The benefits of the project, post Covid-19, remain the same in terms of delivering a carbon free journey for rail passengers along the entire length of the route and has been improved by the inclusion of a range of accessibility improvements at key stations. This includes a new station at Hairmyres which will also be an active travel and interchange hub.

This preferred option was recommended by and agreed with rail industry partners Network Rail and ScotRail following detailed consideration of a wide range of options, the business case appraisal of which has followed appropriate Scottish Government processes. This analysis took account of ScotRail’s pre-covid passenger count data and the industry’s forecasted post-Covid demand patterns, which the preferred combined electrified double and single track option will be able to serve fully and more reliably than the current diesel train operation.

The dataset which was used to advise of the number of fatal accident inquiry recommendations is the Fatal Accident Inquiry Report 2020-2021. The statistics that inform the report are compiled by Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service and confirmed with Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

The report was laid before the Scottish Parliament on 17 June 2021 and published on the Scottish Government website gov.scot.

Fatal Accident Inquiries (FAIs): statistics 2020-2021 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The published information is set out below.

The statistics for the period 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 for Fatal Accident Inquiries under the 2016 Act are as follows.

• Number of FAIs that ended during the year: 61
• Number in which recommendations requiring a response were made: 8
• Number of such recommendations made: 18
• Number of such recommendations in relation which a response was received by SCTS under section 28(1): 17
• Number of such recommendations in relation to which a notice was published by SCTS under section 28(7) (signalling that no response was received): 1

All 2016 Act determinations, recommendations and responses are accessible from the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service web portal at: http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/the-courts/sheriff-court/fatal-accidents

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service received a response to 17 of the 18 recommendations (determinations) made by the Sheriff, within 8 weeks of publication of the determination, as per the statutory requirement.

The implementation of any recommendations made by the Sheriff is primarily the responsibility of the respective organisation at which the recommendation was aimed.

In 1 of the 18 determinations, no response was received by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service within the 8 week statutory period. The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service published a notice under Section 28(7) of the 2016 Act to this end.

Any public sector financial/grant support received by CS Wind would have been provided by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). It would therefore be for them to undertake any such review.

Officials within Scottish Government have regular, sometimes daily discussions with equivalent renewable energy sector team officials within Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). Immediately following the announcement that the company had entered into administration, HIE officials contacted Scottish Government officials to inform them so that this information could be relayed to Scottish Ministers.

The ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) Single Framework Agreement with Charge Your Car Ltd (now named BP Pulse and previously BP Chargemaster), who ran CPS on behalf of the Scottish Government, expired in summer 2021. A new Single Framework Agreement was put out to tender in 2020 and following the Scottish Government procurement process a new operator (SWARCO eVolt Ltd) was appointed.

The responses to the invitation to tender (ITT) for the two new ferries are expected in December 2021. The responses to the ITT will be evaluated with the preferred bidder identified by February 2022, numbers of jobs that will be supported can be advised when the preferred bidder and the programme is finalised. The investment in these vessels does of course support the communities served by the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service and the jobs associated with the economies on these islands.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The following tables detail the (a) Average Occupancy (b) Design Capacity and (c) the Occupancy Rate of each prison between March 2021 to September 2021.

The Occupancy Rate and the Design Capacity rate are the average for each calendar month.

MARCH 2021

In order to meet our net zero ambitions on Scotland’s Railway, 147 diesel trains, comprising 390 carriages with a capacity of approximately 25,000 seats in total, will be replaced by 2035 by a mix of electric, battery and hydrogen powered fleets.

The total number of vehicles and seats required will depend upon the changed travel behaviour of ScotRail passengers over that period as they respond to the rolling programme of rail investment consistent with the Scottish Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan.

The Fuel Poverty Strategy was laid in Parliament on the 9th November and, as set out in the Programme for Government 2021, will be published by the end of this calendar year.

The public appointments process for the independent statutory Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel has been progressed and an announcement on the appointment of the Chair and members of the Panel will be made shortly.