 The next item of business is portfolio questions, and the portfolio this afternoon is net zero and just transition. I would remind members wishing to ask a supplementary question to press their request to speak buttons during the relevant question and again remind members of the time allocations for questions and indeed responses. I call question number one, Willie Coffey. Thank you to ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update in progress towards the decarbonisation of buildings and the schemes of assistance that are available to the public to help them to make the transition. Minister Patrick Harvie. We will publish our annual update on progress against our heat and building strategy by the end of October, and that will include a summary of progress on our support schemes. The Scottish Government offers a range of support to households, including our warmer home Scotland and area-based schemes, as well as the Home Energy Scotland grant and loan scheme, which has opened all domestic households in Scotland and provides the most generous grants in the UK for zero direct emissions heating systems. Willie Coffey, I thank the minister for that update. It confirms that Scottish households have access to the most generous grant support in the UK when it comes to increasing the energy efficiency of their homes. Will the minister note that public awareness and participation is absolutely crucial if this record support us to be granted effectively amid rising costs? Does the minister agree that Scottish Government interventions are undermined by a UK Government that has failed to tackle sky-high energy prices or support fuel-poor households in Scotland? Willie Coffey is absolutely right on the issue of public awareness and the public engagement strategy for Scotland will be led by the new Heat and Energy Efficiency Scotland Agency. It is also vital that the UK Government publishes firm plans to rebalance fuel prices, and it is necessary to ensure that climate-friendly heating systems are cheaper to run than fossil fuel systems. We are pressing the UK Government for more urgent action to enable delivery in Scotland to address market disincenters for switching to zero-emissions heat and to accelerate decision making on the potential role of hydrogen. We have clear ambitions to decarbonise buildings faster, and we offer significantly more support for heat pumps and other zero-emissions heating systems than other parts of the UK. However, we cannot afford to delay taking action, and the UK Government needs to match that ambition. The number of supplementaries and the number I get in will depend on the brevity of questions and responses. The Public Audit Committee heard this morning that we have no idea what it will cost to decarbonise buildings in Scotland. Does the minister accept that he and his Government need to set out what this is going to cost individual householders? We have a high-level estimate of the total cost of decarbonising heating in Scotland. It is very clear that that cannot be met from public funds alone, and we want to make sure that this is affordable for householders, for communities and for businesses. That will include a blend of public support, as well as financial products and a role for private investment and the energy industry as well. As we move forward to consult on the heat and building strategy later this year, more detail will be set out. Can the minister say what lessons have been learned from the £133 million underspend on retrofitting homes to make them energy efficient and affordable to heat last year? My understanding is that a lack of trained staff was a key blockage across the country. Given that fuel poverty is now hitting 39 per cent of our households, what is the Scottish Government doing to address its massive problem, as well as creating jobs and training opportunities across Scotland? A range of factors did influence the uptake of voluntary demand-led schemes both during Covid and in the wake of the cost of living crisis and the spike in energy prices. We need to take account of all those factors, including skills and capacity across the supply chain. Our supply chain delivery programme is working with industry to address those issues. That is another issue that will be addressed in the consultation that we take forward later this year. The overwhelming majority of my constituents' living properties are not connected to the gas grid and many are potentially unsuitable for heat pumps. Can the minister give an indication of what options will be available to those currently relying on oil in this situation and what financial support will be on offer? Our approach to reducing emissions from buildings is technology neutral. However, we know that heat pumps are a proven technology that works efficiently when designed and installed correctly alongside the appropriate energy efficiency measures. Many rural households have already made that transition, and colder countries such as Norway and Finland, with very large rural populations, are also far ahead of us. However, we recognise that, for a small number of buildings, bioenergy might be the best option. We already provide an extra £1,500 on top of the £7,500 Home Energy Scotland heating and energy efficiency grants due to the higher costs in rural areas. We also recently announced an uplift for rural and remote areas in relation to the social housing net zero heat fund. