Chamber and committees

At 31 March 2021 there were 7816 directly employed staff within the core Scottish Government, however all staff continued to work from home where possible during this time.

The headcount of staff normally based in each Local Authority is in the table below.

As concluded in the South West Scotland Transport Study, a new station at Thornhill was one of the interventions recommended for the next stage of appraisal. This option is one of 58 potential new stations across Scotland that are being appraised as part of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2).

The appraisal process for STPR2 is considering the performance of all options against the transport outcomes we are seeking, the Transport Planning Objectives, which are aligned to our National Transport Strategy priorities and outcomes. The interventions will seek to contribute to our vision of a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system helping deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for communities, businesses and visitors.

Therefore, we need to consider the social and economic benefits and impacts based on performance against these objectives and the five Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance criteria, to determine the overall Value for Money. This also takes into account risks, uncertainties and other factors such as affordability, deliverability and the wider acceptability of options. This will be an important consideration given pressures on current and future public finances.

Also underpinning STPR2 is the Sustainable Investment Hierarchy where we will aim first to reduce the need to travel unsustainably, make better use of and enhance existing infrastructure, before investing in new capacity. This hierarchy is also central to Infrastructure Investment Plan. STPR2 will conclude later this year, with publication of recommendations for investment and an appropriate statutory consultation period.

Until the appraisal process is completed, it is not possible to make individual decisions on potential new stations such as Thornhill.

The operation of the MV Arrow on the Ullapool – Stornoway route is primarily a consideration for operator under the terms of the Time Charter. The Scottish Government has not requested detailed reports regarding the breakdown of the MV Arrow from either CalMac Ferries Ltd or Seatruck Ferries Ltd but was made aware of the situation as it developed.

The MV Arrow was removed from service on 24 July 2021 due to a fishing net or rope having been caught around the port propeller hub causing damage which required repair. The MV Arrow resumed the Ullapool – Stornoway freight only service on the evening of 3 August 2021.

During the breakdown of the MV Arrow, the MV Loch Seaforth operated her normal timetable, including overnight freight sailings. The costs of repairing the MV Arrow will be met by the vessel owner.

The carrying capacity of vessels under physical distancing requirements is dependent upon the individual layout, including access and egress arrangements. The table below provides information on the normal passenger carrying capacity of the vessels used on the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services and the Northern Isles Ferry Services as well as carrying capacity under 2m and 1m physical distancing requirements.

The available information is provided in the following tables which has been produced from the Scottish Government’s criminal proceedings database . The latest available criminal proceedings in Scotland data is to 2019-20.

Number of people convicted in Scottish courts receiving a financial penalty for littering offences (where main crime), 1999-00 to 2019-20.

Prison infrastructure projects are large and complex. The timing of the HMP Glasgow, which will replace HMP Barlinnie, has been impacted by challenges in identifying and securing a suitable site as well as market conditions. An extensive search was required to identify a suitable site within the Glasgow City boundary and the acquisition of the site near Provanmill was completed in December 2020. Procurement activity is now underway and construction work is currently scheduled to commence in 2023.

The Scottish Government takes the protection of its ancient woodlands seriously and there are several existing areas of legislation and policies in place to provide that protection.

NatureScot use the planning system to protect ancient woodland through their engagement with the preparation of development plans. Furthermore, protection for all woodland is in place via felling regulations under the Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Act 2018 and the Scottish Government’s Control of Woodland Removal Policy , where there is a strong presumption against removing ancient semi-natural woodland.

Anyone wishing to fell trees in Scotland must apply for a Felling Permission and thiswill only be granted if it complies with the principles of sustainable forest management, as set out in the UK Forestry Standard .

The National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) Position Statement , sets out our expectation that NPF4 will strengthen our approach to protecting and restoring the health and quality of Scotland’s natural environment, including considering how we can promote nature based solutions and strengthen policy on woodland protection in association with development, aligned with new provisions on forestry and woodland strategies.

Scottish Forestry and NatureScot are working together to deliver those key recommendations in the Scottish Government’s official response to the Deer Working Group Report relevant to forestry. This includes developing a vision for woodland deer management based on protecting public interests within the context of the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis, and developing actions to deliver these aims through the Wild Deer National Approach.

We are also committed to establishing a National Register of Ancient Woodlands and will work with owners and agencies to maintain and protect them.

The process to return Glasgow Prestwick Airport to the private sector continues and decisions have still to be taken in relation to the prospective sale of the business. With the process to return Prestwick Airport to the private sector continuing, it would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment further at this time.

We have committed to updating Parliament on the sale process at the appropriate stage and to protect the integrity of the process we will not be making any further comment at this time.

The Scottish Government's new air quality 'Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 - Towards a Better Place for Everyone' is accompanied by a Delivery Plan which summarises the strategy actions, the dates by when they will be achieved and the organisations responsible for delivering each action.

The Delivery Plan confirms that the Scottish Government will undertake a review of nature based, green and blue interventions which can benefit air quality, using the outcomes to develop a database of potential solutions for both regeneration and new developments, by 2024.