Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has not had recent discussions with the UK Government regarding seafarers’ employment rights on the prospective Rosyth-Dunkirk ferry service.

The UK Government Employment Rights Bill received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025 and includes provisions to create a statutory framework for a mandatory seafarers charter and builds on the Seafarers’ Wages Act 2023 to extend protections beyond pay to include other employment rights. Transport Scotland officials liaised with their UK Government counterparts on this legislation.

The Scottish Government welcomed the additional proposals which aim to strengthen the Seafarers Wage Act by applying new duties in respect of remuneration and safe working.

In Scotland Under The Microchipping of Dogs (Scotland) Regulations 2016 all owners are legally obligated to ensure their dog’s microchip details are recorded on a compliant database, and to keep their dog’s microchip details up to date.

Any owner who has not microchipped their dog in accordance with the 2016 Regulations could face a fine of up to £500.

Under the 2016 Regulations all dogs in Scotland must be microchipped and the details recorded on a compliant database, regardless of breed. If a dog is not microchipped or that chip is registered with a non-compliant database the owner could be fined up to £500.

The Scottish Government has not made an estimate of the number of jobs that could be created by a ferry service between Rosyth and Dunkirk. This is a commercial consideration for the prospective ferry operator and port authority.

Any new ferry service will be required to comply with UK employment laws, including the Seafarers’ Wages Act 2023. Until such time as employment law is devolved, we will continue to do whatever we can with the levers we have to promote trade union recognition and collective bargaining, at both local and sectoral levels, to achieve improved conditions and enhance effective voice.

The Scottish Government recognises the important contribution the Iain Findlay Path Fund has made in supporting local path improvements across Scotland. While this fund comes to an end in 2025- 26, we will continue to support the delivery of paths and other active travel infrastructure through our tiered Active Travel Infrastructure Fund. This model enables local authorities, Regional Transport Partnerships and National Park Authorities to develop and deliver the infrastructure that best meets local and regional needs.

In addition to this there are a number of funds throughout Scotland that contribute to access and recreational use pathways, including the Forestry Grant Scheme, the Historic Environment Grants Programme, and funding managed through our National & Regional Park Authorities.

The Scottish Government has not held discussions regarding the Fair Work Convention in relation to the crewing of vessels on the prospective Rosyth-Dunkirk ferry service. As employment law is reserved, any new ferry service will be required to comply with UK employment laws, including the Seafarers’ Wages Act 2023.

The Scottish Government is aware of the issues with reliability of the fleet currently serving Fife routes and ScotRail is taking action within its available resources to make any necessary improvements to the existing fleet.

The ScotRail Fleet Improvement Plan continues to be in place, requiring ScotRail to make necessary improvements to the reliability of its existing diesel rolling stock within the available resources. ScotRail advises that it is investing nearly £900,000 in the rolling stock upgrades to remote monitoring, electrical systems, and heating systems, which investment includes trains serving Fife.

As set out in Rail Recharged: Scotland’s Fleet Transition Strategy, published in November 2025, ScotRail is currently progressing plans to replace its High-Speed Trains operating on Scotland’s intercity routes, alongside the procurement of a new Suburban fleet, which includes replacement fleet for Fife services. Work to deliver the electrification of the line is also underway.

Regional Transport Partnerships (RTPs)manage their own budgets and make funding decisions based on regional and local needs.

The Scottish Government continues to believe that delivery of local authority duties should be delegated at a local level where possible. The majority of funding provided to local government is made available through a block grant. £8.1 million is included in that block grant in relation to Land Access measures, allocated based on proportions of population and path lengths. However, the funding is not ring-fenced. It is the responsibility of individual councils to manage their budgets and allocate the total financial resources available on the basis of local priorities, once they have met their statutory obligations. The Scottish Government provided record block grant funding of over £15 billion to local authorities in 2025-26, an increase of £1 billion or 4.7 per cent in real terms compared to last year’s budget.

There are many other areas of government funding which deliver benefits for access including health, tourism, active travel and the natural environment.

As set out within our NHS Scotland Operational Improvement Plan, we are committed to improving patient flow throughout the system, reducing delays for admission to and discharge from acute settings and bring down length of stay for patients. This is being done through, for example, optimising alternatives to hospital admission, ensuring discharge planning takes place from the point of admission, reducing delays to inpatient investigations and developing remote investigation services. The development and expansion of Hospital at Home and front door frailty services are playing a central role in supporting this shift in the balance of care and reduce hospital occupancy.