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Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd at Port Glasgow is continuing to make progress on the construction of the two 100 metre ‘dual-fuel’ ferries with the anticipated launch of the first vessel, the MV Glen Sannox, on 21 November 2017.

The value of the contracts for the construction of these two vessels is £97 million.

FMEL are continuing to work with Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd to ensure delivery of the new vessels as soon as practicable.

The roads in the immediate vicinity of the Largs ferry terminal are local roads and the responsibility of the local roads authority, North Ayrshire Council. Traffic management solutions on local roads is a matter for the Council to consider. We therefore have not carried out analysis of traffic solutions on these roads. However, we are willing to meet the Council to discuss the matter given that the A78 trunk road goes through Largs.

Within the first year of the Accessible Travel Framework we have made progress in tackling issues faced by disabled people. For example, the notice period for booking Passenger Assist on ScotRail services has been reduced to three hours, the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services contract makes a number of new commitments on improving the experiences of disabled people travelling to the Islands, and we are in the early stages of developing a hate crime charter with partners. Our Accessible Travel Framework commits us to take forward a number of work packages to improve accessibility. Transport Scotland is now actively supporting partners – disabled people’s organisations, transport providers and government – in this co-production process.

One of the commitments in the Framework involves making sure disabled people’s experiences of travel are properly captured. In that context, we have been undertaking a programme of journey mapping involving disabled people and representatives of transport providers. This identifies issues and allows transport staff to experience the user perspective. It forms one strand of the research we are undertaking, which includes elements such as assessment of current data collection.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that infrastructure in the Highlands we have responsibility for delivering meets the needs of both locals and tourists.

Encouraging our visitors to see the best of what the Highlands has to offer by public transport is important in ensuring the long term growth in tourism is sustainable.

With regard to the rail network, £54m is being invested in 26 fully refurbished High-Speed-Trains (HSTs) which will be gradually introduced from summer 2018 onwards to run between Scotland’s seven main cities, including Inverness, delivering 40% more seats than operate on those routes today. HSTs are faster, popular with passengers, will benefit from power car upgrades and will be upgraded to provide the latest standard of comfort, accessibility and catering provision.

Most Highland services are operated by class 156 and class 158 diesel trains and ScotRail has already commenced a significant refurbishment programme across these fleets worth around £30m. Work on the Class 156s fleet of 38 trains started last August with the full refurbishment works due to be completed by spring 2019.

The majority of bus services in Scotland are provided on a commercial basis. It is a matter for individual operators to consider timetabling, fares and which routes they operate. Local authorities have a duty to identify where there is a social need for particular services and to subsidise these at their discretion. Bus operators and local authorities working together can assess the impact of increased tourism on the bus network and identify what changes to services are necessary.

In the Highlands and Islands, the Scottish Government’s Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme is on track to extend fibre broadband access to around 86% of homes and businesses by the end of 2018. Without DSSB only 21% of premises would have been served and no commercial providers planned to deploy fibre on any of the region’s islands. We are also committed to providing superfast broadband access to every home and business in Scotland by the end of 2021.

All four mobile operators are deploying 4G infrastructure across Scotland, with the intention of providing 95% of premises with indoor 4G service. Our Mobile Action Plan, developed in collaboration with the mobile industry, sets out an agreed series of actions designed to increase mobile coverage further. This includes a 4G Mobile Infill Programme and we expect the first phase of this initiative to begin procurement by the end of 2017.

The Scottish Government fully recognises the importance of appropriate infrastructure, both for its residents, and to ensure that our visitors enjoy a quality experience.

The majority of that infrastructure is the responsibility of the local authority, The Highland Council. The Council receives its fair share of the local government finance settlement - over £474 million in 2017-18. Taken together with other support for services, the Highland Council will have an extra £20.3 million to support services in 2017-18 which equates to an additional 4.4% on 2016-17.

It is the responsibility of the local authority to allocate its financial resources on the basis of local needs and priorities. One of these indicators of need is road length, which results in the Highland Council’s allocation for road and winter maintenance being the highest in Scotland.

The significant growth in Skye’s visitor numbers in recent years is most effectively dealt with by local destination partners working in tandem with the public sector. It is with this local focus that Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) have agreed grant funding of £60,000 to SkyeConnect Limited, launched in March 2017, as the area’s local destination organisation. This funding will support the recruitment of a full-time project officer who will be employed to take forward strategic projects in collaboration with public bodies.