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the second strategic transport projects review in relation to improving the A75. The second strategic transport projects review will inform the Scottish Government's transport investment programme over the next 20 years. As detailed on page 41 of the review, there are clear recommendations for the A75. In August, I met with the leader of Dumfries and Gallery Council and the chair of the regional transport partnerships for restaurants in Dumfries, where we discussed our shared ambition for the route and the next steps for the bypassing of the villages of Springhome and Crockettford. As we committed to, in our programme for government published this week, we will continue to press the UK Government to fulfil their commitment to fund and support the next steps for improvements on the A75 and are awaiting a response to the invited bid issued to them in April. In fact, I am meeting with the UK minister responsible, Richard Holden MP, next week, to discuss the very issue. I thank the minister for that response. In a television interview in representing border earlier this week, the First Minister gave a categorical assurance that the A75 and A77 will get vital improvements. We, of course, had promises like this before. Indeed, in January of this year, Michael Matheson said that the S2P-R2 tide table would be published in spring. However, with 38 out of the 45 recommendations either started or completed, we are yet to hear of when the A75 improves will be rolled out. I have previously welcomed the UK Government's constructive collaboration with the Scottish Government on the euro route, but given that transport is devolved, the failure to deliver on previous commitments lies squarely at the door of the S&P Government. Can the minister give my constituents an indicative start date for the Springhome and Crockettford bi-patties that they have promised but failed to deliver? As I answered in my first question, I have been active as a new transport minister in engaging with the key stakeholders in Dumfries and Galloway Council in Swestrans and the UK Government, and the basis that the committed support from them has to be resolved in order to commence some of the issues that we are talking about. If we are to do that, as I think has been called for by Mr Carson collectively with the UK Government in relation to the connections to Northern Ireland in particular, it is in that spirit that I will continue my work on this issue. A couple of brief supplementaries, again, to be appreciated for Emma Harper. When the UK Government brought forward the Peter Henry review, the committee to provide funding to the Scottish Government to improve the safety and efficiency on the A75, I agree that we need those upgrades urgently, but can the minister indicate whether the UK Government has provided any information on how much funding will be provided and on when it will be received? As called for by a number of people, not least Conservative MSPs, we are co-operating with the UK Government on that. I will be meeting with the minister responsible Richard Holden MP on Monday, and I hope that we can agree a way forward and indeed secure the amount of funding that they are seeking to provide. The transport review was published in December, years late. We were told by a delivery plan by spring. Communities in Crockett for the Spring home do not want to hear two Governments bickering over who is going to pay for these. They want to see the bypasses take place. Will the minister give an indication as to when she will tell the Parliament exactly when work will be commencing on these communities' bypasses? They have been waiting years for announcement from the Government. If you listen to my tone, I was far from bickering and I looked to work in co-operation with the leader of Dumfries and Gaelwyd Cairn and of the west trans chair and with the relevant MP. If people want us to do this in a collective way, I will take that forward. However, I think that in terms of that relationship, we need to identify the steps that are required. As I said, they are actively being discussed as to how that can be delivered. I will continue to do that in that spirit as I have committed to. Mr Carson, you had an opportunity to ask a question. Would you stop shouting across the chamber, minister, as briefly as possible? If we want co-operation to deliver transport projects, perhaps the questions and the answers should reflect that. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. Question 3 has not been lodged. Question 4, Karen Adam. To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support the development of the necessary harbour infrastructure, including in relation to the operations and maintenance support phase of offshore wind, to deliver a just transition to rural communities such as Fraserborough? Scotland's ports and harbours have various ownership models. Fraserborough is a trust port run by the Fraserborough harbour commissioners. The Scottish Government recognises the importance that ports and harbours infrastructure play in delivering a just transition to coastal communities. The Murray East operations and maintenance base in Fraserborough has created around 100 local high-value skilled jobs, which will bring economic opportunities as we work towards achieving our net zero ambitions. The strategic investment model will further assist in identifying shared priorities with an initial focus on investment in ports and harbours, infrastructure improvements, manufacturing and fabrication. I am grateful for that answer. My constituency of Bampshire and Buckingham Coast has a huge part to play in Scotland's net zero ambitions, and I thank the Scottish Government for its unrelenting support for the Acorn project at St Fergus, the Murray Offshore wind projects and its funding of the campaign for north-east rail feasibility study to bring rail back to Peterhead and Fraserborough. The Fraserborough harbour master plan has a huge part to play in our net zero goals. Will the minister please meet with me and the harbour board to discuss its ambitious plans? The Scottish Government recognises the crucial role that the north-east plays in working towards achieving those net zero ambitions. Of course, we have been urging the UK Government to commit to carbon capture and storage in Scotland for well over a decade, and the recent long-overdure decision to begin that due diligence and discussions with Acorn, and recognising the importance of that potential of the Acorn project and the Scottish cluster. The campaign has referred to for the north-east rail group. It is passionate about the railways and the ward of up to £250,000 from the last just transition fund to conduct the multimodal study into transport options is also a step forward. Transport Scotland officials continue to work with those relevant and intended the Fraserborough harbour board on 20 September to discuss the ambitious plans of the harbour. I would be happy to meet with the member to discuss any outcomes from that meeting if that would be of interest. To unlock the benefits of harbour improvements at Fraserborough, it is vital that road infrastructure to Fraserborough is also improved. Last week, six people were taken to hospital after a car accident at the Cortez junction, and we