Chamber and committees

The Resource Spending Review is not a budget and Level 4 information will be published as part of the annual budget process. The Resource Spending Review sets out the high-level parameters for resource spend within future Scottish Budgets up to 2026-27. The financial information is therefore published at Level 2 to provide partners with as much certainty as is possible, and to frame the engagement with delivery partners that is now being taken forward.

The figures set out in the Resource Spending Review are based on current forecasts and constitutional arrangements. The prevailing uncertain economic context and the volatility attached to our current fiscal arrangements makes it necessary that the annual budget, which will provide level 3 and 4 detail, will reflect any subsequent changes to the funding scenario set out in the RSR.

There is no formal definition of an NDA and the government does not hold central records of NDAs. In an employment context where a settlement agreement is entered into to resolve an employment dispute, a confidentiality clause may be inserted following prescribed guidance on information sharing. This guidance is clear that the use of a settlement agreement cannot prevent Audit Scotland from carrying out their oversight and scrutiny functions.

The Scottish Government is continuing to work with NHS Boards to improve abortion services, including NHS Boards providing abortions up to the legal limit. Some NHS Boards provide abortion services up to the legal limit for fetal anomalies, however we are aware that women seeking abortions after 20 weeks' for other reasons are often referred to services in England. The Scottish Government is committed to progressing work which would allow women to access abortions services in a way that is right for them.

The current estimate for new passenger vessels for the Dunoon and Kilcreggan routes is approximately £9 million per vessel. This is subject to the conclusion of the business case process, review of designs and specifications and further consideration of shipbuilding market conditions.

Fire prevention and awareness raising are an operational matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. The Service has been assured that manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (EVs) have taken steps to ensure that their products are safe. Provided that the Lithium Battery power source has not been damaged, available statistics show that fires started by EVs remain very rare. SFRS has therefore no specific contact with ferry operators on the transportation of EVs.

It is a matter for vessel operators to ensure any cargo carried is safe. There is currently no difference in the advice provided to ferry customers with EVs over that of customers with internal combustion engines.

The Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) carried out a consultation in relation to EV’s travelling on ferries that included firefighting best practice. The MCA published the outcome of this consultation in March 2022 and details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-safety-of-electric-vehicles-on-passenger-ro-ro-ferries .

The Open Market Shared Equity thresholds are reviewed annually each December to reflect the overall movement in average house prices across all transactions over the previous financial year in each area, based on house price data from Registers of Scotland on the lower quartile of house prices in urban areas and the median of house prices in rural areas. The price threshold figures used are rounded up to the nearest £5,000.

Every few years we carry out a more comprehensive analysis of house prices by linking house price data with property characteristics data. This provides more detailed figures by property size category for lower quartile and median prices. This was last carried out using data for 2015-16, and has been applied to the thresholds from 2018 onwards, with the price thresholds for each year as noted above being updated to reflect the overall movement in changes in house prices in each area over time.

The Local Rail Development Fund projects are currently undergoing various stages of the appraisal process and will be considered on a case-by-case basis as per STAG guidelines. Projects will be considered subject to the Scottish Government’s investment priorities for the strategic transport network, a robust business case, affordability and other competing proposals.

Transport Scotland has not held any discussions with (a) ScotRail and (b) NHS Highland regarding how to ensure that people living outside of the Inverness area are able to travel to medical appointments by public transport without requiring an overnight stay.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-08835 on 17 June 2022. 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

There have been two Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) specialised committee meetings so far this year:

• The Specialised Committee on Energy, on 30 March 2022
• The Specialised Committee on Fisheries, on 27 April 2022

Scottish Government officials accepted invitations as observers to these meetings from the UK delegation.

In 2021 Scottish Government officials accepted invitations, from the UK delegation, as observers to 18 TCA specialised committee meetings:

• Social Security Coordination, on 6t July
• Fisheries, on 20 July
• Energy, on 14 July
• Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, on 22-23 September
• Customs Cooperation and Rules of Origin, on 7 October
• Trade in Goods, on 8 October
• Services, Investment and Digital Trade, on 11 October
• Level Playing Field for Open and Fair Competition and Sustainable Development, on 12 October
• Regulatory Cooperation, on 13 October
• Air Transport, on 14 October
• Technical Barriers to Trade, on 15 October
• Law Enforcement and Judicial Cooperation, on 19 October
• Fisheries, on 27 October
• Trade Partnership Committee, on 15 November
• Aviation Safety, on 23 November
• Road Transport, on 24 November
• VAT and Recovery of Taxes and Duties, on 15 December
• Participation in Union Programmes, on 21 December

There were a further two TCA specialised committee meetings during 2021 that Scottish Government officials did not observe:

• Public Procurement, on 12 October
•  Intellectual Property, on 13 October