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The Fuel Poverty Strategy was laid in Parliament on the 9th November and, as set out in the Programme for Government 2021, will be published by the end of this calendar year.

The public appointments process for the independent statutory Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel has been progressed and an announcement on the appointment of the Chair and members of the Panel will be made shortly.

Court operational matters, including the system for jury service, fall within the remit of the independent Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS).

In November 2019, SCTS announced new services for jurors with a visual impairment or who are hard of hearing as recommended in Lord Matthews 2018 “Enabling Jury Service” report.

These adjustments and measures widened the accessibility for as many people as possible to serve on include:

• easy-to use hearing loop units and magnifiers for use in the courtroom and jury deliberations;
• dedicated and trained Jury Liaison Officers, who can be contacted by persons with a visual impairment or who are hard of hearing in advance of attending court as a juror. This will allow the needs of the individual to be explored and any suitable adjustments to be considered and implemented, where possible; and
• an information sheet in various formats – including a video with British Sign Language and subtitles aimed at encouraging early contact between the person cited for jury service and the Jury Liaison Officer for that court.

In developing these services, SCTS worked closely with deafscotland and the Royal National Institute of Blind People, who contributed to the training of Jury Liaison Officers.

There is, of course, more to do to support greater accessibility for jurors and SCTS have provided assurances that they will consider further initiatives as opportunities arise during the business planning process.

The preservation of a crime scene is for the purposes of protecting the integrity of forensic evidence. A decision to allow a priest to enter an area designated as a crime scene is therefore an operational matter for Police Scotland.

This Government has a proud record of supporting our rural and land based industries, including our beef producers. From 2018 to now we have supported the industry with a number of schemes including:

The Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme has provided total £118.8 million from 2018 to 2020. An uplift worth £12.67 million was made to this scheme via the convergence payments made in 2020.

The Beef Efficiency Scheme has provided £9.37 million to beef farming businesses since January 2018, while supporting businesses with training events and the use of carbon auditing tools.

The Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme (LFASS) also provides support to specialist beef farmers, for which £144 million has been paid out between 2018 and 2020.

The pilot Sustainable Agricultural Capital Grant Scheme offered financial support to farmers and crofters to purchase specific items of agricultural equipment and technology to support them in the delivery of direct greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions; as well as supporting sustainable farming and land use, improving land and livestock management and encouraging changes to land use to capture more carbon. The scheme proved popular and received 3,735 applications, with over 3,500 applications approved at a total value of £16.95m, of that £10.25m was awarded to 2,267 Suckler beef farmers and crofters.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in Scotland are able to receive the best possible care and support and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put the patient at the centre of their care.

Since 2015, the Scottish Government has provided £2.4 million annually to improve specialist nursing services. NHS Boards make the decision on where to prioritise this funding based on local need. NHS Boards are expected to ensure that patients, including those who require MS services, have access to a range of professionals to provide the appropriate management of their condition.

The Scottish Government currently has no plans to create a lead MS nurse post, but is willing to consider and discuss any proposals received.

The following table summarises the rejected Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) applications, specifically Slurry Store, that have been appealed. It records the number of applications that were (a) upheld following appeal and (b) are awaiting a decision, in each year since 2015.

Please note that the 2015 round did not include a Slurry Store option and that the 2020 round was not open to new applications, rather a one year’s extension was offered to all Management options that were due to end in 2020. Not all businesses accepted the offer. Slurry Store is not a Management Option, it is capital only, and as such was not included in the round.

The 2021 round that closed at the beginning of July 2021 was also extended. These applications are still being assessed.

* Application type not included in Round

The following table summarises the rejected Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) applications, specifically Improving Public Access (IPA), that have been appealed. It records the number of applications that were (a) upheld following appeal and (b) are awaiting a decision, in each year since 2015.

Please note that the 2020 round was not open to new applications, rather a one year’s extension was offered to all Management options that were due to end in 2020. Not all businesses accepted the offer. IPA is not a Management Option, it is capital only, and as such was not included in the round.

The 2021 round that closed at the beginning of July 2021 was also extended. These applications are still being assessed.

* Application type not included in Round

My predecessor chaired the Scottish Steel Sector Round Table (SSRT) on a biannual basis. The SSRT completed the work on a report into the state of the steel sector in Scotland at its last meeting on 2 November 2020.

The main concern for the steel industry continues to be energy prices, especially in the light of recent price rises, and the impact this has on wider developments in the industry. Energy is a matter reserved to the UK Government, which earlier this year revived the UK Steel Council. I am a member of this Council and continue to press for progress on matters key to the success of the steel sector in Scotland.

Since 2013 we have invested over £50 million in Chargeplace Scotland (CPS), Scotland’s public charging network, which now has more than 2000 publicly available chargepoints. Figures show that Scotland is leading the way on electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The latest figures show that Scottish electric vehicle drivers benefit from almost 40 public charge points per one hundred thousand people, compared to fewer than 30 in England, Just over 20 in Wales and less than 20 in Northern Ireland.

We also provide funding for the Domestic Chargepoint fund which supports the people of Scotland by providing grant funding of £250 (£350 for those in remote parts of Scotland) to install a Domestic Chargepoint at their home. To date this fund has supported the installation of almost 12,000 Domestic Chargepoints to a value of just over £4m.

Our Business (non-Public) Chargepoint fund has helped almost 1300 businesses to install chargepoints for the sole use of occupiers, staff and visitors to a value of just under £10m.

We are currently consulting on draft policy options for the installation of electric vehicle charge points in a number of different buildings types, including an option that sets out a minimum requirement for all new residential buildings with parking spaces.

Transport Scotland are working with Scottish Futures Trust and industry to consider the most appropriate structures and approach to growing and developing charging infrastructure, lever commercial investment and engaging commercial operators to develop the public electric vehicle charge point network at scale and at speed across all of Scotland.

The responses to the invitation to tender (ITT) for the two new ferries are expected in December 2021. The responses to the ITT will be evaluated with the preferred bidder identified by February 2022, numbers of jobs that will be supported can be advised when the preferred bidder and the programme is finalised. The investment in these vessels does of course support the communities served by the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service and the jobs associated with the economies on these islands.