Chamber and committees

As advised at the recent Scottish Parliament debate on Essential Road Improvements held on 02 November 2022, the first part of the review, a report on the Public Consultation and the Initial Appraisal: The Case for Change will be published by the end of the year.

NatureScot is the lead organisation for non-native species on land including wetlands and riparian zones. They lead on riverbank vegetation and all land animals (vertebrates and invertebrates). Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) take the lead in the freshwater environment (still and flowing). Scottish Forestry and Forestry and Land Scotland take the lead on woodland and other habitats on the national forest estate. In many cases, fisheries trusts have taken the lead on co-ordinated action on riverine INNS such as giant hogweed.

As with all devolved matters, the Scottish Ministers make the final decision on investment in the transport network.

The cost of the Air Traffic Management 2030 Strategy project was £9,963,937.

The following table provides the information requested in relation to capital allocations. For completeness, HIAL Head Office figures are also included. Figures include both grant and loan funding.

National Park Authorities are committed to conserving and enhancing natural heritage within Scotland’s National Parks and their decision making has been guided by the National Park aims set out in the National Parks (Scotland) 2000 Act and the principle set out in section 9 (6) of the Act. As an example of success in conserving and enhancing the natural heritage in the Cairngorms, over 5000ha of new woodland has been established over the last 5 years of which 96% is native and over half by regeneration.

The Scottish Government launched a public consultation in May to look at what people value about National Parks in Scotland and what they should deliver in future – in particular how they can help to protect and restore nature, tackle climate change and promote sustainable land use. This has been followed by a second consultation – organised by NatureScot – on the approach to National Parks in Scotland and the selection criteria for new National Parks. This consultation seeks views on section 9(6) of the Act, how it is applied and whether it is fit for purpose.

This is a matter for CMAL or the University of Strathclyde. The information requested is not held centrally.

Transport Scotland has no plans to establish a freight-only service. We understand that there are commercial operators who have considered such a proposal and it would be for them to consider further. Were a commercial operator to provide any specific proposal for the route, then future deployment and timetables would be reviewed for the Clyde & Hebrides Ferry Service Islay route.

The Scottish Government meets with the whisky sector regularly to discuss current issues. We recognise the important contribution that Scotch Whisky industry makes to the Scottish economy.

Scottish Ministers are investing in the Islay route with the construction of two purpose-built vessels underway, providing a combined 40% increase in vehicle and freight capacity on the Islay routes.

In accordance with the requirements of the Railways Act 1993 and the Scottish Ministers’ Franchising Policy Statement, consideration is being given to the successor arrangement for the continued provision of Caledonian Sleeper services.

The Scottish Ministers have to work within the relevant current legislation, principally the Railways Act 1993, which neither they nor the Scottish Parliament have powers to change.

We are committed to providing a reliable network and an easy charging experience for drivers. Overall reliability across the ChargePlace Scotland network is typically very good with the entire network up and running around 95% of the time each month . Most faults on the network are short-lived and in the majority of cases require no physical intervention or a visit by an engineer. Typically around 90% of faults are resolved within 48 hrs with the ChargePlace Scotland helpdesk often remedying faults remotely.

Please note there are many reason a fault can be reported but these do not always affect the operation of the charge point itself. Some faults may be reported by more than one member of the public and this will be reflected in the figures below.

ChargePlace Scotland has recently published a new Network Performance page on the website which will continuously be updated with ready access to detailed information on the performance of the public charging network.