Chamber and committees

Taking freight off congested roads and moving it by rail or water can have environmental and wider social benefits but it can be more expensive. Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) is therefore available to assist with the extra costs generally associated with moving freight by rail or water by offsetting the capital costs of providing the required freight handling facilities. It is also available to help companies reinvest in existing rail or water freight facilities where the traffic may revert to road transport.

The value of environmental and social benefits is based on calculating the benefits of removing one lorry mile of freight from road and transferring it to rail or water.

Monitoring is undertaken after a facility funded under the grant scheme becomes operational.

The Freight Facilities Grant is a well-known scheme having been in operation since 1997. Transport Scotland continues to raise the profile of the scheme across all areas of the Scottish economy. In March 2025, it is intended to undertake an exercise with stakeholders asking for applications for 2025-26, working with industry bodies representing a range of sectors.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-34203 on 27 February 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-34203 on 27 February 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The information requested is not held centrally by Scottish Government.

I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-35156 on 27 February 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

As set out in answer to Parliamentary Question S6W-34995 on 27 February 2025, the implementation phase of the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce has now begun, and two Implementation Delivery Groups are being established to oversee swift delivery of all 44 recommended actions. One group, chaired by the Interim Chief Nursing Officer, will meet at the end of February and then recurrently every 6 - 8 weeks. A further Implementation Delivery Group will be chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and will meet in Spring and then every six months. These two Groups will ensure that priorities are clearly defined, progress is measurable, and key milestones are met. A detailed work plan and timeline to guide the delivery of the recommended actions will be agreed in Spring.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

As set out in answer to Parliamentary Question S6W-34995 on 27 February 2025, the implementation phase of the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce has now begun, and two Implementation Delivery Groups are being established to oversee swift delivery of all 44 recommended actions. One group, chaired by the Interim Chief Nursing Officer, will meet at the end of February and then recurrently every 6 - 8 weeks. A further Implementation Delivery Group will be chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and will meet in Spring and then every six months. These two Groups will ensure that priorities are clearly defined, progress is measurable, and key milestones are met. A detailed work plan and timeline to guide the delivery of the recommended actions will be agreed in Spring.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

If concerns are raised with Ministers regarding a medical setting, such as Skye House, the Scottish Government would direct correspondents to their NHS Health Board complaints process, as patient care and service delivery are the statutory responsibility of local healthcare providers.

The budget for 2025-26 proposes planned investment of £768 million in the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, an increase of more than £200m compared to the 2024-25 published budget. This will help tackle the housing emergency while contributing towards our target of delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032 of which at least 70% will be social rented homes.

The 2025-2026 budget will help fund the completion of existing new build and rehabilitation project commitments as well as new project approvals, including our targeted £40m voids and acquisitions commitment, and new build site starts.

We have also committed £100 million over the longer term to grow institutional investment to at least £500 million and support the construction of around 2,800 mid-market rent homes.

The Housing Investment Taskforce is progressing its identified priority workstreams so that we can make sure that Scotland has the right conditions to enable investment to flow and deliver the homes that people need. The Taskforce is due to report by the end of March 2025.

National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) has introduced a more positive, plan-led and all-tenure approach to deliver quality homes, where they are needed and strengthens planning policy for affordable homes, requiring ‘at least 25%’ of the total number of homes on a site to be affordable. This can be varied where either there is greater need or where it may affect the viability of sites coming forward.

As the statutory housing authority for their area, local authorities are responsible for assessing housing need and demand, and for setting out how this will be met through their Local Housing Strategies and Strategic Housing Investment Plans (SHIPs). SHIPs set out local authority strategic investment priorities over a five year period and inform Scottish Government investment decisions.

We continue to work closely with partners to deliver the right homes in the right places across Scotland and since 2007, we have supported the delivery of more than 135,000 affordable homes, over 95,000 of which were for social rent, including over 26,000 council homes. Within this, between 23 March 2022 and end of September 2024, we have delivered 24,382 affordable homes towards the 110,000 target, of which over 18,000 have been homes for social rent.

The Scottish Government regularly publishes figures on homes delivered, which can be found online at:

Housing statistics quarterly update: new housebuilding and affordable housing supply - gov.scot