Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has not held any direct meetings with Borders Buses regarding the future funding of bus services operating across (a) local authority boundaries in South Scotland or (b) the Scotland–England border, as these would be local matters.

Local authorities have a duty under the Transport Act 1985 to identify where there is a social need for particular bus services and can subsidise these at their discretion. Through legislation, we have given local authorities powers on partnership working, franchising and to run their own bus services. Our approach enables local transport authorities to determine what is best to address any transport challenges in their local areas.

Local Authorities are responsible for developing, delivering and maintaining flood protection schemes in their communities. This is because they are best placed to respond to local resilience needs. Therefore the Scottish Government has not had any discussions with SEPA regarding its guidance on flood defences and the wider flooding risk in the Langholm area.

Dumfries and Galloway Council put forward a flood protection scheme for Langholm in its 2015 Local Flood Risk Management Plan, but it was withdrawn due to a lack of community support for the scheme.

The Council have confirmed that there are no further works planned in terms of a flood protection scheme for Langholm. Council maintenance of road gullies in the area is planned after an incident of surface water flooding in late 2025.

The Ministerial element of Ministers' pay will be voluntarily frozen in 2026-27 at 2008-09 levels. I have voluntarily kept both the MSP and Ministerial elements of his pay frozen at 2008-09 levels. In declining to accept their full salary entitlement since 1 April 2009, Ministers will have collectively made approximately £2.39 million available for public spending from their own pay packets up to 31 March 2026.

Decisions on the Ministerial pay freeze for after the Scottish Parliament election on 7 May 2026 will be for the First Minister of the next administration.

The Ministerial element of Ministers' pay has been frozen at the following levels since 2008-09, including in 2025-26:

Police Scotland is a key partner on Scotland’s Serious Organised Crime Taskforce, which I chair. At our meeting in February, Police Scotland updated members on a range of SOC-related issues including illegal drugs. In 2025 Police Scotland seized almost 80 million pounds worth of drugs including multiple high-value cannabis cultivations.

The largest cultivation found in Scotland to date was in Kirkcaldy in June, when plants with an estimated value of 12 million pounds were seized.

The Scottish Government wants people to be treated as close to home as clinically possible. However, it may not always be possible for Health Boards to provide access locally for all patients and for all services where Health Boards are, for example, constrained by geography or specialist services. In addition, some patients may be offered alternatives out with their local health board area to reduce their waiting time.

We continue to work with NHS Boards to limit the need for travel where possible and clinically appropriate. This includes through increased use of digital and technological solutions, such as Near Me, to improve flexibility of care.

Where travel is necessary, the Scottish Government expects local Health Boards to work collaboratively with each other and transport providers to make suitable arrangements to ensure that the necessary treatment can be provided in a patient-centred way and that disruption to key appointments is kept to a minimum.

Financial support for travel is available for patients and authorised escorts, according to eligibility criteria and medical requirements.

All Boards are expected to support patients and their families in identifying and accessing available support and Board patient travel contacts can provide advice on eligibility and assistance available with bookings and advance payments, where necessary.

There is already a one-stop breast clinic operational within the NHS Dumfries & Galloway’s Royal Infirmary which has been the case from some years.

No specific assessment has been undertaken. However, improving young people’s access to sport remains a priority, and a key element of this is the nationwide free bus travel scheme for under-22s, which aims to reduce travel barriers for children and young people, including those in rural and island communities.

Through the under-22s concessionary scheme, eligible young people can travel at no cost on registered bus services, helping to ease the financial burden of travelling to training sessions, matches, and competitions. This is part of a wider Scottish Government investment in bus services and concessionary travel, which will rise to over £530 million in 2026–27. In addition to this, sportscotland works with local authorities and island communities to improve access to facilities and support athlete travel. This includes the Athlete Travel Award Scheme (ATAS), which provides up to £1,500 to help schools, sports clubs, and talented athletes with travel and accommodation for mainland training and competitions.

Most local bus services operate commercially, with operators determining routes and frequency. Local authorities can also subsidise services they consider socially necessary, at their discretion; £56 million on subsidised services in 2023–24. Community transport may also be provided locally by schools, local authorities, or community groups, supported through the local government finance settlement, and annual funding to Community Transport Association Scotland.

The Scottish Government supports access to transport for school-aged children and young people in rural areas primarily through its nationwide commitment to free bus travel for under-22s. This universal entitlement allows all young people aged 5–21 to travel by bus at no cost, helping them reach sporting clubs, training sessions, and competitions across Scotland. This is part of a wider Scottish Government investment in bus services and concessionary travel, which will rise to over £530 million in 2026–27.

Alongside this, sportscotland, our national agency for sport, provides targeted support through the Athlete Travel Award Scheme (ATAS), delivered in partnership with the four Highlands and Islands local authorities. ATAS offers up to £1,500 to schools, clubs and young athletes to help with the additional travel and accommodation costs often faced when travelling for training or competition from rural and island areas.

Local authorities can also subsidise socially necessary bus services at their discretion through funding provided in the general revenue grant. Authorities spent £56 million on such services in 2023–24. Local authorities and schools may also provide community transport where required, supported through the local government finance settlement, and Community Transport Association Scotland.

The Scottish Government understands the important role that sport and leisure services play in improving people’s lives and believes everyone should have access to these services locally.

The Scottish Government has not carried out any specific assessment on the impact of transport connectivity on the ability of school-aged children’s access to grassroots sport in rural areas. However, we recognise that travel time and cost can be barriers for young athletes in rural and island areas.

To help address these challenges, sportscotland works with local authorities to improve local facilities, and the Athlete Travel Award Scheme (ATAS) provides up to £1,500 to support travel and accommodation for talented athletes in remote communities.

In addition, the provision of free bus travel for under-22s reduces the cost burden on young people and their families and helps make regular participation in grassroots sport more achievable, particularly in areas where distances between home, school, and sporting opportunities are greater. This sits alongside wider support, including local authority powers to subsidise socially necessary bus routes, and funding for community transport through local government resources and Community Transport Association (CTA) Scotland, which helps ensure that young people have more reliable and affordable options to reach sporting opportunities.