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The Scottish Government is committed to considering options for a carbon land tax, to further incentivise peatland restoration and afforestation.

Any potential new measures must be rigorously assessed and based on strong evidence to ensure they serve their objective and avoid unintended consequences.

Internal policy discussions involving a range of departments and Scottish Government Agencies are ongoing to identify potential options for a carbon land tax.

We will soon begin work to consult with a range of stakeholders, including landowners, to explore all available options and to understand their potential impacts.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of working closely and collaboratively with the UK Government and other devolved administrations to deliver our net zero targets in a way that is mutually beneficial in economic, environmental and social terms.

The engagement that we have had thus far with the new UK Government administration has been encouraging, and we continue to consider the value of a standalone climate response group in the context of this renewed relationship. We will continue to engage directly with them and other devolved nations to understand the best ways of working, ensuring constructive collaboration and information sharing, including the roles of inter-ministerial groups across the four nations and a programme of areas for priority cooperation is under development.

The Scottish Government welcomes the work of the independent Green Heat Finance Taskforce and looks forward to receiving its Part 2 report shortly. Following publication of its Part 2 report, the Scottish Government will formally respond to the Taskforce, setting out the actions we will take, in partnership with others, on recommendations from both Taskforce reports.

Our response will be informed by the New Deal for Business sub-group on Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) which will, alongside other matters, consider how non-domestic rates levers support Scotland’s transition to net zero.

On 18 April 2024, the Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy made a statement to the Scottish Parliament confirming that the Scottish Government’s ambition and legal commitment to reach net zero by 2045 remains unchanged.

In the statement the Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy announced several new measures aimed at accelerating Scotland’s journey to net zero, including a pilot scheme with some Scottish farms to establish future appropriate uptake of methane supressing feed products.

There has been significant development in this area in recent years and it is taking time to develop the details of a pilot which could explore options for recognising appropriate use of these products and other practices which can reduce greenhouse gas emissions on farms. Further information on the timetable of a pilot project will be shared as soon as possible.

The Scottish Government is committed to the long-term delivery of Regional Land Use Partnerships (RLUPs). Having recently concluded a pilot programme in four regions across Scotland, Officials are working to consolidate learning and are co-developing an approach that will see the transition from pilot into formal initiative.

This work will directly inform the wider rollout of RLUPs beyond the four regions, providing a clear framework that will support us in bringing new regions into the program.

Funding certainty and market stability for farmers is absolutely crucial and we want to do all that we can to try to ensure that that is the case in Scotland. As announced at February’s NFU Scotland Conference, Tiers 1 and 2 will receive at least 70% of the available budget. Work on the future framework is continuing to be developed and any announcements will be made in due course. As always, we are committed to working with the industry to co-develop the new payment framework to ensure there are no cliff edges.

There is no minimum percentage of uniforms that must be produced by supported businesses for the NHS Scotland uniform contract. The current contract is based on the volumes ordered by health boards and so allows for fluctuations in demand.

Supported businesses have produced approximately 33% of uniforms supplied to NHS Scotland over the last three years.

The Draft Grangemouth Just Transition Plan has been published today for consultation. The plan sets out the strategic approach to securing a long term and sustainable future for the Grangemouth cluster. I am grateful to all those who have shaped this work to date and welcome their further constructive input over the course of the consultation period. The Scottish Government intend to publish the final plan in Spring 2025.

The publication can be found here.

Following the announcement by Petroineos to continue supplying fuel via an import terminal at Grangemouth and reflecting the reserved nature of the security of fuel supplies, the Scottish Government has been engaging collaboratively with the UK Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) to assess the efficacy of the business’ import terminal plans.

We will continue to seek assurance from both the UK Government and Petroineos that appropriate controls and actions are in place to ensure adequate fuel flows to continue from Grangemouth long into the future.