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There has been no reduction to Scottish Water’s budget. The Scottish Government Budget for 2024-25 sets out that during the financial year, the Scottish Government intends to lend £170m per annum in capital funding and to receive some £105.5m income per annum which is the interest on loans issued to Scottish Water. Across the 2021-27 period Ministers have committed to lend Scottish Water up to £1.03bn. Lending in future years will be agreed in future Budget Acts.

The quoted reduction of £1.1m is for the Water Industry portfolio. This reflects additional income from interest payments made by Scottish Water as well as a reduction in spend on some Hydro Nation activity. The impact is outlined in the answer to S6W-24199.

The Scottish Government takes a serious and proactive approach to road safety and has a specific procedure (Management of Occupational Road Risk (MORR) contained within the organisation’s Health and Safety Management System (HSMS) policy.

The purpose of the MORR procedure is to ensure the organisation meets its obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, to protect not only staff, but also other road users.

Included in the procedure are a number of steps to identify, mitigate and manage the risks associated with occupational driving, including: promotion of correct mode of transport e.g. consideration if driving is the most appropriate option, conducting and regularly reviewing risk assessments for all aspects of driving activities, annual e-learning Driver Safety Awareness training, completion of annual self-declaration forms, and being formally authorised to drive for official business prior to driving for work purposes.

Staff specifically employed to drive as their main work objective are required to complete an initial driver assessment as part of the recruitment process, and are also provided with additional training and work towards ROSPA advanced driver certification.

This delivers a proactive, supportive approach to the associated risks, and promotes transferable skills and experience which can be utilised outwith the work environment.

All new fleet vehicles are specified with the latest driver safety aids, wherever possible, and vehicles are maintained, as a minimum, in accordance with manufacturers recommended guidelines, and are frequently inspected to ensure they are in a safe and serviceable condition at all times.

We also have a policy where tyres are replaced when they reach below 3mm, which is well above the legal threshold of 1.6mm.

CalMac are continuing to develop the LNG workstream for Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa, including through discussions with Wartsila the engine manufacturer. The methane slip in service would be influenced by the route the ship is to operate on and the amount of venting produced by the number of times changing over fuel source or when slowing down suddenly for navigational purposes. For these reasons the rate of methane slip will not be fully known until the ships are deployed and fully operational.

The publication of performance and carrying statistics is a matter for CalMac Ferries Ltd as the operator of the Clyde & Hebrides Ferry Services contract.

The paper referred to in the question, published in 2018, lists a number of externalised costs including climate change, air quality, congestion, social exclusion and inequity. In the National Transport Strategy, published in 2020, Transport Scotland recognised these as priority areas, and the annual National Transport Strategy Delivery plans set out the interventions Scottish Government is taking to deliver the NTS Strategy. A significant legislative programme for transport was developed through the Transport Scotland Act (2019), covering a range of transport areas including smart ticketing, bus services, pavement parking, workplace parking licensing, road works, duties on health boards in regard to transport and low emissions zones. These have been either fully implemented or continue to be taken forward. The Scottish Government are not actively considering new legislation relating to transport at this time.

Scottish Government standard Terms and Conditions of Contract require contractors to comply with all applicable national legislation and any applicable requirements of regulatory bodies as well as Good Industry Practice.

In addition to this, the Scottish Government uses the power of procurement to influence practice relating to a range of economic, social and environmental risks and opportunities. To achieve this, practical support for public bodies is available through the https://sustainableprocurementtools.scot/guidance/ platform, which provides a range of guidance and e-learning, including a methodology for identifying specific risks and opportunities such as fair work and health and safety in individual procurement projects. Fair work and Health and safety guidance is already available on the platform and the health and safety content in our guidance will be strengthened when we publish updated Fair Work First in Procurement guidance over the next couple of months.

The Scottish Government has ambitious plans to make it easier for people to walk, wheel and cycle for everyday journeys, with record levels of investment over this Parliament and significantly ahead of anywhere else in the UK. Our biggest focus is on delivering physical infrastructure on the ground. But we also have important programmes to support people to change behaviours and choose active travel, and to access a range of bikes, including adapted bikes. At present, and over the course of next year, to make sure that people in Scotland get maximum benefit from that investment, Transport Scotland is transforming the delivery models for active travel interventions across the infrastructure, behaviour change and access to bikes programmes. This will see the end of some long-standing programmes, funded on a year by year basis, and a shift towards funding and control moving to local authorities, as the strategic transport authorities for their area, and regional transport partnerships.

Part of the Active Travel transformation process has involved the Smarter Choices Smarter Places programme closing, but behaviour change projects remain a high priority in our Active Travel programme. We are developing a new system of funding for 2024-25, and Local Authorities, Regional Transport Partnerships, and the third sector Active Travel Delivery Partners are all involved in the design of that solution and we continue to see a vital role for our delivery partners in turning our record investment into the transformative change we all want to see.

The Scottish Government has ambitious plans to make it easier for people to walk, wheel and cycle for everyday journeys, with record levels of investment over this Parliament. Our biggest focus is on delivering physical infrastructure on the ground. But we also have important programmes to support people to change behaviours and choose active travel, and to access a range of bikes, including adapted bikes. To make sure that people in Scotland get maximum benefit from that investment, Transport Scotland is transforming the delivery model for active travel interventions across infrastructure, behaviour change and access to bikes. This will see the end of some long-standing programmes and a shift toward funding and control moving to local authorities, as the strategic transport authorities for their area, and regional transport partnerships.

Part of the Active Travel transformation process has involved the Smarter Choices Smarter Places programme closing from April 2024, including the Local Authority Fund which received funding through both the Sustainable Transport Budget and the Active Transport Budget.

We are developing a new approach to delivery and are actively engaging with Local Authorities, Regional Transport Partnerships, and Active Travel Delivery Partners. . Our greater emphasis on local authorities working alongside national delivery partners means a continuing focus on local transport solutions.