Chamber and committees

I ask Paul White the same question. Bus companies in particular have a keen interest in multimodal hubs. How do we make them happen? What has to happen and who is responsible?

Good morning, everyone. The draft NPF4 talks about multimodal hubs where people can easily switch between bus, rail, walking, wheeling and cycling. What needs to happen to make those a reality? My constituency goes halfway from Edinburgh to Glasgow and is between the M8 and the M9. It has lots of towns, it has a population of over 100,000, which is the biggest in Scotland, and it has lots of commuters. In reality, how do we tackle this and what needs to happen?

Will NPF4 help to facilitate and enable that, or does it just make a statement?

I want to ask the other two witnesses about 20-minute neighbourhoods, which are mentioned 34 times in the draft NPF4. This is for David Hunter. How might they be delivered in practice, particularly in urban and suburban areas? What needs to be done to make such neighbourhoods a reality and a positive for communities in Scotland?

Thank you. Dr Brown, what are your views on 20-minute neighbourhoods? How can they be flexible enough for rural and island communities in particular? How might such flexibility be achieved?

Will Leon Thompson talk briefly about that window and the desirable timeframe if additional funding can be found for international marketing?

I point out that Ireland has received €920 million from the EU in Brexit compensation, which gives flexibility.

However, I want to talk about the domestic budget. For the sake of brevity, I will ask Marc Crothall, who said that VisitScotland’s budget has been protected, about that issue. I want to ask about the work of the Scottish tourism emergency response group. We were disappointed to see that the phase 2 funding for the tourism recovery programme was not in the budget. However, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy said that

“the door is not closed”

on phase 2 funding and that she is “working with VisitScotland”. She referred to

“£25 million of resource and £24 million of capital”.—[Official Report, Economy and Fair Work Committee, 19 January 2022; c 5-6.]

How hopeful are you that you will get the in-year funding for that programme? Do you recognise those levels of funding? What are the key priorities? Bearing in mind what we have heard about when we are likely to get a pick-up and a recovery, when would it be best to spend that money, particularly on international marketing? I know that you have been involved in the recovery group, so what are the views of the Scottish Tourism Alliance?

If we have time, I will also ask Leon Thompson about the timing.

Good morning. I would like to address policy 19 in national planning framework 4. I will come first to Morag Watson and then to Kirstanne Land.

In its written submission, Scottish Renewables is clear that it does not think

“that this policy will ensure our places support continued expansion of low carbon and net-zero energy technologies”.

It goes as far as to say that

“there is a fundamental mismatch between The Scottish Government’s energy policy, particularly the draft OWPS [Offshore Wind Policy Statement], and NPF4.”

Could you, please, expand on that?

If I have picked up the information correctly, the £13.5 million is for the coming year, but there is the commitment of the larger £55 million to give certainty.

That is helpful.

The second area that I want to look at is peatland restoration. The UK Climate Change Committee stated in its 2021 annual progress report that the pathway requires 50,000 hectares of peatland to be restored per year from 2022. Currently, the commitment is 20,000 hectares per year. How has that advice from the UK Climate Change Committee been factored into this year’s funding allocation for peatland restoration? Can you give some indication of what that might mean in future years?