Chamber and committees

As detailed in the response to question S6W-38270, Scottish Government has awarded over £65m funding to support investment in the ChargePlace Scotland network since 2011.

Of this, over £56 million (81.7%) has been provided through funding schemes for the public sector, principally local authorities.

In addition, over £7.3 million (10.7%) has been awarded through schemes operated by the Energy Saving Trust and specifically supporting public EV charging, these schemes specifically targeted private and third sectors but also included some limited support for the public sector. The information held on these schemes by the Energy Saving Trust does not enable the value of funding specific to each sector to be identified.

A further £5.2 million (7.6%) was awarded to Scottish Power Distribution PLC through Scottish Government’s Strategic Partnership with Scotland's electricity Distribution Network Operators. The EV charge points installed under this scheme were subsequently transferred to the ownership of North and South Lanarkshire Councils.

The Government has been increasing its total allocation on public transport year-on-year. In 2025-26, the Scottish Government is investing more than £2.6 billion to support public transport, making our transport system available, affordable and accessible for all. In 2024-25, this figure was £2.5 billion and in 2023-24, it was almost £2.5 billion.

We do not hold the specific information requested. However, a 2018 report suggested that, in financial year 2013-14, the total economic cost associated with autistic adults in Scotland was £2.1 billion. Of this, £884 million, or 41.6%, was attributed to productivity loss, a metric which could be interpreted as representing underemployment and/or unemployment.

Scotland’s Census 2022 provides data on the number of people aged 16-64 who were unemployed in 2022, and reported having ‘one or more learning disability, learning difficulty or developmental disorder’. This includes autistic adults, but is not specific to them.

In 2016, we committed to halving the Disability Employment Gap. Our 2018 publication, A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People: Employment Action Plan, outlined the initial steps towards achieving this goal by 2038. Several of these actions have since been incorporated into our refreshed Fair Work Action Plan: Becoming a Fair Work Nation by 2025, published in December 2022. This refreshed plan aims to improve employment opportunities for individuals facing a structural barriers to the labour market, with input from disabled people and their representative organisations.

The development of a Scottish Government Mobile App is a Digital Public Servies commitment within the Government's Public Service Reform Strategy published in June 2025.

The proposed App will be a gateway to personalised public services. The first use case is likely to be proof of age, scheduled to be available this financial year. The Digital Directorate will be leading on this work.

This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who reply in writing within 20 days.

Local authorities often refer to Blue Badge applications as 'renewals', but legally, all badges expire after three years and must be reassessed equally.

When authorising Blue Badge applications, local authorities are responsible for determining eligibility based on the information and evidence provided. Medical assessments are not automatically required. Where eligibility cannot be confirmed from the application alone, the applicant may be referred to an Independent Mobility Assessor (IMA). IMAs are regulated healthcare professionals, such as occupational therapists or physiotherapists, qualified to assess mobility impairments.

There has been no change to the principle use of the Government Car Service (GCS). The ministerial code was updated most recently in 2024 providing clarity on the expectation of ministers.

The latest version of the ministerial code can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-ministerial-code-2024-edition/.

This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. I have asked their Chief Executive, Adrian Gillespie, to contact you directly with a response.

An update to the Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan is currently underway and is planned to be published later this year.

Special Advisers are appointed by the First Minister to provide important assistance to Scottish Ministers on the development of policy and its presentation. Their appointment is designed to reinforce the political impartiality of the permanent Civil Service by providing Ministers with a separate channel for political advice and assistance.

In 2024-25, the number and total cost of Special Advisers reduced in comparison to the previous year.

The Scottish Government has published a list of current Special Advisers online. These details, as well as lists of former Special Advisers, can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.scot/publications/special-advisers/.