The selection panel for the David MacBrayne Limited recruitment exercise measured the evidence required as part of the application process which included knowledge and/or direct experience of the key issues affecting, including the impact of our ferries services on, our island communities.

This was assessed by the selection panel on both the information provided in the application and within the interview, where required.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-05073 on 7 January 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 .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-05073 on 7 January 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 .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-05073 on 7 January 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 .

While the Scottish Government and our agencies sometimes make use of aerial imagery services, excluding this, spend on “Photography Service Providers” – the relevant category in our accounting system - per year since 2016 is shown in the following table:

Our assessment is that the costs of bringing stores up to the required standard may range from a minimal amount for small improvements to major investment to improve a store which is not fit for purpose. Due to the individuality and scale of any potential works required at each site, an assessment of every store in Scotland would be needed to identify accurate costs of bringing slurry stores up to the required regulatory standard. To take account of these differences in scale of potential works, we have built in reasonable timescales by which storage facilities must be brought up to standard.

Stores built since 1991 are already required to meet a set of regulatory standards and would be expected to continue to be maintained in compliance with these standards. Those farming in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones already have a regulatory obligation to meet both post 1991 build standards and a 22 week minimum quantity requirement. The onus is on the operator to maintain these essential business assets to the required standard.

The Scottish Government has not received any applications for rent pressure zone designation.

Our aim is to ensure quality, affordability and fairness for everyone who rents a home and our new draft Rented Sector Strategy consultation, ‘A New Deal for Tenants’ opened on 20 December 2021, closing on 15 April 2022.

Topics include improving affordability by introducing an effective national system of rent controls in the private rented sector. For rent controls to work effectively, we need good rental data and we will undertake an analysis of what is required on data collection and will set out our intentions. We will also build on learning from the rent pressure zones. The consultation includes the question: “Are there elements of the existing Rent Pressure Zone system that could be built upon when designing a new system of rent controls?”.

Upon consideration of the consultation responses, a final Rented Sector Strategy will be published later in 2022 and deliver a key commitment, set out in Housing to 2040 , Scotland’s long term vision for housing.

The Gateway Review into Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) took place on 14-16 June 2021 and the follow-up Assurance of Action Plan took place on 21-23 September 2021. Subsequently, I carried out extensive engagement with industry and other stakeholders, in particular Circularity Scotland Ltd, to agree a final timescale and clear milestones for delivery. These were announced to the Scottish Parliament on 14 December 2021.

The current Emergency Measures Agreement has been extended until the 28 February 2022. A prior information notice (a technical measure that stems from the relevant procurement regulation) was issued in February 2021 to preserve the Scottish Government’s ability to award a temporary measures agreement from March 2022 should it be necessary at that stage to continue emergency measures type support.

In advance of the expiry of the current Emergency Measures Agreement, the Scottish Government will consider the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in the context of the Sleeper franchise and review the need for any temporary measures agreement.

Transport Scotland has well developed contingency plans in place, which could be mobilised in the event we are required to ensure continuity of rail services as an Operator of Last Resort.

We do not anticipate having to activate those contingency plans.