Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government’s previous response to question S6W-03332 on 26 October 2021 highlights that Transport Scotland is working closely with Scottish Futures Trust to consider the most appropriate structures and approach to growing and developing Scotland’s public electric vehicle charging infrastructure. It also refers to the recent publication of a joint Transport Scotland and Scottish Futures Trust report on future development of Scotland’s public electric vehicle charging infrastructure:

New report on the future of public EV charging infrastructure (transport.gov.scot)

This report notes Climate Change Committee data that implies a potential need for 30,000 public electric vehicle charge points by 2030 in Scotland, but also highlights the challenge of accurately predicting with certainty the actual number of charge points required. This will be influenced by a range of factors, including developments and innovation in battery and charging technologies that will determine when and how often vehicles need charged.

Advancement in technologies including smart charging and the approach to the planning and delivery of electric vehicle charging infrastructure will not only have a bearing on the amount of charge points needed, but also on future electricity demand and its intelligent management. Similarly, decisions on where private and public charge points are located will also be influenced by range of factors including local need. It will also become increasingly important for local authorities, private sector and the electricity Distribution Network Operators to work together to strategically plan and optimise investments. The Scottish Government is continuing to fund the roll-out of electric vehicle charging at this point, and going forward will continue to work with the public sector – government, local authorities and regulators - as well as the private sector – car manufacturers, charging providers and electricity network owners and suppliers to harness efficiencies and opportunities, to build a comprehensive charging network accessible to all where no part of Scotland is left behind and which adds value to the economy.

My statement to Parliament on 23 September 2021 welcomed the findings from independent research that the Scottish Government has commissioned, to help inform its ambitious agenda to decarbonise Scotland’s transport sector, which includes a shift to greater use of public and shared transport and active travel, and also the outcome of there being a 20% reduction in kilometres driven by cars by 2030:

New report on decarbonising transport

This research sets out the scale of the challenge this Parliament is tasked with and provides an illustration of where action in the transport sector will need to be considered as Scotland transitions to net-zero. It also provides insights into the possible future composition of Scotland’s car fleet between now and 2045 under different pathways and their influence on the numbers of electric, petrol and diesel vehicles on Scotland's roads.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The following tables show estimates of the additional income arising from the Large Business Supplement (up to 2019-20) and the Higher Property Rate (from 2020-21) in the Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee City, and Moray local authority areas. Please note that the Large Business Supplement applied to properties with a rateable value above £51,000, while the Higher Property Rate applies to properties with a rateable value above £95,000.

Table 1: Estimated net income arising from the Large Business Supplement or the Higher Property Rate, in Aberdeen City, 2017-18 to 2021-22, by property class (£ thousands)

There are a total of 2,603 properties in the Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee City, and Moray local authority areas subject to the Higher Property Rate. Please note that this includes the entire local authority areas, as data by parliamentary constituency or region is not available.

Table 1 presents a breakdown of this figure by local authority and property class (data on industry sectors is not available). Property class is a classification used by the Scottish Assessors to describe the type of a property, and may not accurately reflect its use. For example, a property classified as a ‘shop’ may in fact be used to offer financial services. Properties across all classes may be eligible for rates reliefs which may reduce or eliminate their rates liability.

Table 1: Number of properties liable for the Higher Property Rate by property class in Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee City, and Moray

Our definition of ‘good’ jobs is informed by the Fair Work Convention which defines Fair Work as offering effective voice, fulfilment, opportunity, respect and security. For workers, Fair Work means security of pay and contract, having a say in workplace decisions, and flexibility which allows for a good work-life balance. It also means more diverse and inclusive workplaces. We are currently consulting on how we will achieve our ambition to become a Fair Work Nation by 2025, aligning with the aims of a just transition to a wellbeing economy. The consultation will inform a review of our existing Fair Work priorities, and the important role Fair Work can play as part of Scotland’s economic recovery and renewal.

