Chamber and committees

The current booking system was released under the previous contract with CalMac to operate the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services. Under that contract CalMac were required to provide farebox revenue as a whole for routes across the network. The Scottish Government does not hold information on uncollected revenue, and there was no contractual requirement for them to provide this information to Ministers.

The Directorate recognises the importance of providing clarity on the app's planned launch date. At present a specific launch date in 2026 has not yet been confirmed.

Final timelines depend on ongoing development, testing and regulatory requirements to ensure the app meets all required standards.

The Directorate will provide a confirmed timeline once the current development and testing phase is completed.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise, I have asked its Chief Executive, Adrian Gillespie to respond to you directly.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise, I have asked its Chief Executive, Adrian Gillespie to respond to you directly.

Bringing the 2027 Tour de France Grand Départ to Edinburgh is a tremendous opportunity for our country. We are delighted that Scotland is co-hosting the biggest free spectator event alongside our partners in England and Wales and are committed to ensuring it will demonstrate that Scotland is the perfect stage for major events. The Grand Depart will consist of the first 3 Stages of the 2027 Tour, starting in Edinburgh then visiting Wales and England.

The Scottish Government will invest up to £9.25 million, which includes a contingency provision. This funding will help Scotland realise the full potential of the social and economic benefits the Tour de France will bring to our country, as well as ensure that the event is delivered safely, securely and successfully.

Our investment sits alongside funding contributions from the UK and Welsh Governments and includes investment into a UK-wide social impact programme. We are also extending this investment into a Scotland-specific social impact programme, which will seek to improve health by increasing cycling participation, supporting the Scottish Government’s wider active travel commitments, driving community cohesion and supporting economic growth. Scottish Cycling will play a pivotal role in this programme as our national governing body for cycling and are already seeking to recruit to their team to help with delivery. We look forward to sharing more details on this programme in due course.

As a natural progression from hosting the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, the Tour de France will be part of an incredible pipeline of major events in Scotland – sitting between the Commonwealth Games in 2026 and the UEFA European Football Championships in 2028. Hosting the Grand Départ for the 2027 Tour de France will enhance Scotland’s already stellar reputation as an international events destination, and will allow us to further showcase our country on the world stage, with the event being broadcast in 190 countries, with around 150 million viewers in Europe alone.

Through the relevant budget review processes, the Scottish Government will continue to scrutinise budget lines and engage with the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Public Administration Committee as appropriate.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) publishes statistics on the number of waits for patients on waiting lists for planned care in the Stage of Treatment (SoT) Waiting Times publication. Patients may appear more than once if they are waiting for multiple appointments or admissions, so the statistics shown do not reflect the actual number of individuals involved. Further information about SoT Waiting Times can be found on the PHS website.

Table 1 presents the number of ongoing waits at 31 October 2025. The figures reflect waits for residents within the Inverclyde council area awaiting a new outpatient appointment or an inpatient/day case admission in dentistry-related specialties at any hospital in Scotland.

More detailed information on the treatment or procedure(s) that is planned or undertaken for a patient will be held locally by NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde or the health board of treatment responsible for the patient’s wait.

Table 1: Number of ongoing waits for a new outpatient appointment or inpatient or day case admission at 31 October 2025, Inverclyde council area

We note the report and that many of themes explored align well with themes identified in the recently published Islands Connectivity Plan.

Regarding the governance recommendation Scottish Ministers have not taken any decisions at this stage on potential further reforms to the governance of Scotland’s ferry bodies. Work to consider all available options is ongoing, and no approach has been ruled out.

We recognise the importance of clear communication, particularly during times of disruption. As part of the CHFS3 grant agreement, CalMac will be preparing a Customer service and accessibility plan and a disruption management plan to consider these matters further.

We also recognise the importance of consultation highlighted in the report and agree that it is vital to hear from a wide range of voices. Ministers, Transport Scotland officials, CalMac and CMAL will continue to engage with island communities, businesses, staff, trades unions and wider stakeholders across the network on new policy, timetables and projects to fully understand the wider range of challenges and opportunities as we invest to sustain and enhance services.

Regarding the governance recommendation Scottish Ministers have not taken any decisions at this stage on potential further reforms to the governance of Scotland’s ferry bodies. Work to consider all available options is ongoing, and no approach has been ruled out.

The immediate priority is the successful delivery of the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS3) contract, which commenced on 1 October 2025, and the introduction of six new major vessels into service. These measures are essential to strengthening resilience and improving the reliability of services for island communities.

The Scottish Government expects all healthcare to be safe, effective and person-centred. On the occasions where non-standard care areas have to be used, it is the NHS Boards who are responsible for ensuring that effective and documented risk assessments, that detail the mitigating measures, are in place to support staff who are required to deliver care to patients in these areas.

The use of non-standard areas of care is scrutinised by Healthcare Improvement Scotland as part of their inspection process. HIS has encouraged NHS Boards to implement strategies to enhance patient flow and eliminate the routine use of non-standard care areas for patient care.

The Scottish Government does not hold information for what the “average ambulance response time is in Inverclyde”.

However, the median response time in Greater Glasgow and Clyde to Purple coded incidents was 07:48 minutes (08:06 nationally) and Red coded incidents was 09:49 minutes (09:57 nationally).