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In line with agreed practice, an FCDO official was not present at this meeting.

The price for HMP Highland is set in the construction contract which was awarded in April 2024. While there remains a risk of extension of time (and associated costs) due to extreme weather or other unforeseen circumstances, it is expected that the agreed price will be the price paid.

The following table sets out the comparisons on passenger data for the Aberdeen to Inverness and Glasgow / Edinburgh to Inverness rail services prior and during the peak pilot.

We don’t hold a breakdown of the Perth to Inverness section due to the way the data is collated by route.

The Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment was announced in the 2023 Programme for Government and is currently underway. The review is being chaired by Edel Harris OBE and the final report will be published in July 2025.

The Scottish Government will provide a written response to the review within 6 months of the submission of the final report. The response will comment on each recommendation. The implementation of recommendations will be subject to rigorous assessment of delivery requirements and the affordability of changes. It will also be dependent upon the provision of resources in the relevant Scottish Budget.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-29676 on 18 September 2024. 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 timing of the Making the Most of Scotland’s Canals document reflected the split from the Canals and Waterways Trust in 2012 and Ministers’ desire to set the policy context for a fully devolved Scottish Canals. That context is maintained and refreshed through corporate documents such as the Framework Document and Scottish Canals' Corporate Plan and also through the oversight of the Ministerially appointed Board and Transport Scotland's regular dialogue with Scottish Canals’ CEO and Directors.

A delayed discharge occurs when a hospital patient (aged 18 or over) who is clinically ready for discharge from inpatient hospital care continues to occupy a hospital bed beyond the date they are ready for discharge. Public Health Scotland hold data relating to people aged 18 and over affected by delayed discharge.

Data for August 2024 is not yet available as it is due to be published on 1 October 2024. Therefore Table 1 presents the total number of people aged 18 or over who faced a period of delay, for any reason, in NHS Western Isles between 1 January and 31 July 2024.

Table 1: Number of people1 who faced a period of delay in NHS Western Isles hospitals in the period 1 January 2024 to 31 July 2024, by age group.

As part of the development of the measures outlined in the Pre-budget Fiscal Update, all Portfolios assessed the impact of specific measures relevant to their portfolios. The Scottish Government approach to impact assessments is guided by meeting our statutory duties whilst ensuring our approach is proportionate, noting that a full analysis will continue to be provided annually as part of the Scottish Budget process.

The savings realised from the Health Improvement and Protection budget do not have any impact on, or reduction to, planned spending on diet & healthy weight or effective prescribing and therapeutics.

Seven improvement works were re-scheduled in the Highland Council Area. One set of repair works was re-scheduled in the Highland Council Area. All programmed works for the period in question have been completed.