Chamber and committees

The Smarter Choices, Smarter Places (SCSP) programme was a long-established cornerstone of the way the Scottish Government approached promoting the popular shift to more active and sustainable ways of making our everyday journeys.

With its origins in the 2006 National Transport Strategy commitment to test and explore “sustainable travel demonstration towns and villages, to reduce car use and promote cycling, walking, home zones, tele-working and pedestrianisation”, the SCSP programme was announced jointly by the Scottish Government and COSLA in early 2008. The term ‘smarter choices’ was itself coined in the title of an extensive “Smarter Choices – Changing the Way We Travel” report conducted by a group of academic experts and published by the UK Department for Transport in 2004.

Seven pilot projects ran for three years from 2009 to 2012, and following their success, the programme was continued and then expanded nationally, being delivered on Transport Scotland’s behalf by ‘Scotland’s national walking charity’ Paths for All, from 2015. SCSP continued to adapt as time went on, and as of 2023, it consisted of three funding and support packages: The core 'Local Authority Fund' allocated on a per capita basis to councils, an 'Open Fund' launched in 2018 to support public and third sector community-level projects, and an 'Active Nation Fund' launched in 2023 to support larger more strategic multi-regional projects.

Paths for All managed the funding bid, allocation, and monitoring and evaluation process across the entire programme, providing a wealth of expert help and advice to the beneficiaries of all three funds, and facilitating knowledge and best practice sharing nationally through an SCSP Network. I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Paths for All and all of the staff who have worked on the SCSP programme since it's inception and to this day, for their passion, dedication, and hard work in the service of a more sustainable Scotland.

Some twenty years on from the publication of the original 'Smarter Choices' report, and after nearly ten years of Path for All's stewardship of SCSP as a national programme, we continue to adapt with the times. This year marks the start of a new chapter in the way we seek to achieve these outcomes. The stark reality is that despite the stalwart efforts and proven individual successes of SCSP projects, and the many other active and sustainable travel initiatives that we have supported, the national level figures across walking, wheeling, and cycling for the last decade and beyond have remained stubbornly consistent.

Meanwhile, this government's ambition for active travel has never been greater, nor our acknowledgement of the vital role it has to play in keeping us physically fit and mentally happy, with cleaner air and safer streets for everyone. Not to mention, of course, helping tackle the climate emergency for the sake of our children. And knowing the social and economic dividends that these outcomes deliver, we have concentrated our efforts: Investment in active travel infrastructure and promotion stands at record levels, over five times the amount this year than it was in 2012.

In this context, we require a new model of programme delivery that can take this level of ambition and transform it into the change that people want and expect to see. That's why we took the decision, as difficult as it may have been for such a well-established programme, to discontinue SCSP, as part of a much larger transformation of active travel delivery across both infrastructure and behaviour change.

Our new ‘Active Travel People and Place’ programme is a fresh approach whereby budget which was previously grant funded from the centre of government directly to national third sector delivery partners, has instead been entrusted to Scotland's seven Regional Transport Partnerships (RTPs). RTPs have in turn worked with their respective local authorities to design their own tailored programmes of behaviour change initiatives under a national policy framework. Coupled with our new delivery model for active travel infrastructure, our vision is for more control and autonomy at regional and local levels, with an emphasis on the important link between behaviour change and infrastructure in achieving modal shift.

In discontinuing the SCSP Local Authority Fund we have retained core funding to councils through a separate ‘Local Authority Direct Award’, which in the spirit of the Verity House Agreement, lessens administrative burdens around application and reporting. In discontinuing the SCSP Open Fund we have retained interim support for community projects through a ‘Community Projects Transition Fund’, with Paths for All working with RTPs on capacity and capability building and future delivery model design. In the creation of the Active Travel People and Place Programme overall, to a significant extent the RTPs have chosen to retain the services of our established third sector delivery partners.

Our position on the impact of these reforms is that they will help us rise to the challenge of meeting our ambitions, delivering active travel services that are better aligned with regional transport strategies and infrastructure, that better meet the needs of local communities, and that significantly increase the national-level numbers of active and sustainable everyday journeys.

The selection of a site and the configuration of wind turbines is a matter for the wind farm developer. This process involves comprehensive analysis to ensure the most suitable placement and design for wind turbines. Developers may have to balance the benefits of a compact site, which can minimise construction cost, and the gains from maximising energy capture from greater separation distances.

Policy 11: Energy of National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) states that potential cumulative impacts are important considerations in the decision-making process. All applications are subject to site-specific assessments.

The installation of cross-pavement solutions for on-street Electric Vehicle charging has the potential to provide those without off-street parking access to more affordable domestic tariffs, whilst reducing trip hazards posed by loosely trailed cables. The market for cross-pavement charging solutions is at a relatively early stage, however, there are already a variety of solutions that have been trialled by local authorities across the UK, including in local authorities in Scotland. The decision to allow or reject the installation of a cross-pavement solutions on the public highway ultimately rests with local authorities and cross-pavement charging solutions may not be the suitable in all circumstances. Transport Scotland is working closely with the Scottish Road Works Commissioner and Scottish local authorities to better understand the issue and how best to support local authorities as the market develops with actions incorporated within the Vision Implementation Plan.

