Chamber and committees

No formal consultation by (a) Transport Scotland and (b) ScotRail took place with (i) workers and (ii) unions before the temporary timetable was implemented. ScotRail utilised the time available to them, during this challenging period, to compile the temporary timetable which is aimed at providing the best possible service to as many passengers as possible with the available resources. The major determining factor is driver availability by rostered hours, location and with the necessary competencies, which fluctuates daily.

No assessment has been made if the impact on business revenues in the Highlands as a result of ScotRail’s temporary timetable.

We do recognise that the current temporary timetable is causing inconvenience and frustration to travellers, especially to people who need early and late services to get to and from work, and those sectors and businesses in the economy that depend on people being able to travel in the evenings. However, ScotRail conducted its formal review on 3 June and as a result, more services particularly in the evenings are now being added back into the timetable. In addition with the positive progress made on pay negotiations with ASLEF in Scotland, it is to be hoped more services will be added back in the near future.

There is nothing in Scottish Government guidance, which prevents the use of schools by community groups. Since March of this year the published guidance for schools has explicitly stated under the section on local implementation that “If undertaking a particular activity is not explicitly precluded through this guidance – i.e. if it is not listed as a routine measure – then schools and local authorities should treat it as permissible provided they take account of relevant risks.”

This was in line with advice from the Advisory Subgroup on Education and Children’s Issues, to ensure that only those measures that were necessary and proportionate were retained. This was also to ensure that there was alignment with equivalent measures across wider society where possible. The most recent version of the guidance for schools was updated on 31 May and can be accessed here: Supporting documents - Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance on reducing the risks in schools - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Many local authorities across Scotland already discourage smoking near children’s play areas and near schools. We are currently refreshing our Tobacco Action Plan and considering, among other initiatives, the introduction of nationwide bans on smoking in these areas and will learn from experiences in countries like Wales, where this has already been implemented .

The information requested is not held centrally.

The answers to the questions on ethnic background, gender, religion and sexual orientation (alongside answers to other questions) are used to understand if the response received to the survey is representative of the population of the study area and Scotland as a whole. In addition, this information will assist the A96 Corridor Review in working towards reducing or removing barriers to equality and enhancing opportunities for certain communities and protected groups.

The information obtained from the survey, alongside other forms of engagement undertaken, is being used to inform the analysis of problems and opportunities and the identification of potential transport interventions. This is being progressed using the methodology set out in Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG). STAG [ https://www.transport.gov.scot/our-approach/industry-guidance/scottish-transport-analysis-guide-scot-tag ] is the Scottish Government’s formal option appraisal toolkit and is the methodology used to guide the development and assessment of transport projects in Scotland. It provides an evidence based and objective led framework for identifying transport problems in a study area and/or opportunities, allows objectives to be set to reflect the transport problems/opportunities and then options to be identified and appraised in a consistent manner with the potential to meet those objectives.

In terms of the assessment of options, STAG involves a multi-criteria appraisal approach. One specific workstream which will feed into this appraisal is a Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA). All responses to the survey will be used to inform the study, including the EQIA process.

We have already committed in Housing to 2040 to review and consider potential reforms to the current eviction grounds under the Private Residential Tenancy (PRT) after 5 years of operation, which will be at the end of this year.

We have already started to seek views on the effectiveness and operation of the existing eviction grounds for the Private Rented Sector as part of the New Deal For Tenants consultation to help inform the review when it begins and we will continue to work with stakeholders during it.

As highlighted in Generation Rent’s research, measures are in place under the PRT where a tenancy has been ended due to misleading information, the First-tier Tribunal have the power to make a wrongful termination order against the landlord and award compensation to the tenant. The use and effectiveness of wrongful termination orders will form part of the review.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-08883 on‎ 20 June 2022. 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

There is currently a shortage of drivers for bus and lorries due to the COVID pandemic, creating a backlog in processing applications and testing which is being compounded by the consequences of BREXIT, as it prevents people from the EU coming here to work freely. We have repeatedly sought a formal role in determining what occupations are in shortage in the devolved nations, but the UK Government has denied this. As such, bus drivers are not included in the Shortage Occupations List (SOL). I understand that the UK Government will be reviewing this later this year and we have asked for full involvement in that process.

The problem is clearly causing issues for local and national bus services across Scotland. To address the workplace issues, my officials are working with bus operators and our partners across the public sector to promote the bus sector as a place to work while recognising that many of the levers are reserved to the UK Government. We have provided up to £210 million in funding to support bus services during the pandemic and an additional £40 million to support recovery this year. My predecessor also wrote to the UK Government about the consequences of the delays affecting the recruitment and training of potential drivers, which continues to be a concern for the bus industry.

I know that the majority of bus services in Scotland are operated on a commercial basis by private bus companies. But I would strongly encourage operators and local authorities to work together to ensure that connectivity is protected and maintained.

The Scottish Government will engage with all bidders for Green Freeport status, to examine relevant opportunities and build on the strategies they have set out.

As Co-Chair of the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC), I am leading on work to implement the five key recommendations in the Strategic Infrastructure Assessment (SIA) published in 2021, starting with the creation of a Scottish Offshore Wind Port Cluster.

On 11 May, we published the Offshore Wind Collaborative Framework Charter. 24 developers signed up to the Charter, which includes all active developers in Scotland and encompasses all 17 ScotWind projects.

The Charter builds on the 2021 SIA recommendations adopted by the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC), and is a clear way to support and enable developers’ collective supply chain commitments. The Charter will help forge effective partnerships to deliver on the potential that offshore wind presents in the coming years particularly those that present via our ports and harbours.