- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answer expected on 6 August 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether any contingent liabilities becoming due for any purpose are (a) met by departmental or central budgets and (b) more likely to be charged to capital or resource budgets.
Answer
Answer expected on 6 August 2025
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 4 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of it adopting a mechanism for the carbon contracts pilot to offer to buy a portion of carbon credits at an agreed price, what other options to support investment were considered; for what reasons they were rejected, and whether it will publish its latest assessment of these reasons.
Answer
Scottish Government undertook a robust process to assess a total of 14 different possible blended finance mechanisms for peatland restoration. Officials used Green Book appraisal methods to filter this list and employed a wide range of evidence to select a preferred option.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve the (a) accessibility and (b) affordability of inter-island ferry travel for disabled passengers.
Answer
The recently published Strategic Approach of the Islands Connectivity Plan sets Accessibility as one of four priorities for future ferry services and identifies a number of actions to support the delivery of this priority, including development of a Ferries Accessibility Standard and reopening of the Ferries Accessibility Fund.
We have also invested significantly to keep ferry fares affordable for all, including on Road Equivalent Tariff and islander fares, as well as the Older and Disabled Persons Concessionary Travel Scheme. In addition, a number of local authorities already provide concessionary ferry travel for disabled people.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) steps it has taken and (b) plans it has to report any contingent liability arising from the carbon contracts pilot.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to questions S6W-35362 and S6W-35361 on 24 June 2025. 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.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many projects have registered an interest in carbon contracts since the launch of the call for interest in the carbon contracts pilot.
Answer
Scottish Government and NatureScot have engaged with a range of parties interested in taking part in the pilot. However, Scottish Government and NatureScot have not at this stage sought formal expressions of interest.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has set an upper limit on the (a) annual and (b) cumulative amount of any contingent liability associated with the carbon contracts pilot.
Answer
As a part of the Carbon Contracts pilot, Scottish Government intends to spend up to a total of £1m in capital.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported call for the registration of peatland restoration projects for carbon contracts, how many hectares of degraded peatland it anticipates the carbon contracts pilot will restore, and how many tonnes of CO2e reductions it estimates this restoration will deliver.
Answer
Carbon Contracts are to be piloted as part of the Peatland ACTON programme. All projects will be required to meet Peatland ACTION quality criteria. Scottish Government has not undertaken modelling to estimate the exact impact of the Carbon Contracts pilot on levels of peatland restoration and CO2 emissions reductions. The pilot itself will play a key role in assessing the potential impact of the Carbon Contracts mechanism on rates of peatland restoration.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government which of its departmental budgets will be used to pay for any contingent liability from carbon contracts, and whether the Peatland ACTION budget will be affected.
Answer
The capital costs associated with Carbon Contracts will be paid for from the Environment and Forestry Directorate’s budget. It will not impact upon the Peatland Action budget in this financial year.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to extending free ferry travel for passengers aged 22 and under on all routes on the public contract for (a) Northern Isles Ferry Services and (b) Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services.
Answer
We have already implemented a substantial element of what is being asked, for those aged under 22, and this was announced at the time with extensive media coverage and announced to Parliament. These measures have been developed after careful consideration from the Island Connectivity Plan and Fairs Fare Review consultation. There are no immediate plans to extend these very positive measures which will help young people and their families facing cost of living pressures.
Northern Isles:
Extension of free ferry vouchers for 19-21 implemented from 23 June 2025
CHFS - Western Isles:
Under 22 free inter island ferry fares implemented from 1 April 2025
Extension of free ferry vouchers for 19-21 implemented from 23 June 2025
Other CHFS routes:
Extension of free ferry vouchers for 19-21 implemented from 23 June 2025
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will list the current fare concessions available to disabled passengers on the public ferry network.
Answer
Both NorthLink Ferries and CalMac Ferries offer concessionary fares for disabled passengers who hold a National Entitlement Card or equivalent. Disabled passengers living in the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport region are eligible for discounted ferry travel if they live on an island or peninsula and hold a Strathclyde Concessionary Travel Ferry Card. Any local authority ferry services with fares for disabled passengers are set independently from Scottish Government concessionary fares.
Additionally, all eligible island residents living in Orkney, Shetland, North Ayrshire, Highland, Argyll and Bute and Eilean Siar council areas receive 4 free single ferry journeys per year to or from the mainland, as part of the Scottish Government’s ferries concessionary voucher scheme.
All concessionary fares for disabled passengers are listed on the corresponding local authority, CalMac or NorthLink websites. The Scottish Government concessionary fares are listed on the Transport Scotland website.