Chamber and committees

I look forward to giving a statement to Parliament before summer recess which will set out further detail on what the independent review will consider, how it will be led and how it will engage with stakeholders, including in Caithness.

The Scottish Government supports Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and training providers to work with employers to raise awareness of the benefits of apprenticeships to their business.

SDS promote all types of apprenticeship opportunities, including bricklaying, as an attractive career path through their all-age career service, in every local authority. An SDS Careers Adviser is embedded in every school in Scotland to highlight the career options available to people, including apprenticeships.

The My World of Work website, used in schools to support young people, includes in depth information about apprenticeships, whilst apprenticeships.scot is promoted to all ages as the main source of information about Scottish Apprenticeships. SDS also work with partners and employers to highlight the importance of apprenticeships particularly through Scottish Apprenticeship Week.

SDS has also explored how to better support the construction workforce through the recently published research they commissioned, on behalf of the Skills and Workforce Group of the Construction Accord.

In tandem, a short-life working group led by the Scottish Funding Council, has focused on developing practical solutions to strengthen learner pathways and improve workforce retention in the sector. This work, in collaboration with the Scottish Government, college sector, SDS and the Construction Industry Training Board, is nearing completion.

I will be making a statement to Parliament shortly on how maternity services across Scotland will be improved. This will include detail on what the independent review will consider and how it will be led.

The member has previously raised this issue, and the position remains as set out in our earlier response, it is for NHS Boards and their planning partners to design and deliver healthcare services that meets the needs of the local population, in line with national policies, frameworks and best practice.

Notwithstanding this, NHS Grampian, led by its strengthened executive team, continues to implement initiatives to reduce acute occupancy and support improved patient flow across the system through its escalation Improvement Plan. Targeted work is underway at Dr Gray’s Hospital including recent expansion of the Discharge to Assess pathway across the Moray Health and Social Care Partnership. This is expected to support a reduction in length of stay at the site by minimising unnecessary delays to patient discharge. In parallel, front door frailty services are also being strengthened which will reduce avoidable admissions whilst improving outcomes for older patients.

On 7 April 2026, the Scottish Government adopted an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) screening opinion in relation to Moray Floating Offshore Wind (FLOW)-Park. This screening opinion requires that the project must undertake an EIA and comply with requirements set out in the Marine Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017.

To date, no marine licence application has been submitted by Offshore Solutions Group for Moray FLOW-Park.

The Scottish Government is committed to an infrastructure solution to address the A83 Rest and Be Thankful landslip risks. Delivery of a permanent and resilient solution is a priority, and Transport Scotland continues to seek ways to achieve that as quickly as possible.

Following publication of draft Orders for both the long-term solution and future phases of the medium-term solution on 13 December 2024 Transport Scotland received a number of representations, including objections, to the published draft Orders and the project team are working to resolve these where possible.

If it is not possible to resolve the objections a Public Local Inquiry may be required to consider objections received and not withdrawn.

As with all infrastructure projects, procurement and construction of the long-term solution can only commence if it is approved under the relevant statutory authorisation process and thereafter a timetable for delivery can be determined.

The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to supporting active farming and sustainable food production through direct payments, regardless of choices made elsewhere. The 2026 payments strategy aims to maintain the recent years payment timings for Direct Payments and Scottish Rural Development Plan (SRDP) funding.

Scottish Ministers have committed in the Rural Support Plan to providing certainty, investment, and preparation through to 2030, delivering direct support to provide the industry with reassurance and boost confidence in long-term investment. Stability does not mean no change – we are committed to our ongoing programme of reform designed and delivered in partnership with our rural communities and valued stakeholders.

The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 provides powers for local authorities, rather than the Scottish Government, to introduce and operate Low Emission Zones (LEZs). Decisions on creating or expanding LEZs therefore rest with local authorities, based on local circumstances.

The Scottish Government is not currently in discussion with any local authorities regarding plans to introduce new LEZs or expand existing ones during the current parliamentary session.

The Road Safety Framework to 2030 sets out Scotland’s ambition to reduce deaths and serious injuries by 50% and to have the best road safety performance in the world by 2030.

To support this ambition, the Scottish Government is investing £41 million in road safety in 2026-27. This includes £750,000 to our established Road Safety Framework Fund in 2026-27. This fund enables local authorities and partners to develop and deliver targeted road safety initiatives, any applications for Community Speed Watch initiatives would be considered through this fund. These projects play an important role in promoting safer driving behaviours, supporting communities, and helping to reduce casualties across Scotland’s road network.

Scottish ministers have committed in the Rural Support Plan to providing certainty, preparation, and investment over the next five years, ensuring that our farmers and crofters have the confidence to invest and prepare for changes. Scottish Ministers remain clear in their commitment to support farmers and crofters to produce more of our food more sustainably. In support of that commitment The Code of Practice on Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture published in March 2026 highlights the types of activities that can be adopted on a farm or croft, that will contribute to ever more resilient agricultural production.