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The Scottish Government remains committed to delivering medium and long term solutions to address landslip risks at the A83 Rest and Be Thankful.

Delivery of a permanent and resilient solution is a priority and we continue to seek ways to achieve that as quickly as possible. Following identification of a preferred option last year, the next step for the permanent solution, which is the detailed development and assessment of the preferred option, is progressing at pace and will conclude with the publication of draft Orders for comment, currently expected by the end of this year. As with all infrastructure projects, delivery of the scheme can only commence if approved under the relevant statutory authorisation procedures and thereafter a timetable for construction can be set.

At the same time, improvements to the existing Old Military Road (OMR) through the Glen Croe corridor are being made to make it a more resilient diversion route until the long term solution is in place.

Funding is included in the 2024-25 Budget to continue to deliver the medium term solution and progress the essential preparatory work on the long term solution.

Funding to construct the long term solution to the landslip risks will be determined annually as part of the annual Scottish Budget setting exercises. However, this scheme is a priority for the Scottish Government, noting it is a key recommendation in the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2).

UK commercial fishing licences provide general authority for the registered vessel to fish in the UK EEZ, subject to specific conditions detailed in the licence. The UK Fisheries Act 2020 sets out the ‘equal access objective’, stating that, "access of UK fishing boats to any area within British fishery limits is not affected by- (a) the location of the fishing boat’s home port, or (b) any other connection of the fishing boat, or any of its owners, to any place in the United Kingdom."

UK fishing licences may also be retained as an "entitlement" which means that that there is no active fishing vessel linked to the licence entitlement at that time. That entitlement may be re-activated in the future by being transferred or sold and then attached to an active UK vessel.

The information provided in the following table is the number of "active" UK licences - i.e. where a fishing vessel is linked to the licence - as of 1 January in each year. As noted above, whilst UK fishing licences permit activity in all UK waters, the number of active UK licences is not necessarily representative of UK vessels' fishing activity in Scottish waters.

As a result of £65m of public investment since 2011, and increasing private sector investment, Scotland has one of the most comprehensive public EV charging networks of any part of the UK, with over 5,800 public EV charge points, and is on target to have 6,000 public charge points by 2026. On a per head of population basis Scotland has more public charge points than any other part of the UK except London, and more rapid charge points than any other part of the UK.

The Scottish Government does not collect information about how many public EV charge points are suitable for any particular vehicle type. However, EV charge point parking spaces designed to accommodate passenger cars should also be able to accommodate the majority of light commercial vehicles which have broadly similar dimensions. Engagement with industry suggests that many larger fleets do not intend to make use of the public EV charging network in Scotland and are instead working with commercial charge point operators to develop fleet-specific solutions.

Support with travel costs for music instructors in rural local authority areas is ultimately the responsibility of local authorities as their employer.

Music instructors working in remote schools or who are employed in a school on a distant island, receive a remote school or distant islands allowance as stipulated by the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers Handbook (SNCT) in addition to the normal salary. These payments are made directly by the relevant local authority. There are, however, conditions to these allowances which are outlined in the SNCT handbook (Appendix 2.5).

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, and the Scottish Government does not hold the information, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

Please see the following table for details of annual spend on landslide mitigation infrastructure on the trunk road network for the years 2021-2024 to date:

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, and the Scottish Government does not hold the information, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

The third vessel will be designed to serve the Sound of Barra and Sound of Harris routes; however, it will also have the flexibility to provide cover across a variety of other routes. As we progress the SVRP, this will improve resilience and flexibility within the fleet.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-29198 on 5 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-29198 on 5 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.