Seòmar agus comataidhean

As the member knows, in accordance with the requirements of UK Railway legislation – namely, the Railways Act 1993, and the Scottish Ministers’ Franchising Policy Statement, consideration is being given to the successor arrangement for the continued provision of Caledonian Sleeper services. It is our firm intention, should it be required, that all current jobs and post holders will transfer, should they wish to.

This data is not held by the Scottish Government. It is the responsibility of Registered Social Landlords to ensure that their housing stock is safe. However, we are funding RSLs who are participating in the Single Building Assessment Programme and will continue to do so.

I am extremely disappointed that there has been a further delay to the introduction of the new booking ticketing and reservations system.

I have been assured by CalMac that the new system should now be operational in early 2023.

With regard to the safe collection and disposal of dead wild birds suspected of having been infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), current government disease control guidance is for carcases to be left in situ.

At present there is no scientific evidence that the removal of carcases significantly reduces the risk of onward spread of the current strain of HPAI H5N1 amongst wild birds. However, this matter continues to be under review, including currently being the topic of a veterinary risk assessment carried out by the Centre of Expertise on Animal Disease Outbreaks (EPIC), commissioned by the Scottish Government.

Without such evidence, there is no animal disease control reason for the collection and disposal of wild bird carcases and, as such, no additional funds have been, or are planned to be, allocated. Collection and disposal of such carcases are carried out at the local council’s discretion.

IJBs were given a funding allocation in 2021-22 to support a range of Covid pressures. This was a ring fenced allocation specifically for Covid.

There have been a number of significant changes to Public Health policies in relation to Covid over the summer, resulting in the profile of Covid spend reducing significantly compared to when funding was provided to IJBs.

In response to this, we communicated the action to reclaim surplus Covid reserves to be redistributed across the sector to meet current Covid priorities. We will continue to work with IJBs to understand their financial forecasts and further detail will be communicated later in the financial year. The detail will follow at an IJB level and the process and timetable will follow through further communications.

Despite the area of telecommunications being wholly reserved to the UK Parliament under the provisions of the Scotland Act 1998, the Scottish Government has already stepped in and taken the lead in addressing poor broadband coverage, given its economic importance to Scotland.

Through initiatives such as the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) and Reaching 100% (R100) programmes, we have connected almost one million properties to faster broadband right across Scotland.

Our R100 programme ensures that all homes and businesses can access a superfast broadband connection delivered through the £600 million R100 contracts, the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme or commercial coverage.

A potential buyer did contact Scottish Government but this did not include any request for financial assistance.

The Scottish Government welcomed the commitment by the UK Government to introduce a Home Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme (HSCGS) as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh.

Once the detail of the HSCGS is known, we will engage with the UK Government and the shipbuilding industry to establish how best to maximise the benefits for Scotland.

Scotland stands with the rest of the UK, Europe and the world in condemnation of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine is a nation with a rich cultural heritage, and it is of vital importance that this is protected for future generations – which includes working closely with artists and cultural organisations. That is why I recently took part in the Edinburgh International Culture Summit’s Cultural Leadership Dialogue, which brought together political and cultural leaders from countries who share a strong interest in supporting Ukrainian cultural colleagues and institutions affected by the invasion of their country, to consider practical steps for action. The Scottish Government also provided £75,000 to support the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, comprised of more than 70 displaced Ukrainian musicians, to play a free concert at the Edinburgh International Festival, with special invites extended to the Ukrainian community in Scotland and organisations leading efforts in the resettlement of Ukrainian refugees.

No request for financial assistance has been made to the Scottish Government. In the normal course of business, Scottish Enterprise has provided information about its services to both an interested party and the Administrators.