Chamber and committees

I am pleased to inform the Parliament that the Scottish Government is continuing to deliver on its commitment to give people the information they need to make an informed choice about their future, and is today publishing Creating a Modern Constitution for an Independent Scotland.

The fourth paper in the Building a New Scotland series sets out the proposals for developing a written constitution for an independent Scotland, providing the opportunity to replace the sovereignty of the Westminster Parliament with the sovereignty of the people in Scotland.

The paper sets out how the people of Scotland would have the direct opportunity to shape and build a better country. It contains this Government’s proposals for how an independent Scotland could put in place an ambitious written constitution, that would enshrine and protect rights. A written constitution for Scotland, designed by the people who live here, could also protect key features of Scotland’s democracy, such as the Scottish Parliament and the courts, and provide constitutional recognition of the NHS in Scotland, giving people the right to access a system of health care, available free at the point of need.

The Scottish Government intends to seek agreement of the Parliamentary Bureau to a debate on this paper in the next week.

The next paper in the Building a New Scotland series will give more detail on citizenship in an independent Scotland and will be published in the summer.

Building a New Scotland: Creating a Modern Constitution for an Independent Scotland is available to view on the Scottish Government website from today at www.gov.scot/newscotland .

ScotRail advises it is not currently planning to introduce further charge points. New EV charging points are being introduced by Network Rail as part of new station proposals e.g. Levenmouth.

Details of the EV chargers at ScotRail stations and installation dates is a matter for ScotRail. The information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government is committed to an infrastructure solution to address landslip risks at the A83 Rest and Be Thankful and shares the urgency communities and businesses place on maintaining and improving connectivity of this vital route.

The identification of the preferred route option through the Glen Croe valley on 2 June 2023 is a very important milestone in finding a solution to this long-standing problem. The proposed new debris flow shelter will help protect the road and road users from future landslides.

Work is now being taken forward at pace to further develop our proposals, including the detailed development and assessment of the preferred route option along with the preparation of an Environmental Impact Assessment, draft Road Orders and draft Compulsory Purchase Orders. Transport Scotland will continue to look to expedite the programme where possible as we take forward the next stage in the process with a view to publishing draft Orders by the end of 2024 for formal consultation.

Progress thereafter will depend on the level and nature of any representations, including objections, to the published draft Orders. Should objections be received following publication of draft Orders then a public local inquiry may be required to consider all unresolved objections. The Scottish Government is duty bound to properly follow the correct statutory procedures which rightly include the opportunity for local communities to input and have any objections received resolved appropriately.

Procurement of a main works contractor for the permanent, long term solution can only commence upon completion of the statutory processes.

Transport Scotland publishes the results of all regulated procurements through contract award notices on the Public Contracts Scotland website. In addition to the award of contracts and conclusion of framework agreements, we also apply this requirement to call-off contracts awarded under framework agreements; these include the contract with Turner and Townsend for work associated with the provision of the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services.

To date one call-off contract has been awarded under this Framework Agreement. This was awarded to Stantec UK Ltd for the first of a planned series of community needs assessments as part of the Islands Connectivity Plan, this one looking at ferry connections to Cowal and Rosneath.

Scottish Ministers' stated objective since purchasing Glasgow Prestwick Airport in 2013 has been to return the business to the private sector when the time and circumstances are right for the business and for the Scottish Government as shareholder.

That means we must be confident that any sale would not only represent value for the taxpayer but would put the business on a firm footing going forward and secure wider economic benefit to build on the foundations we have put in place.

Any purchase offer from a private operator will be evaluated against these objectives and will only proceed if they are met.

This is a matter for ScotRail. The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service decision to temporarily remove these appliances was made following detailed modelling using historic incident data and a robust assessment of the risks present in the communities those fire stations cover. Withdrawal of the second or third appliances from these stations has been assessed as being the least impactful in terms of response times. SFRS will continue to respond to every incident with the appropriate level of resources including specialist resources where required.

The Scottish Government does not have any plans to determine the number of social care settings that may be affected. Local authorities have responsibility for provision of social care services and therefore the contracts with relevant providers. Building safety is a matter for the owner of the building.

This is a question for the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland. She advises me that that on 13 June 2023, out of the 2025 registered titles with a footprint area over 500 ha, 801 are owned exclusively by one or more natural persons.

A further 15 titles are leased exclusively by one or more natural persons and 2 are mixed tenure titles registered under the Land Registration (Scotland) 1979 Act.

These figures exclude titles where a natural person may be acting in a special capacity (e.g. as a trustee or partner), as well as titles with a complex proprietorship structure consisting of a mix of natural and non-natural persons acting in various capacities.

Of the 616 areas of unregistered land over 500 ha, which have been linked to a Sasines Search Sheet in the RoS Unlocking Sasines dataset, an estimated 245 are owned exclusively by one or more natural persons.