Official Report 1121KB pdf
Our first item of business is general questions. In order to get in as many questions as possible, I would be grateful for short and succinct questions and responses.
Renewables (East Lothian)
To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to maximise the growth opportunities for the renewables sector in East Lothian. (S6O-00748)
The Scottish Government is maximising growth opportunities in the renewables sector in several ways, including through our national planning framework, which is currently under review; funding and support to allow Neccus to consider the industrialised decarbonisation of large-scale emitters, including East Lothian’s Tarmac; the £181 million emerging energy technology fund, which is providing capital support to accelerate low-carbon infrastructure projects; the Scottish Government’s community and renewable energy scheme; and the £100 million capital green jobs fund, which offers support to help businesses to transition to a low-carbon economy. East Lothian has access to all those initiatives.
East Lothian is ideally placed to take advantage of the growth opportunities, with the current grid connections in Cockenzie and Torness and the proposed new east link at Dunbar. Can the cabinet secretary expand on the opportunities for the supply chain in East Lothian specifically?
I agree that East Lothian is ideally placed to play a pivotal role in Scotland’s energy transition. In particular, the SSE offshore wind farm at Berwick bank provides an opportunity to capitalise on the significant economic benefits that could come to East Lothian and Scotland from that transition.
We are carrying out a range of work, including the actions that we are taking to support businesses in their energy transition. I have no doubt that businesses that are based in East Lothian will be able to benefit from that in the months and years ahead.
East Lothian and its coastal areas are leading the way in renewables. However, last month, we found out that Torness power station is to shut its doors two years earlier than planned. The Scottish National Party-Green coalition has used the planning system to close down nuclear power, and it is throwing the oil and gas sector under a bus. As we build renewable capacity, in what way is making the south of Scotland dependent on volatile gas supplies from Russia either just or a transition?
The priority is to ensure that we decarbonise our economy so that we are not dependent on imports of gas from other parts of the world. That is not just my view; it is the view of the United Kingdom Government. That is why it announced just yesterday that it is increasing the rate at which the contract for difference programme will be taken forward, in order to speed up decarbonisation. That is the approach that the Scottish Government has taken for a number of years. We are accelerating investment in our renewable energy sector not only to ensure security of supply in Scotland but to secure the economic benefits for those who live in the East Lothian area.
Examinations (Content)
To ask the Scottish Government for what reasons school pupils taking examinations in some subjects, such as business or geography, will reportedly receive advance notice of what content will or will not be assessed, while those taking other subjects, such as chemistry, will receive no advance notice. (S6O-00749)
Question papers for exams are different for each course, as they assess different types of knowledge, understanding and skills. Accordingly, the revision support has been tailored to reflect that, as well as to complement the significant course modifications that have already been made this year. In some courses, learners may be advised which topics, contexts or content will or will not be assessed in the exam. For others, that additional information has already been provided. It is not possible to take the same approach for courses in which the exam will assess content from across the whole course or in which the topics or content cannot be separated easily.
Pupils who receive a study guide will need access to a laptop or device in order to fully prepare for their exams. The Scottish Government promised internet connectivity, which is vital to pupils accessing the online revision platform. Last week, I raised in the chamber the issue that 80 per cent of school pupils still do not have a digital device. I ask the cabinet secretary again: when will pupils finally receive a digital device? Will that be before the revision support is published, in March?
As has been made clear in the chamber a number of times, the Scottish Government has provided funding for 72,000 devices and 1,400 internet connectivity solutions to be distributed across Scotland. The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities has reported that 122,000 devices have been distributed, and we believe that that is underreporting on the issue. As has been made clear many times, the Scottish Government has a commitment to provide a device for each pupil by the end of the parliamentary term.
We know that teachers, too, have faced significant disruption throughout the past year. How are the Scottish Government and its agencies supporting them to deliver the best possible outcomes for our learners?
We take the wellbeing of our teachers very seriously. Since October 2020, we have invested £2 million specifically to support teacher wellbeing. On top of the 1,400 teachers recruited during the pandemic, we have committed to bringing 3,500 teachers and 500 support staff into the system by the end of the parliamentary session. Once the effects of the pandemic are less direct, that increase in staff will support improvements in attainment.
Strategic Transport Projects Review (Ferries)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the provision of new ferries in light of the publication of the strategic transport projects review 2. (S6O-00750)
The Scottish Government has committed to investment of at least £580 million in ports and vessels to support and improve Scotland’s ferry services over the five years to 2026.
