Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government currently has no plans to undertake a feasibility study into a Demolition Levy. Whilst the Scottish Government shares the Chartered Institute of Building’s concerns around carbon emissions from demolition and the preservation of our built environment, introducing a new fiscal measure is a lengthy and complex process. The Scottish Government believes the most expedient and appropriate solution is for the UK Government to address the VAT imbalance between new build and retrofit / refurbishment.

The number of timetabled sailings CalMac has provided with the charter vessel, MV Alfred since 27 April 2023 until 9 February 2024 is 882.

Transport Scotland, working on behalf of Scottish Ministers, have no B roads, single track roads or unclassified roads in the Highlands and Islands region under its responsibility.

The local road network is the responsibility of local authorities and they will allocate resources on the basis of local priorities. The vast majority of funding to local authorities from the Scottish Government is provided via a block grant and we do not stipulate how local authorities should utilise their individual allocations. It is therefore the responsibility of each local authority to manage their own budget and to allocate the financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

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.

The Advisory Group is expected to offer expert advice and provide assurance on activities being taken forward to progress the implementation of the recommendations of the Allied Health Professions Education and Workforce Policy Review and, although is not expected to exist in perpetuity, will continue until such time as systems, processes and activities are embedded that can demonstrate that progress is adequately assured..

This is likely to mean at least 4 quarterly meetings and meetings are currently scheduled until October 2024.

The group is chaired by Professor Carolyn McDonald, Chief Allied Health Professions Officer, who will report progress towards the implementation of the recommendations to the Chief Nursing Officer and Scottish Ministers as required.

I can confirm that the Scottish Government has secured a commitment from the UK Government for multi-year funding of £8 million for improvements to the A75. This money comes from the Union Connectivity Development Fund and was successfully secured following approval of the previously noted business case to undertake design development work on the A75 to bypass the villages of Springholm and Crocketford.

While funding is confirmed, it has not yet been allocated or received. My officials are working with the UK Government officials on the legal and financial mechanisms of securing this funding.

The final design and configuration of any bypass will depend on the results and recommendations of the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) Options Assessment work. Therefore, it is not possible to confirm what configuration the road layout will look like at this point in time.

Since 2021 the Scottish Government have made strong progress in meeting the 2021 PFG commitment to provide £100m of funding for new woodland creation during this parliament. We have already spent £96.3m and have commitments for a further £87.8m, for approved applications to create new woodlands during this parliamentary term.

The Scottish Government is currently unable to develop a national integrated public transport timetable as it does not possess the powers to do so across all modes.

The majority of bus services in Scotland are commercially operated and the Scottish Government does not have control over their timetables. Where local authorities are subsidising a bus service, there are opportunities to influence the timetable for the parts of the service they are subsidising, however, this would depend on individual contracts. There are also opportunities to influence bus timetables through franchising and Bus Service Improvement Partnerships.

Where there are opportunities for Scottish Government influence, such as through contracted or managed ferry and rail services, we encourage development of integrated timetables where feasibly possible. An example of this is CalMac ferry timetables which includes details of connecting ScotRail services. We also encourage operators to engage with the public and stakeholders on proposed changes to timetables. For example, ScotRail launched a consultation in September 2023 on timetable options for the new Levenmouth Rail Link, and CalMac are required to consult twice-yearly with communities on changes to timetables.

Finally, to support integrated journeys, new Digital Travel Data Services (DTDS) have been procured that will enhance the data systems that sit behind Traveline Scotland and other journey planner providers, so that passengers can be more informed about their journey options. The new services will provide accurate, up-to-date and extensive public transport and travel information, helping passengers stay more informed about their journey options and costs across modes and operators.

This is an operational matter for ScotRail.