Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the A96.

The current plan is to fully dual the route and as part of this process we are undertaking a transparent, evidence-based review of the programme.

The significant interest in the review’s initial consultation generated 11,000 options to improve the corridor. It is only right that it has taken more time than originally anticipated, in order to properly examine and fully appraise these.

It is expected that the draft outcomes from the Review will be consulted on in the coming months, before a final decision can be reached.

Empty Property Relief was devolved to local authorities on 1 April 2023, and it is for individual local authorities to decide how they will tailor any support for unoccupied property, including listed buildings, to best support their local needs.

As indicated in the recommendations of the New Deal for Business Non-Domestic Rates sub-group, the Scottish Government will undertake an initial review of the devolution of Empty Property Relief before the next revaluation in 2026.

The Scottish Government has spent £6.2m on structural maintenance, strategic road safety and climate change adaption improvements on the A96 between Aberdeen and Nairn in the last 12 months. These costs comprise of construction costs only and do not include design, investigation, or environmental costs of these schemes.

Of the 114,869 premises currently expected to be connected through the R100 contracts, only 1,600 will be connected through Fibre To The Cabinet broadband. The remaining 113,269 will be connected with Fibre To The Premises which is a gigabit-capable technology.

Of the 36,100 premises connected so far through the R100 contracts, 1,600 have been connected through Fibre To The Cabinet broadband which can provide a minimum of a superfast service. The remaining 34,500 connections have been delivered utilising Fibre To The Premises which is capable of delivering a gigabit broadband service.

Over the next five-year investment period, the Scottish Government has committed to invest £4.2 billion in the Scottish rail infrastructure in line with our High-Level Output Specification.

The total invested to 9th December 2023 on projects to reduce journey times between Aberdeen and the Central Belt by 2026 is £15.5m. Of this figure, £8.7m has been spent on the Aberdeen – Central Belt Journey Time Improvement project, and £6.8m has been spent on the project to improve rail line speeds in the Barnhill area between Perth and Dundee. The investment at Barnhill remodelled a junction between the Tay Viaduct at Perth and Barnhill to increase line speeds over it from 20mph to 50mph. It is a direct enabler for the plan to reduce rail journey times between the Central Belt and the North-East, improving connectivity and enhancing capacity for both passenger and freight trains on the route.

The Scottish Government is continuing to develop the business case for Aberdeen to Central Belt rail enhancements. This will be considered in in the coming months and within the context of the funding available for rail enhancements next year. We remain firmly committed to infrastructure investment as a key factor in securing economic growth and high-quality public infrastructure across Scotland, including spending over £1.6 billion in 2024-25 to operate, maintain and improve Scotland’s railway.

This is an operational matter for ScotRail and the previous Franchisee, Abellio ScotRail prior to 1 April 2022. The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

The Member may wish to contact ScotRail, who might have the information relating to the period from April 2022.

Whilst this is an operational matter for ScotRail as the service provider, the Member might wish to note that Office of Rail and Road (ORR) publishes information on the most frequented stations on its website: Regional rail usage | ORR Data Portal Also, ScotRail Trains regularly publishes information on busiest services on its website Busiest trains | ScotRail

The Member may wish to contact ScotRail who might be able to provide a more detailed information, if required.

This is an operational matter for ScotRail and the previous Franchisee, Abellio ScotRail prior to 1 April 2022. The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

The Member may wish to contact ScotRail, who might have the information relating to the period from April 2022.

This is an operational matter for ScotRail and the previous Franchisee, Abellio ScotRail prior to 1 April 2022. The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

The Member may wish to contact ScotRail, who might have the information relating to the period from April 2022.