the existing ‘Loch’ Class ferries replaced as part of Phase 1 with low or zero emission vessels. These will join the 3 diesel electric hybrid ferries already in service and help the Scottish Government achieve its target of 30% of the ferries it owns being low or zero emission by 2032.

https://www.cmassets.co.uk/project/svrp/

Going forward the Islands Connectivity Plan will investigate further the available and emerging opportunities and technologies available to the maritime sector and set out pathways towards the decarbonisation of ferry services. in support of the Scottish Government’s climate change commitments.

The review of governance arrangements within the tripartite remains on track and will deliver a final report to Scottish Government around the end of the year.

Ministers and Transport Scotland will then take time to fully consider the review findings and further engagement with relevant stakeholders including local communities and trade unions.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02400 on 31 August 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 .