Marine Protected Areas, Blue Carbon Action Plan and Warmer Homes Scotland scheme: EIR release

Information requested

What progress has been made to enhance the protection of our marine environment, including through progressing implementation of a suite of management measures in Marine Protected Areas, and supporting community-led marine protection?

What progress has been made on the development of a Blue Carbon Action Plan to improve the management, protection and enhancement of Scotland’s critical blue carbon environments?

When will a refreshed Warmer Homes Scotland scheme providing targeted support for energy efficiency and zero emission heating systems be launched?

When will the Active Travel Transformation Project be implemented? 

What progress has been made to continue the roll out of 20 miles per hour speed limits in built up areas, supporting physical and mental wellbeing as well as safety and emissions reduction?

What progress has been made to lay secondary legislation to enable bus franchising and partnership options to be developed?

Response

As the information you have requested is 'environmental information' for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA. 

This exemption is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all thecircumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

1. Protecting our marine environment is vital to both halt biodiversity loss and for the long-term viability of our marine industries and we want to achieve this as soon as possible. However developing the evidence based and effective fisheries management measures for over 180 sites is a complex and challenging process and we are determined do so in a way that is fair, and ensures our seas remain a source of prosperity, especially in our coastal and island communities. We are working to put in place fisheries management measure for MPAs as quickly as possible and plan to consult on management measures for offshore MPAs this summer and are continuing work on assessing the environmental, social and economic impacts of inshore proposals ahead of public consultation next year. We also remain willing to support groups that wish to pursue community-led marine protection in their local area such as the successful initiatives seen in Arran, St Abbs and Eyemouth. We are actively supporting the Fair Isle Demonstration and Research Marine Protected Area through regular meetings of their steering group, and are working with another community group on another potential site. We will also support other communities who wish to take action to enhance the marine environment. 

2. As part of Marine Directorate’s programme of work on blue carbon, we are currently working with the Scottish Blue Carbon Forum Steering Committee to progress two key areas: firstly, to identify gaps in our scientific understanding of blue carbon habitats, including their vulnerability to climate change and human activity, and secondly, to identify actions to improve the management, protection, restoration and enhancement of these habitats. These are both crucial in the development of an effective action plan. We are working to ensure the Scottish Government clearly sets out the way forward for blue carbon in Scotland and delivers, at pace, the highest priority and most impactful actions. 

3. We launched the new phase of Warmer Homes Scotland on 2 October 2023. The contract will run for five years initially with an option to extend by a further two. The upgraded scheme allows us to deliver whole-house energy-efficiency retrofits and install more measures in individual properties with a greater focus on clean heating where this is both financially and technically feasible. 

4. The Active Travel Transformation Project commenced in early 2022. Through the Project, Transport Scotland engaged closely with partners to develop an improved system for Active Travel delivery – one which delivers infrastructure quickly and efficiently to a high standard and in a planned and cohesive fashion, and which enables people to make walking, wheeling and cycling their primary mode of transport for short, everyday journeys.

The implementation of a major change programme for Active Travel delivery has now commenced. Starting in 2024/25, this programme will effect change right across the active travel system. For infrastructure, the transition to a transformative change in delivery began with the successful introduction of the Active Travel Transformation Fund in 2023-24. This introduced a more direct relationship between Transport Scotland and Local Authorities (LAs), and informed the new tiered delivery model launched in April 2024, which provides both block grant and prioritised funding to LAs, as well as access to funding for Regional Transport Partnerships (RTPs) and National Park Authorities (NPAs). As part of the transition to this new model, the main infrastructure programme, Places for Everyone (PfE), will close by December 2025. 

The transition to transformative change in behaviour change has centred on the establishment and introduction of a new, regional model for delivery. From 2024/25, funding is now provided directly to the seven RTPs. The RTPs will work directly with their relevant LAs to identify and agree the priorities in their area, and to build capacity at a local level.

Driven by local active travel strategies and regional transport plans, the People and Place programme replaces the previous direct funding from Scottish Government to individual delivery partners and organisations.

5. We are committed to implement 20 mph speed limits on those roads, where it is appropriate to do so, by the end of 2025. More 20mph speed limits can improve road safety – keeping people safe, while at the same time making it easier for people to choose walking, wheeling and cycling for everyday journeys. The 20 mph task group explored the most effective way of achieving that commitment in Scotland, which included local authorities identifying the number of roads on their own network which would be suitable for a speed limit of 20 mph through a road assessment. A delivery sub group made up of local authorities and Transport Scotland will oversee the implementation of 20 mph speed limits, this will include actual costs to deliver as well as a detailed programme to meet the 2025 deadline. If someone is hit by a car in a built-up area at 20mph, they are seven times more likely to survive than if they were hit at 30mph.

6. The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 received Royal Assent on 15th November 2019. The bus franchising and partnership options in the Act were commenced on 04 December 2024 by the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 (Commencement No. 7) Regulations 2023, enabling local transport
authorities to begin developing their preferred options for improving their local bus services. 

Since then the following substantive regulations have been laid relating to the partnership and franchising powers:

• The Bus Services Improvement Partnerships and Local Services Franchises (Provision of Information) (Scotland) Regulations 2023
• The Bus Services Improvement Partnerships (Objections) (Scotland) Regulations 2024
• The Transport Partnerships (Transfer of Functions) (Scotland) Order 2024

Further regulations will be laid throughout 2024 alongside guidance, which will give the partnership and franchising powers full effect. Transport Scotland has also published a High Level Overview of the Powers Available to Local Authorities, which aims to assist local transport authorities with their understanding of the powers available to them, including franchising and partnership.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.