Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has received representations from local residents and MSPs regarding transport options for the Corran Narrows, however, Scottish Ministers have no locus in this decision.

Transport links across the Corran Narrows is wholly the responsibility of The Highland Council and as such, any decision to replace ferries or deliver a fixed link and funding of this, would be a matter for the Local Authority.

Since publication of the Independent External View of Skye, Lochalsh and South-West Ross Report in May 2018 by Sir Lewis Ritchie. Scottish Government officials have been in regular contact with NHS Highland to assess progress.

Sir Lewis Ritchie has made four review visits to Portree (in 2018, 2019 and twice in 2022). He also made an additional virtual meeting assessment of progress in 2020 during the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Sir Lewis has met (virtually) with a number of clinicians on Skye on two occasions in January 2023. That engagement process continues and Sir Lewis plans to return to Skye, Lochalsh and South-West Ross for further in-person meetings later in 2023.

I have commissioned an urgent review of the environmental impacts and management of single-use vapes.

Zero Waste Scotland will lead on the review which will examine available evidence, including the environmental impact of incorrect disposal of vapes.

We will consider the evidence and expert advice and bring forward policy options in due course.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken any assessments regarding the viability of a fixed link across the Corran Narrows.

The Scottish Government is aware of work carried out by HITRANS on behalf of The Highland Council to consider a range of options for the Corran Narrows. As any decision to deliver a fixed link would be a matter for the Local Authority, it would not be for the Scottish Government to undertake an assessment of viability.

The Independent External View of Skye, Lochalsh and South-West Ross Report written by Sir Lewis Ritchie contained 15 recommendations. Progress has been made on most of the recommendations, including preservation of in-patient bed provision at Portree Hospital, increasing Scottish Ambulance Service capacity, restoring sustainable out of hours care to the communities of Raasay and Glenelg & Arnisdale and promoting digital innovation - the SkyeLab* project.

24/7 urgent care provision at Portree Hospital was partially suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021 and then fully suspended in 2022, because of severe staff shortages. Workforce recruitment and retention issues continue to be a challenge for all health services, something which is not just felt in the Highlands and Islands but across the UK. Partial restoration of the out of hours (OOH) service at Portree Hospital began on 9 January 2023 with weekend and public holiday opening 9am-6pm. In 2022, Sir Lewis Ritchie made two visits to Skye (in May and November) to assess progress, a further visit is planned for later in 2023.

Scottish Ministers have no locus in this decision. Transport links across the Corran Narrows are wholly the responsibility of The Highland Council and, as such, any decision to replace ferries or deliver a fixed link (including funding of this) would be a matter for the Local Authority. Therefore, the Scottish Government has not undertaken any specific consultation regarding future transport options for Corran Narrows.

The Scottish Government recently completed a national review of future transport infrastructure. The second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) was an example of effective collaboration with stakeholders and the public. It included a considerable programme of engagement activities at a national and regional level with participation from local residents and business owners at various points throughout the process, including within the Lochaber area.

The Scottish Government has engaged with The Highland Council during the previous appraisal work carried out by HITRANS, on behalf of the Council, which considered a range of options for the Corran Narrows. We are aware the Council is now pursuing an upgrade to the existing ferries, but maintain a longer term aspiration for a fixed link connection across Loch Linnhe.

The Highland Council was part of regional working group which helped to inform the second Strategic Transport Projects Review. During this time, the transport options for the Corran Narrows was raised by the Council. However, ferry services and their replacement were not within the scope of that national review.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken any assessments regarding the social and economic benefits of a fixed link across the Corran Narrows.

The Scottish Government is aware of work carried out by HITRANS on behalf of The Highland Council to consider a range of options for the Corran Narrows. As any decision to deliver a fixed link would be a matter for Local Authority, it would not be for the Scottish Government to undertake a socioeconomic assessment.

I have commissioned an urgent review of the environmental impacts and management of single-use vapes.

The review of the environmental impacts and management of single-use vapes will examine available evidence and consider potential options to improve the management of single use vapes and enhance the safe recycling of disposed products.

We will consider the evidence and expert advice and bring forward policy options in due course.

The calculation referred to in the question was made based on data on inflation available at the time. Using the updated GDP deflators the comparable figure is now around £800 million.

As the Scottish Fiscal Commission has noted, due to the way that the GDP deflator is calculated, it may not accurately capture the change in all costs incurred by government, and as result the above real-terms calculations may underestimate the true scale of inflationary pressure on some areas of Scottish Government resource spending.