Chamber and committees

Today the First Minister will outline a £20m package of support to assist in implementing transformational change required to deliver its Vision for Scottish Agriculture. This will provide:

• capital funding to support investment in equipment and measures aimed at driving efficiency and supporting nature and climate friendly farming;
• innovative food and drink investment; and,
• funding for Lidar surveys.

Proposals for the Agricultural Transformation Programme continue to be developed, 70% funding has already been confirmed for Tiers 1 and 2 of the future farming support framework. Within the two tiers, 70% of funding will be devoted to Tier 1 and 30% to Tier 2.

The Rural Affordable Homes for Key Workers Fund operates in categories 4, 5 and 6 of the six-fold urban rural classification. We do not publish a list of postcode areas and applicants can check if a proposed project is located within an eligible area by using the National Records of Scotland’s Scottish Postcode Directory (SPD) at Geography products - National Records of Scotland (NRS)

National Records of Scotland publishes an updated SPD every six months and an update is planned for publication in March 2025.

A copy of the data requested is available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 65639).

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-34138 on 7 February 2025 for information on recorded levels of road traffic offences in Scotland. No information is held centrally relating to the costs associated with enforcement activity, legal processes and accidents arising from road traffic offences in Scotland.

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 Working Group on Misogyny and the Criminal Law recommended the creation of 'gendered' laws which specifically provide protection to women and girls.

There is currently a case before the Supreme Court concerning the definition of 'women and girls'. It will be important to carefully consider the implications, if any, of the judgment in that case for the proposed Bill before any Bill might be introduced in Parliament.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-34306 on 7 February 2025. 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 Rural and Islands Housing Fund operates in categories 4, 5 and 6 of the six-fold urban rural classification. We do not publish a list of postcode areas and applicants can check if a proposed project is located within an eligible area by using the National Records of Scotland’s Scottish Postcode Directory (SPD) at Geography products - National Records of Scotland (NRS)

National Records of Scotland publishes an updated SPD every six months and an update is planned for publication in March 2025.

Data on recorded road traffic offences is contained in the annual Scottish Government "Recorded Crime in Scotland" publication. Information on road traffic offences in the 2023-24 publication is at:

Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2023-24 - gov.scot

This publication includes data for 2023-24 as well as data relating to the last ten years. Data is provided at Scotland level as well as being broken down by local authority area. No information is provided broken down by trunk road.

• Highlands and Islands includes the following local authorities: Highland, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands and Western Isles (aka Outer Hebrides / Eilean Siar).
• Average spend figures are shown in pounds. These figures are nominal and have not been adjusted for inflation.
• There is a break in the time series in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID19 pandemic so there is no data available for these years.
• The source for domestic overnight figures is the Great Britain Tourism Survey.
• The source for international figures is the International Passenger Survey.

We recognise the challenges in maintaining Scotland’s road network and the vital importance of ensuring roads are safe and well-maintained.

Under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, local authorities are responsible for the improvement, maintenance, and repair of local roads. The Scottish Government is providing over £15 billion in the 2025-26 Local Government Settlement, increasing the resources available to Local Government by £1 billion, a real terms increase of 4.7%. It is the responsibility of each local authority to manage their own budget and to allocate the financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities.

Transport Scotland, on behalf of Scottish Ministers, is responsible for the management and maintenance of the trunk road network through the Operating Company contracts. Our Operating Companies conduct inspections every 7 days, and will address any defects which present immediate safety risks, by carrying out temporary repairs by 6 am the following day and permanent repairs within 28 days.

The 2025-26 draft Budget allocates a record £714 million for trunk road maintenance, supporting the continued safety and operation of the trunk road network.