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The two new vessels intended for the Uig, Harris and North Uist routes have the same specification as the Islay vessels currently under construction and will both have a Diesel/Electrical hybrid propulsion system.

The six-month secondment of two officers from the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security to Police Scotland concluded in April 2021. The Scottish Government has not held recent discussions with Police Scotland on plans to further engage with the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security.

Human trafficking has no respect for borders and it is vital that Police Scotland develop and strengthen professional relationships with international law enforcement partners in order to disrupt the networks behind this crime.

Police Scotland’s National Human Trafficking Unit continues to seek out and engage with relevant international partners.

Local Action Group (LAG) Membership has continued with the LEADER membership that was based on a skills matrix. Plans to recruit new LAG members through a procurement process are planned. Representation will be drawn from the public sector, businesses/third sector and community interests.

LAG members may be representatives of wider rural bodies or applying on behalf of organisations they represent. LAG members are not permitted to participate in any decision making process where they have a conflict of interest. This is a standing item on the agenda for the LAG.

There is no allocation of funding to individual LAG members since decisions are taken as a collective LAG.

Within the Ayrshire LEADER 2014-2020 Programme there were 90 projects (61 organisations) supported over the funding period. Project awards were as follows:

• 34 projects funded in East Ayrshire with £1,836,762;
• 14 projects funded in North Ayrshire with £808,123;
• 40 projects funded in South Ayrshire with £1,205,832; and
• 2 pan-Ayrshire projects funded in North Ayrshire with £227,919.

Just over half were Community projects (56%), with the remainder split between Farm Diversification (20%) and Small and Medium sized enterprises.

The Scottish Government commissioned an independent evaluation by the James Hutton Institute. Additionally, outcome evaluations by each of the 21 Local Development Strategies were required as part of closure of the 2014-2020 LEADER Programme.

The Ayrshire LAG and South Ayrshire Council Internal Audit have approved and undertaken technical checks on all projects applying for funding. Guidance on these checks is in the public domain.

https://www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/media/5979/ARIA-Fund-Applicant-Guidance/pdf/ARIA_Fund_22

Only those projects that meet the technical checks progress for consideration by the Local Action Group. Of the twenty seven organisation that applied, seventeen of those progressed to the technical check stage, sixteen of which proceeded to assessment stage.

The Ayrshire Local Action Group received 7.2% of the overall allocation made by Scottish Government to the Community Led Local Development Fund equating to £533,604. The Scottish Government set a maximum amount each LAG could spend on staffing and resourcing. This was a maximum of 15% of their overall allocation or £57,143.

The contract duration for future Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service contracts has yet to be determined, and will be informed by an evidence-led process including, consultation with key stakeholders; supplier engagement, and a review of international comparators.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12054 on 17 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

Twenty seven organisations applied for funding from the Ayrshire Rural and Islands Ambition (ARIA) Fund. There were no direct applications from the Local Authorities.

The Scottish Government already provides funding to support energy efficiency works which contribute to our net zero target. Between 2018 and 2021, £7 million was made available to Local Authority and registered social landlords through the Energy Efficient Scotland Transition Programme’s Decarbonisation Fund to assist in compliance with the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing.

The Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund, which launched in August 2020, has been designed to accelerate the delivery of energy efficiency measures and zero emissions heating systems in social housing across Scotland. It will make at least £200 million available to registered social landlords until 2026.

Acknowledging that the public sector alone cannot bear the long-term cost of converting homes, the Green Heat Finance Taskforce has been established to assess and recommend ways the public sector, communities and private finance can collaborate to scale up investment. A dedicated sub-group has been established to consider the best routes to financing and funding the retrofit of the existing social housing stock.