We have been working with partners to progress our fleet replacement programme. Last year, we announced the decision to extend the Islay vessel procurement that is being undertaken by Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd to a second vessel, and bids from shipyards are now being evaluated. Our recent investment in the purchase of the MV Loch Frisa and vessel cascades will bring benefits across the network to Mull, Skye and the Outer Hebrides.
Further projects—the small vessel replacement programme, new vessels for Dunoon and Kilcreggan, further major vessel replacements for Mull and South Uist, and replacement freight ships for Orkney and Shetland—are under way.
The Comhairle nan Eilean Siar—Western Isles Council—has this morning released a scathing statement lamenting the decades of underinvestment in ferries and calling for urgent action. That is a significant intervention by a local authority whose residents rely heavily on the robustness of Scotland’s ferry network. Will the minister meet the comhairle as a matter of urgency to discuss its concerns, and will she apologise for the SNP’s abject failure, over the past 15 years, to maintain a reliable ferry network for Scotland’s island communities?
I am not sighted on the detail of the statement that Donald Cameron alludes to. Will I meet the council in question? Yes, I am more than happy to do that.
I point out that the 2021-22 budget included £19.2 million for local authority ferries, which was an increase of £7.7 million on the previous year. That ensures that local authorities are fully funded to operate their internal ferry services.
On whether I will engage with the local authority on the detail, I am more than happy to do that. It is hugely important that we have a ferry service that is fit for our island communities. Given that I am relatively new to my post, I hope that Donald Cameron will take my offer in the spirit in which it is meant and felt. I am keen to meet local authority partners on the matter, because it is important that we get our ferry services right for our island communities.
Early Learning and Childcare
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress regarding free early learning and childcare provision for all one and two-year-olds. (S6O-00751)
The latest census statistics show that 13 per cent of two-year-olds are registered for the current funded ELC offer, which is an increase from 9 per cent in last year’s statistics. Given the challenges of the pandemic, that is important progress, and I am grateful to local partners and staff for all their efforts to deliver expanded funded ELC in difficult circumstances.
We are learning from what we know about the barriers to taking up funded ELC faced by families with young children. That will inform how we develop our new commitment to all families with a one or two-year-old, starting with low-income households within this parliamentary session. Our vision is to develop an offer that will contribute to supporting the wellbeing of the whole family, and help to deliver our mission to tackle child poverty and implement the promise. We are starting our engagement with families, the early learning sector and academic experts to design how the new offer can best support children and families this year, and we will ensure that that early engagement informs the resource spending review process.
Our nursery staff provide an important and valuable service. If the roll-out of free early learning and childcare has resulted in more children than before accessing early learning, can the minister inform me what support is in place for the staff and management of both private and council nurseries, to ensure that they can continue to provide a robust service?
The early learning and childcare workforce is vital to providing high-quality funded childcare, and we are committed to supporting the continued development of practitioners via our refreshed national induction resource. Scottish Government grant funding supports the childcare sector representative bodies to support and advocate for their members, and our core funding to local authorities ensures that they can support funded partners in public sector settings.
We have developed a wellbeing resource for all childcare practitioners. We are supporting recruitment through our national recruitment campaign resources, recent work with the Scottish Social Services Council to invite registrants to return to the workforce, and the creation of thousands of additional training places across Scotland.
Human Trafficking
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to identify perpetrators of human trafficking and disrupt their activity. (S6O-00752)
Human trafficking is a horrific abuse of human rights and there is absolutely no place for it in Scotland or elsewhere.
Action to identify perpetrators of human trafficking and disrupt their activity is led by action area 2 of the trafficking and exploitation strategy. That group, which is chaired by Police Scotland’s dedicated national human trafficking unit, worked collaboratively to maintain the profile of human trafficking throughout the pandemic, including the development and circulation of monthly briefings to draw together intelligence and information.
Police Scotland continues to pursue and disrupt perpetrators of human trafficking and exploitation, including across national boundaries. Joint investigative teams have been developed with other European law enforcement agencies, including in Romania.
Websites advertising sexual services are a major enabler of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation and, according to Police Scotland, they are somewhere where crime groups hide in plain sight. Does the minister think that the current legislative framework in Scotland provides our law enforcement agencies with all the tools that they require to end the exploitation and bring perpetrators to justice?