In recognition of the importance of community development as an essential component of economic development, HIE are also engaged with a number of local bodies to support the improvement of infrastructure on the island. This includes part-time development officer support to Minginish Community Hall Association to progress the Fairy Pools Car Park project alongside Scottish Land Fund capital funding, and providing advice to support Uig Community Council with their initial ideas on a park and ride scheme for the Fairy Glen.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with all stakeholders – both public and private – to maximise the economic opportunities for Skye, as one of our most popular visitor destinations.

We are continuing to take forward record investment in new major roads projects across the country, with significant milestones being met across the roads portfolio.

We are also taking forward a programme of work comprising £174m investment in new construction contracts, creating jobs and development opportunities and contributing to sustainable inclusive economic growth across Scotland. This programme of works comprises A737 Dalry Bypass, A9 Dualling Luncarty to Pass of Birnam, A9 Berriedale Braes. A90/A96 Haudagain Improvement, A77 Maybole Bypass and A737 The Den.

Alongside the National Transport Strategy (NTS) review, planning is underway for the review of the Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) which will allow the Scottish Government to consider which transport interventions are required to deliver the outcomes and vision that emerge from the NTS. The new strategy will establish the strategic direction for transport in Scotland over the next 20 years.

As stated in the Programme for Government, we will take the lead in promoting the use of ultra low emission vehicles. One method to achieve this vision will be by increasing the number of ChargePlace Scotland rapid chargers, building on plans set out in “Switched on Scotland Phase Two: An Action Plan For Growth” which empowers the Scottish Government through Transport Scotland and its stakeholders to identify, manage and deliver a programme of investment to expand the charging network infrastructure and increase the uptake of electric vehicles.

Aviation safety is a matter reserved to the UK Government. While disruptive behaviour remains rare, when it does happen the impact can be significant. Anyone travelling on air services should be able to do so without having their journeys disrupted by drunk or unruly passengers.

We are supportive of the ‘UK Aviation Industry Code of Practice on Disruptive Passengers’ which sets out how different stakeholders can work individually and collectively to reduce the incidences of disruptive behaviour and to act to minimise the impact where they do occur.

There are good examples of action being taken at individual airports. Campus Watch at Glasgow Airport promotes a one-campus partnership approach to address disruptive behaviour and to reassure passengers and airline staff that safety is paramount. The initiative aims to reduce the number of disruptive passenger incidents on outbound flights from Glasgow Airport. Campus Watch was introduced in 2013 in partnership with Police Scotland to tackle disruptive behaviour at Glasgow Airport and provides training, advice and support to staff across the airport who interact with passengers on a daily basis. This includes check-in staff, security teams, bar and restaurant employees, retailers and airlines.

To support route development at Scotland’s airports, the Scottish Government adopts a Team Scotland approach. This sees Transport Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and VisitScotland work in partnership to provide support to airlines which can be instrumental in an airline deciding to start a new route or develop an existing service. We can provide support to airlines in the form of attractive cooperative marketing packages, and also provide market intelligence and data to airlines on the potential of the Scottish market. Additional support can be considered for airlines who wish to base aircraft in Scotland considering the economic benefits, including job creation, that comes with such a development.

Improving Scotland’s air connectivity is one of this Government’s top priorities, as it will help build strong business links and provide a real boost to our tourism industry. Our support has helped Scotland’s airports secure new routes to other parts of the UK, Europe, the Middle East and North America. The Scottish Government will continue to promote Scotland as a destination which can sustain more direct air services and better global hub connectivity and will work with Scotland’s airports to achieve these objectives.

The draft Climate Change Plan sets out how we propose to drive down transport emissions. The Plan includes a number of catalytic actions which aim to reduce emissions and end the need for individuals to purchase petrol or diesel cars by 2032. This comes through increased support for electric vehicles, the establishment of Scotland's first low emission zone and continued support for active travel and car share programmes. These sit alongside measures such as the greening of Scotland's bus fleet and a transition to low carbon solutions at Scotland's airports and ports.

The Plan sits alongside its sister documents, The Cycling Action Plan for Scotland and Switched-on Scotland Phase 2: An Action Plan for Growth which further detail how we will reduce transport emissions through improvements in vehicle technology and a switch to sustainable modes.

We are also steadily increasing investment in low carbon transport, with the Programme for Government announcing the doubling of our active travel budget from £40 to £80 million.