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The Scottish Government is actively engaging with Transform Scotland, and other key stakeholders, as we progress our Fair Fares Review, which is being undertaken to ensure a sustainable and integrated approach to public transport fares. I thank Transform Scotland for their interest in this work and contribution via their report. Transport Scotland will consider its findings and recommendations as part of the Fair Fares Review.

In the meantime, we have announced as part of the Fair Fares Review, a pathfinder pilot project to remove peak fares from Scotrail services for a trial period. This is in addition to a range of actions already being taken to widen access and maintain the affordability of public transport.

• Up to 2.3 million people in Scotland are now able to access free bus travel through the scheme for older and disabled people and for those aged under 22.
• We are supporting the growth of smart and integrated ticketing and payment in Scotland, including funding the growth of contactless payments on buses, enhancing journey planning information, including on fares, and progressing measures in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 to improve consistency and integration.
• We have frozen rail fares until at least March 2023 and, likewise, we have intervened to hold fares in the northern isles ferry network at current levels until the end of March 2023.

The Bathing Waters (Scotland) Regulations 2008 aims to minimise the risks to public health at designated locations and during periods when a large number of people bathe. However, it remains the personal responsibility of every individual to assess the risks before entering open water, whether at a designated bathing water within the bathing season or otherwise.

The globally accepted advice is to leave at least 48 hours after heavy rain before bathing whether within or outwith the bathing season. Further general advice on the health risks of open water swimming, which is also applicable to Scotland, is available from the UK Health Security Agency at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/swim-healthy-leaflet/swim-healthy .

The Scottish Government continuously works with SEPA, Scottish Water and other stakeholders on bathing water designations and to protect and improve bathing waters classifications. This has led to the number of bathing waters increasing since last year to 87, with 98% achieving the bathing water quality standards and more rated excellent than ever before.

The Bathing Waters (Scotland) Regulations 2008 enable Scottish Ministers to designate a bathing season in a period where they expect a large number of people to bathe at a designated bathing water. The definition of bathers, in this instance, is exclusive to paddlers and swimmers and does not cover other water users.

For all 87 designated bathing waters in Scotland the bathing season runs from 1 June to 15 September each year, in accordance with the traditional period of peak usage. In comparison with the 3.5 month bathing season in Scotland across Europe the season length varies from 2 months in Sweden to 6 months in Cypress.

The aim of the Bathing Waters Regulations is to minimise the risks to human health to swimmers and paddlers from bacteriological impacts whilst bathing. It would be disproportionately costly to monitor bathing waters outwith the current bathing water season when they are not regularly used by large numbers of bathers. General health advice on wild swimming is available from the UK Health Security Agency at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/swim-healthy-leaflet/swim-healthy , which is also applicable to Scotland

The number of bathing waters in Scotland has increased since last year and now stands at 87, with 98% achieving the bathing water quality standards and more rated excellent than ever before.

The Scottish Government works with a variety of stakeholders, who support and shape work on the just transition, net zero and energy. The input from our stakeholders is invaluable and plays a vital role in helping deliver a just energy transition to net zero.

The number and makeup of these working groups varies in line with government priorities. Examples of working groups which fall under the remit of just transition, net zero or energy include:

• The Scottish Energy Advisory Board (SEAB)
• The Scottish Energy Networks Strategic Leadership Group
• The Renewable Energy Strategic Leadership Group
• Energy Consumers Commission
• Just Transition Commission
  

The Scottish Government has invested over £65m in the ChargePlace Scotland Network that now has over 2,400 publicly available electric vehicle charge points, alongside supporting homes and businesses to install almost 20,000 charge points. A range of factors will influence the number of charge points required – and delivery plans will be determined by both public and private investment.

Our focus is on making sure that the public charging network builds on the benefits of ChargePlace Scotland, which includes maintaining comprehensive coverage across all parts of Scotland. To that end, our £60m EV Infrastructure Fund has the potential to at least double the size of the public charging network over the next four years. This is over and above the commercial investment in charge points now taking place across Scotland.

It is not possible for the Scottish Government to mandate the provision of community benefits through energy regulation because the relevant powers are reserved to the UK Government. However, we continue to encourage renewable energy businesses to offer community benefit packages in line with our Good Practice Principles; promoting a national level equivalent to £5,000 per installed megawatt per annum for onshore renewable developments, index linked for the operational lifetime of the project.

Local Energy Scotland, who deliver our Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES), administer a voluntary register of community benefits payments and a community benefits map. This indicates a community benefit commitment of around £24 million will have been paid out from renewable energy projects in Scotland over the past year (from November 2021 to November 2022).

All developers of renewable energy developments and local communities in receipt of community benefit payments are encouraged to use and input to the register. The register and map can be viewed here: https://localenergy.scot/community-benefits-map/

Work is underway to review the Good Practice Principles for Community Benefits from Offshore Renewable Energy Developments.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12547 on 5 December 2022 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 Scottish Government is in regular contact with the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy about the continuing discussions to renegotiate the Energy Charter Treaty, with a view to identifying and mitigating any particular impacts on Scotland.

The Scottish Government is aware of the concerns raised by The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and others that International Investment Agreements, such as the Energy Charter Treaty, may lead to ‘regulatory chill’. That is why, in our Vision for Trade, we are clear that no part of a trade or investment agreement should limit the ability of the Scottish Parliament to regulate in devolved areas, or constrain much-needed action to achieve our net zero goal.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12547 on 5 December 2022. 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 .