Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has engaged with local government through a range of meetings and discussions on public service reform and local governance over recent months. The recently published proposals are intended to be a starting point for discussion, and a programme of wider engagement with local authorities and other stakeholders is now underway.

A total of £41,649,182.68 was spent through Phase 2 of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB2) supporting delivery of 263 zero-emission buses and coaches. No additional funding was requested by participating operators.

With every £1 of public funding leveraging in £3 of private investment, ScotZEB2 has successfully demonstrated how collaboration between operators, manufacturers, energy providers and financiers can accelerate the transition to zero-emission public transport across Scotland.

The cost of chartering vessels to cover annual overhaul or disruption is listed in the following table. These are by Contract Year.

The Scottish Government’s proposals for local government reform will not alter the constitutional, or statutory status of Scotland’s two National Park Authorities. The Scottish Government’s proposals for local government reform is a starting point for discussion. It is intended to facilitate debate and discussion with the objective of establishing a measure of shared agreement about the scale and the broad shape that reform could take. The relationship of regional authorities to Scotland’s two national park authorities will be taken into consideration during that dialogue.

The total spend on consultancy services for each financial year from 2021-2022 to 2024-2025 is as follows. Please note the data for 2025-2026 is not yet available as the audit is still in process.

A free, vibrant, and independent press is essential and the Scottish Government is committed to playing our part to ensure it is maintained.

We have ongoing engagement on these matters but have not specifically engaged with Smiths News PLC regarding its ten-year distribution agreements with News UK and DMG Media, nor on regional newspaper distribution in rural and island communities.

The Scottish Government is currently working with local government and Police Scotland to assess the closure powers regime under Part 4 of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 and identify any changes that may be required. This includes considering comparable regimes elsewhere in the UK and recommendations from bodies such as the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. We are also considering whether the current banning order regime could be strengthened as part of the development of the next Tobacco and Vaping Framework Implementation Plan, which is due to be published later this year.

Scotland's National Parks include board members representing all local authorities currently within their respective areas. The Government’s Proposal for Reform of Local Governance is a starting point for discussion. It is intended to facilitate debate and discussion with the objective of establishing a measure of shared agreement about the scale and the broad shape that reform could take.

The Scottish Government recognises the valuable contribution that Scotland’s civil nuclear workforce has made and continues to make. The figure cited is published by the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) and the Scottish Government has not made a separate assessment of it.

Decommissioning at former sites, including Hunterston, is expected to continue for decades to come. This work will continue to require a highly skilled workforce.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-03549 on 6 October 2026. 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.