Thread by @McAllister1973

The centrepiece of this Programme for Government is our work to tackle the climate emergency. #ScotPfG

"I can confirm today that, during the passage of the [Referendum] Bill, we will seek agreement to the transfer of power that will put the referendum beyond legal challenge."

"We have a clear democratic mandate to offer the choice of independence within this term of Parliament - and we intend to do so."

"Scotland – like the rest of the world – faces a climate emergency. We are now committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 at the latest - earlier than any other UK nation. "

"One area where we must act is transport, currently responsible for more than a third of Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions.

I can therefore announce the following actions…"

"we will help more businesses and consumers buy ultra low emission vehicles, including second hand ones, with a further £17 million of low carbon transport loans."

"On aviation, I am announcing today a bold aim to make the Highlands and Islands the world’s first zero emission aviation region, with flights and airport operations fully decarbonised."

"I can advise Parliament that we will trial low or zero emission flights during 2021 - quite literally piloting new technology here in Scotland."

"And we intend to decarbonise all flights between airports within Scotland by 2040."

"I can confirm today our overall aim. Scotland’s rail services will be decarbonised by 2035 – 5 years ahead of the UK ambition."

"If we want to encourage more people to travel by bus, we must also make it a quicker and more reliable option."

"I can therefore announce a transformational capital investment programme. We will work with councils on schemes to reduce congestion through new priority routes for buses. And I can confirm that we will back this with new investment of more than half a billion pounds."

"I can also confirm today that we will consult on the further steps we need to take now to achieve the transition to zero emission city centres by 2030."

"As well as in transport, we will also intensify our actions to reduce emissions from heating and housing, and tackle fuel poverty."

"I can announce today that from 2024 we will require all new build homes to be heated from renewable or low carbon sources, rather than fossil fuel boilers."

"The Scottish Low Carbon Heat Fund will provide a minimum of £30 million for renewable heat projects, including heat pumps. We will also introduce a Heat Networks Bill to regulate district and communal heating networks in a way that supports their growth."

"All businesses, third sector organisations and individuals have a role to play in tackling climate change, but the public sector has a special responsibility to lead by example. "

"That is why we will mobilise our £11 billion procurement budget to help meet our climate change targets."

"Publicly owned Scottish Water – the biggest purchaser of electricity in Scotland – will commit to becoming a net zero company by 2040."

"I know - and understand why - many climate change campaigners argue that part of our response to the climate emergency should be the immediate withdrawal of support for oil and gas."

"I can confirm that our support for oil and gas will now be conditional on the sector’s actions to help ensure a sustainable energy transition."

"As part of that, we will work with the Oil and Gas Technology Centre to help develop renewable technologies that can be integrated with our existing oil and gas infrastructure."

"We will support the development of regional land use partnerships between now and 2021. We will develop an Agriculture Transformation Programme. And we will invest an additional £5 million to increase our tree planting target from 10,000 to 12,000 hectares next year."

"The Scottish National Investment Bank, which will become operational next year will invest at least £2 billion over ten years, providing patient finance for ambitious companies and projects that can help us to achieve key national missions. "

"I can confirm today that the Bank’s primary mission will be securing the transition to a net zero economy."

"I can announce today that over the next few months, we will work with councils to establish a new Green Growth Accelerator. This will enable local authorities to invest in, and encourage greater private investment in, projects which reduce emissions and boost growth"

"The Scottish Government will also develop and bring to market a Green Investment Portfolio of projects worth at least £3 billion, covering areas such as heat, waste, power generation and property."

"I can also announce today that we will launch a new Foreign Direct Investment plan to attract new investment in key sectors of the economy."

"The plan will also enable us to offer support to start-ups specialising in technology or low-carbon industries anywhere in the world, if they choose to relocate to Scotland."

"We will also continue to pursue a balanced approach to taxation. We have already ensured that the majority of people in Scotland pay less income tax than elsewhere in the UK, while those who can afford to pay proportionately more."

"I can confirm that in the year ahead we will consult on, and introduce, legislation to give councils the power to apply a transient visitor levy – often called a tourist tax. It is a further example of our commitment to devolve more power to local councils."

"Next August, we will deliver one of the defining commitments of the current parliamentary session - around 80,000 families in Scotland will start to benefit from our expansion of early years education and childcare. "

"All three and four year olds, and all two year olds from poorer families, will be eligible for 30 hours a week of free early learning and childcare during the school year."

"That represents a total investment of more than £900 million pounds each year in giving our children the best possible start in life. And it will save parents up to £4500 per child each year."

"We will continue our work to close the attainment gap in schools and raise standards for all. We are currently investing more than £180 million in the Attainment Fund. To allow schools to plan ahead, I can confirm today that we will continue the Fund until at least March 2022."

"I can also announce today that we will make an additional £15m available this year to improve the experience of children who have additional support needs, and their families."

"And we will shortly announce the first set of schools to be built through our new £1 billion school investment programme. A priority of that new programme will be to work with Fife Council to rebuild Woodmill High in Dunfermline as quickly as possible."

"As well as investing in childcare and schools, we will continue to invest in our colleges and universities. In the next year, we aim to deliver 30,000 modern apprenticeship starts, meeting the commitment we made in 2016."

"The Independent Care Review will report early next year. I have been clear, though, that we should not delay making changes now that will help level the playing field for care experienced young people."

"I am therefore announcing a further package of commitments today - as a down payment on the longer term changes that the review is likely to recommend."

