Chamber and committees

The current estimate for the seven new vessels and related port works in SVRP Phase 1 is £175 million. CMAL are progressing the vessel procurement with a view to agreeing a contract around March in 2025. The project spend profile remains under review and will be subject to completion of appropriate procurement processes, agreement of delivery schedules with the successful shipyard and port works providers, and approvals from Ministers. Budget will be allocated annually as part of the normal budget process.

The full costs of the procurement for the seven vessels as part of the Small Vessels Replacement Programme are estimated to be around £175 million including the provision of harbour upgrades and shore power connections.

The split cannot be given at this time given the live procurement of the programme and will only be known following the successful completion of the procurement exercise, anticipated March 2025.

Individual local authorities have responsibility for the development and delivery of flood protection schemes. Every location at risk is unique and therefore the business case for improving flood resilience will reflect this.

Where a flood protection development may have a significant impact on a European site, then under the Habitats Regulations an appropriate assessment must be carried out by the Local Authority to determine whether an impact on the integrity of the designated site is likely. Should the appropriate assessment conclude an adverse impact on integrity then the Local Authority must apply for a derogation from Scottish Ministers to allow the development to proceed. One of the three tests which must be satisfied under the Habitats Regulations before a derogation is granted is that the development is of imperative reasons of over-riding public interest.

Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27663 on 3 June 2024. 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.

Since 2019/20, the Scottish Government has invested, in the pursuance of its Programme for Government commitments, over £19 million across five years to support student mental health and wellbeing in colleges and universities and to help institutions to transition to a more sustainable means of providing mental health support for students. The cessation of this funding – referred to in the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government’s letter – was extensively discussed with the sector, including when transition funding was put in place for Academic Year 2023-24.

Our new Student Mental Health Action Plan, published on 13 September, seeks to move to a mainstreamed approach to student mental health which will help students better access services. The Government will work with NHS Boards, CoSLA, Public Health Scotland and community based providers to join up support that is already available, embedding students’ mental health needs into the wider communities in which they live and study.

The Action Plan recognises the importance of each college and university having a Student Mental Health Agreement in place. To enable this we continue to support NUS Think Positive with £130,000 in 2024-25.

ScotRail is to undertake the procurement exercise for the new intercity fleet. The timescales for replacement and the exact type of train to replace the HST Fleet as well as any implications of this replacement, including necessary infrastructure investments and journey times are dependent on the outcomes of the procurement.

Based on administrative data currently available, detail on the number of exceptions approved by the Scottish Government and public bodies between 1 July 2023 and 31 March 2024 will be published by the end of September on the Fair and inclusive workplaces webpage.

(a) There are no exemptions to the Fair Work First conditions in public sector grants. There is provision in the Fair Work First policy for limited exceptions where a potential grant recipient cannot afford to pay the real Living Wage to all or part(s) of its workforce and so is unable to accept the standard grant conditions regarding payment of the real Living Wage. There is no provision for an exception to meeting the effective voice condition. Funders may apply flexibility to recognise the different forms of voice that are appropriate for different organisations. The Fair Work First guidance is available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/fair-work-first-guidance-2/.

(b) For information on the number of contracts including Fair Work First considerations, I refer the member to the answer to questions S6W-28739 on 29 August 2024 and S6W-28738 on 23 August 2024. 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.

The Scottish Government and NatureScot have been focused on the development of the final draft of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and supporting Delivery Plans, which will be published later this year. The Scottish Biodiversity List remains an important part of this framework. NatureScot has already undertaken some preparatory work which will help inform this task, and we will continue to work together to produce a revised list in due course.

The route from Glasgow to Barrhead was electrified in December 2023. Electrification from Glasgow to East Kilbride is due to complete in December 2025. Plans to decarbonise the Fife Circle and Borders are in development.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27663 on 3 June 2024. 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.