Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government continues to support the development of our ports including the potential for new direct freight and passenger ferry services linking Scotland to Europe.

I have personally engaged with the UK Government and prospective ferry service promoters; Transport Scotland officials continue to liaise with Forth Ports and other interested parties on the issue. However, no detailed discussions have taken place on specific port infrastructure requirements and costs which are primarily matters for Forth Ports and potential service providers.

The Scottish Government and its agencies have supported a number of maritime initiatives across Scotland, including the establishment of a Green Freeport at Forth Ports, which includes the Port of Rosyth. This involves both seed capital funding, along with businesses locating within the ports being able to access a package of devolved and reserved tax incentives.

We will continue to work with potential service providers and Scotland’s main ports to explore opportunities for new commercial ferry services, so that Scottish exporters and passengers have more direct routes to and from Europe. However, the Scottish Government cannot subsidise routes in ways which would be anti-competitive beyond considering the availability of limited start-up grant funding opportunities for freight initiatives.

Broadcast rights are ultimately a matter for the event owner, Amaury Sports Organisation, but the Scottish Government will continue to work collaboratively with all partners to develop opportunities to maximise exposure of the event, and ensure it can be enjoyed by as many people as possible.

The Scottish Government worked collaboratively on arrangements for the recent visit of President Trump to Scotland, and recognises the hard work of the police officers and police staff who delivered this complex and large-scale operation, which ensured a safe and secure visit by the President.

Operational decisions around the planning and delivery of the operation, and the deployment of police officers, were for the Chief Constable. Police Scotland is still determining the costs of this complex policing operation, and they do not expect the final costs to be available until later in the year.

The Scottish Government is engaging with the UK Government to explore the options for funding the costs incurred by Police Scotland and wider public sector partners including the Scottish Government, in supporting the Presidential visit. In the interests of openness and transparency the Scottish Government has committed to making details of the costs publicly available, once they are known.

Public Health Scotland collects data provided by NHS Health Boards on child health reviews as part of the Universal Health Visiting Pathway. These reviews, which take place at 13-15 months, 27-30 months and 4-5 years, cover the following domains:

1.Speech, language and communication development

2.Emotional/behavioural development

3.Personal/social development

4.Fine motor development

5.Gross motor development

6.Vision

7.Hearing

8.Problem solving development

The 4-5 year review was first introduced in April 2017 and implemented by Health Boards between April 2017 and 2020. Therefore, data is only available for all Health Boards for the past 5 years. The latest available data is published by Public Health Scotland here: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/early-child-development/

Coverage for the 4-5 year review has increased substantially, from 23% in 2017-18 to 76% in 2023-24. Therefore, comparisons between these time periods need to be made with caution.

Further detail on the Universal Health Visiting Pathway is available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/universal-health-visiting-pathway-scotland-pre-birth-pre-school.

Hydrogen policy officials met recently with several of the academics from Manchester University to discuss the findings in the On Hydrogen report and we will take these papers into consideration as part of our ongoing studies of the broader research landscape in the hydrogen sector.

Our industrial clusters will play an important role in achieving our vision of a decarbonised, successful, industrial sector. In some cases, decarbonisation will mean adoption of a range of new technologies, including low carbon hydrogen.

The Scottish Government recognises that the work of universities, research institutes and industry play a valuable role in the development of the hydrogen sector, and we routinely engage with relevant academic outputs of universities as we continue to develop our policies and assess research needs in this emerging sector.

Hydrogen policy officials met recently with several of the academics from Manchester University who contributed to the collection of papers in their wide ranging ‘On Hydrogen’ report and will take these papers into consideration as part of the broader research landscape in the hydrogen sector. The Scottish Government continues to welcome engagement with universities regarding hydrogen and is fully committed to helping the Scottish hydrogen sector develop and grow.

The current Pollinator Strategy runs from 2017 to 2027 and has been a successful catalyst for local authorities, communities, and other organisations to come together to improve existing pollinator habitat and improve linkages between them. In 2026, NatureScot will begin discussion with a range of stakeholders over the successes of the current Strategy, the elements which need to be built on over the coming 10 years covered by the second Strategy, and new initiatives which may need to be taken forward.

NatureScot has recently published the annual Pollinator Strategy Progress Report which is available here: Pollinator Strategy - 2024 Progress Report | NatureScot. Evaluation of future Pollinator Strategies will be taken forward within the context of the wider Monitoring and Evaluation Framework which is being developed for the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy details of which are available here: Biodiversity strategy and delivery plan: governance, monitoring and evaluation - gov.scot.

Scottish Forestry (SF) have published “Advice on replanting sites affected by “Phytopthora ramorum”. This includes guidance on the range of different species that the owner can match to their site conditions and constraints. This gives individual owners options to help match the objectives and requirements of a site to suitable tree species.

Any felling should adhere to the requirements of the United Kingdom Forestry Standard (UKFS) and existing environmental regulation. Legislation relating to plant health matters does not override other legislative requirements – and vice versa. The Phytopthora ramorum on larch action plan also emphasises that exemptions to SPHN deadlines may be required where there are conflicts between legislation or other key principles of sustainable forest management (SFM) for example breeding seasons. Decisions on these will be taken on a case by case basis and are at the discretion of SF Conservancies.

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) have not published specific plans to mitigate any impacts of the larch removal policy on Scotland’s National Forests and Land. FLS do consider the implications of impacts when deciding when and how to replant sites to meet objectives and requirements, and these are published in the separate Land Management Plans and associated documents submitted to SF. Land Management Plans are produced collaboratively by local planning and environment teams and balance multiple objectives. Plans consider raptor and red squirrel populations where present, and where larch removal is a major objective, generally aim to retain as much other mature conifer as reasonably practicable, considering all plan objectives in the round.

Scottish Forestry have undertaken a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) for Scotland’s Forestry Strategy, which includes consideration of pests and diseases including Phytophthora ramorum and the legislation relating to plant health. Overall, and with appropriate adherence to the requirements of the United Kingdom Forestry Standard (UKFS) and existing environmental regulation, effects were expected to be positive. Legislation relating to plant health matters does not override other legislative requirements – and vice versa. The Phytophthora ramorum on larch action plan was developed in conjunction with scientists and industry representatives and reiterates adherence to Scotland’s Forest strategy and the need for due diligence to identify sites that will require to be protected.

Super off-peak journeys account for 0.2 per cent of all journeys made on ScotRail services. Only a very small number of journeys actually qualify for the ticket, and there are restricted travel times aimed at the quietest trains on particular routes, between 11am and 3pm, and after 8pm. Details of all ScotRail fares and products, following the removal of peak fares on 1 September 2025, will be available in early August.