Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is committed to the decarbonisation of the maritime sector in a sustainable way to deliver a just transition. Many ports across Scotland have already published plans committing to decarbonising their operations. Port of Leith owners Forth Ports has outlined its commitment and the actions it is taking to achieve a Net Zero carbon operation by 2042. The Company has also outlined an interim target of achieving carbon neutral emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by 2032.

Shore power will play an important role in reducing vessel emissions at berth, but given the infrequent but high peak loads that larger vessels such as cruise ships require, shore power may not always be optimal for every port. We will work with the ports sector to ensure that low emission solutions are pursued whilst proportionate to the scale of operations of an individual port.

We can confirm that the remit for the study is as follows: a high-level desk top based feasibility study focussing on the technical challenges and opportunities for running tram trains on the South-Suburban line.

The outputs of the study will be published when complete.

The Terms of Reference for this feasibility study will be published in due course.

We would expect the outcome of the feasibility study to be published by May 2027. The recently announced feasibility study into the use of tram trains on the Edinburgh Suburban Line is planned to take 9 months to complete.

Social Impact partnerships have the potential to change the way preventative work is funded. Our manifesto commitment is to develop a Justice Social Impact Partnership which targets reoffending and provision of safe spaces for young people. A partnership of nine organisations with experience in investment, philanthropy, prevention, and programme evaluation has been formed to take this work forward. Learning from the justice pilot will inform the wider use of social impact partnerships across government, including on issues such as creating the legal and financial structures to support investors and partnership delivery.

There is no further update at this time as work continues to a standardised approach to delivery across the programme. As set out in the answer to S7W-00342 on 5 June 2026, a further announcement on programme priorities and funding approach will be provided once available to follow. 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 establishment of Integrated Navigation Centres and Co-ordination Hubs forms part of our wider programme of reform, as set out in our Health and Care Improving Flow Plan 2026-2031, to improve patient flow and access to care across the health and social care system.

Detailed planning is underway with system partners. Decisions on the number of centres and hubs, workforce requirements and associated costs will be considered within that planning. As this work progresses, we will continue to assess local and national needs to ensure these arrangements deliver the greatest benefit for patients and services.

While we recognise that some will have concerns about these proposals the Scottish Government cannot stand by when households are struggling to afford essential goods. Our objective is not to penalise retailers, but to strike a fair balance that addresses the needs of those that are struggling with the cost of their weekly shop. 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 around any food price cap scheme.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of attracting and supporting new entrants into the Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) workforce and ensuring clear progression pathways into employment and professional development.

We are working with Skills Development Scotland, training providers, local authorities and ELC sector representatives to promote careers in ELC and to strengthen workforce pathways. This includes supporting school-based vocational learning opportunities, Foundation and Modern Apprenticeships, and work-based learning that helps young people gain relevant experience and progress into employment.

The sector does not currently operate a single nationally mandated recruitment pathway. Rather, multiple routes exist to reflect the diverse nature of the workforce and differing employer needs.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with partners to consider how pathways into the sector can be further strengthened and better connected, helping to ensure that learners can progress from school-based learning and workplace experience into employment and subsequent qualification pathways that meet the workforce needs of the sector.

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.