Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has committed to funding this facility for £2 million annually until March 2026. To date, the only Scottish Government spend on this facility is the first tranche of funding for 2024-25 which was £760,000, provided to the HSCP in August. The second tranche of funding for 2024-25 is due to be provided in December.

The specification for the seconded headteacher position is being developed by the Scottish Government and the SQA in consultation with key stakeholders. Recruitment to the role will be undertaken by the SQA with the selection process involving the Scottish Government.

The seconded headteacher will be pivotal in delivering improvements to the relationship between the national qualifications body and the school sector and enabling the successful implementation of qualifications and assessment reform. More information on the role and the selection process will be available soon.

The option of a separate freight-only service to and from Islay has been considered. However, the Government is investing in two new vessels for Islay that will, together, provide 55% more space for Heavy Goods Vehicles than the two current vessels and are expected to meet growing demand in the coming years. We will continue to consider and discuss with key stakeholders provision of freight-only options which balance the roles and responsibilities of business and government.

The Independent Review of Adult Social Care recommendations, consultation and co-design with thousands of people who receive or provide social care have told us change is needed in how social care and support in delivered. We are working with people to design a system that best fits the needs of the communities it serves.

The National Care Service will improve participation and empower people who use and deliver care services, to have a say in how social care is developed and delivered. The NCS will also promote transparency of both performance and investment in social care. The NCS Board will improve the scrutiny of local services, allow intervention at earlier stages to identify good practice, and target efforts on areas where there are emerging issues.

I have not met with Transport Scotland to discuss road improvements to the Toll of Birness junction specifically.

On 30 October I chaired the Road Safety Strategic Partnership Board. This meeting involved a range of operational partners, including Police Scotland and local authority representatives, to discuss measures aimed at enhancing road safety and progressing towards achieving our vision for Scotland, including the north east, to have the best road safety performance in the world by 2030.

Road safety remains of paramount importance to the Scottish Government. Transport Scotland assesses the safety performance of the trunk road network on an annual basis using a robust, evidence-based approach ensuing that funding can be prioritised to those locations that support effective delivery of the Scottish Government’s 2030 casualty reduction targets.

The Transport to health Plan was published on 30 October 2024 and sets out 20 commitments on behalf of the Scottish Government, Transport Scotland, and delivery bodies. The plan can be found here Transport to Health Delivery Plan - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

On 30 October I chaired the Road Safety Strategic Partnership Board. This meeting involved a range of operational partners, including Police Scotland and local authorities, to discuss measures aimed at enhancing road safety and progressing towards achieving our vision for Scotland, including the north east, to have the best road safety performance in the world by 2030.

One of my Transport Scotland officials recently attended the Aberdeenshire Road Safety Seminar on 10 October, with Police Scotland, local authorities, elected members and key stakeholders in attendance. Road safety at a national level and issues pertaining to the local road network, with a particular focus on the A90 and A952, were discussed.

Consideration of all protected characteristics, including gender, will continue to inform the design and delivery of post school education and skills reform.

We will continue to build on our existing work to address barriers for women and girls, including:

• A range of resources developed by Education Scotland to address gender segregation in subject choices in schools.
• The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) is working with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to tackle persistent inequalities in the tertiary education sector. Their approach includes for institutions to have regard to significant imbalances on courses and take action to address it.
• The refreshed Fair Work Action Plan which was published in December 2022 and aims to take an intersectional approach, where possible, to tackling the structural labour market barriers faced by disadvantaged groups in Scotland’s labour market including women.
• The Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) created the Gender Commission, who developed recommendations that offer practical solutions to help address the gender imbalance across the Apprenticeship family. The Gender Commission published their report and recommendations, and SG are committed to integrate findings from the Commission into our reform work to ensure they become embedded in the skills system.

An initial Equalities Impact Assessment, Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA): Purpose and Principles (www.gov.scot) for the Purpose and Principles for Post-School education, research and skills Post-school education, research and skills - purpose and principles - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) was published on 4 July 2023.

Projected spending on the National Care Service up to 2032 is focused on strategic improvement of the sector, including improving standards for our workforce. The NCS Board will improve oversight, accountability and transparency on the delivery of integrated health and social care across Scotland. Allowing for greater consistency across local areas and helping frontline workers deliver their services to the best of their ability. We have already implemented Fair Work measures, including paying our commissioned social care workforce at least the real living wage of £12 an hour from April 2024 and improving standards through the NCS will make the sector a more attractive career.

Whilst electrification remains an option, no timescale has been established for the decarbonisation of the Maryhill Line.