Seòmar agus comataidhean

The first six-monthly update report on the progress of the pipeline of projects and programmes within the new five-year Infrastructure Investment Plan will be provided to Parliament in autumn 2021. The first full annual progress report of the Plan will be provided to Parliament in spring 2022.

The contract notice for the third section of the A9 to be dualled, Tomatin to Moy, was published on the Public Contracts Scotland portal on 19 August 2021. We anticipate the contract for this section to be awarded in the second half of 2022 with construction work starting thereafter.

It is also expected that the procurement process for the A737 Improvements at Beith project will commence later in 2021-22.

The Scottish Government is committed to dualling the A9 between Perth and Inverness. We have underlined this commitment by commencing procurement of construction the section of the A9 between Tomatin and Moy. The procurement for this £115M section commenced with publication of a contract notice on the Public Contracts Scotland Portal on 19 August 2021, and the contract for construction is expected to be awarded in the second half of 2022.

Design work is progressing well with the statutory process well underway for seven of the remaining eight schemes. Made orders for two adjoining schemes, Glen Garry to Dalwhinnie and Dalwhinnie to Crubenmore were published on 30 July 2021. An additional two schemes, Tay Crossing to Ballinluig and Pitlochry to Killiecrankie, are due to be published in the coming weeks. The only section not to have started the statutory process is between Pass of Birnam and Tay Crossing, which was the subject of a co-creative process with the local community. Work is currently underway to identify the preferred route for this section.

A market consultation exercise commenced earlier this year to inform assessment of procurement options for remaining sections when the statutory processes are complete. Determination of the optimal procurement option is a complex exercise which is considering a pipeline of work in a form that can be delivered by the industry, supports the economic recovery post COVID and minimises disruption to users if this lifeline route.

It is expected this analysis will be completed in the coming weeks and will inform decision making on our procurement approach and phasing.

The proportion of the total estimated Scottish Government investment at Annex D of the Infrastructure Investment Plan between 2021-22 to 2025-2026 in relation to a) utility networks, b) transport and c) digital communications is 8.7%, 27.2% and 5.4% respectively.

Further details relating to this estimated five-year planned investment are contained within the following table noting that gas and electricity network policy and regulation as well as digital infrastructure is reserved to the UK Government. The Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP) funding covers a range of projects relating to low carbon infrastructure, some of which include heat networks. For the purposes of this answer, the full LCITP allocation has been included within the table as it is not currently possible to say what share is dedicated to utility networks.

I can confirm that we are using capital funding for the third section of the A9 to be dualled between Tomatin to Moy.

A market consultation exercise commenced earlier this year to inform assessment of procurement options for remaining sections when the statutory processes are complete. Determination of the optimal procurement option is a complex exercise which is considering a pipeline of work in a form that can be delivered by the industry, supports the economic recovery post COVID and minimises disruption to users if this lifeline route.

It is expected this analysis will be completed in the coming weeks and will inform decision making on our procurement approach and phasing.

Glasgow Prestwick Airport is operated on a commercial basis and at arm’s length from the Scottish Government, in compliance with our obligations under the Trade and Co-operation Agreement between the UK and the EU.

Prestwick Airport continues to develop as a specialist airport, carving a niche in a very competitive aviation market. It is for the airport’s management team to consider all potential business opportunities to maximise the use of the assets of the airport and build on the progress which has already been made.

The process to return Glasgow Prestwick Airport to the private sector continues and decisions have still to be taken in relation to the prospective sale of the business. With the process to return Prestwick Airport to the private sector continuing, it would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment further at this time.

We have committed to updating Parliament on the sale process at the appropriate stage and to protect the integrity of the process we will not be making any further comment at this time.

We are committed to ending the practice of landfilling biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) in line with recommendations from the Climate Change Committee.

While we have not made an assessment of the isolated employment impact of the ban on sending BMW to landfill, landfill will continue to be an important treatment method for some waste types. Moreover, there is no restriction preventing landfills currently accepting BMW from continuing to accept other waste types, for which landfill presents the best environmental outcome, following implementation of the ban on landfilling BMW.

We have an opportunity for renewed impetus in building a fully circular economy in Scotland which will drive materials up the waste hierarchy and keep them in high value use for as long as possible. Many businesses are already promoting the adoption of circular economy practices, for example to actively increase waste prevention and reuse by rethinking operations, diversifying businesses and supporting innovation. Research suggests that the same amount of waste can create far more jobs through recycling, re-use or repair than landfill. The report is available here: Final-briefing-on-reuse-jobs-website-2.pdf (rreuse.org) . In addition, ZWS have also carried out research to identify how many current jobs are associated with the circular economy as well as the future roles and skills required: New research from Zero Waste Scotland and Circle Economy reveals scale of sustainable jobs | Zero Waste Scotland .

During the period 1 January 2021 until 9 July 2021, CalMac Ferries Ltd had over 74,130 scheduled sailings to operate. From these, there were 62 instances where a vessel from the CalMac fleet was removed from service to allow unscheduled maintenance or repair work to be carried out at a cost £6,630,344. This represents only 0.08% of those sailings. Scheduled annual overhauls are carried out when vessels are not in service.

In many instances when a vessel is removed from service, a minimal number of sailings are affected.

Scottish Ministers are fully committed to ending the practice of sending biodegradable municipal waste to landfill by 2025, in line with recommendations made by the Committee on Climate Change. By working to achieve our ambitious waste and recycling targets, we can ensure a transition to a fully circular economy and help to achieve our net zero commitments.

The implementation of the ban was delayed to 2025 to allow local authorities and the wider waste sector the necessary time to ensure full readiness and avoid unintended negative economic impacts, as highlighted by the Waste Markets Study (2019) . We are working to provide a centrally supported procurement solution to help local authorities secure alternative solutions to comply with the forthcoming ban. In addition, we will continue to engage with the commercial sector to support their preparation and input in to the delivery of the ban.

We recognise that the actions needed to become net zero by 2045 will transform all sectors of our economy and society. The Scottish Government is committed to a just transition, which is about ensuring that, as we reduce our emissions and respond to a changing climate, that journey is fair and creates a better future for everyone – regardless of where they live, what they do, and who they are. We are working with industry and businesses to maximise the opportunities and realise the benefits of a circular economy, identifying where there are opportunities to make transformational changes. We will ensure our transition to net-zero creates new opportunities for people across the country. For example, we are investing £100 million in the Green Jobs Fund which will provide support to businesses (and their supply chains) to help them better transition to a low carbon economy. In so doing, the Green Jobs Fund will boost green employment and create opportunities for individuals to retrain and upskill in new and high-growth areas.