The Scottish Government has funded pilots of emergency department opt-out blood borne virus testing in three areas – NHS Lothian, NHS Grampian and NHS Highland. The funding allocations followed a call for bids which was open to all territorial NHS Boards, including NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. It is important that decisions about any further expansion are based on the best available evidence. The Scottish Government will use evaluation data from the three pilot projects, combined with other evidence, to determine whether further roll out would be acceptable, deliverable and cost-effective in Scotland.

Any monies received from penalty charges in respect of a LEZ scheme can be applied by a local authority only for the purposes of facilitating the achievement of the scheme’s objectives, and thus support at least air quality and/or climate change emission reduction activities, and/or the operational running costs of the scheme. The specifics of how these monies are spent is a matter for the local authority.

In 2017, the Scottish Government published ‘The Best Start : A Five-Year Forward Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Care in Scotland’, and the report and recommendations were accepted by Ministers. The Best Start outlined a new model of neonatal service provision that suggests that care for the smallest and sickest babies should be consolidated to deliver the best possible outcomes.

An important part of planning for the implementation stage of the model of care is the modelling of demand and capacity requirements.

The Scottish Government contracted healthcare planning support, RSM UK Consulting LLP, to undertake detailed modelling and capacity planning work, to inform local implementation plans.

The approach to this work has included data collection and modelling alongside engagement with both operational and strategic stakeholders, to validate data, generate and test planning assumptions.

Activity and capacity data was collected from each of the eight units included within the model scope, as well as Public Health Scotland (PHS) and, Scottish Specialist Transport and Retrieval (ScotSTAR) / Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS).

The report outlines this modelling approach, inputs, and interpretation of the outputs to support the future of NICU services. This aligns with the Best Start recommendations and focuses on the three regional NICU sites chosen for adoption in Scotland. To further support local implementation plans, this report also outlines a series of considerations for implementation that can be taken forward beyond the commission.

The report will be published on 29 May 2024 and can be accessed at New Model of Neonatal Care – RSM UK Consulting - Report

The Scottish Government responded to the recommendations of the 2018 EHRC report on Housing and Disabled People at that time. In that response, we set out the actions being taken forward to increase access for disabled people to accessible and adapted housing.

In 2019 we issued statutory guidance to local authorities requiring tenure neutral wheelchair-accessible housing targets must be included within Local Housing Strategies. There has been good progress on this and from information collated from 2024-2029 Strategic Housing Investment Plans, 30 of the 32 local authorities have in place wheelchair housing targets for the delivery of affordable homes.

Then in 2020, the Relevant Adjustments to Common Parts (Disabled Persons) (Scotland) Regulations came in to force. These regulations make it easier for disabled people to make adaptations to the common areas of their property.

The Scottish Government is also increasing the supply and choice of accessible homes. Since 2007, we have supported delivery of 128,285 affordable homes, over 90,500 of which were for social rent.

We publish annual out-turn reports which set out the form, locations and types of social and other affordable housing we have delivered including specific annexes that cover accessible housing.

Wherever possible, all affordable homes are built to Housing for Varying Needs accessibility standards. In 2022-23, 98% of new build homes delivered by housing associations and councils, where information was returned on Housing for Varying Needs, met that standard.

During the second half of 2023, we consulted on proposals to enhance the accessibility, adaptability and usability of Scotland’s homes. The consultation closed on 21 December and the responses to the consultation are being analysed and a report will be published in due course.

We are also progressing a review of the current housing adaptations system which will make recommendations on how best to improve and streamline the system.

The reuse of brownfield, vacant and derelict land is strongly supported through National Planning Framework 4, which was adopted in February 2023. Since then, it has been part of the statutory development plan, influencing planning authorities preparation of local development plans and their decisions on planning applications, with the intention to maximise the use of existing assets. There are no plans to incur additional costs to the public purse by creating another public body to do this work.

The Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey Information Hub will be published soon. It will map out all the sites in the most recent survey, allowing users to easily source more information on vacant and derelict land in their areas.

In 2024/25, an investment of £6.8 million has been committed for projects supporting the reuse of vacant and derelict land through the Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme (VDLIP).

In my statement to Parliament on 16 May, I set out that there is now a critical risk to the continued safe and effective operation of the prison estate, and that urgent action is needed.

If the legal test for use of emergency release is satisfied when section 11 of the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Act 2023 comes into force on 26 May, then I intend to bring forward a proposal for Parliament’s consideration for the emergency release of prisoners.

This is not a decision I have taken lightly. But we must ensure the safety and wellbeing of Scottish Prison Service staff and those people in their care, and that our prisons continue to function effectively to accommodate those who pose the greatest risk of harm.

Members will have the opportunity to scrutinise and debate the approach and, in this instance, we will not release a single prisoner without Parliament’s consent.

I also intend to carry out a short consultative exercise over the summer, and to return after recess with a proposal for a Bill for Parliament’s consideration to change how long-term prisoners are released and managed.

Finally, I intend to bring forward secondary legislation to amend the eligibility criteria for use of Home Detention Curfew (HDC), increasing the period of time individuals can spend on release under licence conditions. These regulations will be subject to scrutiny under the affirmative procedure.

Scottish Government officials and professional advisors are working with NHS Education for Scotland to identify any gaps in training for health professionals working with those who have experienced miscarriage by end summer 2024. The findings from the Miscarriage Care and Facilities in Scotland: Scoping Reports will help inform this work.