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Yesterday the Scottish Government published three important documents – setting out our progress since publishing Scotland’s Energy Strategy, the actions that we have taken and those which we will be focusing on during the coming months. These included the publication on 15 May 2019 of the Annual Energy Statement 2019, which will be the first in a series of annual publications, alongside our Annual Compendium of Scottish Energy Statistics. These are to be found at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/annual-energy-statement-2019/

In parallel, on the same date, we also published our “Energy Consumer Action Plan: Putting Consumers at The Heart of Scotland’s Energy Transition”. The action plan – backed by £500,000 of Scottish Government funding – sets out actions to increase consumer understanding and confidence, and develop and test innovative approaches to protecting and empowering consumers. This includes a commitment to establish an independent Energy Consumers Commission for Scotland to give consumers in Scotland a more powerful voice in Scottish and GB energy policy. The action plan can be viewed at:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/energy-consumer-action-plan-putting-consumers-heart-scotlands-energy-transition/

Together, these documents represent an authoritative summary of Scotland’s energy policy and progress – as well as demonstrating clear action on our part to prioritise the role, involvement and interests of consumers as we continue to decarbonise the whole energy system in order to help tackle the climate emergency. In short, they underline our commitment to ensuring that the people of Scotland benefit from the transition to a carbon neutral economy.

A Trading Nation: a plan for growing Scotland’s exports will be announced today, 1 May, by the First Minister at the National Economic Forum.

The plan will be published today on the Scottish Government’s website.

Since 2008 the Scottish Government has directly invested over £125m in grant funding to support capital expenditure in the food and drink sector through the Food Processing Marketing and Cooperation grant scheme, the European Fisheries Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.

The Scottish Government also continues to support the food and drink sector through the £10m Ambition 2030 food and drink industry strategy which is funded until March 2020. Indeed it is estimated that direct investment and support to the food and drink industry in Scotland from the public sector across a range of areas including skills, education, research, industry development, standards and capital investment equates to approximately £100 million per annum. This support provides benefit to businesses throughout the supply chain including farmers, fishermen, manufacturers, retailers, restaurants and foodservice providers.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-22504 on 23 April 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

The Scottish Government’s Chief Economist published analysis on 21 February indicating that a No Deal Brexit could be expected to push the Scottish economy into recession during 2019. The analysis indicated that there is the potential for the economy to contract by between 2.5%-7% depending on the way in which a No Deal Brexit evolves.

The following tables set out modern apprenticeship starts in each local authority area, from 2007-2008 to 2012-2013 and, 2013-2014 to the most recent data published for quarter 3 of 2018/2019.

SEPA is the regulatory authority for reservoir safety under the Reservoirs (Scotland) Act 2011. SEPA is also responsible for regulating the flow of water from reservoirs for the purpose of protecting the river downstream, but they are not responsible for maintaining or setting water levels for reservoirs in the Edinburgh area.

In March 2018 the Scottish Government and COSLA published a joint consultation on the Funding Follows the Child approach which will be introduced from August 2020. This approach is underpinned by a National Standard that all settings who wish to be a funded provider will have to meet – regardless of whether they are in the public, private or third sector, or childminders. At the heart of the approach is a focus on high quality early learning and childcare experiences for all of our children. We know that high quality early learning and childcare supports children to fulfil their potential and contributes to closing the poverty-related attainment gap.

Funding Follows the Child places choice in parents’ and carers’ hands, enabling them to access their child’s funded entitlement from any provider that meets the new National Standard, has a place available and is willing to enter into a contract with their local authority.

The move to a ‘provider neutral’ Funding Follows the Child approach represents a significant change for parents and carers, providers, and local authorities. We have engaged extensively with stakeholders, including providers and local authorities, to finalise the National Standard and define the principles of the Funding Follows the Child approach. The development of this approach has also been steered by the intensive work of the joint Scottish Government and local government Service Models Working Group.

