Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-24258 on‎ 22 January 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

The First Minister and I both met with the Climate Ambassador of Denmark, Tomas Anker Christenson at COP28. The Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance is co-chaired by Denmark, meaning that the coalition came up in both meetings.

Similarly, I met with representatives from the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative. Holding such meetings is consistent with our approach of engaging with diverse organisations as part of a wider programme of analysis and engagement with a range of stakeholders.

Under the terms of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, the statutory deadline for laying a draft of the Climate Change Plan is 22 November 2024. However, statute also requires time for consideration of representations received during the statutory scrutiny period. Exact timings on this matter form part of ongoing consideration on the continued development of the draft Climate Change Plan. I will keep Parliament informed of progress.

We record data on energy efficiency measures installed as part of Scottish Government programmes, but do not monitor the measures installed by households acting independently. According to the 2019 Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS), 55% of households had an Energy Performance Certificate band of D or lower. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, fieldwork for the 2020 SHCS was suspended and the methodology for the 2021 SHCS was also impacted. Future SHCS publications will provide more information to measure progress.

The number of energy efficiency measures installed through SG funded delivery schemes are as follows:

Whilst I welcome the outcome and the specific agreements secured at COP28, as global action is needed to reduce emissions and the impacts of climate change, Scotland’s own climate ambitions exceed those required by the Paris Agreement. I welcomed the COP text’s explicit reference to transitioning away from our current reliance on fossil fuels, in a manner which is just, alongside the specific target to triple renewables and to double energy efficiency by 2030. Scotland, as a world-leader on renewable energy, is prepared to continue to play its part in meeting these crucial targets.

Scotland remains absolutely committed to reaching net zero by 2045. Whilst this legal commitment goes faster than the rest of the UK, we have been clear that we will seek to work collaboratively with all administrations in the UK to implement mutually beneficial policies and we continue to call on the UK Government to match our ambition by acting on reserved matters that directly affect Scotland’s ability to reduce our carbon emissions.

I welcome the Just Transition Commission's annual report. It provides a robust assessment, whilst acknowledging the progress we have made on applying a just transition approach.

I appreciate the Commission's calls for urgency and reiterate our commitment to deliver a just transition as part of achieving a fairer, greener, Scotland.

This is particularly important for areas such as Grangemouth, which has a long industrial heritage. Regarding the recent announcement at the Petroineos refinery, I have outlined that the Scottish Government is looking at every possible opportunity and avenue that there might be for extending the life of the refinery which plays an important role in preserving Scotland's fuel security. This would provide time and space for the business to fully explore and bring forward new transition opportunities across Grangemouth, helping to ensure jobs are protected.

We continue to work closely with the operator, the UK Government and our Grangemouth Future Industry Board partners to ensure all options are fully explored.

Fairness is critical in achieving a net-zero transition in Scotland. We must work with industry, workers and communities to combine our economic, social and environmental objectives. That is why we have also committed to developing a specific Just Transition plan for the Grangemouth industrial cluster, with a first draft due to be published in Spring of this year.

The NUS report raises significant issues and no student should find themselves without somewhere to live. While the Scottish Government has no direct role in provision of student residential accommodation we are determined to work with partners to improve accessibility, affordability and standards in this area. Ministers have now considered the recommendations from the review of purpose built student accommodation and will make an announcement in the New Year.

In addition we are taking action to help students and have confirmed an uplift of £2,400 to the main undergraduate support package for the academic year 2024-25. This follows the £900 uplift applied to the package this academic year.

Students are also able to apply directly to their college or university for Discretionary Funding should they be experiencing financial hardship.

The Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) provides a snapshot of the domestic housing stock in each survey year, including the construction age, built form and energy efficiency, as well as estimates of fuel poverty.

As the 2020 SHCS was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic and results from the 2021 External+ SHCS were published as experimental statistics the 2019 SHCS provides the most recent official statistics on fuel poverty.

Due to the increases in global energy prices in 2022 and 2023 and the lack of recent data on fuel poverty from the SHCS, we have produced scenario modelling of fuel poverty rates This is based on uprating modelled fuel bills from the 2019 SHCS in line with more recent energy prices and accounting for the other support available to households. We estimate that from January 2024, with the price cap for the typical dual-fuel household paying by direct debit at £1,928, and including the impact of the Cost of living payments [1] , that around 840,000 (34%) households in Scotland will be in fuel poverty. Of this around 570,000 (23%) will be in extreme fuel poverty.

Table 1: Estimated number of households in fuel poverty January 2024 to March 2024

I have been meeting with housing convenors across the country to discuss the challenges they face in responding to homelessness and reducing the number of households in temporary accommodation. We are investing at least £60 million in 2023-24 in the national acquisition programme to help local authorities and registered social landlords acquire properties for use as high quality, affordable, permanent homes. We are also asking social landlords to maximise the use of existing homes and increase allocations to homeless households.

The Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) undertakes structured conversations with social landlords, working alongside them to support compliance. The SHR has highlighted actions councils can take to respond to the current challenges in homelessness and will continue to monitor, assess and report on councils’ performance in discharging their duties to people who are homeless. All local authorities should make best efforts to meet their statutory obligations and the SHR will engage with councils to promote improvement where this is possible.

The Scottish Government is absolutely determined to address levels of homelessness and improve the supply of social and affordable housing.

Subject to parliamentary approval, we will invest £556 million in affordable homes across Scotland next year and continue to work with partners to increase the delivery of more affordable homes, the majority of which will be for social rent, including supporting acquisitions of existing properties. We will also invest £35 million in specific action to prevent and end homelessness, in addition to homelessness funding provided through the local government settlement. Alongside those efforts, we will work with the financial community – both across Scotland and beyond – to attract private sector investment into Scotland and help deliver more homes.

The Scottish Government is committed to a just transition to net-zero by 2045 in which no-one is left behind. Engagement with business to develop and implement policies is key to delivery of that commitment and is an extensive cross-government effort which is undertaken on both a case by case basis, and structurally across government. For example of the latter, the First Minister Co-Chairs the Investor Panel which covers just transition and net zero; the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands Co-Chairs the Agricultural Reform Implementation Oversight Board; the Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy Co-Chairs the New Deal for Business Group.

We are also engaging widely on the development of our Just Transition Plans, including with businesses and their representative organisations. A dedicated series of engagement on Sectoral Just Transition Plans for the Built Environment and Construction, Transport, and Land Use and Agriculture was undertaken with SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) in summer 2023.

In 2024 we will be continue our engagement on development of our new Adaptation Programme and new Climate Change Plan and a new Green Industrial Strategy will help businesses realise the enormous economic opportunities of the global transition to net zero.