All local authorities are under a statutory duty to have regard to any guidance, such as ‘Better Eating, Better Learning’, issued by Scottish Ministers on the application of the principles of sustainable development when providing food or drink or catering services in schools. Local authorities, supported by Scotland Excel, remain committed to using local and sustainable produce in school catering wherever possible. It is up to each local authority to decide what produce, including organic, to use in their catering services, taking into account local needs, priorities and circumstances.

The member is right to focus on how we are driving sustainable, inclusive economic growth in Scotland by requiring grant recipients to pay at least the real Living Wage and provide appropriate channels for effective voice. This will take further the conditionality that we have already applied to £4bn of public funding since 2019.

As long as they act lawfully it is up to each council to manages day to day business, allocate resources. Scottish Ministers have no general powers to direct a council how to use its funding. Councils are best placed to determine how Fair Work conditionality can be applied to local priorities, with delivery monitored within their normal funding and contract management arrangements.

Although local government funding is provided through grant in aid rather than direct grant, and will not be subject to Bute House conditionality, the Scottish Government asks local government to build on the shared commitment made in June 2021 by local authority Chief Officers to adopting Fair Work First. As such, we have asked COSLA and local government to consider how the new real Living Wage and effective voice conditionality can be applied to grants they award, and take action to initiate this.

Ministers have engaged regularly with COSLA, setting out the Scottish Government’s expectation that councils, alongside the wider public sector, lead the way on Fair Work. The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government and Cabinet Secretary for Finance wrote to COSLA in September 2021 making clear that pay and effective voice are cornerstones of Fair Work. My officials have had regular discussions with COSLA representatives on Fair Work, and in November 2022, I met with COSLA’s resources spokesperson to discuss Fair Work and highlight this new conditionality. I also wrote to COSLA and local authority leaders on 9 December to outline the new conditionality measures being introduced to Fair Work First from July 2023, and and to reiterate the important role for the public sector in making Scotland a leading Fair Work nation.

We are working closely with NHS Boards to support a range of local initiatives designed to meet the basic and practical needs of junior doctors, and their teams. This includes access to quiet spaces to support health and wellbeing, the installation of lockers and further support to facilitate out of hours catering. The Scottish Government is determined to deliver the recommendations of the Expert Working Group’s report on junior doctor wellbeing and have begun introducing further improvements to working conditions. We are on track to meet the key recommendation of limiting consecutive days of long shifts, with 99% compliance achieved in August 2022.

The Scottish Government is in regular contact with the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy about the continuing discussions to renegotiate the Energy Charter Treaty, with a view to identifying and mitigating any particular impacts on Scotland.

The Scottish Government is aware of the concerns raised by The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and others that International Investment Agreements, such as the Energy Charter Treaty, may lead to ‘regulatory chill’. That is why, in our Vision for Trade, we are clear that no part of a trade or investment agreement should limit the ability of the Scottish Parliament to regulate in devolved areas, or constrain much-needed action to achieve our net zero goal.

Transport Scotland officials have regular discussions with UK Government Department for Transport officials regarding a number of maritime issues, including direct ferry links to Europe.

I am advised by my officials in Transport Scotland that Network Rail is refining its proposed scope of works for the Aberdeen to Central Belt project, which will be considered by the Scottish Ministers in the new year.

The Scottish Government intends to achieve the required Aberdeen to Central Belt project outputs by the end of 2026.

Energy pricing and the powers to create local tariffs are reserved to the UK Government. However, we will continue to engage with BEIS about its Energy Price Guarantee review for April 2024 and the consideration of social tariffs for domestic consumers, especially for those in or at risk of fuel poverty.

The First Minister has also chaired two energy summits since August. These have discussed the impact of UK Government measures in response to the energy crisis and agreed that these should be more support targeted towards vulnerable households and businesses, including those living in rural communities.

“Approval in principle, Asset Manager accepts design” is an internal Network Rail approval stage. This signifies the point at which designs are at a sufficient level to be approved to move forward to be designed for construction. A revised date for when the design will be approved following the refinement of the scope referred to in answer to question S6W-12919.

I therefore refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12919 on 21 December 2022. 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-13195 on 21 December 2022. 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