Chamber and committees

ScotRail submits complaints data to the rail regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). This data is published quarterly on the ORR website and can be obtained via the following link:-

Passenger rail service complaints | ORR Data Portal

Delivery partners are responsible for awareness raising and promotion of Scottish employability services, and use a variety of channels for this including social media. The Scottish Government’s Employability social media promotional activity to date has not used the TikTok platform.

Transport Scotland is aware of concerns expressed by the local community in relation to signage on the A7 towards Langholm. Transport Scotland has reviewed the signing and is content that current signage is in accordance with national guidance document ‘Local Transport Note 1/94 Design and Use of Directional Traffic Signs’. In relation to the A7 trunk road, Langholm currently features on all route confirmatory signs northbound and southbound within Scotland, and on advance direction signage southbound in Hawick. Transport Scotland has engaged with officials at Department for Transport, National Highways and Cumbria County Council to discuss continuity of signing to Langholm on both sides of the border.

With limited powers and a constrained budget the Scottish Government has already increased Scottish Child Payment by 150% in less than 8 months over 2022. Since its extension to under 16s in November 2022, 385,000 children are now eligible for the benefit.

As part of 'Best Start, Bright Futures', the Scottish Government published a Cumulative Impact Assessment in March 2022, estimating the impact in 2023-24 of a range of policies designed to reduce child poverty. This included lifting an estimated 50,000 children out of poverty in Scotland in 2023-24 through the Scottish Child Payment at £25 per week per child, a five percentage point reduction in relative child poverty.

The context for those policies has changed since this analysis was published, with a constantly moving, uncertain economic outlook, and a series of policy announcements, retractions, and further announcements by the UK Government.

The Scottish Government will publish the annual progress report on child poverty, covering the period 2022-23, by the end of June. This will set out progress in implementing 'Best Start, Bright Futures', the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan: 2022-26, and against the ambitious targets set through the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017.

Neither the Scottish Government nor Health Boards hold data on privately paid prescriptions provided by independent healthcare providers.

The total estimated value of applications received to the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund since it was established is £62,951,713 for capital funding and £1,105,865 for development funding.

The applications include projects submitted under Theme 1 for Zero Emissions Heating Systems for Social Housing across Scotland and Theme 2 for “Fabric First” Energy Efficiency Only Projects.

The Scottish Government understands that details of the Deposit Return Scheme are matters of public interest and should be properly scrutinised and debated in parliament. We are committed to transparency and openness in our administration of the Deposit Return Scheme, and going forward we aim to proactively publish on a monthly basis key information such as notes of meetings, letters, and other information which will help people understand how decisions are made.

This commitment to publish information must be balanced against the continued need to protect peoples personal data, and meet our commitments to protecting commercially confidential information. This is in line with the General Data Protection Regulation, Environmental Information Regulations, and other legal obligations.

The reporter anticipates, at this stage, submitting her report and recommendations on this case in the Summer. Full case details are available to view on the Department for Planning and Environmental Appeal’s (DPEA) website at:- Scottish Government - DPEA - Case Details (scotland.gov.uk)

The Scottish Government has not held specific discussions with taxi driver union representatives in Dundee to discuss loan funding for the purchase of electric vehicles in relation to compliance with the Low Emission Zone.

The Scottish Government provide annual funding to Energy Saving Trust (EST), an independent organisation working to address the climate emergency, which delivers a range of schemes on behalf of Scottish Ministers, including the Switched-on Taxi loan.

EST on behalf of Scottish Ministers has engaged directly with taxi owners and operators. This includes providing impartial and independent advice including information on the Switched-on Taxi loan, and vehicle reports comparing running costs of petrol/diesel taxis with Ultra Low Emission Vehicles. Last year EST ran several taxi forums bringing together taxi owners/operators and licensing authorities to discuss best practice approaches to decarbonisation across the industry.

The Scottish Government provides annual funding to Energy Saving Trust (EST) an independent organisation working to address the climate emergency, to provide a range of services including delivery of the Switched-on Taxi Loan on behalf of Scottish Ministers.

The Switched-on Taxi loan provides an interest-free loan with a repayment term of up to 6 years to support both private and hackney taxi owners and operators with the purchase of zero and ultra-low emission vehicles.

Since 2019 taxi drivers and operators in the North East of Scotland electoral region have received interest free loans worth almost £800,000. Currently the Switched-on Taxi loan is closed and Scottish Ministers are considering the position for the current financial year. Taxi drivers and operators can register their interest with Energy Saving Trust should future rounds of funding become available.