Chamber and committees

An application for Waterborne Freight Grant has been received by the operators of the proposed Rosyth to Dunkirk ferry service. This is being assessed and a decision will be made shortly.

The Scottish Government is concerned by the reports raised in the BBC Documentary “Cashing in on Care” and sympathises with the families involved however deposit fees form part of the private contract between the provider and the individual - the Scottish Government is not a party in these contracts.

Families in Scotland can contact their local trading standards team who will investigate any breach of contract which was the issue in the cases raised in the BBC documentary. The Competition and Markets Authority - which is a statutory body and accountable to the UK Parliament - has guidance for care homes on deposits and fees. This requires care home providers to provide details of any upfront payments required, such as the amount of any deposit, how it will be protected, and refunding arrangements.

We expect all providers operating in Scotland to abide by the guidance clearly set out by the CMA fully.

The complexity of rail network management and maintenance would not currently allow night-time ScotRail operations on Scotland’s railway network, including between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The Scottish Government has been working closely with Motability to understand how any changes it is considering to its provision as a consequence of the removal of tax exemptions in the UK Budget might affect customers in Scotland, including those living in rural, remote rural and island communities.

The UK Government did not consult the Scottish Government on its changes to the associated tax exemptions in the November 2025 Budget, despite the clear and significant impacts for the devolved Accessible Vehicles and Equipment (AVE) Scheme in Scotland under which Motability is the provider. Scottish Ministers wrote to the UK Government in November upon becoming aware of the potential tax changes, emphasising that they would cause significant fear and uncertainty for disabled people who rely on the AVE Scheme to remain mobile.

The 1 July 2026 commencement announced by Motability for its changes in the rest of the UK is not set to apply in Scotland. However there may need to be future changes to Motability’s provision in Scotland under the AVE Scheme as a result of the UK tax changes, in which case customers will be notified as soon as possible.

The Scottish Government remains committed to the AVE Scheme and ensuring that eligible clients get the right support to meet their needs and to allow them to remain independent.

In 2025, the Buchan Sustainable Transport Study was commissioned by the Campaign for North East Rail and the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, with funding from the Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund.

There are various measures in place to ensure that female witnesses involved in serious criminal cases are provided with appropriate protections and support throughout court proceedings.

The Scottish Government recognises that some witnesses may find it difficult to give evidence and may be particularly vulnerable because of their circumstances or the nature of their evidence. The court can take extra steps - called special measures - to help vulnerable witnesses give the best evidence they can. Special measures can include giving evidence from behind a screen or remotely via a TV link to the court, to prevent the witness having to attend the court building. Further information on special measures is available at https://www.mygov.scot/witness/help-support.

The Vulnerable Witnesses (Criminal Evidence) (Scotland) Act 2019 introduced a presumption that children and vulnerable witnesses in the most serious criminal cases should be able to have their evidence pre-recorded instead of testifying in court. Pre-recording evidence reduces the risk of re-traumatisation for witnesses and supports them to give their best possible evidence, earlier in the process and in a victim-centred way.

The Scottish Government is rolling out the legislation in stages, to give the criminal justice system time to prepare and to make sure the right facilities are in place for witnesses - and will extend the presumption to vulnerable adult witnesses in the most serious cases following the roll out to child witnesses. Vulnerable adult witnesses can still apply for their evidence to be taken in this way and accordingly, pre-recorded evidence is currently used a great deal for adult complainers of sexual offences, particularly in the High Court.

Other sources of support include the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s Victim Information and Advice (VIA) Service for all vulnerable victims and those involved in the most serious cases. The VIA service can provide information about how the justice process works, and on key court dates and decisions. It will also work with victims to understand if they would benefit from special measures when giving evidence. Furthermore, the Scottish Government provides funding to Victim Support Scotland (VSS) which provides the VSS Court Service. The VSS Court Service supports victims in a range of ways including through court familiarisation visits, virtual court tours, support in court and for writing a victim statement.

Matters regarding the management of the court estate are, of course, for the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) and the Lord President. In partnership with justice partners, SCTS is committed to clear standards of service for victims and witnesses (available at https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/media/rvrdro0w/standards-of-service-for-victims-and-witnesses-2025-26.pdf). This includes ensuring that witnesses who require to attend court will be placed in witness rooms designated for prosecution or defence. In addition, toilet facilities within the SCTS buildings are clearly designated as male and female. Accessible toilet facilities are available and may be used by any individual, regardless of gender.

Energy pricing is fully reserved to the UK Government. The UK Government must deliver its promised £300 energy bill reduction and it must devolve power over Scotland’s energy to Holyrood so that we can ensure that Scotland’s energy wealth works for those who live here.

I will be holding discussions with my Officials in the coming months to determine how best to organise and evaluate additional funding for local roads maintenance. As with all areas of Local Government funding, substantive details around funding allocations and accountability will be considered through the joint COSLA and Scottish Government Settlement and Distribution Group (SDG) prior to recommendations being provided to COSLA Leaders and Scottish Ministers.

In the meantime, local authorities have a duty under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to manage and maintain local roads in their area and duties under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of traffic. The Scottish Government does not hold specific information on any maintenance backlogs on these roads, though this will be discussed with local authorities and COSLA as part of the work on the additional funding.

The Rural and Islands Housing Fund has a budget of up to £37 million between April 2021 to March 2028. The Fund was extended in Programme for Government 2025 to applications to March 2028 and the National Islands Plan, published in February 2026, confirmed an overall budget of up to £37 million.

As of 31 December 2025, 307 homes have been delivered through the Rural and Islands Housing Fund across 12 Local Authority areas(Angus, Argyll & Bute, Dumfries & Galloway, Highland, Moray, Orkney, North Ayrshire, Perth & Kinross, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, West Lothian and Western Isles) with over 40 homes on-site and estimated to complete in 2025-26 and 2026-27.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00208 on 02 June 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.