Chamber and committees

Reporters are required to make planning appeal decisions on the basis of the development plan for the area unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Material considerations include Scottish Government Policy, the National Planning Framework (NPF) and Scottish Planning Policy. NPF3 is clear that planning must facilitate the transition to a low carbon economy and the decision maker must consider, amongst others, the scale of contribution to renewable energy generation and the effect on greenhouse gas emissions targets.

Since 1 May 2019, 15 appeal decisions for proposed wind farms have been made of which 5 have been allowed.

Scotland is leading the way on tackling climate change. The Climate Change Plan update, published in December, announces over 100 new policies and sets us on a pathway toward a just transition to net zero by 2045. It is also clear that National Planning Framework 4 will play a crucial role in supporting its delivery.

National Planning Framework 3 and Scottish Planning Policy already include approaches to assist with emissions reduction and these remain in-force. We will reflect on the latest information, policy and targets as we bring forward a draft National Planning Framework 4 later this year.

Further to my answer to question S5W-34704, the situation remains the same. Given the industry involvement in the Group, it is unfortunately inevitable that Covid and Brexit have significantly impacted upon the Group’s work. As an independent Group, it is for the Group to determine when to publish their Report.

Changes were made to the sectoral exemption for oil and gas workers under the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (International Travel) (Scotland) Regulations, so that workers returning from an installation in the North Sea who have transited via a non-acute risk country or territory (but have not entered that country or territory) are not required to stay in managed accommodation but are required to stay in specified premises (such as their own home). This came into effect at 4am on 25 February. A meeting with OGUK is taking place on 11 March to discuss any further concerns.

Scottish Government officials are currently working to understand the various impacts of the new Subsidy Control rules which were introduced, without prior notice, on an interim basis on 1 January 2021.

The UKG department with responsibility for the new rules is BEIS, and they are currently holding a consultation exercise on how these new rules should be applied for the longer term, which is due to close at the end of March. Again, Scottish Government officials and Ministers were given no prior notice of the detail or timing of this exercise and are therefore working to contribute fully to the consultation in the time given.

I am unable therefore at this time to provide a firm date, but assure the Member that officials are working as hard as possible to gain clarity on these new rules and the various impacts on subsidies, including ferry services.

The Seafood Producer’s Resilience Fund is a £6.45m fund to support those parts of the Scottish Seafood sector where the evidence is strongest of hardship as a result of the public health situation, and the impact, in the short term, of EU Exit. By supporting these businesses we hope that they will survive, adapt to the new, tougher realities of trade outside the EU and participate in a sustainable recovery from Covid-19. In order to ensure good value for money it is necessary to ensure that the businesses being supported are viable in themselves, and to focus our limited funding on those segments where the need for support was greatest.

The £20,000 landing criteria is necessary to ensure that businesses are active and viable, but we learnt from previous schemes in allowing vessels with extenuating circumstances in one year to still benefit. The requirement that half of the declared overall catch was shellfish was to target funding at this segment, which our market analysis told us was most severely affected.

Some of those businesses not eligible for funding from the SPRF will be eligible for funding from the scheme recently announced by the UK Government, or for other forms of funding available through Local Authorities or other agencies. Individuals facing hardship should consider contacting the Fishermen’s Mission, who have been provided with £300,000 of funding to ensure that they can met increased demand for support.

The Scottish Government currently measures the test positivity rate (percent of tests that are positive) by calculating the total number of positive PCR tests reported on a particular day divided by the overall number of PCR tests reported that day. The positivity rate reflects both symptomatic and asymptomatic testing.

An update to Scotland’s Strategic Framework was published on 23 February 2021 which sets out how we are working to suppress the virus. We have adjusted our Levels approach primarily by rebasing the indicators that we use to guide decisions on the allocation of levels on those recommended by the WHO’s guidance. We will publish a separate analytical paper about indicators and data, and how we propose to make use of them ahead of the point at which we believe it is appropriate to begin varying levels geographically again. The potential for sentinel testing in Scotland will be considered and set out in the forthcoming paper.

The criteria for analysing national developments was published in January 2020 as part of our Call for Ideas early engagement programme. The four criteria are: reducing emissions; supporting health, wellbeing, sustainability and quality of life of our population; reducing poverty and inequality through sustainable economic growth; and protecting or enhancing quality of place.

We are currently assessing the national developments suggested to us against those criteria alongside the development of the strategy, which national developments will help to deliver. The draft National Planning Framework 4, including details of proposed national developments, will be laid in Parliament in autumn 2021. Extensive public engagement will run alongside Parliament’s consideration of the draft and will provide further opportunity for anyone to comment on the proposed national developments, or alternatives to them.

The criteria for analysing national developments was published in January 2020. We have not used a citizen’s assembly to discuss the proposals for national developments but instead issued an open call for nominations during our Call for Ideas early engagement programme in early 2020, and we are considering all those received. Our Position Statement published in November 2020 highlighted the importance of National Developments in delivering the strategy and invited further comments on the direction of travel. In autumn 2021, we will publicly consult on a draft National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) allowing a further opportunity to input before NPF4 is resubmitted for approval by Parliament in 2022.

The retrospective Island Communities Impact Assessment prepared by Reference Consulting will be presented to the HIAL Board on‎ 25 February 2021. It is anticipated that it will be published on the HIAL web site within five working days of that Board meeting.