Seòmar agus comataidhean

The contractors carrying out Community Needs Assessment (CNA) work for Transport Scotland are appointed via procurement from a framework of pre-qualified organisations.

1.The CNAs for Cowal and Rosneath were undertaken by Stantec. The call-off contract was awarded in January 2023.

2.The CNAs for the Sounds of Barra and Harris ferry services are being undertaken in-house. Work started with the launch of user surveys in August 2025.

3.The CNAs for Coll, Colonsay, Iona, Kerrera, Lismore, Mull and Tiree, are being undertaken by Stantec. The call-off contract was awarded in November 2025.

4.The CNAs for the Outer Hebrides (mainland routes), Small Isles, Skye and Raasay are scheduled to commence shortly and contractors are currently being procured.

5.CNA work for the other Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services routes is planned to commence in 2026. Contractors have not yet been procured.

Social Security Scotland provides three benefits specifically for unpaid carers, including Carer’s Allowance Supplement which provides extra support only available in Scotland. Carer’s Allowance Supplement is worth £587 in 2025/26 with eligible carers receiving the most recent payment of £293.50 from the 4th of December. From March 2026 we will make further improvements to support for unpaid carers, including new extra support for carers getting Carer Support Payment and caring for more than one person – a Carer Additional Person Payment worth £520 a year for each additional person being cared for.

Parents of disabled children can also benefit from support through Child Disability Payment, Child Winter Heating Payment, and our five family payments, including Scottish Child Payment. We are committed to uprating all forms of assistance delivered under the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 so that they retain their value as costs rise.

Beyond social security, parents across Scotland can benefit from a range of support under our cost-of-living guarantee, including free school meals and funded childcare hours.

Scottish Ministers are considering the Scottish budget for 2026-27, and this will be announced on 13 January 2026.

Transport Scotland is a member of the Craignure Pier Development Working Group chaired by Argyll and Bute Council; as well as being a member of the Craignure Marine Infrastructure Liaison Group (CMILG). Transport Scotland provides advice and support to the delivery of improved pier facilities for the Craignure-Oban route. Each group and its members meet on a regular basis, further details such as project working group minutes can be accessed via the Argyll and Bute Council dedicated project page: Current situation - Craignure Ferry Terminal | Argyll and Bute Council.

Transport Scotland does not hold any data on traffic signals on the local authority road network.

The Scottish Government has exchanged correspondence with 2 organisations in the past 18 months regarding requests for new funding to support traffic signal upgrades on Local Authority roads. There are currently no plans to replicate the Traffic Signal Obsolescence Grant and the Green Light Fund provided by the DfT in England.

Listed in the following table are the number of traffic signals and their lantern type on the Trunk Road Network.

Almost all traffic signals on the trunk and motorway road network in Scotland have already been upgraded with LED technology. LED upgrades are programmed at all of the remaining sites. Local authorities are responsible for Traffic Signals on non-trunk roads.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42117 on 11 December 2025. 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42117 on 11 December 2025. 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.

In Stage 3 of the Victims Witnesses and Justice Reform Bill in closing remarks to the member’s amendment that the post of Victims Commissioner, when it is established, should carry out research into child sexual abuse, I raised awareness of the work led by Professor Alexis Jay.

I noted that Professor Jay had been the chair of an independent inquiry into child sexual abuse in England and Wales and had put on record to the media that she did not support further inquiries into child sexual abuse and exploitation and that “people should just get on with it”. I was quoting from remarks given by Prof Jay to BBC Radio on 7 January which were: "people should get on with" implementing her reforms and "We've had enough of inquiries, consultations and discussions - especially for the victims and survivors who've had the courage to come forward.”

Professor Alexis Jay wrote to me on 26 September 2025 regarding the debate wanting it clarified that her remarks were from January and not related to the specific amendment to the Bill. On 3 October 2025, Scottish Government officials contacted Professor Alexis Jay on this matter and it was agreed that it would be minuted at the Strategic Group’s meeting in October, that the quote was correct, and was from January and not made in relation to the amendment or the Victims Bill. That was then done.