Chamber and committees

Dundee City Council is the lead body for the Public Service Obligation (PSO) between Dundee and London. The Scottish Government understands that Dundee City Council are in the process of developing proposals for a new PSO air service to London. If Dundee City Council requests a funding contribution to a future PSO then the Scottish Government will fully consider that request. Should a new PSO be imposed, the airline to operate the service will be selected through an open tender procedure as required by legislation. It should be noted that the Scottish Government continues to provide subsidy to enable the ongoing operation of Dundee Airport.

CalMac has been and continues to work with the Raasay community to introduce such maintenance in a way that minimises disruption, including consideration of different scheduling options and possible relief vessels.

As part of the new CHFS3 contract, CalMac is introducing an increased programme of regular maintenance across the network. This is intended to improve reliability and resilience by reducing the likelihood of breakdowns, which can cause significant disruption to island connectivity.

CalMac has been working with the Raasay community, as with communities across the network, to introduce such maintenance in a way that minimises disruption.

Police Scotland have previously briefed Ministers regarding the different types of vehicles including Electric Scooters, Electric Motorcycles, and Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (EAPC, commonly known as e-bikes).

Officers have been issued with guidance on how to differentiate between legal and illegally modified EAPCs, and they only seize vehicles, including ones which fall into the categories described above, when they have the power to do so. Work is currently underway to assess devices and technologies which can help officers to detect illegal vehicles.

It is for Police Scotland to determine how best to record incidents. If a crime has been committed, this should be recorded in line with the Scottish Crime Recording Standard.

Yes, and the recently published Islands Connectivity Plan identifies that the priority for island communities is that ferry services should be reliable and resilient.

Environmental Standards Scotland's (ESS) report published on 23 June 2026, Protecting Scotland's seafloor: an assessment of Scottish Ministers' implementation of the Marine Strategy Regulations 2010, contains ESS’ findings and recommendations relating to the Scottish Ministers’ implementation of those Regulations, including regarding monitoring of marine waters.

The Scottish Government is carefully considering the ESS report and will work constructively with ESS to seek to agree an appropriate action plan within the timescale suggested in the report. The Scottish Government's position on the report's findings and recommendations will be set out through that engagement and in its formal response.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-02471 on 3 September 2026. 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.

The Corridor Action Plans will identify and prioritise potential interventions and establish a phased pipeline of short, medium and long-term measures to inform future investment decisions. Timescales for completion of the plans will be confirmed following procurement and appointment of consultants. The Scottish Government intends that any transport improvements identified through the A75 and A77 Corridor Action Plans will be reported through updates to the Scottish Government's Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline and subject to the annual budgetary processes and Capital Spending Reviews. Further details are available at: South West Scotland Strategic Corridor Improvements | Transport Scotland

Environmental Standards Scotland's (ESS) report published on 23 June 2026, Protecting Scotland's seafloor: an assessment of Scottish Ministers' implementation of the Marine Strategy Regulations 2010, contains ESS’ findings and recommendations relating to the Scottish Ministers’ implementation of those Regulations, including in relation to UK seafloor integrity targets.

The Scottish Government is carefully considering the ESS report and will work constructively with ESS to seek to agree an appropriate action plan within the timescale suggested in the report. The lead directorate for this work, which currently sits within the portfolios of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs and the Minister for Agriculture, Marine, and the Islands, is Marine Directorate. The Scottish Government’s position on the report's findings and recommendations will be set out through that engagement and in its formal response.

The development of the Corridor Action Plans will be informed by the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG), the Design Manual for Road and Bridges (DMRB) and Transport Scotland business case guidance. Potential interventions will be assessed against a range of criteria including road safety, journey reliability, resilience and economic connectivity, alongside environmental impacts, affordability, value for money and deliverability. Further details are available at: South West Scotland Strategic Corridor Improvements | Transport Scotland