Alasdair Allan: I thank the cabinet secretary for that reply. The north of Scotland region is rich in green energy but has twice the average Scottish level of extreme fuel poverty. As the cabinet secretary has recognised, part of that problem is the unfair and archaic transmission charges, which are set by the UK Government and, in effect, charge consumers by how far they are from the south. In Scotland,...
Alasdair Allan: Clearly, supporting business has a key role to play in supporting island economies and communities. What is the Scottish Government doing to ensure that the planned funding is being delivered timeously?
Alasdair Allan: Yesterday’s welcome announcement will mean that the waters around the Western Isles will contribute substantially to Scotland’s journey to net zero and present vital economic opportunities. What community benefits and supply chain opportunities for the Western Isles can we expect to see from ScotWind, and how will the Government ensure that partners such as the local authority are fully...
Alasdair Allan: 1. I refer members to my entry in the register of interests, which mentions my involvement with the Western Isles Cancer Care Initiative. To ask the Scottish Government what financial support is offered to patients and authorised escorts who need to travel significant distances for medical appointments. (S6O-00684)
Alasdair Allan: The charity Western Isles Cancer Care Initiative recently recorded its fastest approval for financial assistance for a cancer patient, whose patient escort request—for a friend to accompany them—had been refused by the health board. For people who live on the mainland, it must be strange to imagine having to undergo something as worrying as cancer treatment without the support of a loved...
Alasdair Allan: Winter always brings disruption to ferry schedules, and today’s on-going high winds are also causing issues. How is the Scottish Government ensuring that no resilience or welfare issues arise on island communities as a result of periods of prolonged service disruption?
Alasdair Allan: I thank Ariane Burgess for bringing this important debate to the chamber. As others have said, here in Scotland we are fortunate to enjoy a wealth of diverse coastlines that are rich in both natural resources and natural environment. Our coastal communities from Stranraer to Stornoway and beyond face an array of unique challenges, including the protection of the land and sea around them. The...
Alasdair Allan: 7. To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to ensure that energy companies do not discriminate against island residents in relation to the installation of smart meters in residential properties. (S6O-00754)
Alasdair Allan: My constituency already faces the worst levels of fuel poverty in the country. Difficulties in getting smart meters fitted is just one of the challenges that my constituents come up against. The UK’s recent price cap hike will, from April, cause many energy bills in the Western Isles to rise potentially even higher than Ofgem’s 54 per cent increase. What can the Scottish Government do to...
Alasdair Allan: I know from her recent conversations with me that the minister appreciates the importance of these issues. The lack of resilience in the network exacerbates the serious problems that people experience as a result of weather. I could cite examples in my constituency of where food shops have had serious difficulties. Quite aside from the issue of new tonnage, can the minister provide the...
Alasdair Allan: 7. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the justice secretary has had with the United Kingdom Government regarding the impact on Scotland of the online safety bill. (S6O-00762)
Alasdair Allan: Telecommunications is a reserved issue, but the Scottish Government has been taking important steps wherever it can to better protect people from abuse. Will the Government give an update on when the main provisions of the Defamation and Malicious Publication (Scotland) Act 2021 will come into force?
Alasdair Allan: The First Minister will be aware of the serious impact that exorbitant and unfair transmission charges are having on renewables developments across Scotland. Those charges are particularly punitive for the islands, where developers face higher costs than anywhere else in the United Kingdom to connect to the national grid. What can the Scottish Government do to lobby the United Kingdom...
Alasdair Allan: I thank Sharon Dowey for giving way and agree with her sentiments. The Westminster Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee, which has already been alluded to, produced a Russia report that many people would see as a blueprint for imposing the very kind of financial sanctions that the member refers to. Would she support the implementation of that report’s recommendations in full...
Alasdair Allan: Will Willie Rennie give way?
Alasdair Allan: By consensus, our committee agreed that the UK Internal Market Act 2020 has raised some troubling questions for the devolution settlement. Our report concludes that the act “has increased tension within the devolution settlement arising from the UK leaving the EU. UKIMA has been rejected by the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government and by the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Senedd and...
Alasdair Allan: Will the member take an intervention?
Alasdair Allan: The First Minister will be aware that Tighean Innse Gall, the housing agency in the Western Isles, announced last week that it would no longer be able to administer Government-funded insulation projects. That is not for any lack of funding but because of PAS 2035 regulations on ventilation, which have caused demand for such schemes to collapse in the islands. Given that the Western Isles is...
Alasdair Allan: As we have heard, the committee noted that many of the religious organisations that it heard from are in favour of a ban on conversion therapy practices, although views are varied, of course. It is therefore important that we always make it clear that the measures are not about restricting religious teaching or preaching. Does the minister agree that, in seeking to end the demonstrably...
Alasdair Allan: In case the member thinks that I have concerns, I should make it clear that I said that I consider these so-called therapies to be unacceptable and harmful.