Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the Member to the answer to question S6W-21967 on 18 October 2023.

An interim value for money assessment, which includes cross-modal impacts, using a multimodal evaluation of current travel patterns and impact to date in line with His Majesty’s Treasury Green Book principles to be undertaken of value for money is underway. At the end of the Pilot a final evaluation will be undertaken and the Scottish Government will carefully consider its impact and the long-term sustainability of such a proposition.

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 .

(A) Specific allocations for the Rail Enhancement programmes and projects in 2024/25 continue to be considered. The 2024-25 budget allocations for the portfolio of enhancements projects will be made in the coming months.

(B) The Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan commits to all passenger diesel trains being replaced with zero emission alternatives; the order and programme in which that is done continues to be subject to appropriate business cases and available budgets. Funding decisions for Rail Decarbonisation projects are, and continue to be considered against budgets and forecast funding availability.

This is an operational matter for ScotRail. The member may wish to contact ScotRail directly for this information.

This is an operational matter for ScotRail. The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

This is an operational matter for ScotRail. The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

The Little Minch Infrastructure Programme includes works at three ports; Tarbert (Harris), Lochmaddy (North Uist) and Uig (Skye). The programme of works is essential in replacing life expired infrastructure and improving the capacity, reliability and resilience for the long term benefit of the route.

Tarbert (Harris) works were completed in January 2023. The Lochmaddy works were completed November 2023 and the works at Uig are expected to be completed by Winter 2024.

We have engaged with a range of stakeholders during the development of the Fair Fares Review which includes transport operators, delivery partners, passenger groups, campaigning groups and trade unions. This includes; ScotRail Holdings, ScotRail, the Association of Transport Co-ordinating Officers (ATCO), the Mobility Advisory Committee for Scotland (MACS), CalMac, Northlink, Regional Transport Partnerships, the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), Cosla, Transport for Edinburgh (TfE), Glasgow City Council, the Poverty & Inequality Commission, Transform Scotland and the Poverty Alliance.

Former Minister for Transport Jenny Gilruth MSP and officials met with trade unions to discuss the Fair Fares Review on 14 March 2023. Following which a letter providing a further update on the review was issued on 12 May 2023 from the subsequent Minister for Transport Kevin Stewart MSP. I engage regularly with trade unions and look forward to continuing these conversations on all transport related matters including the Fair Fares Review as we work to deliver our vision for the future of public transport in 2024 and beyond.

Given the importance of this strategic asset to Grangemouth and Scotland, the Scottish Government has been working closely with the business as it explores future options to transition the site, such as bio-refining.

Petroineos notified the Scottish Government on 21 November 2023 that senior management were to make a formal internal announcement of the business’ plans to commence preparatory work for new import terminal infrastructure at Finnart Terminal and Grangemouth.

The First Minister and I met Senior Management at the Petroineos refinery on 23 November 2023, during which we both expressed the criticality of continuing refining for as long as possible as a means to safeguarding both energy resilience and employment at the site. In return the business agreed on the importance of working collaboratively with the Scottish Government and trade unions throughout the transition period. I also wrote to both of Petroineos’ Joint Venture partners on 23 November 2023 to seek assurances that the business will continue to sustain the site’s role as a source of domestic road and air fuels. I will meet Petroineos again in the coming days to seek further assurances around these points.

In addition to engaging with senior management at the site, I met with representatives from STUC and Unite the Union on 23 November 2023 to receive an update on the reaction of the workforce to the announcement. The Scottish Government is committed to continued dialogue with both the trade unions and the workforce at the refinery throughout this period of transition to ensure that highly-skilled jobs are retained for the duration of the asset’s lifecycle.

Scottish Government officials raised this question with INEOS on 29 November 2023 and have since received confirmation that the refinery does not currently process significant volumes of FPS derived crude, with the majority of the asset’s feedstock being imported. The business noted that, given the historical throughput of the FPS, there is sufficient capacity to process any additional volumes in the future.