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The following table provides a monthly breakdown of network uptime across the entire ChargePlace Scotland network for the last year with an average uptime of 97.1%.

The Scottish Government do not currently hold this information by Local Authority area for the previous 12 months. However CPS 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 with information such as uptime by Local Authority area.

The Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland (MACS) wrote to Transport Scotland in March 2022 expressing their desire that no Ministerial Directions be given on which type of pavement can be considered by local authorities for an Exemption Order. We sought to allay their concerns during a meeting between MACS and the Minister for Transport on 15 June 2022 and a further meeting with the policy lead of MACS and Transport Scotland.

During these meetings we confirmed that exemptions had already been the subject of Parliamentary debate during the passage of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019. We also confirmed that Ministerial Directions will not allow for blanket exemptions of streets from the National pavement parking prohibitions and will set out scenarios where local authorities may be able to consider an exemption. Exemptions will only be considered in exceptional circumstances and will not be the norm. Any such exemptions will require to be clearly marked by signs and lines on the ground so that a driver can be in no doubt where pavement parking is permitted.

Additionally, we are currently finalising the wording of the Ministerial Directions to take account of any issues raised in the public consultation.

The Scottish Government will address the issues raised in petition PE1979 in its response to the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee. This response will be issued shortly.

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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12129 on
‎ 22 November 2022. 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

The Emergency Budget Review is about supporting those who need most help, whilst also managing the nation’s budget. This has meant making hard choices to further prioritise spending and find savings.

The Scottish Government, in collaboration with Public Health Scotland (PHS) is undertaking a review of alcohol brief interventions (ABIs). Initial recommendations are expected in Spring 2023, which will determine subsequent work and funding required to further develop ABIs in Scotland.

Work is underway on the development of alcohol treatment targets. An expert working group will provide recommendations to Ministers in 2023, which will determine subsequent next steps.

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.

Paragraph 9(6) of the National Parks (Scotland) 2000 Act states that, if it appears to the National Park Authority that there is a conflict between the National Park aim set out in section 1(a) (i.e. to conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of the area) and other National Park aims, the Authority must give greater weight to the aim set out in section 1(a).

The National Park Authorities in Cairngorms and Loch Lomond & The Trossachs are required by the Scottish Ministers to prepare a National Park Plan setting out how they will deliver the aims of the National Park collectively in relation to their area. The National Park Plan is approved by the Scottish Ministers.

For example, the current Cairngorms National Park Partnership Plan 2022-2027 is the strategic management plan for the area and provides a strategic policy context for decision making within the National Park. Section 9 (6) of the National Parks (Scotland ) Act 2000 is embedded in the Park plan and its subsidiary documents and it guides decision making within the Park. The National Park Authority can also apply section 9 (6) to individual decisions if it feels the aims are in conflict and greater weight should be given to the first aim.

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.

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.