Chamber and committees

The A9 dualling programme will upgrade 83 miles (133 kilometres) of road from single to dual carriageway. As of March 2026, two out of the eleven sections of the A9 dualling programme have been completed totalling 11 miles (17kilometres). This includes the first section to be dualled, Kincraig to Dalraddy, which has been operational since September 2017, and the second section to be dualled, Luncarty to Pass of Birnam, which has been operational since August 2021. Since the start of the current parliamentary session in 2021 construction works have commenced on the third and fourth sections to be dualled, which together total 11 miles(17 kilometres), with contract award for the Tomatinto Moy contract in July 2024 and for the Tay Crossing to Ballinluig project in July 2025. Procurement of the4 mile(6.4 kilometre)fifth section, the Pitlochry to Killiecrankie project, also commenced in July 2025.

Turning to the A96, the Scottish Government remains committed to dualling the A96 and we are pressing forward with the steps to make this happen.

Investment in the trunk road network over the next four years will allow the Scottish Government to make further progress on dualling the A96 between Inverness and Nairn, including the Nairn Bypass. With the statutory procedures completed and land acquired in 2025, funding is included in the 2026/27 draft Budget to commence the delivery of advanced works for this scheme, with a view to commencing procurement of the main works construction contract within this Capital Spending Review period.

The Scottish Government’s preference would be to deliver the A96 Dualling Inverness to Nairn (including Nairn Bypass) as one project. However, due to the continued fiscal challenges which follow nearly 14 years of austerity and cost pressures under the previous UK Government, it is planned that we will take forward a phased approach to delivery, starting with the Nairn Bypass, followed by the remaining sections of the scheme, from Seafield, east of Inverness, to Balloch and then on from Balloch to the Nairn Bypass. Following the A96 Dualling Inverness to Nairn (including Nairn Bypass) scheme, the Scottish Government will continue to progress improvements to the A96 eastwards, including an Elgin Bypass.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. It is the responsibility of local authorities to enforce compliance with the register of tobacco and vapes in their local areas.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. The register exists to support the enforcement of regulation on age restricted products given the public health harms of tobacco and vaping. It is the responsibility of local authorities to enforce compliance with the register in their local areas.

The tables below set out fixed penalty notices for breaches of the Register of Tobacco and Nicotine Vapour Product Retailers covering the period you request.

As previous answers indicated, COPFS advise Shelagh McCall KC has been instructed to independently consider reports of criminal conduct relating to the Rangers prosecutions to ensure any allegations are considered fairly and objectively. COPFS has also advised as the investigation by Shelagh McCall KC is being progressed independently of COPFS, the timescale for concluding the investigation is a matter for Shelagh McCall KC.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government It is the responsibility of local authorities to enforce compliance with the register of tobacco and vapes in their local areas.

This Government is committed to building a vibrant, sustainable, and inclusive rural economy.

The Rural Entrepreneur Fund was a 2021-22 Programme for Government commitment to invest £20 million over the lifetime of the current parliament. However, in light of the challenging financial environment, the Scottish Resource Spending Review prioritised investment plans to ensure that they were deliverable, impactful and affordable. Consequently, there has been no money invested in the Rural Entrepreneur Fund to date.

We are providing support to our rural businesses through a variety of mechanisms, such as our Pathways Pre-Start programme, our Ecosystem Fund and our Techscaler network.

Work on the Health and Social Care app—developed through the Digital Front Door programme and now branded MyCare.scot—has progressed since 2021, including technical development, secure digital identity work, and early service design. The initial MVP is live for dermatology patients in NHS Lanarkshire to support testing and MyCare.scot will be available across Scotland from April 2026. Further services will be developed and expanded as already set out in our rollout plan, published in September 2025, with further information to be published this Spring.

The Scottish Government reports its calendar-year official development assistance (ODA) to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) through the UK Government. These figures are published annually as part of the UK Statistics on International Development. Within these statistics, the Scottish Government’s contributions are reported under the category ‘Other contributors of UK ODA’. Provisional 2025 UK Official Development Assistance statistics will be published on 9 April 2026.

The Scottish Government has also separately reported through its regular series of “Contribution to International Development Reports” and its more recent International Strategy Annual Report 2025.

Details of how much the Scottish Government has spent on international development in each year since 2021 are therefore contained within these published ODA figures in the following table:

As set out in the response to S6W-43401 on 12 February 2026, the Scottish Government does not collect national data on the total number of devices issued by local authorities to learners. Local authorities manage delivery directly and continue to make progress in improving digital access for learners, supported by record Scottish Government investment.