have all heard the many incidents at the notorious Tull of Burness. How many more lives will have to be impacted before this Government will sort out the dangerous road to Fraserborough? Without that, a just transition will never be delivered. I reflect on my remarks about the £250,000 for that multimodal study. Clearly access to harbours and infrastructure affects residents quite clearly, as has been referred to. With the growing issue and support of the offshore industry, which we are also looking at different issues around freight and so on, I will certainly ask my officials to look at the particular issue that he has raised in terms of those accidents, and I will reply if there is anything additional that I can provide to the member to give him some reassurance. To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on the development of an offshore training passport as funded by the Just Transition Fund. The Scottish Government strongly supports delivery of a skills passport that will work for the different offshore energy industry sectors, recognising the cross-sector skills of workers and the importance of supporting a fair and managed transition. Since the development of our prototype skills passport in 2022, work is on-going to test and finalise the technical aspects of the passport. Alongside technical developments, project partners across renewables, oil and gas and trade unions have also been working hard to increase cross-sector collaboration on the development of the passport, including seeking agreement on mutual recognition of training requirements across the sectors. The passport is due to be rolled out later this month, but offshore trade unions, such as the RMT in particular, remain concerned that their members will end up continuing to pay the price if their qualifications are not recognised by developers and contractors in the offshore wind sector. Will the minister guarantee that all developers of wind farms, least through Scotland, will be required to recognise the passport and will he commit to working with the trade unions on implementing the passport when it is finally launched? Of course, I will commit to working with the trade unions to implement the passport once it is finalised. We are talking about a major exercise that will benefit the sector for many years to come. The passport involves the close collaboration between the energy industry, its workforce, Governments, their agencies, trade unions, trade bodies, skills bodies and education training providers. It is important that we get this right, it is important that the industry gets behind it in all parts of the industry going forward. However, as we look towards the energy transition over the next 10 or 20 years, it is important that we get this right and get it in place in a proper way. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its target for renewable heating systems in homes. Over 1 million homes must convert to zero emissions heating by 2030 if we can meet Parliament's entering climate targets. We have developed regulations to deliver that in all new buildings. We have also introduced a new Home Energy Scotland grant. We will shortly relaunch Warmerhomes Scotland. As I mentioned in response to the earlier question, we will be consulting soon on proposals for a heat in buildings bill. I am very grateful. Over the recess, I had pleasure in visiting Sunamp in Trinent, East Lothian, which has become a fantastic growing company that makes heat storage systems for individual domestic use and local housing associations. Can I ask the cabinet secretary, because I know that he is aware of the company, what lessons the Scottish Government can learn from this fantastic East Lothian-based company on the importance of heat storage in tackling poverty and net zero commitments? I think that a number of other ministers have visited this particular company, been impressed by its work and I am pleased to hear that there is cross-party support for that. Recognition of the important role that both heat storage as well as electrical storage will play in the future of a decarbonised and renewable energy grid. It is going to have an important role to play as well. Martin Whitfield is quite right. In the jobs benefit that will come from the decarbonisation of heat, we believe that there are many thousands of jobs, in fact, high-quality careers to be had in this programme of work, and that will benefit communities the length and breadth of the country. I will try to get all the supplementaries in, but they will need to be brief first. Heating systems can offer a number of advantages in decarbonising heating in existing, as well as new properties pretend to provide a low-cost effective solution that enables access to heat sources not available to individual households. What work has the Scottish Government taken forward to accelerate the role of district heating networks in existing properties? Thank you. Another hugely important aspect of this agenda, Parliament passed the Heat Networks Act in the last session, and we are implementing that legislation. Public bodies are under a new duty to assess whether their estate would be suitable to connect to district heating systems. Local authorities have powers to identify areas that are suited to district heating. We are exploring the potential for further legislation to strongly encourage buildings to connect to heat networks. Meanwhile, district heating projects in Scotland can receive pre-development support from our heat network support unit and grant and loan funding from Scotland's £300 million heat network fund, or our district heating loan fund. I draw Members' attention to my register of interest in that I am a private landlord as well as only my own house. Renewbable heating targets are very important when the Government is considering them. Will they publish the estimated cost to the public purse for upgrading the renewable heating in the public housing stock? I am not entirely sure what the member refers to by the public housing stock, whether he is talking about council housing or social housing. We have a very substantial social housing net zero heat fund. The member is aware of that. We work with local authorities as well as housing associations and other social housing providers. In fact, that is part of the wider heat and buildings programme, and the overall high-level costs