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The Scottish Government's approach is to ensure cross border arrangements for railway policing offer a seamless service to all operators, passengers, goods and staff. We continue to work with the UK Government, BTP, BTPA, Police Scotland and other key stakeholders to deliver this objective.

The improvements made were funded from various budgets in the previous and current ScotRail franchise, along with funding from the Department for Transport's Access for All fund. The time period for the works range from 2007 until 2016, with the recent investment being the installation of CCTV cameras at Sanquhar and Kirkconnel stations from the £78k franchise commitment to install CCTV camera at stations across the rail network by March 2016. The actual cost of each station improvement is not known as this is a commercial matter between the franchisee and their contractor.

Whistleblowing policies for Police Scotland are a matter for the Chief Constable, with oversight by the Scottish Police Authority.

I met the A7 Action Group in Parliament on 15 June 2016 to discuss their Action Plan, which set out its aspirations for the route. I committed Transport Scotland to undertake a review of the Action Plan and engage directly with the A7 Action Group regarding this review. The review has now been completed and has identified a range of items within the Action Plan that we will consider further. This will be done alongside on-going maintenance and improvement programmes on the route. We will also continue to monitor road safety on the A7 and through this approach will identify the need for any further road safety investigations or improvements.

BTP officers are not currently included in the figures giving the number of full-time equivalent officers in Scotland. Following the merger between BTP and Police Scotland any comparison of officer numbers in Scotland with the position prior to the merger would need to take account of this.

As indicated in response to S5O-00145 and S5O-00146 on 15 September 2016 the Enterprise and Skills Review will be taken forward through a phased approach, with phase one reporting shortly on key recommendations for change across a number of areas while phase two will explore the implementation of these recommendations in more detail with partners. Phase two will include exploring the regional dimension in greater depth, with Ministers clear that any long-term approach must take account of the needs of the South of Scotland and all areas across Scotland.

It is important to think about Enterprise Areas (enterprise zones is the term used in England and Wales) in the context of the wider economic development support available.

In the South of Scotland for example, where textiles is an important traditional industry, we have confirmed that part of the £10 million economic stimulus package announced in this year's Programme for Government will be used to support delivery of the Hawick Action Plan to revitalise the town. Scottish Enterprise are also working to create the conditions for business growth in the area including through account managing 72 companies across the Borders.

The answer to S5O-00145 is available on the parliaments website, the Official report can be viewed at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=10520

No specific economic impact assessment has been undertaken. However, daily monitoring of the traffic light operation is undertaken to help ensure that any delays to road users are minimised. We continue to engage with local stakeholders such as the local authority and community groups to ensure good communication and to address any concerns.

The Scottish Government's core purpose is to deliver sustainable economic growth with opportunities for all to flourish.

Enterprise Areas (enterprise zones is the term used in England and Wales) are specifically targeted on sites and sectors where there are clear opportunities ready to be developed, and where companies can be anchored in areas and supply chains developed that support growth and jobs in the wider area.

The mid-term evaluation of Scotland’s Enterprise Areas, published by HIE on 21 March 2016, demonstrated that Enterprise Area incentives complement wider support delivered as a part of our work to foster inclusive growth throughout the Scottish economy. We are currently reflecting on the future direction of the Enterprise Area policy in Scotland and how it relates to the broader economic development support landscape. The merits and evidence for establishing additional Enterprise Areas will considered on an individual case basis.

This section of the A76 was last open without temporary traffic lights in mid-September 2014 following landslides. The traffic lights at Auchensell Pool and Enterkinfoot are necessary to maintain the integrity of the road embankments, whilst construction solutions are developed. The remedial works at Auchensell Pool are expected to be delivered before the end of 2016. The solution at Enterkinfoot is more complex and will take longer as ground investigation and geotechnical design has to be completed. Every effort is being made to accelerate this process and we will continue to ensure those affected by the traffic lights are kept aware of progress. This includes through the South West Unit Landslide Action Plan page on Transport Scotland’s website: (http://www.transport.gov.scot/road/maintenance/south-west-unit-landslide-action-plan)

The following table contains the total expenditure each year for each trunk road. This figure includes maintenance and major infrastructure project costs (including land, site supervision, utilities, site investigation and construction costs). Higher annual spend levels represent increased investment associated with the delivery of targeted major infrastructure improvements.

*approx. distances