Chamber and committees

The New Scots refugee integration strategy is built on partnership and collaboration, led by the Scottish Government, COSLA and the Scottish Refugee Council.

The second New Scots refugee integration strategy was published in January 2018 and runs until December 2022. Partners have begun discussions on arrangements to develop the third strategy, with the aim of publishing this in 2023.

The Scottish Transport Statistics report an increase in car use from 35,362 to 36,747 million vehicle kilometres driven in Scotland between 2016 and 2019. We do not yet have these figures for 2020, which will have been impacted by the Covid-19 restrictions. This happened alongside significant population and economic growth. During this time period, Scotland’s population grew by almost 60,000 and the country’s Gross Domestic Product grew by 3.6% in real terms.

Transport is Scotland’s highest carbon emitting sector, and the largest source of transport emissions is cars. This is why in the Climate Change Plan Update (published December 2020), we committed to reduce car use in Scotland by 20% by 2030. This is monitored as part of the Climate Change Plan monitoring and evaluation framework , which the Scottish Government reports on annually.

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to significant uncertainty for transport, with future trends and people’s work and lifestyle choices difficult to forecast at this point in time. Subject to this uncertainty, we will publish a route-map that sets out how we will meet this target by the end of this year. This is a cross-government and sectoral effort – not all the policy levers and answers rest in transport.

The most direct levers on the attractiveness of buying or running a petrol or diesel car – fuel duty and vehicle excise duty – are reserved to the UK Government. Additionally, transport demand derives from other factors – where people live work, learn and access goods and services are all key to their need to travel. Meeting the commitment will involve reducing people’s need to travel with more local access to goods and services, digital connectivity and flexible and remote working approaches.

The Standing Committee on Pandemics will be established by 25 August 2021.

The Standing Committee on Pandemics will be an advisory group to the Scottish Government, with a remit to advise on the future risks from pandemics and the steps we should take to address those risks. The Committee’s membership will bring together a range of scientists and clinicians with relevant expertise.

NHS Grampian’s current closure of Insch War Memorial Hospital is a temporary measure due to pressures resulting from the pandemic. Health and social care services continue to be delivered to the people of Insch and its surrounding areas.

Future use of the hospital will be shaped by the strategic needs assessment (SNA) of health and social care provision and services in Insch and the surrounding areas, which is currently underway. In consultation with the local community, the SNA will look at how health and care services can be improved and adapted to develop options for service delivery models that best meet the current and future needs of the local population. Further information on the SNA, including outline timetable is publicly available via: https://engage.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/insch-strategic-needs-assessment .

Over the next decade the Scottish Government will invest £10 billion in health infrastructure, which will include support for renewal or upgrading of primary and community facilities. The SNA that Aberdeenshire Integration Joint Board is carrying out will inform plans for investing in the facilities serving Insch and the surrounding communities.

The yards which CalMac Ferries Ltd use to undertake dry dock maintenance work for the vessels in the fleet is an operational matter for them to determine.

CalMac Ferries Ltd procure their contracts in a fair and open competition manner, allowing an award to the bidder that offers the best value for money. CalMac Ferries Ltd publish details pertaining to the contracts on the Public Contracts Scotland website.

CalMac Ferries Ltd awarded contracts to Cammell Laird Shiprepairers & Shipbuilders Ltd, Dales Marine Services and Ardmaleish Boatbuilding Co Ltd.

Contract details are available by following the links: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=DEC401718 and https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=DEC401701 .

Provision of services by a Scottish Government owned company, called ScotRail Trains Ltd, in line with our Operator of Last Resort duty will ensure the continuity of rail services in Scotland and also provide stability to staff, suppliers and passengers over this period.

Abellio ScotRail staff with their terms and conditions will transfer to the new entity.

Under the Emergency Measures Agreements (EMAs) in place, (a) Abellio ScotRail and (b) Serco Caledonian Sleepers Limited are not entitled to indemnification in the event of industrial action although the net difference between revenue and costs in any EMA period pass through to Scottish Ministers.

To the extent that industrial action increases the net cost to the Scottish Government it increases the need for further efficiencies and cost reductions given that funding, in the context of Covid, is severely constrained.

We will work with all key stakeholders, including the trade unions, to ensure the most efficient and best value arrangement to deliver our key lifeline ferry services. An independent review analysing the existing governance structure is already underway and our consultants will be engaging with stakeholders shortly. The provisional outcomes of the review will be published around the end of the year when further engagement on potential options will take place.

Transport Scotland (TS) have weekly discussions with CalMac Ferries to identify where improvements can be made to enhance the resilience of the services across the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service (CHFS) which includes those services to the Western Isles. This includes searching for opportunities to charter additional tonnage for the fleet.

Ministers are pleased that following successful berthing trials the MV Arrow has been chartered. This will bring additional capacity on the Ullapool – Stornoway service by allowing CalMac to free up the MV Loch Seaforth to let more passengers and their vehicles travel. It will also increase freight capacity.

The Scottish Government are fully committed to maintaining life line ferry services across the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS) network. When periods of inclement weather are anticipated CalMac will seek to try and flex the scheduled ferry service timetable to provide sailings in advance of, or following any disruption to the timetabled services, to try and minimise the impact on communities.