Rail is one of the transport modes with the lowest emissions. ScotRail provides details on managing its environmental impact on its website, which can be found here: Managing environmental impact

ScotRail also has a Sustainability Policy in place, which is available online at: Sustainability Policy | ScotRail

The final subsidy for all Caledonian Sleeper services for the financial year 2024-25 will be known when the accounts for this year have been finalised and published.

The Scottish Government is considering all sensible alternative fuel options for the development of the Scottish rail network.

As with all projects, Transport Scotland Officials regularly discuss and review draft documents prepared by its technical advisors on an ongoing basis as part of the process to finalise reports prior to seeking Ministerial approval to publish. No changes were made by the Scottish Ministers to the draft outcomes of the A96 Corridor Review that identified an optimal Refined Package of improvements.

The position of the Scottish Government has not changed – the current favoured position is to fully dual the A96, and we are already taking forward the dualling process from Inverness to Nairn, including Nairn Bypass.

Based on Scottish Government forecasts for 2029-30 the total Fiscal Resource Budget is forecast to be £60.2 billion. Social Security expenditure for 2029-30, as forecast by the Scottish Fiscal Commission, is £8.9 billion. Therefore, Social Security expenditure is estimated to be 14.8 per cent of the total Fiscal Resource Budget in 2029-30.

As detailed in my letter to NZET Committee on 17 December 2024, the technological and financial landscape has changed significantly since the Decarbonisation Action Plan was first published. The Scottish Government currently faces significant financial and budgetary pressures. As a consequence of these challenges, it is clear that the 2020 Decarbonisation Action Plan commitment to decarbonise rail services by 2035 can no longer be met. A revised target of 2045 is planned for the refreshed Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan.

The replacement for ScotRail’s High Speed Trains (HST) is expected to be more energy efficient than the HSTs and therefore will significantly reduce emissions, a direct contribution to decarbonisation.

The Scottish Government welcomes the publication of the interim report of the Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment and thanks the chair, Edel Harris for her work. The Scottish Government is now carefully considering these initial findings, including the areas the Chair considers may be capable of early action.

Decarbonisation infrastructure works are undertaken by Network Rail, who owns and maintains Scotland’s rail network infrastructure. Network Rail is major employer in Scotland, as are many of its supply chain partners. As recently at October 2024, Network Rail and its key suppliers held a networking event for SMEs keen to learn more about work available across Scotland’s Railway over the next five years.

In relation to the replacement Intercity trains, a transparent and fair procurement process is being held. The procurement process ensures Scottish suppliers will be able to offer to provide their services to potential bidders.

In response to the recommendations of the Improving Care Leavers Housing Pathways CELCIS Knowledge Bank: Youth Homelessness Prevention Pathway report, the Scottish Government commissioned the Care Inspectorate to undertake a thematic review of the experiences of young people in and leaving care in Scotland.

The thematic review was completed between April and October 2024, and a final report Care experienced young people thematic review was published on 5 November 2024. The report was complemented by the publication of ‘key messages’ for the sector and the Care Inspectorate hosted a webinar for practitioners, managers and stakeholders to discuss learning from the thematic review in December 2024.

We will consider the ‘Considerations for future practice’ identified through the thematic review as part of our wider evidence base which will help us develop policies to ensure that all eligible young people can equally and consistently benefit from the best support for their individual needs.