The Scottish Government has today published “Funding Follows the Child and the National Standard for Early Learning and Childcare Providers: Principles and Practice”. This joint publication with COSLA sets out the final version of the Funding Follows the Child approach and the National Standard that underpins it.

The National Standard sets out the clear and consistent criteria that all providers who wish to deliver the funded entitlement will have to meet from 2020. This will provide reassurance to parents and carers that any provider offering the funded hours can offer their child a high quality ELC experience.

To support local authorities and providers to prepare for the implementation of the new approach from August 2020, we have also published supporting Operating Guidance and a Question and Answer document.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with delivery partners to support the sector to implement the new approach, and to provide further supporting materials.

The documents can be accessed at: https://www.gov.scot/ISBN/9781787814783 .

The 2018 Programme for Government announced our intention to increase annual investment in infrastructure by 1% of current GDP by the end of the next Parliament. The 2019-20 Budget, published yesterday, confirmed the
2019-20 baseline of £5,195.8 million and that the National Infrastructure Mission will increase investment in infrastructure to £6,750.8 million by 2025-26.

The National Infrastructure Mission relates to the increase in combined capital grant and financed investment and sets a medium-term investment envelope for our future strategic infrastructure planning.

The National Infrastructure Mission arises from economists’ advice that investment in economic infrastructure is a key driver of growth. Traditionally, the level of government infrastructure investment in the UK has lagged behind that of other OECD and G7 countries. The Office of the Chief Economic Adviser has today published evidence which has supported development of the Infrastructure Mission approach. This can be found at www.gov.scot/isbn/9781787814660

Whilst boosting infrastructure investment is expected to have a positive impact on our productivity and longer-term growth, delivering stimulus will require us to prioritise those projects with greatest impact on our inclusive economic growth and low carbon objectives.

I announced in September that we will set up an Infrastructure Commission to support this work. I intend the Commission to be short-term in nature, providing advice to Scottish Ministers. The Commission will be chaired by Ian Russell, current chair of Scottish Futures Trust; wider membership of the Commission will be announced in due course.

The infrastructure Commission will provide independent, informed advice on the vision, ambition and priorities for a long-term, 30 year, strategy for infrastructure in Scotland to meet our future economic growth and societal needs. This will support the Scottish Government’s delivery of its National Infrastructure Mission and development of the next Infrastructure Investment Plan for the next 5 years. The Commission will advise on the key strategic and early foundation investments to significantly boost economic growth and support delivery of Scotland’s low carbon objectives and achievement of our climate change targets. 

The Commission will work in a way which is evidence-based, forward thinking and innovative, engaging and widely consultative across all of Scotland and civic society.

The Commission will report on infrastructure ambitions and priorities by the end of 2019, and may make interim recommendations. Following the completion of this aspect of its work, and in the 6 months thereafter, the Commission will provide advice to ministers on the delivery of infrastructure in Scotland, including the possible creation of a Scottish National Infrastructure Company.

The Scottish Government also aims to re-fresh its 2015 Infrastructure Investment Plan. Building on the advice of the Commission, the Scottish Government aims to develop a coherent, strategic approach to its next Plan, likely publishing in 2020 and covering the National Infrastructure Mission investment period.

The Commission will work to the agreed Scottish Government definition of infrastructure, covering economic and social aspects with a focus on inclusive economic growth.

The full remit of the Infrastructure Commission, and a biography of its Chair, is published on the Scottish Government’s website: https://www.gov.scot/policies/government-finance/infrastructure-investment/

The Review of Employability Services was published today. We have listened to users of employability services and people who work in the sector, and set out a series of actions that we will now develop with our partners in order to meet the following objectives outlined in No One Left Behind:

• a system that provides flexible and person-centred support;
• is more straightforward for people to navigate;
• is better integrated and aligned with other services, particularly, with health, justice and housing provision;
• provides pathways into sustainable and fair work;
• is driven by evidence, including data and the experience of users; and
• supports more people – particularly those facing multiple barriers – to move into the right job, at the right time.