Chamber and committees

During the Cabinet meeting of 24 August 2015, the First Minister was informed that a preferred bidder had been selected for vessels 801 and 802.

The Scottish Government’s annual report on our Vision for Trade recognised the widespread concerns about Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) in free trade agreements (FTAs). We have consistently called on the UK Government to ensure that any ISDS mechanism does not prevent Scotland and the rest of the UK from regulating on health, social, environmental and economic matters.

Any ISDS system must be transparent, based on judicial procedures, and permit meaningful representations by all parties with a potential stake in the matter. Provisions in this area have the potential to impact Scotland significantly, limit the ability of the Scottish Parliament to regulate in devolved areas and constrain action to achieve our net-zero goal.

We have made our position on the inclusion of ISDS in UK accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) clear to the UK Government, through ministerial and official contact.

The annual report on Scotland’s Vision for Trade can be accessed here: Scotland's Vision for Trade: annual report - March 2022 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Decisions about the rates for reimbursement of travel costs for family members who wish to visit The State Hospital are for The State Hospitals Board for Scotland. The current policy was implemented in 2021 and is due to be reviewed in 2024, however it can be refreshed prior to that.

The ‘Supporting Visitor Travel Policy and Protocol’ includes policy on the partial reimbursement of overnight visit costs.

The total amount of publicly available electric vehicle charge points registered on the ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) network are as follows -

31 December 2019 = 1226

24 April 2022 (latest update) = 2244

All NHS Boards in Scotland, have a named Motor Neuron Disease (MND) clinical nurse specialist, either employed directly by the Board or provided by a neighbouring Board through Service Level Agreements. NHS Dumfries and Galloway is in the process of recruiting to their vacant post, with specialist nurse resource being provided by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in the interim.

The information for which NHS Board areas have a MND clinical lead is not held centrally, however all Scottish Health Boards have a named Consultant Neurologist who diagnoses and undertakes clinical oversight of patients with neurological conditions including MND.

Investment of over £1.6 billion for social care and integration in the 2022-23 budget progresses our commitment to increase spend in social care specifically by 25% – over £840 million – by the end of this parliament, and supports measures to strengthen the implementation of Self-directed Support, improve prevention and early intervention and to increase the delivery of more community-based support.

The Scottish Government has also committed to abolishing charges for non-residential social care and support and we are currently working with stakeholders to develop options to do so as soon as practicable.

The Resource Spending Review is due to be published in May 2022 and will include details on the Scottish Government’s multi-year funding arrangements across all Portfolios.

As set out in the STAG Managers Guide , an appraisal using Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) is required whenever Scottish Government funding, support or approval is needed to change the transport system. It may also offer a suitable framework for other funders.

STAG is applicable to all transport interventions. Option generation as part of STAG should be unconstrained and should fully reflect the range of multi-modal options available. Typically, the STAG process is not used for developing and comparing alternative designs for the same mode-specific option, for example alternative corridors for a new road project, however the principles for appraisal and evaluation are similar and the basis of determining socio-economic impacts derive from HM Treasury Green Book.

A transport appraisal in accordance with STAG aligns with the Strategic Business Case (SBC) stage, the initial stage of business case development in line with Transport Scotland’s Guidance on the development of Business Cases , where a decision is taken to progress any option to the next stage.

Certain transport options which emerge from the STAG process may then require further consideration using mode-specific guidance at the next stages of business case development, for example:

• Project Acceleration in a Controlled Environment (PACE) – for rail projects; and
• Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) – for roads schemes.

STAG is not usually adopted when considering maintenance issues of an existing asset which will not significantly change or affect the operation of the transport system.

Since the significant landslides that occurred in August and September 2020, contractors have installed various landslide mitigation measures including drainage improvements, debris fences, a catch pit and material barriers to improve the resilience of the A83 and the Old Military Road diversion route. The mitigation has been augmented by the construction of a 175m long, 6m high debris bund, which further protects the Old Military Road.

In addition to this contractors have enhanced operational procedures for managing the A83 corridor including how we monitor hillside conditions during periods of bad weather. So far, the protection afforded by these measures has meant that the A83 and the Old Military Road local diversion have been able to remain in operation for all but eight occasions during 2021 and 2022 to date, meaning traffic did not have to use the longer diversion via Inveraray and Crianlarich. The effectiveness of these measures will continue to be reviewed and improved where possible. As part of the Access to Argyll and Bute (A83) project we are also progressing plans for a medium term resilient route through Glen Croe and we will bring forward proposals for this by late 2022.

As with all our major trunk road projects, Transport Scotland carried out a rigorous assessment process to establish the preferred line for the A82 Tarbet to Inverarnan scheme. This three-stage assessment process is based on the standards and good practice set by the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB), and covers environmental, engineering, traffic and economic considerations. Value for Money Reviews were carried out during each stage of the DMRB assessment process and I can confirm that all route options considered for the scheme were subject to this process. This has helped to ensure that scheme objectives are achieved while optimising value for money in terms of the potential costs, benefits, and risks. Further details on each stage in the assessment process is available from the project pages on the Transport Scotland website at https://www.transport.gov.scot/projects/a82-tarbet-to-inverarnan/project-details/ .

We set up the super sponsor scheme to remove the need for displaced people from Ukraine to have to apply for a visa with a named person as sponsor. When applying for their visa, displaced people can only select one sponsor – so they can select the Scottish Government as their sponsor or a specific individual host. Selecting the Scottish Government allows people to apply for their visa straight away, and not wait to be matched with an individual host. It also ensures that people are accommodated safely when they arrive, before being matched to longer-term accommodation.