"remove dental charges for care experienced people between the ages of 18 and 26"

"ensure access to discretionary housing payments for care experienced young people in receipt of a qualifying benefit"

"extend entitlement to early learning and childcare provision to 2 year olds with a care experienced parent"

"create a statutory presumption in favour of siblings in care being placed together where it is in their best interests"

"and from the start of the 2020/21 academic year, remove the age cap of 26 for access to the care experienced student bursary."

"Children and young people who grow up in the care of the state deserve to be loved and supported to reach their full potential. I am determined that we will live up to that."

"Last year, we set out a major package of investment in mental health services. We will continue to deliver better support for new mothers who experience mental health problems."

"And we will meet our pledge to provide an additional 800 mental health professionals by March 2022 in settings such as hospitals, GP surgeries and prisons. "

"The first tranche of the 350 counsellors that we committed to last year will be working in our secondary schools in this school year. I can confirm that they will all be in place by this time next year."

"This year, working with COSLA, we will implement our plans for a community wellbeing service across Scotland, supported by £17 million of additional funding over the next two years."

"We will continue to direct resources to primary care – increasing the number of GPs entering training, investing in general practice nursing, and supporting the recruitment of more link workers, paramedics and pharmacists."

"We will invest more than £100m over the next year to implement the Waiting Times Improvement Plan."

"In light of the situation with the new children’s hospital in Edinburgh - which the Health Secretary will provide a full statement on next week - I can also confirm that we will establish a new body to oversee NHS infrastructure developments."

"Two years ago, I announced an additional £20m a year to reduce the harm caused by drugs. The drug death statistics published over the summer reinforced the scale and urgency of that task. I am therefore announcing additional investment of £10m in each of the next two years. "

"By autumn of next year we will have made improvements to school meals. We will set maximum limits for the consumption of red processed meat; increase the amount of fruit and vegetables served; reduce the amount of sugar available; and encourage the use of fresh local produce."

"That is in line with the aspirations of the Good Food Nation Bill, which will be introduced this year."

"We will also take further steps to tackle poverty. We invested an estimated £1.4 billion last year in support for low income households. That includes almost £100 million to protect people from the impact of UK welfare reforms."

"Scotland is currently the only part of the UK to have statutory targets for reducing child poverty. To help meet those targets, we will introduce legislation for a new Scottish Child Payment of £10 a week."

"I am very pleased to announce today that we plan to make the first payments to eligible families with children under the age of 6 by Christmas next year - ahead of the schedule we set out before recess."

"I can confirm today that from Spring next year young people will start to receive the Job Start Payment – a new payment to help around 5000 young people with expenses such as travel costs and new clothing when they return to work after a period of unemployment."

"We are in the first year of a three year investment – totalling more than £32 million - in our Rapid Rehousing and Housing first Programmes. These will support hundreds of people in the coming year."

"In addition, we will launch a £4.5 million fund this year for third sector organisations involved in tackling homelessness. It will enable them to improve and in some cases transform the services they provide. "

"I am also delighted to confirm that in December this year we will launch a new £150 million national pilot scheme to provide first time house buyers with up to £25,000 towards their deposits."

"This Programme for Government also includes important measures to protect communities, and strengthen human rights."

"We will support our fire and rescue service, and protect the police budget. Among other things, this support will enable police officers to spend more time in their communities through the use of mobile technology."

"And having established the Victims Taskforce last year, we will continue to put victims at the heart of the justice system – for example by investing in facilities for child witnesses to give pre-recorded evidence. "

"We will also introduce a Forensic Medical Services Bill to improve services for victims of sexual offences."

"A new Hate Crime Bill will consolidate and update existing hate crime legislation. The vital importance of tackling hate crimes was underlined by the unacceptable sectarian disorder that took place on the streets of Govan last Friday night."

"We will also introduce a Redress Bill for survivors of in-care abuse, setting out how financial redress can be paid to survivors of historic child abuse who were in care in Scotland. "

"The Defamation and Malicious Publications Bill will modernise the law in this area. It will balance the protection of people’s reputations with the important principle of free expression. "

"And we will introduce a Civil Partnership Bill, enabling mixed sex couples to enter into civil partnerships. "

"We will implement key recommendations of the National Advisory Council on Women and Girls – for example by establishing a new collaborative to promote gender equality across Scottish public life. And we will continue our work to tackle the gender pay gap."

"I can reaffirm our commitment that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child will be incorporated into Scots law before the end of this parliamentary session. "

"The Scottish Government will continue to work with others to try to block a no-deal Brexit - and to prevent Scotland being removed from the EU at all. "

"The Rural Support Bill will enable us to modify elements of retained EU law which relate to the Common Agricultural Policy."

"The Continuity Bill will allow the Scottish Government and Parliament to align devolved law with EU law. "

"As long as no deal remains a risk, we will do everything we can to ensure that Scotland is as prepared as we can be. However, unlike the UK government, we will be honest about the inability to prevent all of the harm that a catastrophic no-deal Brexit would inflict. "

"Mitigating bad Westminster decisions should not be what this Parliament is about. We should be focussing all of our energies on the positive decisions that will secure the best future for our country."

"The opportunity to choose that better, more hopeful future as an independent country is one that Scotland deserves. And this government is determined to offer it."

"This programme sets out actions for the next 12 months which will make a difference for years to come. It details measures which can help make our country the best in the world in which to grow up, learn, work and live."

"It meets the challenges of the future, while staying true to our enduring values. I commend it to parliament."