Chamber and committees

The detailed information requested is currently being collated. I will write to the member as soon as the information is available and a copy will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib number 62596).

Permission from the Scottish Government was not required by Abellio ScotRail to commission Professor Iain Docherty to produce the Scotland’s Railway after the pandemic report.

From 2017 to the end of 2021 we have received a total of £194.8m in EU Exit preparation consequentials.

Spend, both in preparation and post-EU Exit, has been on staff supporting activities such as legislative preparations, and supporting stakeholders and partners, including businesses, cultural bodies, higher education institutes, local government and the third sector.

We have consistently targeted our spending responsibly and appropriately to mitigate against the negative impacts of exiting the EU and this last year we have allocated our spend to deal with the concurrent impacts of Covid and EU exit. An example of this is the £100m Winter Support package which was announced to support those on low incomes, children, and people at risk of homelessness or social isolation in coping with winter weather and the economic impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) and Brexit.

To support education recovery during the pandemic, the Scottish Government has committed funding that has enabled local authorities to recruit an additional 1,400 teachers and 250 support staff. From April 2022, funding equating to £80m per annum will be baselined in to the local government settlement. This will ensure local authorities are able to offer sustained employment of additional teachers and support staff, while meeting local needs and benefitting Scotland’s children and young people.

This is in addition to the £65.5m permanent additional funding announced on
‎ 9 August for local authorities to recruit a further additional 1,000 teachers and 500 support staff.

The Scottish Government recognises the need to deter and prevent abuse of our immigration and asylum systems, but we are clear that people who come here to live, work or study, to seek sanctuary or who have been subject to human trafficking and exploitation should be treated with dignity and respect at all times. Extremely vulnerable people, such as trafficking victims, should find a system which enables access to support rather than one which erects barriers.

We have set out our concerns about the Nationality and Borders Bill to the UK Government with regards to victims of human trafficking and exploitation. Identifying trafficking victims and enabling access to support and assistance must be a priority. Vulnerable and traumatised individuals should not be penalised for failing to disclose their experiences within mandated timeframes or face impediments to accessing support.

(a) Scottish Government and (b) Transport Scotland officials have (i) & (ii) not held any discussions with Professor Iain Docherty in relation to his Scotland’s Railway after the pandemic report.

Police management information, while a useful tool, should be used with caution. These are not official statistics and should not be taken as indicative of longer term trends. Due to the exceptional circumstances of the last year, caution is even more necessary when considering the information for 2020-21, as a rise in complaints and neighbour disputes in relation to potential breaches of COVID-19 restrictions are included.

Measuring change in antisocial behaviour over time is best done using population-based measures and all the evidence points towards a long-term, sustained reduction in Scotland. For example, the Scottish Crime & Justice Survey shows the proportion of adults who feel people behave in an antisocial manner in their area has fallen from 46% in 2008-09 to 33% in 2019-20 (with no change identified between 2018-19 and 2019-20).

We remain committed to tackling all forms of antisocial behaviour while recognising the progress made and will continue to work with partners to deliver the best outcomes for communities.

Transport Scotland is an executive agency within the Scottish Government. This report, informed by extensive stakeholder engagement, which we have jointly developed and published with the Scottish Futures Trust, sets out the opportunities to support the growth and development of public electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Scotland. I fully endorse the report as reflected in my comments in the news release that accompanied its publication on 24 July.

Oil & gas, and wider energy policy is reserved to UK Government, including the licensing of exploration and extraction of offshore reserves. While tax and regulation powers over offshore oil and gas are reserved to Westminster, any Scottish Government support for the oil and gas sector in the North sea will be conditional upon the industry contributing to a sustainable, secure and inclusive energy transition.

We are wholly committed to ending Scotland’s contribution to climate change by 2045, and to ensuring we do it in a way that is just and leaves no-one behind.

T he IPCC’s recent scientific report only serves to underline how important it is that we take significant, near-term action in response to the climate emergency - for this and future generations. That is why the First Minister has called on the UK Government, who have the power to act in this instance, to urgently re-assess all approved oil licenses where drilling has not yet commenced against our climate commitments.

The oil and gas sector has a positive role to play in our journey to net zero. Indeed, we are clear that the North Sea has a vibrant future in renewable energy, hydrogen, and Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage. Meeting our climate obligations while ensuring a secure energy supply and supporting our highly skilled workforce to transition to the green jobs of the future must all go hand in hand. We will continue to work closely with industry, trade unions, communities and workers to ensure the right skills and training are in place to protect and create jobs as we become a net-zero economy.

The Scottish Government will provide funding to support the chartering the MV Arrow by CalMac Ferries Ltd to assist the resilience on the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS) network. The cost of the current time charter negotiated between CalMac Ferries Ltd and the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company is £588,000 excluding fuel and harbour dues.

The Scottish Government has made no assessment of the additional cost to CalMac Ferries Ltd for chartering the MV arrow in line with collective bargaining agreements. The crew of the MV Arrow are employed by Seatruck Ltd, who own the vessel and terms and conditions are a matter for that company.