In contrast, there are many definitions of green jobs. For instance, the Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan recognises three distinct categories of green jobs:

• New and emerging jobs that relate directly to the transition to net zero
• jobs affected by the transition to net zero that will need enhanced skills or competencies
• existing jobs that will be needed in greater numbers as the result of the transition to net zero

The first step is therefore to develop an approach that best reflects with Scotland’s industries and will help us to best quantify, and then maximise, the opportunities presented by our transition to net zero. Work within the Scottish Government is underway to develop a ‘green jobs’ definition that is appropriate for Scottish context and provide estimates on the number of green jobs that will be created.

As an example, the Heat in Buildings Strategy published on 7 October estimated that an additional 16,400 jobs could be supported across the economy in 2030 as a result of investment in the deployment of zero emissions heat.

As set out in the Heat in Buildings Strategy, we will phase out the need to install new or replacement fossil fuel heating systems, in off-gas grid homes from 2025 and in on-gas areas from 2030, subject to technological developments and decisions by the UK Government in reserved areas.

The Scottish Government will consult further on this proposal during 2022.

The Scottish Government’s draft Heat in Buildings Strategy proposed that any regulations requiring the installation of zero emissions heating systems would be phased in, with all building owners being required to comply by 2045.

The draft Strategy specified that it may be appropriate to require earlier compliance from, for example, those using high emissions fuels like heating oil or coal (which are more prevalent in off-gas grid areas).

The draft Strategy was subject to consultation from 5 February to 30 April 2021, and questions 48 and 49 specifically asked for views on the regulatory actions and timescales proposed.

An analysis of the consultation responses can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781802014464 .

As set out in our final Heat in Buildings Strategy, published on 7 October 2021, the Scottish Government will consult in further detail on our commitment to phase out the installation of fossil fuel heating systems during 2022.

The Scottish Government will publish a series of impact assessments which, amongst a range of other issues, consider the effect that the actions we have set out in the Heat in Buildings Strategy will have on fuel poverty.

These impact assessments have been taken into account in the development of the Heat in Buildings Strategy, and will inform our programmes and specific policies – including in our commitment to phase out the installation of fossil fuel heating systems.

Any subsequent legislation required to deliver on our commitment to phase out the installation of fossil fuel heating systems will also be subject to appropriate impact assessments and consultation. This will allow the Scottish Parliament the opportunity to fully scrutinise the impacts of our proposals.

We will also publish our Fuel Poverty Strategy later this year and, as per the Fuel Poverty (Targets, Definition and Strategy) (Scotland) Act 2019, we will publish a report on our progress towards meeting the statutory fuel poverty targets every three years.

The Scottish Ministers take collective responsibility for all decisions reached by the Scottish Government, and will continue to do so in future, including on our commitment to phasing out the need to install new or replacement fossil fuel boilers, in off-gas areas from 2025 and in on-gas areas from 2030, subject to technological developments and decisions by the UK Government in reserved areas.

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) is the statutory advisory body to the Scottish Ministers in respect of meeting their duties under climate change legislation.

The CCC has stated that, with respect to the decarbonisation of heat, our short-term priorities should be a reduction in demand through improved energy efficiency and the installation of renewable heating systems in off-gas buildings where the carbon intensity of displaced fuel is greater than on-gas areas.

This advice is set out in the CCC’s ‘Next Steps for UK Heat Policy’ publication, which can be found at: https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/next-steps-for-uk-heat-policy/ . This advice has informed our proposed approach to heat decarbonisation set out in our final Heat in Buildings Strategy, published on 7 October 2021.

Transport Scotland, recently published a joint report with Scottish Futures Trust setting out the opportunities to grow Scotland’s public electric vehicle charging network and the conditions that will be needed to facilitate this over the next few years. The report makes reference to Climate Change Committee data which indicated that the UK as a whole may require 280,000 public charge points by 2030, implying the need for 30,000 in Scotland which in turn equates to approximately 4000 each year. Importantly, the report also highlighted that the number of charge points required will be influenced by a range of factors including development of battery and charging technologies and that significant commercial investment through public and private partnerships would likely be needed to develop the network as demand grows.

The Scottish Government has invested over £45m in developing the ChargePlace Scotland network, which now has over 1900 charge points, and is continuing to support network growth. Transport Scotland is working closely with Scottish Futures Trust to consider the most appropriate structures and approach to growing and developing charging infrastructure in Scotland.