Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government's new air quality strategy 'Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 - Towards a Better Place for Everyone' will be published later in 2021. The strategy will set out a series of actions to deliver further air pollution reductions over the next five years. These actions include work being progressed across Government which will benefit air quality, such as continuing to take forward introduction of Low Emission Zones in Scotland's four largest cities, a £500 million funding commitment to active travel over the next five years and a reduction in motor vehicle kilometres by 20% by 2030.

We will also take forward proposals to control the sale of the most polluting domestic fuels, produce a code of good agricultural practice for improving air quality in Scotland and develop a public engagement strategy on air quality. At the same time we will ensure that the strategy integrates fully with other Government plans and strategies that have implications for air quality, such as the Climate Change Plan update, the National Transport Strategy 2 and National Planning Framework 4.

The new strategy will build on the achievements of Scotland's first air quality strategy 'Cleaner Air for Scotland - The Road to a Healthier Future' which set out a series of 40 actions to improve air quality, 36 of which have been fully completed and the remainder carried over to the new strategy.

The response provided to S6W-00515 confirmed the Scottish Government’s position with the UK Government's Events Research Programme. In common with the Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive, the Scottish Government did not hold events as part of the ERP.

Specific procedures that were part of the ERP, for example testing as means of entry to EURO 2020 matches, were considered for the event in Scotland as part of our gateway process for flagship events – however, clinical advice cautioned against mandatory testing and checking on arrival, in this instance, as the knock-on effect on flow may have created more risk of mixing.

The final report of Phase 1 of the UK Government's ERP has now been published – Events Research Programme: Phase I findings - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) – and we will continue to engage with the UKG and on a 4 Nations basis, with the Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive, to identify learnings from the ERP and help inform the route ahead for the events sector.

Now more than ever it is essential that we are well connected to the rest of Europe and the rest of the World and our ambition is to help airports restore 2019 levels of connectivity as quickly as possible. We are working with airports, including Glasgow Airport, on route recovery, to help rebuild connectivity for business and tourism once we are able to safely lift travel restrictions. This will help win back routes and employment opportunities. Transport Scotland, working in partnership with VisitScotland and SDI, has a well-established process in place to help Scotland’s airports recover routes lost as well as help secure new ones. We provide support to airlines in the form of attractive co-operative marketing packages, and also provide market intelligence and data to airlines on the potential of the Scottish market.

We have extended the 100% non-domestic rates relief for the aviation sector for another year with Glasgow Airport being one of the largest beneficiaries.

In 2020-21, the Scottish Government worked with Unite to support training for staff in the aviation sector which included support for Glasgow Airport ground staff through the National Transition Training Fund. Over 250 Glasgow staff benefitted from a range of training.

Scottish Ministers have now approved a continuation of support for this sector in 2021-22 and we are working with Unite again to agree what training will add most value to recovery of the sector and support the protection of jobs. Glasgow Airport staff will again benefit from this training offer.

I held discussions with the Minister of State for Transport on 28 June 2021 to discuss progress with the High Speed (Crewe to Manchester) Rail Bill. This proposed phase will build on the benefits of HS2 phase 1 and 2a, bringing further reductions in journey times between Glasgow Central and London when implemented.

The emissions pathways for Transport are set out in the Climate Change Plan update and, as with all sectors, have been determined by the TIMES model alongside other evidence and assessments.

The CCPu, published in December 2020 includes a commitment to a 20% reduction in car kilometres by 2030 (against a 2019 baseline). This was arrived at through consideration of a range of analysis, including published academic material and UK Committee on Climate Change assertions on mode shift away from private car use. Moreover, Transport Scotland commissioned research via consultants (Element Energy) which helped inform this. The Element Energy work modelled a number of scenarios to account for the many uncertainties between now and 2030, including the disruption to transport demand brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and including the 20% reduction.

The Element Energy research will be published in due course.

The Scottish Government has consistently supported high-speed rail, but not just northwards to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. To realise its full benefit for all of the UK high-speed rail infrastructure needs to be extended ‘further and faster’ to reach Scotland so that all regions can realise the benefits from the increased capacity and substantially reduced journey times that HS2 can bring.

Performing arts activities and venues bring people together, sometimes from across a wide geographical area, in close proximity, often for an extended time period. These provide opportunities for transmission of COVID-19 as we know from, for example, SAGE evidence published in June 2020 S0824_SARS-CoV-2_Transmission_routes_and_environments.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk). High risk factors associated with transmission of the virus include indoor spaces, where ventilation and physical distancing may be less easy to maintain, and places where people come together to spend prolonged periods of time (more than 15 minutes) in close proximity, enabling the virus to spread from person to person, particularly from aerosol and droplet transmission. It is possible to have control of and to mitigate many of the risks in a venue. The Scottish Government guidance on performing arts and venues is, therefore, that organisers should take steps to avoid audiences needing to raise their voices to each other. Organisers of performing arts venues should also prevent other close contact activities such as communal dancing, singing or crowding. This guidance will be reviewed as decisions are taken on whether to reduce and remove remaining restrictions in the coming weeks.

The Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport has held a number of discussions with the UK Government about the benefits of HS2 to Scotland. The most recent discussions have focussed on the potential for a train manufacturing facility in Longannet and for a stabling and light maintenance depot for HS2 trains in Annandale, also highlighting that 25 Scottish based companies’ have won contracts for the construction of HS2.

In addition, the Feasibility Study completed by Transport Scotland in 2018 which identified the potential for a 3 hour journey time between Edinburgh and London in conjunction with the eastern leg of HS2 was discussed.

Yes. This was considered for weddings, but is not supported, on the basis that ensuring that dancing is socially distanced would be very hard to control in practice and risks non-compliance with the current physical distancing requirements.

Feedback from the wedding sector themselves indicated that they did not believe it would be possible for them to ensure dancing only takes place between members of the same household or within the permitted numbers who are allowed to mix.

With the relaxation of physical distancing to 0 metres outdoors from 19 July, (indicative) dancing, mingling, standing drinks/canapés receptions, receiving lines etc. can resume at weddings from that date. With the removal of physical distancing from 9 August (indicative) indoors, the same will apply in indoor settings.

The Scottish Government is committed to a long term vision for active travel that encourages walking, cycling, public transport and car sharing in preference to single occupancy car use for movement of people, and encourages efficient and sustainable freight.

A range of programmes are underway to encourage more parents and carers to choose alternatives to using their car. This includes Sustrans’ Safer Routes to Schools programme, which is helping to fund and deliver improvements to school routes to make them safer and better places for people to walk and cycle. Cycling Scotland also runs the Bikeability programme which delivers training to school children to give them the skills and confidence needed to cycle safely to school.

The Scottish Government also provides local authorities with funds towards the provision of dedicated school transport and funded travel on public transport services for eligible pupils which also supports reduced use of cars.

The Scottish Government has put in place financial support packages, through emergency Covid Support Grants, paid at pre-Covid levels, paid to bus operators to provide and maintain essential bus services.

The National Bus Travel Concession Scheme for Young Persons will also enable all young people aged under 22 to become eligible for free bus travel throughout Scotland. Up to 930,000 young people could benefit from the scheme, which aims to encourage greater use of public transport and reduce reliance on cars.