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The Scottish Government recognises that good quality, affordable housing is essential to help attract and retain young families and young people in Scotland’s rural communities. We are committed to delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032 of which 10% will be in remote, rural and island areas.

We are funding up to £25 million over the next five years for local authorities to identify affordable homes for key workers in rural areas.

In Autumn, we will publish a Remote, Rural and Island Housing Action Plan to help attract and retain people in these communities.

The Scottish Government recognises that key infrastructure such as housing, transport, connectivity and employment can contribute to the survival of Scotland’s cultural heritage, particularly Gaelic speaking communities in areas of low population. The Scottish Government is also taking a number of steps to ensure the use of Gaelic increases and this includes promoting and supporting a wide range of initiatives and projects in a range of sectors in Scottish public life.

The Short Life Working Group on Economic and Social Opportunities for Gaelic contains a number of recommendations which sit within a wide range of business areas within the Scottish Government. The report was prepared by an independent group that took evidence from both public authorities and community groups. The recommendations are currently being allocated to separate Scottish Government business areas. These business areas will then discuss with relevant interests in order to consider what progress can be made.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19380 on 11 July 2023. 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 statistics recently released show that last year Scotland created around 63% of all new woodland within the UK. Scotland has by far the most ambitious woodland creation targets in the UK and despite the challenges of Brexit, Covid and winter storms, landowners have created around 51,000 hectares of new woodland in the past five years or around 102 million trees.

To help meet future woodland creation targets the Scottish Government announced an action plan in June designed to speed up the woodland creation application process and encourage more landowners to get trees in the ground.

A Scottish Forestry Summit, with industry leaders and land management bodies, will be held later in the year to secure agreement on getting planting levels back on track.

As part of the package of new measures, Scottish Forestry will invest £1 million into training Scottish Forestry staff over the next two years to speed up the woodland creation application process. It will work closely with industry bodies and groups so that the training on developing and implementing woodland creation projects is expanded.

Scottish Forestry will also increase the level of support for smaller scale woodland projects, to help counter recent inflationary pressures and implement technical improvements and process enhancements to speed up applications.

Scotland’s Forestry Strategy Implementation Plan 2022-2025 has a priority action to protect and improve native woodland condition. The Scottish Government currently supports landowners, farmers, crofters and managers to bring native woodlands into positive management through the Forestry Grant Scheme. Support is also provided to help with preparing long-term forest plans for these woodlands, which is often the first step towards recovery. Engagement with private land managers is ongoing in order to encourage them to take up and make use of this available funding. Scottish Forestry has committed over £14 million since 2015, to help secure the sustainable management of native woodlands and associated habitats.

Further steps have recently been taken by the appointment of a Rainforest Action Co-ordinator to work with partners to develop a strategic approach to improve delivery of native rainforest expansion and restoration, and to develop a framework of public and private funding sources.

The Islands Connectivity Plan (ICP) will replace the Ferries Plan but be broader in scope, taking account of aviation, ferries and fixed links, as well as onward and connecting travel issues. The ICP will consist of several delivery plans with a short strategic document setting out the Government’s strategic objectives and policies for island connectivity, based on supporting delivery of the National Transport Strategy (NTS2) and the National Islands Plan, and be informed by the outcomes of the Strategic Transport Projects Review 2.

It is envisaged that the strategic ICP document will set a vision and outline good practice for delivery of ferry services in Scotland which will support local authorities in the preparation of any delivery plans they require for their areas of responsibility.

The responsibility for the ferry and terminal replacement programme for inter-island ferries, is wholly a matter for the local authority that run those services. The Scottish Government continues to engage regarding these matters, including through the Orkney and Shetland Islands Councils' Ferry Replacement Task Forces.

As part of the Scottish Government’s Infrastructure Investment Plan set out in February 2021, £580 million was secured to fund a series of vessel and port projects from April 2021 to March 2026. Beyond this, and as part of the Islands Connectivity Plan, the Long-Term Plan for Vessels and Ports is focusing on the key current challenges of replacing or renewing vessel and port assets and increasing the resilience of ferry services and ferry fleets across both the Clyde and Hebrides and Northern Isles networks.

Orkney Islands Council is wholly responsible for their inter-island ferries, including vessel maintenance, and therefore they or Orkney Ferries Limited would be best placed to provide this information.

The potential impacts on the future transport connectivity needs and any impacts on the Clyde & Hebrides and Northern Isles Ferry Services will be considered as part of the Islands Connectivity Plan in conjunction with the local authorities responsible for implementing the Islands Growth Deal.

Orkney Islands Council and Shetland Islands Council are wholly responsible for their inter-island ferries, including considering any such impacts.