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The Draft Hydrogen Action plan public consultation closed on the 26 th January 2022. All responses will be analysed and considered along with any other available evidence and will feed into the final Hydrogen Action Plan due to be published later in 2022.

The International and European Relations budget of £33.3m for 2022-23 will be spent pursuing our engagement at home and internationally to enhance Scotland's reputation and increase economic success, prosperity and wellbeing, and promote Scotland as a great place to live, visit, work, study and do business. The Scottish Budget and supporting documents have been published on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2022-23/documents/ and a detailed breakdown of how this has been distributed across the various International and European Relations budget lines can be found in the Scottish Budget 2022-23 - Level 4 Data document (rows 71 to 89 on the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture tab).

Spending in future years will be considered and implemented through the Resource Spending Review and subsequent 2023-24 budget setting process

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-06210 on 22 February 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 mental health and wellbeing of children and young people is an absolute priority for the Scottish Government.

The commitment to invest in school counselling ensures that every secondary school has access to counselling services, whilst also improving the ability of local primary and special schools to access counselling. Our local authority partners have confirmed this is now in place across Scotland.

As part of the Scottish Government’s Seaweed Review, a scenario mapping exercise exploring areas of growth for the seaweed sector and wider possible impacts of growth scenarios was undertaken. The report setting out the findings from that exercise has now been published, alongside a statement setting out the next steps for the Seaweed Review.

The publication of these documents contributes to the Programme for Government commitment to report on any changes required to marine planning and licensing processes, as well as to the continued sustainable development of the blue economy.

These documents are available at:

• Understanding the potential scale for seaweed-based industries in Scotland– https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781802018837
• Statement on the Seaweed Review– https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781804350720

The report exploring potential areas for growth has been informed by stakeholder consultation and engagement with the Seaweed Review Strategy Group (“SRSG”). The SRSG comprises of representatives from various sectors representing conservation, science, enterprise, biotechnology, fisheries and the Seaweed Industry Association. I want to thank the members of the SRSG for their invaluable contributions and continued engagement with the review process.

The review points to the need for a more comprehensive policy and regulatory framework for both seaweed harvesting and cultivation activities, as well as input from the seaweed industry and other stakeholders, to support the future development of a sustainable seaweed industry.

There is a long history of harvesting seaweed in Scotland and growing interest in the sector supports our decision to include seaweed as part of the first stage of the aquaculture review by Professor Griggs which was published earlier this month. The future of Scotland’s seaweed cultivation sector will also be considered as part of the development of the Scottish Government’s Vision for Sustainable Aquaculture.

Other pieces of work, including the new seafood strategy to be published later this year, underline our commitment to ensure that existing and emerging seaweed activities fit into our broader framework for managing multiple uses of the sea, including fishing and renewable energy.

We have not assessed the impact that on-site solar generation can have on reducing household energy bills. However, we are currently undertaking research (due to published this year) to examine the extent to which building level storage technologies could help to reduce householder energy costs, when installed alongside zero emission heat technologies. The research, although not specific to solar PV or the savings made by solar PV installations, does take into account pairing solar PV with storage.

We also continue to support microgeneration measures as part of our Heat in Buildings Delivery schemes such as Area Based Schemes, Home Energy Scotland, Warmer Homes Scotland, the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) and the Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP).

We recognise the importance of energy generated from solar PV in contributing to the decarbonisation of Scotland’s energy supply and contributing to the just transition to a net zero emissions society by 2045.
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‎The Scottish Government is currently carrying out a substantial review of permitted development rights (PDR) in Scotland. Through this phased programme, we are taking forward new and extended PDR for a wide range of development types - including solar panels.

Scotland has long been a net exporter of electricity. In 2020, Scotland exported 20.4 TWh, equivalent to powering every household in Scotland for 26 months.

We expect that we will maintain our position as a net exporter even as demand from electrification of heat and transport increases particularly given the recent announcement by Crown Estate Scotland to offer option agreements to support the development of 25GW of offshore wind power.

This is consistent with the forecasts from National Grid’s Electricity Ten Year Statement as well as the recently published Network Options Assessment.

National Grid ESO has also conducted a study of the effects of the earlier than expected closure of nuclear generation in Scotland which concludes that the system will remain secure.

In order to meet Net-Zero, our priority continues to be to support energy efficiency, develop Scotland’s huge renewable resource and to promote storage and flexibility.

Scotland will continue to play a leading role in the Under2 Coalition and we will use our position as co-chair to drive climate ambition and delivery from all non-party governments, states and regions towards net zero, which prioritises a just transition and a resilient future.

This includes playing a leadership role within the Coalition to increase support for the Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration, which Scotland was the first government to commit to. We are also progressing its aim within Scotland ahead of COP27 through:

• the Good Food Nation Bill introduced to Parliament in October 2021,
• further development of our local food strategy following public consultation in late 2021, and
• working with the Scotland Food and Drink Partnership to support progress towards the Scottish Food and Drink Sectors Industry Net Zero Commitment launched at COP26.

The Scottish Government’s upskilling and retraining programmes, including Individual Training Accounts, the Flexible Workforce Development Fund and the Green Jobs Workforce Academy, are designed to equip workers with the skills that employers need now and will need in the future. Additionally, the Skills Recognition Scotland project is designed to support workers with qualifications gained outside the UK to overcome unemployment and underemployment.

The Scottish Government remains committed to working with employers on the fair work agenda, including supporting individuals to use their skills to their full extent, which contributes to fulfilling work as set out in the Fair Work Framework. The most recent Scottish Employer Skills Survey, published in 2021, reported that, in total, 8% of employees were under-utilised in their role, which is an improvement from the figures reported in 2017.