Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-32071 on 9 January 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

We expect to complete the due diligence in Spring 2025, prior to award of the new contract in October 2025.

The costs included in the referral to the CMA are the overall costs of providing ferry services over the coming years, which include the costs of increasing the number of vessels in the fleet, resulting in an increased charter cost to reflect the value of new assets.

Transport Scotland officials met with the Ferries Communities Board on 18 December 2024 to discuss issues related to Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services 3 contract.

The final subsidy for all Caledonian Sleeper services for the financial year 2024-25 will be known when the accounts for this year have been finalised and published.

As with all projects, Transport Scotland Officials regularly discuss and review draft documents prepared by its technical advisors on an ongoing basis as part of the process to finalise reports prior to seeking Ministerial approval to publish. No changes were made by the Scottish Ministers to the draft outcomes of the A96 Corridor Review that identified an optimal Refined Package of improvements.

The position of the Scottish Government has not changed – the current favoured position is to fully dual the A96, and we are already taking forward the dualling process from Inverness to Nairn, including Nairn Bypass.

The Scottish Government is considering all sensible alternative fuel options for the development of the Scottish rail network.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering vital public services and supporting our third sector but continues to face the most challenging financial situation since devolution.

The 2025-26 draft budget, which will be subject to the approval of the Parliament, included an allocation for the Children, Young People, Families Early Intervention and Adult Learning and Empowering Communities (CYPFEI & ALEC) and Children, Young People, Families and Adult Learners (CYPFAL) third sector funds.

Social Security Scotland routinely releases information on Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods including the number and value of payments.

Since the introduction of Best Start Grant School Age Payment in June 2019, £34,086,106 has been paid to eligible clients. The following table shows the total number and value of School Age Payments made over each financial years since its introduction:

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. It should be noted that the presence of RAAC does not in of itself mean that a building is unsafe. Further information on RAAC in the Public Sector in Scotland can be found in this report Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) across the public sector in Scotland - gov.scot

The Scottish Government has been clear that it will do what is right and necessary to fix the issue of unsafe cladding fully and from the outset. Developers have a key role to play in the assessment, risk mitigation and remediation of buildings with potentially unsafe cladding. We are working collaboratively with them to ensure a fair and proportionate approach to meeting the costs of cladding remediation.

We shared a draft Developer Remediation Contract on 24 September 2024 with the nine developers who signed the Developer Commitment Letter in 2023. The cost to developers who sign the legally binding contract will depend on how many, if any, buildings with potentially unsafe cladding they have developed, and the scale of remediation or mitigation required for each of those buildings following their assessment. Developers agreeing and signing the legally binding developer remediation contract will be a positive step to ensuring the safety of homeowners and residents in multi residential properties with unsafe cladding.

Additionally, this year’s Programme for Government announced that, subject to the devolution of the necessary powers, the Scottish Government intends to bring forward a Bill to establish a Building Safety Levy in Scotland to support the funding of the cladding remediation programme. As set out in the recent consultation on the Scottish Building Safety Levy, we estimate that this measure would seek to raise £30 million per annum.

The Cladding Remediation Programme is accelerating the pace of delivery now that we have put in place the essential building blocks, including the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act 2024, which will be commenced on 6 January 2025.

As we finalise these acceleration plans, we are diligently working on cost estimates to ensure financial clarity. However, the Scottish Government’s position remains that we will invest as necessary to effectively minimise risks posed by unsafe cladding.

Our spending on remediation costs can only follow a full end to end process - checking buildings are in scope, commissioning a Single Building Assessment, completing that robust technical assessment, identifying the works that need to be carried out, designing those works and gaining the necessary approvals, and then carrying out the remediation itself.

Investment in the programme continues with £52.2 million allocated in the 2025-2026 Scottish Government budget to support delivery and acceleration.