Chamber and committees

The Scottish Governments SME Loan and Cashback scheme has provided significant financial support to SMEs in Scotland to decarbonise, improve their energy efficiency, cut energy bills and become more economically competitive over the Scheme’s lifespan.

The tables below show the requested information between the relevant financial years. The data provided does not include applications yet to be decided or where further information has been requested from the applicant. The most common reasons for querying an application include incompleteness and missing supporting documents.

Information regarding financial year 2022/23 can be made available at the end of the current financial year.

Table A

Network Rail is ultimately accountable to the UK Government, however, Scottish Ministers have made it clear that any decisions it makes in relation to staffing and staffing levels must be in line with the Scottish Government’s Fair Work principles.

The security offered by the Scottish Government’s continued funding of Scotland’s Railway will assist with Network Rail’s future planning and work-banks for the supply sector.

Through the Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (SIETF ), we are co-investing with a diverse range of Scottish manufacturers to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions through increased energy efficiency and deep decarbonisation projects. The requested information can be found in the following table:

Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund applications and awards (to date):

The Scottish Government has spent £39,525 +VAT on administering the Destination Net Zero Vehicle Charge Point Tourism Recovery Fund. The Fund was administered by Energy Saving Trust on behalf of VisitScotland and the Scottish Government. For this work, Energy Savings Trust received a management fee of £39,525 +VAT, paid by VisitScotland. This fee did not come out of the £325k funding pot for the Destination Net Zero Charge Point Tourism Recovery Fund, but was covered separately.

Throughout the process VisitScotland supported the administration and assessment of the fund, providing a range of checks at different stages. There was no additional cost attached to that administrative work as this was undertaken as part of people’s job roles throughout the period.

The scheme has funded 194 charging points across Scotland, located across 20 local authorities. The charging points funded through Destination Net Zero Vehicle Charge Point Tourism Recovery Fund will allow visitors and locals to explore Scotland’s beauty spots in a sustainable and environment friendly manner.

The Scottish Government continually monitors animal disease outbreaks internationally and in the UK to ensure disease prevention measures required under pet travel rules remain relevant. Any future policy will be guided by risk assessment. The pet travel rules are administered by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and we have regular contact to ensure travellers are complying with the rules.

Our second Benefit Take-up Strategy, published in October 2022, sets out how we are working to ensure people can access the support they are entitled to, including older people. We are working closely with stakeholders to break down the barriers which limit the take-up of benefits, including digital exclusion, in several ways.

Social Security Scotland’s Local Delivery teams are undertaking extensive engagement across the country – including providing drop in advice in venues where older people may meet. Working on the ground, within communities, and bringing services to people is key to reaching more seldom heard groups, including older people.

Through our Stakeholder Reference Group, we will continue to engage with organisations such as Age Scotland in order to ensure that the experience and needs of older people inform policy decisions going forward.

Scottish Government communications have supported individuals with no access to the internet through a number of offline channels.

300,000 copies of the cost of living support leaflet ( https://www.gov.scot/publications/cost-of-living-support-leaflet/ ) were distributed via libraries, GP surgeries, Health Boards and other community channels. This has also been translated in a number of languages and formats such as British Sign Language and Easy read to enhance accessibility. Local and national press features as part of the national marketing campaign have allowed for an offline extension of the campaign across different areas of Scotland.

In addition, key partnerships were secured with Asda and Scotmid across 238 stores, translating to leaflets, posters and radio ads and creative assets were offered to over 600 partners, including local authorities.

Low income families who are struggling to pay for their digital connectivity can find a link to social tariff information on our Cost of Living website.

The Scottish Government is actively engaging with Transform Scotland, and other key stakeholders, as we progress our Fair Fares Review, which is being undertaken to ensure a sustainable and integrated approach to public transport fares. I thank Transform Scotland for their interest in this work and contribution via their report. Transport Scotland will consider its findings and recommendations as part of the Fair Fares Review.

In the meantime, we have announced as part of the Fair Fares Review, a pathfinder pilot project to remove peak fares from Scotrail services for a trial period. This is in addition to a range of actions already being taken to widen access and maintain the affordability of public transport.

• Up to 2.3 million people in Scotland are now able to access free bus travel through the scheme for older and disabled people and for those aged under 22.
• We are supporting the growth of smart and integrated ticketing and payment in Scotland, including funding the growth of contactless payments on buses, enhancing journey planning information, including on fares, and progressing measures in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 to improve consistency and integration.
• We have frozen rail fares until at least March 2023 and, likewise, we have intervened to hold fares in the northern isles ferry network at current levels until the end of March 2023.

The Bathing Waters (Scotland) Regulations 2008 aims to minimise the risks to public health at designated locations and during periods when a large number of people bathe. However, it remains the personal responsibility of every individual to assess the risks before entering open water, whether at a designated bathing water within the bathing season or otherwise.

The globally accepted advice is to leave at least 48 hours after heavy rain before bathing whether within or outwith the bathing season. Further general advice on the health risks of open water swimming, which is also applicable to Scotland, is available from the UK Health Security Agency at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/swim-healthy-leaflet/swim-healthy .

The Scottish Government continuously works with SEPA, Scottish Water and other stakeholders on bathing water designations and to protect and improve bathing waters classifications. This has led to the number of bathing waters increasing since last year to 87, with 98% achieving the bathing water quality standards and more rated excellent than ever before.

The Bathing Waters (Scotland) Regulations 2008 enable Scottish Ministers to designate a bathing season in a period where they expect a large number of people to bathe at a designated bathing water. The definition of bathers, in this instance, is exclusive to paddlers and swimmers and does not cover other water users.

For all 87 designated bathing waters in Scotland the bathing season runs from 1 June to 15 September each year, in accordance with the traditional period of peak usage. In comparison with the 3.5 month bathing season in Scotland across Europe the season length varies from 2 months in Sweden to 6 months in Cypress.

The aim of the Bathing Waters Regulations is to minimise the risks to human health to swimmers and paddlers from bacteriological impacts whilst bathing. It would be disproportionately costly to monitor bathing waters outwith the current bathing water season when they are not regularly used by large numbers of bathers. General health advice on wild swimming is available from the UK Health Security Agency at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/swim-healthy-leaflet/swim-healthy , which is also applicable to Scotland

The number of bathing waters in Scotland has increased since last year and now stands at 87, with 98% achieving the bathing water quality standards and more rated excellent than ever before.