Chamber and committees

Budget allocations are agreed and published as part of the annual Scottish Budget process, with option fee income expected to be recognised over a number of years, to a maximum of ten years in line with the lease period.

To date a prudent estimate of ScotWind fees has been included in the 2022-23 budget of circa £41 million. The total figure will be finalised once leasing payment recognition has been confirmed.

These monies support the 2022-23 budget and underpin projects set out within the budget in line with the Programme for Government commitment to invest some of the ScotWind revenues to help tackle the twin crises of biodiversity and climate change as we transition to Net Zero.

The International and European Relations budget of £33.3m for 2022-23 will be spent pursuing our engagement at home and internationally to enhance Scotland's reputation and increase economic success, prosperity and wellbeing, and promote Scotland as a great place to live, visit, work, study and do business. The Scottish Budget and supporting documents have been published on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2022-23/documents/ and a detailed breakdown of how this has been distributed across the various International and European Relations budget lines can be found in the Scottish Budget 2022-23 - Level 4 Data document (rows 71 to 89 on the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture tab).

Spending in future years will be considered and implemented through the Resource Spending Review and subsequent 2023-24 budget setting process

The Scottish Government’s upskilling and retraining programmes, including Individual Training Accounts, the Flexible Workforce Development Fund and the Green Jobs Workforce Academy, are designed to equip workers with the skills that employers need now and will need in the future. Additionally, the Skills Recognition Scotland project is designed to support workers with qualifications gained outside the UK to overcome unemployment and underemployment.

The Scottish Government remains committed to working with employers on the fair work agenda, including supporting individuals to use their skills to their full extent, which contributes to fulfilling work as set out in the Fair Work Framework. The most recent Scottish Employer Skills Survey, published in 2021, reported that, in total, 8% of employees were under-utilised in their role, which is an improvement from the figures reported in 2017.

There has been no specific evaluation of the role of rooftop solar and storage in local electrical distribution networks to date. However, in the Bute House Agreement, the Scottish Government committed to set out a vision for the future of solar in Scotland, in consultation with the sector. As we develop this vision over the coming months, we will consider the role of solar in the delivery of a just transition to net zero, including exploring the role that solar technology could play in supporting the decarbonisation of heat and transport, as well as any impacts on local distribution networks.

Also to note, in the Heat in Buildings Strategy, we committed to carry out research to understand the extent to which the deployment of secondary technologies alongside zero emissions heating systems could help to optimise operational performance, minimise energy consumption and reduce end user fuel costs. This research is underway, and seeks to understand the technical feasibility and cost effectiveness of heat batteries, electric batteries, and thermal storage cylinders when installed alongside a range of zero emissions primary heating technologies; both independently of and combined with microgeneration technologies such as solar PV and solar thermal. We expect to publish this research this year.

The Scottish Government has set up a Commission to undertake a review of learning in Scotland’s land-based and aquaculture sectors, to provide opportunities and qualifications through early years, school, college, university and work-based learning - including apprenticeships - for more people, and specifically more women and young people, to work with and on the land, particularly in green skills.

This review will provide recommendations on how to attract more people into these sectors. The Commission will provide independent, evidence-based advice and recommendations to Scottish Ministers by December 2022.

In addition, the Scottish Government’s Skills Action Plan for Rural Scotland (2019-21) sets out our strategic approach to support the skills needs of the rural economy by addressing skills shortages, talent retention and attraction, and demographic challenges through enhanced work-based learning pathways and by increasing access to education and skills provision in rural areas.

The Scottish Government also provides funding support to Lantra Scotland. Lantra is the Sector Skills Council for Scotland’s land-based, aquaculture and environmental conservation sectors, aiming to ensure that these sectors can meet their skills needs and have the right people and promotion of learning opportunities for new entrants. Lantra promote the land-based sector as a rewarding career choice, and help to ensure that learning and training provision address industry requirements and skills gaps.

Lantra’s "#NoTwoDaysTheSame in Land-based and Aquaculture" provides the opportunity for school students to find out about the wide range of careers available in the land-based and aquaculture sectors and how young people can get there. It is delivered in partnership with Developing Young Workforce Live.

The Scottish Government is committed to developing and implementing within this parliamentary term a revised contracting framework for community pharmacy NHS pharmaceutical services, underpinned by a review of existing Control of Entry, funding arrangement and introduction of a Performers List for the Pharmacy profession, as outlined in Achieving excellence in pharmaceutical care: a strategy for Scotland strategy.

Any future amendments to the regulations will uphold the necessity for successful applications to be granted around set criteria. These include neighbourhood requirements, the adequacy of existing pharmaceutical services in an area (from registered pharmacy premises), and the necessity or desirability of to secure adequate pharmaceutical services in an area.

The Scottish Government recognises that certain inhalers have a particularly harmful impact on the environment. This is an area where rapid change is possible and reducing the environmental impact of inhalers must be a priority.

Hydrofluorocarbons used as propellant in metered dose inhalers prescribed for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can have a global warming potential of 1430 or 3220 times greater than CO2 depending on the type of gas used.

A draft NHS Scotland Climate Emergency and Sustainability Strategy is out for consultation until 10 th March 2022. This sets out the Scottish Government’s intention to publish an updated Scottish Quality Respiratory Prescribing guide which will focus on minimising patient over-use of inhalers through review and improving patient outcomes, using propellant free options where possible.

Other actions within the draft strategy include encouraging manufacturers to make inhalers with lower emissions and to support inhaler return to pharmacy schemes to help patients dispose of their used inhalers in a more environmentally friendly way.

The Scottish Government expect all stock within the Private Rented Sector to meet any energy efficiency standard set by regulations or to have a valid exemption. The Heat in Buildings Strategy confirms our intention to introduce, subject to consultation, such regulations, where that is technically feasible and cost effective from 2025. We plan to consult during 2022 on these regulations, and this will include details of any exemptions including those linked to cost, tenant rights, what might be technically feasible, and matters relating to compliance and enforcement.

In general, private landlords or letting agents will advertise available properties through a range of ways including online property website portals, property centres, letting agencies and student accommodation services. The Scottish Government does not provide direct advice or support to people who are looking to find a suitable property to rent. General advice regarding renting from a private landlord is however available at Renting property from a private landlord - mygov.scot . Where a person is unable to access suitable accommodation in the private rented sector, individuals should approach their local authority housing department for support if they are homeless or to go onto the housing list. Registered Social landlords can also be approached to go onto the housing list.

As set out in chapter 11 of the Heat in Buildings Strategy, we are developing a monitoring and evaluation framework which we will publish later this year. We will publish our response to this recommendation, and the Climate Change Committee’s other recommendations this spring.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/heat-buildings-strategy-achieving-net-zero-emissions-scotlands-buildings/pages/12/

We have not undertaken any specific work relating to the French ban introduced on New Year’s Day and its operations. However, as set out in my response to S6W-05499, we are working with the other UK administrations to introduce extended producer responsibility for packaging, which will encourage more sustainable packaging design, and are supporting industry-led efforts to reduce plastic packaging, through the UK Plastics Pact.

The Scottish Government is also keeping under review the impact of existing actions in train or planned as well as evidence from other countries. As part of our commitment on the waste route map we are working with industry, local government and environmental groups to identify further actions to accelerate progress towards waste prevention and recycling targets.