Chamber and committees

Emissions from casking, distillation, fermentation, other maturation and spent grain drying are not disaggregated by spirit type, due to the very low levels involved. Collectively for all spirit manufacture in Scotland, these processes contributed approximately 3% of NMVOC emissions in 2018, the most recent year for which figures are available.

Overall NMVOC emissions in Scotland have declined by approximately 65% since 1990.

Approximately 45% of NMVOC emissions in Scotland were due to emissions from Scotch whisky maturation in 2018.

This information is also publicly available in the report 'Air Quality Pollutant Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: 1990-2018' and the associated tables, which can be found at: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/cat09/2010220959_DA_Air_Pollutant_Inventories_1990-2018_v1.2.pdf .

International students who undertake managed isolation in a quarantine hotel are required to pay the £1,750 fee on the same basis as other travellers entering the country.

The Coronavirus Discretionary Fund is available to support students (including international and EU students) facing financial hardship throughout the academic year 2021-22 (up to 31 July 2022) and this includes helping with the costs of managed isolation. Universities and colleges will still need to determine that individual students are incurring hardship based on their own financial circumstances. Payments from Discretionary Funds are linked to students who can demonstrate they are facing financial hardship.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with universities and colleges to support the safe return of students for the next academic year. Recovery of additional costs for the provision of quarantine facilities in student accommodation for international students from red-list countries is currently one of the matters being discussed.

The option to take part in the pilot scheme was open to all Scotland’s universities. Discussions are continuing with all universities in Scotland about ways to increase the available supply of suitable quarantine accommodation for international students from Red List countries.

The data requested is published by HESA in their Open Data Student release available here: HE Student Data | HESA

The Scottish Government is guided by the best available scientific evidence in our response to the global climate emergency. That evidence is absolutely clear, climate change is one of the greatest threats facing the world’s population.

The latest independent expert assessment of the impacts of climate change, published by the UK Climate Change Committee on 16 June 2021, identifies key areas of both risk and opportunity for Scotland. The inclusion of potential opportunities in this assessment reflects the fact that the impacts of climate change are inherently complex and vary across both space and time. Also, if we consider the mitigation - as well as adaptation - aspects of the response to the climate emergency then there will be significant economic opportunities for those, like Scotland, who are leading the transition to a global net-zero economy.

Nonetheless, the balance of the impacts set out in the Committee’s independent assessment is clear – with 53 of the 61 identified areas being classified as risks (entirely or partly). The Committee’s overall advice is that the overall landscape is one of a “worsening reality of climate risk” and all of its recommended areas for priority action relate to managing specific risks, rather than exploring potential opportunities.

‎The Scottish Government is committed to building resilience to the impacts of climate change as part of Scotland's just transition to a net-zero economy and society. We will be responding to the Committee’s updated risk assessment through the development of a new statutory adaptation programme, which is due for publication in 2024.

The Ayrshire Growth Deal, signed in November 2019, includes a commitment from the Scottish Government of £103 million investment over the next 10 years ensuring the long term inclusive growth for Ayrshire. The UK Government will match this funding, and regional partners will contribute £45.5 million to a total Deal worth £251.5 million.

Hunterston Port and Resource Centre (PARC) will receive £18m investment from UK Government as part of the Deal. The Sottish Government are not contributing to the funding of this project, which has been selected by regional partners.

Scottish Enterprise have been working with Peel Ports to examine the opportunities at Hunterston PARC, focussing on Oil and Gas Decommissioning, Offshore Wind and Liquified Natural Gas. Following an assessment of these opportunities, Scottish Enterprise approved a contribution of £10 million towards a £30 million project to reconstruct the dry dock cassion gates and develop a new quayside serving the marine yard.

The additional £5 million funding allocated in the 2020-21 budget has been used by Transport Scotland to support the rail decarbonisation programme which includes the work currently being undertaken to electrify the routes between Glasgow and Barrhead, and Glasgow and East Kilbride.

These enhancement projects will see the respective railway lines transformed to accommodate quieter, more environmentally friendly electric trains, whilst increasing capacity of services and improving network resilience. They will have a transformative effect on the railway and will deliver wide-ranging passenger benefits.

In addition, the funding supported the platform extensions at Milngavie, which enabled the introduction of a performance-enhancing timetable in 2020, as recommended in the Donovan Review, with the consequence that there is no longer a requirement for any additional infrastructure within the Milngavie area, though, of course, this will kept under review.

The draft remit for the work of the advisor on education reform was published on 17 June. The remit supports the recommendation made by the OECD for the need to simplify and better align the institutional structures that support our education system. We will shortly write to stakeholders seeking views on the remit in advance of Professor Muir taking up post in August. While I am happy to take views on the work of Professor Muir and his advisory panel I do want to see this work move on with pace and do not anticipate the final version diverging greatly from the key elements of the draft as it stands.

This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. I will ask its Interim Chief Executive to write to you in this regard.