Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is aware of concerns raised by some stakeholders regarding unintended consequences of the proposed price cap on essential food items.

That is why we are engaging constructively with all relevant stakeholders to support considered and informed discussion on this. We are consulting on draft proposals before any decisions are taken. The consultation seeks views and evidence from consumers, retailers, producers and other stakeholders on the potential benefits, risks and issues of any food price cap scheme.

Since 2016, the Scottish Government has provided £612 million to local authorities to support flood resilience. This includes flood protection schemes and wider flood resilience activity. Local authorities are responsible for managing flood risk and delivering flood protection schemes in their areas.

The Scottish Government has made clear to the UK Government that any move away from digital terrestrial television services must be guided by the principle of universal access. Television remains an important source of news, information, cultural content and social connection for many people, and we have emphasised that any decisions should take full account of the potential impacts on audiences, particularly those who may be at greater risk of exclusion, including people living in rural and island communities, and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

The Scottish Government recently responded to the UK Government’s consultation on the future of media, including next steps on the future of TV distribution, setting out that any transition must be evidence-led and informed by assessments of affordability, accessibility, broadband availability, network resilience and audience readiness. We have urged the UK Government to ensure that no household loses access to television services because of any future changes to distribution models, and that appropriate support and mitigations are put in place.

The Scottish Government continues to help extend the reach of fast, reliable broadband infrastructure across Scotland through our £600m investment in the Reaching 100% (R100) programme and our key role in delivering Project Gigabit in Scotland. Alongside this investment in connectivity, we continue to work with Ofcom and partners to raise awareness of affordable connectivity options, including social tariffs.

The Scottish Government recognises the risks associated with litter picking on high-speed roads and the need for robust safety measures. Responsibility for litter collection on Scotland’s trunk roads is shared between Transport Scotland and local authorities. Transport Scotland’s Operating Companies manage litter picking on motorways and special roads, while councils are responsible for other trunk roads, including the A9. Both must carry out risk assessments and implement safe working practices, including traffic management where required. To further reduce risks, Operating Companies coordinate maintenance activities with local authorities, enabling litter-picking to be undertaken when traffic management is already in place.

Transport Scotland officials have required ScotRail through Scottish Rail Holdings to work at pace to rectify any issues experienced by passengers upon release of the new ScotRail app in order to minimise disruption, and to reflect any lessons learned in any future initiatives.

Any testing of the ScotRail app prior to its launch was done by ScotRail and the retail platform provider, SilverRail. The member may wish to contact ScotRail for this information.

The location of fire stations and any specialist functions they deliver is an operational matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. All fire stations in Scotland respond to a wide range of emergency incidents, including wildfires, and SFRS keep all operational decisions under review depending on need.

Scottish Government officials are in regular contact with the Subsidy Advice Unit (SAU) of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to discuss current and potential subsidy referrals including Ferguson Marine. Scottish Government officials met with the SAU on 2 June and 12 August 2026 to participate in routine discussions on the general requirements of the referral process.

Following review of processes to maintain competitiveness within vessel projects CMAL, as Procuring Authority, have chosen not to disclose the list of yards or locations of those bidding for the MV Lord of The Isles replacement or for any future vessel tenders.

An update will be provided at the appropriate time, when the required procurement processes are complete.

Yes, legal advice was obtained before the announcement of the proposed direct awards and since.