Chamber and committees

Barnett consequentials are not ring-fenced for a particular purpose or allocated on an individual basis, rather the totality of funds available to the Scottish Government are considered for allocation in the Scottish Budget and subsequent revisions. The 2023-24 Scottish Budget document, which was laid before parliament on 15 December 2022 provided detail of all commitments funded from within that overall Budget envelope.

In-year changes to budgets, including allocation of any additional Barnett consequentials that have accrued since the Budget was laid will be set out in forthcoming Budget Revisions documents.

Transport Scotland undertakes an annual assessment of the safety performance of the entire trunk road network, including the A702. Whilst accident patterns and rates in the form of Route Accident Reduction Plans (RARP) are considered, all locations where three or more personal-injury accidents have occurred in a three year period are screened. Further investigations are then carried out and, where appropriate, mitigation measures are prioritised for delivery.

Through this assessment, the Garvald junction, north of Dolphinton on the A702 has been identified for further investigation. The Operating Company, BEAR Scotland, has been instructed to carry out an accident investigation and prevention study. Road safety engineers will review recorded injury accidents and the operation of the junction, with recommendations for improvements being made as appropriate. The study is expected to be complete by the end of this financial year. Any recommendations for improvements will be considered thereafter and prioritised for delivery alongside other casualty reduction commitments in the South East Unit.

National Concessionary Travel Scheme vouchers can currently only be used for cabins on overnight sailings. Concessionary Travel arrangements are being reviewed as part of the Fair Fares Review and Islands Connectivity Plan.

The decision to remove shared cabins was taken solely by NorthLink following their risk assessments. The Scottish Government notes concerns about the impact of the removal of shared cabins on the National Concessionary Travel Scheme entitlement and this will also be considered through the Fair Fares Review and Islands Connectivity Plan.

The new Small Business Unit will be scoped out as part of a new Business and Better Regulation Directorate that will be formed from 18 September. Budget allocations will be finalised following budget planning work now underway.

Transport Scotland are in regular discussions with a range of operational partners, including Police Scotland and local road authorities, to explore ways to enhance road safety in the north of Scotland. This includes discussion through the Road Safety Framework Local Partnership Forum which last met on 15 June 2023.

Over the summer months additional and targeted safety camera and police officer resources have been deployed across the road network, including the North Coast 500, to encourage good driver behaviour and enhanced levels of speed limit compliance.

The decision to remove shared cabins was taken solely by NorthLink following their risk assessments. The Scottish Government notes concerns about the impact of the removal of shared cabins on the National Concessionary Travel Scheme entitlement and this is being reviewed as part of the Fair Fares Review and Islands Connectivity Plan.

The Scottish Government and COSLA agreed jointly in 2018 to a significant investment in the training of educational psychologists, to address a shortfall in numbers of practitioners across Scotland. This investment was made to secure a workforce for employment in Scotland, acknowledging that there are a range of career paths available including those who require part-time employment.

Under the grant terms and conditions of the Qualification in Educational Psychology (QEP), trainees must make every reasonable effort to secure employment as an Educational Psychologist with a local authority to begin as soon as possible after the completion of the Training Programme.

Failure to meet these requirements may result in default of the grant terms and conditions. In these circumstances the full Grant Funds received by or in respect of the Trainee, or a pro rata share, may be required to be repaid to the Scottish Ministers.

As members of PIARC (World Road Association) and the National Winter Service Research Group (NWSRG), Transport Scotland routinely participates and contributes to research programmes to enable the production of industry best practice.

In 2020, Transport Scotland commissioned the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) to undertake an introductory review into the effects of the use of rock salt on the major structures and bridges on the Scottish trunk road network.

Transport Scotland are currently reviewing the outcomes of this research including the next phases of research and potential use of alternative de-icing products as advised by the findings.

As an increase in the standard applied to the treatment of footpaths in the recently awarded Scottish Ministers Network Management Contracts (NMCs), precautionary footpath treatments are now undertaken using liquid treatment applications.

SG does not currently hold central information of individual grants at the locality level. Most grants are provided to organisations for specific policy aims and those grants are managed by various specific policy areas within SG. To ensure fair and transparent application processes, these funds are advertised as appropriate on the Gov.scot website or other specific sites to ensure stakeholders and key specific groups are targeted for applications. Although it won’t cover all grants in the locality requested, Scottish Enterprise may be able to provide more information on specific enterprise grants in the area, I have instructed my officials to reach out to Scottish Enterprise to provide you with the information you have requested.

The new model will see Scotland moving to a networked model of three neonatal intensive care units (NICU) working alongside local neonatal units (LNU) and special care units (SCU), supported by transitional care and community care services. This aligns with existing service models across the UK.

The transfer and repatriation of mother and babies is a normal component of neonatal care provision in Scotland, ensuring babies receive the most appropriate care at the correct time.

In order to support health boards to move forward with detailed implementation planning, the Scottish Government will commission healthcare planning expertise to undertake national capacity and modelling work.

We will now work with all Health Boards affected to plan for and implement this service change over the course of the next year, informed by the testing that has been underway over the last few years.

We will continue to provide funding to these Health Boards to help transition to the new model.