that are referred to earlier have been published and put into the public domain. The minister will be well aware of the Queen's Key district heat network in Clydebank, the biggest in the UK, pioneered by Glasgow-based engineering company Star Refrigeration. It is saying that scaling that across the Clyde corridor with the potential to take hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses off the gas grid is constrained by access to affordable electricity. What is the minister doing to unlock that opportunity for affordable electricity supply along the Clyde and to get the density of commitments through the planning obligations? Together, that would unlock huge potentials. We engage actively with Star who is showing the jobs potential for manufacturing in relation to decarbonisation of heat as well as the Queen's Key development. I hope that all members will encourage local authorities, public bodies and housing associations to access the support for heat networks that are referred to earlier. However, the issues around affordability of electricity supply come back to that regulatory power that currently sits with the UK level. If we are going to decouple gas and electricity prices, we need the UK Government to act, and that would enable us to pass on the benefit of the cheap, abundant, clean, green and renewable electricity that is being generated in this country to benefit Bill Pairs. To ask the Scottish Government how its action to achieve net zero will be supported by the recently agreed partnership between Skills Development Scotland and Built Environment Smarter Transformation. The construction sector is critical to achieving a just transition to net zero, and the Scottish Government is supporting a range of plans for a more sustainable, innovative and diverse construction industry. This new strategic partnership with Mr Doris refers to will allow Built Environment Smarter Transformation and Skills Development Scotland to collaborate to identify ways in which the construction industry can help the sector to address its net zero challenges. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. As we navigate the economic changes that will be accompanying transitioning to a net zero society, apprentices with the skills and knowledge to transform sectors such as construction, as has been mentioned, will be crucial to Scotland's drive towards net zero. What role does the cabinet secretary see apprentices playing in this journey? Apprenticeships are a critical tool for employers to invest in their workforce and to provide the skills needed to support that imperative of transitioning to net zero. They are vital for supporting young people into valuable, rewarding careers and helping people to upskill, reskill and progress in their chosen careers. In fact, statistics published by SDS show that, in 2022-23, construction operations had the largest number of overall starts at 26 per cent. We will continue to work collaboratively to maintain and to boost that number. To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted any analysis of how many deaths on the A9 could have been prevented if it had been fully jewelled. One death on our roads is one too many, and the tragic fatal accidents recorded on the A9 in 2022 and 2023 have occurred on dual and single sections. There will be families grieving, as there will be for all deaths on our roads. An assessment of potential future reductions in the metalities of dualling the whole length of the A9 has not been made. However, the 2016 case for investment for the A9 dualling programme between Perth and Inverness forecasted approximately six fewer fatalities annually following dualling. The comparison is with performance prior to average speed camera introduction, following which there has been an average reduction of three deaths annually compared to baseline. The assessment will be updated as part of the work that is considering the optimal approach for completion of the A9 dualling programme. Right, deaths on dual and single roads. Let me tell the minister that deaths on single carriageway sections of the A9 have outnumbered deaths on dualled carriageway sections by 20-to-1 over the past five years. Dual carriageways in such an important route are much safer. Will the cabinet secretary be specific in Parliament and provide a timetable for the full dualling of the A9, and if unable to respond now with that, will the secretary commit to providing me with a written response this month? On Tuesday, the First Minister announced the contract notice for the dualling of the tomatoes to Moai and that it has been issued, reaffirming the Government's commitment to full dualling of the A9. I would have thought that the member would have wanted to welcome that. The Scottish Government will provide more detail, including timelines and detail, to full dualling in the autumn, as was planned and announced several times before the summer recess in this chamber to those MSPs who attended the chamber. The First Minister has reaffirmed his cast-iron commitment to the folk of the Highlands, and the SNP has a record of delivering infrastructure projects for Scotland that the Scottish Government will continue to deliver on. The cost of dualling tomatoes to Moai has risen from £115 million to £150 million. Can the minister outline what impact inflation caused by the Tory economic negligence and cuts to Scotland's capital budget is having on the Government's ability to deliver on projects like this? The member makes an important point. The first point to make is that we are going to duall the A9. I am not sure whether I take the intervention of the questions from the heckling or whether I do it from the members. In relation to what the member was asking, there is significant pressure on the capital budgets of this Government, not least because of the economic mismanagement that has taken place over recent times. The inflation aspect has had a considerable impact on construction costs, but the fact that our budget has not had an uplift for inflation has meant that it has been a 7 per cent cut in our capital budget. Despite that, you have had a commitment in the programme for government from the First Minister that we will duall the A9. We do not have any more time. We need to move on to the next item of business. That concludes portfolio questions on net zero and just transition.