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The Scottish Welfare Fund is a key priority for the Scottish Government, which is why we instructed an Independent Review within the first year of this Parliament.

The Review is a substantial and comprehensive exercise to examine purpose, funding levels, Local Authority administration, accessibility and promotion.

As set out in correspondence to the Social Justice and Social Security Committee on 14 November 2022, the Review continues to progress on schedule with the final report due to be published in early 2023.

The Scottish Government will provide an update to Parliament following publication of the report.

As required by the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019, the Climate Change Plan will set out proposals and policies for supporting, including by the sharing of expertise and technology, action in developing countries to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and adapt to the effects of climate change.

With regards to intra-UK diplomacy, Scottish Government officials are engaged in regular meetings with counterparts in the UK Government and the other devolved administrations, and we repeatedly promote joint collaboration in areas that will be essential to delivering net zero. The next Climate Change Plan will set out where action will be needed by the UK Government to reduce emissions within reserved areas in order for Scotland to meet its emissions reduction targets.

The Scottish Government is very supportive of the reintroduction of a passenger ferry service from Scotland to Europe. My officials in Transport Scotland have engaged with a number of interested parties proposing such services and we will continue to engage with potential operators and Scotland’s main ports to provide information and advice on what the Scottish Government can offer in support of a viable commercial ferry proposition.

The commerciality and viability of any new service are key considerations for both the Scottish Government and potential operators. Subsidy Control rules limit the support which can be provided by the Scottish Government and the support which we are able to bring to bear is designed to support the initial start-up of a new service and dependent on a realistic prospect of that service reaching commercial viability and without the need for ongoing support from public funds.

Ministers and officials have chaired regular stakeholder engagement sessions with key port stakeholder as well as freight forwarders and logistics companies. The aim is to explore how goods currently get to market, and why hauliers choose these routes, and understand the opportunities for Scottish ports and their degree of attractiveness to freight forwarders responsible for shipping Scottish goods. Any viable passenger ferry service would require regular freight traffic to be sustainable.

It is too early to provide a definitive timetable as future progress is partly dependent on the outcomes of the ongoing A96 Corridor Review.

In relation to the A96 Dualling Inverness to Nairn (including Nairn Bypass) scheme, we continue to progress the preparation stages of the scheme with a view to completing the statutory process. This includes the significant work required to prepare for publication of made Orders, including the Compulsory Purchase Order, in the coming weeks. Subject to no legal challenge being received, the Scottish Ministers will then have the relevant powers to acquire the land necessary to construct the scheme.

Delivery can only commence if approved under the relevant statutory procedures and thereafter a timetable for progress can be set in line with available budgets.

As with all trunk road improvement projects, delivery of any section of the A96 Programme can only commence if approved under the relevant statutory procedures and thereafter a timetable for progress can be set in line with available budgets. The statutory right for individuals to have their say on our proposals cannot be set aside and it is essential that vital feedback is taken into account as we develop our plans.

We are committed to providing a reliable network and an easy charging experience for drivers. Overall reliability across the ChargePlace Scotland network is typically very good with the entire network up and running around 95% of the time each month . Most faults on the network are short-lived and in the majority of cases require no physical intervention or a visit by an engineer. Typically around 90% of faults are resolved within 48 hrs with the ChargePlace Scotland helpdesk often remedying faults remotely.

Please note there are many reason a fault can be reported but these do not always affect the operation of the charge point itself. Some faults may be reported by more than one member of the public and this will be reflected in the figures below.

ChargePlace Scotland has recently published a new Network Performance page on the website which will continuously be updated with ready access to detailed information on the performance of the public charging network.

The Scottish Government remains committed to the north and north east of Scotland. This includes taking forward an enhancements programme on the A96 corridor that improves connectivity between surrounding towns, tackles congestion and addresses safety and environmental issues.

The current plan is to fully dual the A96 route between Inverness and Aberdeen; however, we are conducting a transparent, evidence-based review of the programme which is well underway. The recent public consultation received an unprecedented level of engagement with nearly 4,600 responses, generating more than 11,000 suggestions and potential opportunities for the route. Rightly, it has taken more time than originally anticipated to consider and to appraise all of those options, however, the report on the Public Consultation and the Initial Appraisal: The Case for Change will be published by the end of the year. This is a sensible good governance for major investment of this kind.

As with all devolved matters, the Scottish Ministers make the final decision on investment in the transport network.

The following table details capital spend on digital connectivity infrastructure in each of the last five financial years. As our digital connectivity infrastructure programmes are national initiatives, we are unable to provide a breakdown of spend by local authority area.

The R100 programme comprises of three R100 contracts with BT plc, the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme and commercial coverage. For those within future R100 contract build plans, there are a number of satellite and mobile service providers who can deliver a commercial service in the meantime. Ofcom’s broadband and mobile service checker, which can be found at https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/advice/ofcom-checker , can provide more information on what is available in their area.

Our R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme remains available for those whose properties are not expected to benefit from either R100 contract build or commercial coverage.