Police Scotland actively investigates all reports of online sexual exploitation. Human trafficking legislation gives police and prosecutors powers to bring traffickers to justice. In addition, we have laws that make it an offence to procure for the purposes of prostitution, including in an online context. Work to design a model to challenge men’s demand for prostitution will consider whether the current laws need further modernisation or strengthening.
Recognising that the regulation of internet and online service providers is reserved, we are liaising with the United Kingdom Government on its draft online safety bill, which will form part of our consideration as more details become available.
Criminalising the purchase of sex would make Scotland an unwelcome place for traffickers. Is the Scottish Government taking action by using websites to identify both people who have been trafficked and the traffickers? Will it take further action in that regard?
We are taking further action in that regard. It is an ambition of the Government to create an environment that makes Scotland a hostile place for human traffickers. Trafficking is an absolutely abhorrent crime. The member will know that the Scottish Government is undertaking a vast amount of work on the model for Scotland, which will seek to challenge men’s demand for prostitution.
Regarding the online part of it, we have the UK Government’s draft online safety bill, as I have said. The situation is a developing one, and it looks like there are some interesting developments there regarding what the member has raised. The Government takes the matter very seriously and there is on-going work in this area.
Universities and Colleges (Face-to-face Learning)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it expects college and university students to be able to return to full-time face-to-face learning. (S6O-00753)
Guidance for the current academic year is being reviewed in collaboration with the sector, taking into account advice provided by the Covid-19 advisory sub-group on colleges and universities. It is for institutions to determine an appropriate balance of in-person teaching that focuses on the reduction and management of risk and a cautious approach to keep people safe. The First Minister has announced that an update of the Scottish Government’s strategic framework will be published shortly and updated guidance for colleges, universities and community learning and development providers will, of course, be in alignment with the strategic framework.
Recent relaxations in restrictions have allowed some normality for students after two years of disrupted learning. However, I have been contacted by students from my constituency who continue to experience largely online learning for science-based courses. Does the minister not accept that, given that nightclubs are open but some lecture halls remain closed, guidance on face-to-face learning on campus now urgently needs to catch up in the interests of students and their learning?
I am hugely appreciative of the forbearance of students across Scotland, who have been playing their part in responding to Covid-19 and in minimising and mitigating its spread. I understand Mr McArthur’s points and I reiterate the point that I have just made. All our guidance is constantly kept under review. It is designed on the basis of responding to the various harms that we know exist through the response to Covid-19. That is the manner in which we have approached the situation throughout, and it is the manner in which we will continue to approach it.
Smart Meters (Island Communities)
To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to ensure that energy companies do not discriminate against island residents in relation to the installation of smart meters in residential properties. (S6O-00754)
The smart metering programme is owned and led by the United Kingdom Government, while the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets monitors suppliers and ensures that they comply with any regulatory obligations relating to the roll-out of smart meters.
We will continue to press the UK Government on the concerns that have been raised about smart meter roll-out, while using our new powers in consumer advocacy and advice to ensure that the voice of Scottish consumers is heard by energy companies, regardless of meter type or location.
In addition, we will carry on working with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Ofgem, Smart Energy GB and the wider energy market to ensure that the views and needs of Scottish consumers are heard and taken into account in policy planning.
My constituency already faces the worst levels of fuel poverty in the country. Difficulties in getting smart meters fitted is just one of the challenges that my constituents come up against. The UK’s recent price cap hike will, from April, cause many energy bills in the Western Isles to rise potentially even higher than Ofgem’s 54 per cent increase. What can the Scottish Government do to press the UK Government to remedy what has just been inflicted on vulnerable people in the islands?
Very often, those who live in rural areas, including in our island communities, are off the gas grid and at greater risk of fuel poverty. Smart meters can assist households in managing their bills, which is why we need a much more effective roll-out in our rural areas in Scotland.
In addition, given that there is a greater dependency on the electricity supply for heating in our rural areas, the UK Government should look to remove the obligations that are placed on energy tariffs, which would help to reduce the cost of electricity as a source of heating. Alongside that, it should look at extending and expanding the warm homes discount scheme, which could help to support the tackling of fuel poverty in the medium to longer term.
Later this afternoon, the Scottish Government will set out in the budget the measures that we will take to support families who are experiencing significant pressure due to marked rises in energy prices.
That concludes general question time.
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First Minister’s Question Time