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The Covid emergency gave rise to an unprecedented number of enquiries, questions and correspondence from members of the public. These covered a broad range of topics, including issues relevant to civil, political, economic, social and cultural human rights.

As announced on 24 August, the Scottish Government will establish an independent Scottish public inquiry this year to consider matters in relation to Scotland’s handling of the pandemic. The Scottish public inquiry is expected to adopt a person-centred, human rights based approach.

The Scottish Government is currently inviting views on the draft aims and principles of the public inquiry. Further information about how MSPs and other interested parties can submit their views can be found at www.gov.scot/publications/covid-19-inquiry/ .

Professor Iain Docherty’s report was commissioned by Abellio ScotRail to look at the future of rail across Scotland’s railway and the challenges and options facing the railway as the industry recovers from the pandemic. The Scottish Government was therefore not required to have any discussions regarding the public release of the report as this was a decision between Abellio ScotRail and Professor Iain Docherty.

Transport Scotland remains committed to working with key industry partners to achieve, by 2026, the 20 minutes journey time saving between Aberdeen and Edinburgh (average journey time of 2 hours 10 minutes for express services). This outcome was agreed at the final meeting of the Aberdeen to Central Belt Reference Group.

The Reference Group also endorsed a service specification, previously set out in Network Rail’s 2016 Scotland Rail Study of:

1. an average journey time of 1 hour 10 minutes or less for inter-city services between Aberdeen and Dundee;

2. an average journey time of 2 hours 30 minutes or less for inter-city services between Aberdeen and Glasgow;

3. half-hourly services from local stations into Aberdeen and Dundee during peak times;

4. an hourly stopping service between Aberdeen and Dundee; and

5. new freight paths.

The Climate Change Plan sets out the Scottish Government’s commitment to develop a Routemap to meet our ambitious 2025 waste and recycling targets in a way that maximises carbon saving potential. The Scottish Government is working with partner organisations to develop the Routemap.

The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce a tax on waste incineration services. We will however consider the role of fiscal incentives, such as a waste tax, in the context of the planned Routemap and the Climate Change Plan

We have also committed to review the role incineration plays in Scotland’s waste hierarchy, taking account of all available evidence. An update will be provided to Parliament this month regarding the plans for this.

Our regulatory proposals will give local authorities powers to strike a balance between the needs and concerns of their local communities, with the wider economic and tourism benefits of short-term lets. In certain areas, achieving this balance may require a reduction in numbers of whole homes offered for short-term lets and local authorities have been given powers through the planning control area regulations to help manage activity in their area. The consultation draft Licensing Order also includes powers to manage overprovision, and licensing requirements should mean that some unsuitable operators and accommodation will also leave the market. We do not have an estimate of how many short-term lets will return to the long-term housing market as this depends on how local authorities use the powers they are being given.

There were two specific reasons for the £4.1 million reduction. The 2021-22 budget maintained all existing funding commitments. The Other Arts budget continues to maintain support for important ongoing commitments such as Scottish Screen, the Youth Music Initiative, and our major Festivals.

The first reason was that no provision was made for loans under the Financial Transactions (FT) mechanism as there was no requirement for FTs to be administered by Creative Scotland in 2021-22. This has resulted in a £1.09m decrease.

The second change was in relation to the ‘Other Arts’ line where revenue funding fell by £3.17m year on year. The decrease of £3.1 million was due to a technical change agreed with Creative Scotland, whereby Scottish Government moved £3.1 million of grant funding for Regularly Funded Organisations into 2020-21 from 2021-22. This enabled Creative Scotland to carry over the National Lottery funding in to 2021-22, therefore over the two years Scottish Government is maintaining funding. Creative Scotland confirmed in a statement on 28 January 2021 that they would honour their Regularly Funded Organisations commitment to 2021-22.

The first six-monthly update report on the progress of the pipeline of projects and programmes within the new five-year Infrastructure Investment Plan will be provided to Parliament in autumn 2021. The first full annual progress report of the Plan will be provided to Parliament in spring 2022.

As concluded in the South West Scotland Transport Study, a new station at Eastriggs was one of the interventions recommended for the next stage of appraisal. This option is one of 58 potential new stations across Scotland that are being appraised as part of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2).

The appraisal process for STPR2 is considering the performance of all options against the transport outcomes we are seeking, the Transport Planning Objectives, which are aligned to our National Transport Strategy priorities and outcomes. The interventions will seek to contribute to our vision of a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system helping deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for communities, businesses and visitors.

Therefore, we need to consider the social and economic benefits and impacts based on performance against these objectives and the five Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance criteria, to determine the overall Value for Money. This also takes into account risks, uncertainties and other factors such as affordability, deliverability and the wider acceptability of options. This will be an important consideration given pressures on current and future public finances.

Also underpinning STPR2 is the Sustainable Investment Hierarchy where we will aim first to reduce the need to travel unsustainably, make better use of and enhance existing infrastructure, before investing in new capacity. This hierarchy is also central to Infrastructure Investment Plan. STPR2 will conclude later this year, with publication of recommendations for investment and an appropriate statutory consultation period.

Until the appraisal process is completed, it is not possible to make individual decisions on potential new stations such as Eastriggs.

Transport Scotland will be in a position to confirm details in Spring 2022, once the option selection phase for the project is completed and the estimated costs and benefits have been determined against each option.

Currently there is no option being considered which does not see the allocated funding being spent on the route between Aberdeen and Dundee.

Local authorities are responsible for commissioning and delivering flood protection schemes. In recognition of the importance of reducing flood risk the Scottish Government has provided, since 2007, a total of £42 million a year through the General Capital Grant to local authorities to allow them to invest in flood protection schemes.

In 2012 an arrangement was agreed between the Scottish Government and COSLA whereby the flooding component of the General Capital Grant would be distributed to major projects according to an agreed set of eligibility criteria. Between 2012 and 2016, it was decided that 7 schemes were eligible for 80% Scottish Government grant funding, 2 of which were in the South of Scotland.