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The Scottish Government welcomed the publication of ‘Scotland’s Islamophobia’ – the report into Islamophobia in Scotland by the Cross-Party Group (CPG) on Tackling Islamophobia, and will continue to carefully consider the recommendations made.

The report shines a light on some serious issues faced by our Muslim communities in Scotland and we are committed to ensuring that Islamophobia is not tolerated. The Scottish Government is funding and working closely with organisations working to tackle racist and religious intolerance, as well as improve the lives of minority ethnic and religious communities in Scotland.

I have committed to attend a meeting with the CPG in early 2024 to discuss interventions to tackle Islamophobia in Scotland, including the recommendations within the CPG report ‘Scotland’s Islamophobia’.

The Scottish Government has discussions regarding the draft Climate Change Plan regularly and when required. Cabinet meets weekly and discusses climate change and net zero matters on a regular basis; for example it discussed the draft Climate Change Plan on 7 November 2023. The Cabinet Sub-Committee on Climate Emergency discussed the draft Climate Change Plan on 6 December 2022, 31 January 2023, 14 March 2023 and on 20 June 2023. The cross-party and stakeholder Climate Change Plan Advisory Group which centres on the development of the Climate Change Plan met on 23 February 2023, 23 March 2023, 18 May 2023, 29 June 2023, 31 August 2023 and 5 October 2023. The draft Climate Change Plan has also been discussed between the Deputy First Minister and with members of the Scottish Green Party Parliamentary Group at their liaison meetings on 2 February 2023, 19 July 2023, 28 September 2023 and 23 November 2023.

The Scottish Government and COSLA have today published a progress report on the development of a Fiscal Framework between the Scottish Government and Local Government. The document can be accessed on the Scottish Government website at the following link : https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781835217856

The report shows that while negotiations continue, we have jointly made good progress on a number of aspects of the framework and have already put these into practice, including improved pre-budget engagement and meaningful discussion about new fiscal levers.

I welcome the scoping study on historic forced adoption which has been published today and the important further contribution this research has made to helping us understand the needs of those affected.

It is clear that the historic practices that forced the separation of mothers from their babies has resulted in lifelong pain and suffering for many of those involved. I am grateful to those people who shared their stories with bravery and dignity.

The Scottish Government will now assess the feasibility, including the financial, legislative and operational implications of the key areas of consideration and publish a response by the end of March 2024. In doing so we will continue to work with partners and importantly those with lived experience to consider options for service delivery and how best to implement the necessary improvements.

The Scottish Government welcomes the report from the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland, and knows that there is work to be done to support improvement of audiology services across the country.

We accept all of the recommendations in principle, and will now establish a National Implementation Group to examine how best to implement the recommendations.

This Implementation Group will be formed with partners from the third sector, as well as the health service, which will allow us to ensure the voices of those with lived experience are front and centre as changes are made.

We will ensure that Parliament is kept updated with progress.

This is an operational matter for ScotRail, and the information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

The member may note that to ensure transparency, ScotRail Trains Ltd publishes data with regards to the paid compensations on its website: Delay Repay | Train Fare Compensation Scheme (scotrail.co.uk)

The Scottish National Investment Bank (the Bank) is extensively engaged in work to understand the market gaps and areas of opportunity in the offshore wind supply chain.

Details of each of the Bank’s investments are published online in the Bank’s portfolio webpage. This webpage provides a breakdown of the Bank’s investments by primary mission and also provides further details on each investment such as listing any co-investors and a summary of what the investment will achieve.

The Bank has, to date, made investment commitments of £463.2 million across 29 investments. As the Bank’s Impact Report 2023 sets out, from launch to 31 December 2022 these investments have generated approximately 1.8 GWh of renewable energy, powering the equivalent of 472 homes in a year.

The Bank has concluded a number of offshore wind supply chain investments.

The £35m investment into the Port of Aberdeen (concluded in January 2022) to support the development of the new South Harbour facility. This expansion will provide greater land and water access for offshore wind developers, playing a vital role in the ScotWind supply chain.

The £50m investment into North Star Renewables (concluded in December 2022), as part of a wider £140m finance facility, to build service operation vessels. These vessels are critical in supporting the installation, operation and maintenance of wind farms as they increase in size and distance from shore.

Furthermore the Bank’s £6.6m investment in Verlume (concluded in April 2023) demonstrates the importance of innovative technology in supporting offshore wind developments. Verlume uses intelligent energy management to deliver a constant output of power from renewable sources and minimises energy loss from electricity generated from offshore wind.

The Renewables Installer Finder tool, funded by Scottish Government, provides information on Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certified companies who operate in Scotland and wish to list their information on the tool. The tool can be found at: Renewables Installer Finder (est.org.uk) According to the MCS, the certified companies typically have, on average, an estimated workforce of three installers. Since MCS certification is not a mandatory requirement for heat pump contractor companies, these figures will not capture all companies in Scotland.

The pace of the Heat in Buildings transition requires a substantial growth in supply chains, including heat pump installation and maintenance. Supporting Scotland’s current and future workforce to develop the skills needed for the net zero transition is a priority for this government. 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.

Training provision is available across both the public and private sector with scope to increase capacities to match increase in demand. In many cases, existing workers can be upskilled through relatively short training courses. For example, there are currently 4475 businesses listed on the Gas Safe Register in Scotland, with 8651 distinct engineers in Scotland qualified to work on domestic central heating. Many of these engineers will be capable of transitioning to heat pump installations through short training courses.

The consultation on a Heat in Buildings Bill will help to provide the certainty that industry has asked for to invest in skills. Ministers will host a supply chain round table as part of the consultation, to hear from the supply chain directly.

Our consultations on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill and a new Social Housing Net Zero Standard are designed to reduce emissions and improve the energy efficiency of Scotland’s buildings – helping to deliver a just transition that protects those living in fuel poverty by reducing their energy bills.

We are asking for views on a minimum energy efficiency standard for privately-owned homes and rental properties. This standard would not need to be met by owner occupied homes that have ended their use of polluting heating by 2033.

For those that do need to meet the standard, they could do so by installing a list of straightforward measures (such as loft insulation and draught-proofing) or, alternatively, based on the result of an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) assessment.

The list of measures would prioritise those that could have most impact on reducing a home’s energy demand and therefore energy bills, with the lowest amount of cost and disruption.

According to the most recent representative data from the Scottish House Condition Survey conducted in 2019, the number of dwellings that do not meet the current EPC C or better are:

• Owner occupied: 910,000
• Private rented: 187,000
• Social rented: 281,000

We estimate that a majority of homes would need to take no or very limited action to meet the proposed standard because they will have either already installed as many of the proposed list of measures as are appropriate or possible for their property type, or already meet the minimum level of fabric efficiency. We are undertaking further analysis to quantify the total number of properties across all tenures that will need to take action.

Some homes will have specific characteristics which might affect their ability to meet the standard. For example, traditional properties, which make up a significant proportion of Scotland’s homes and buildings, may have different requirements based on their construction type, location or status (e.g. listed buildings). We are working with partners, including Historic Environment Scotland, to find the best solutions for these buildings while being sympathetic to their character and features.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust are a valued partner of the Scottish Government in delivering locally driven projects that address the climate and nature crises across Scotland. Funding for these projects is usually provided via government agencies or other public bodies, and comprehensive information is not therefore held centrally. However, funding received by the Scottish Wildlife Trust is set out in their annual financial reports published on their website at https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/about-us/our-publications/ . The latest report was published on 2 August 2023.