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Since 2020, the Scottish Government has awarded over £150 million to support the bus sector transition to zero-emission fleets. This is comprised of:

• £50 million through the Scottish Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme (SULEBS) to deliver 272 ultra-low emission buses and associated infrastructure.
• £62 million through the first phase of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB1) supporting delivery of 276 zero-emission buses and associated infrastructure.
• £368,000 through the Market Transition Scheme to help SME operators plan their transition to zero-emission fleets; and,
• £41.7 million through ScotZEB2 to support delivery of around 252 zero-emission buses and associated infrastructure

Up to £45 million through ScotZEB3 has been made available over the next two financial years to continue this progress and support the sector ahead of new zero-emission requirements under the UK Bus Services Act 2025.

In addition, the Scottish Government is supporting a just transition through targeted investment in workforce skills, including £400,000 through the Zero Emission HDV Skills Challenge Fund to help operators and supply-chain staff prepare for zero-emission technologies.

We are also supporting community-based transport providers through the Plugged-in Communities fund, which has made £4 million available in its latest round, building on over £4.2 million already awarded to support zero-emission vehicles and charging infrastructure for community operators.

The Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB) contributes to Scotland's Net Zero transport targets by supporting the bus sector to transition to zero emissions. To date, £104 million has been awarded through ScotZEB to support delivery of 528 zero-emission buses and associated charging infrastructure, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality across Scotland. A further £45 million is being invested through the third and final phase of the scheme (ScotZEB3) over the next two financial years.

Through encouraging investment, building skills, and providing long-term certainty to operators, ScotZEB supports immediate emission-reduction milestones and the broader shift to a cleaner, more sustainable public transport system.

The ScotZEB3 competitive funding round closed on 26 February with applications currently under consideration. Funding under ScotZEB3 is not
pre-allocated to specific operators or regions. All applications are being assessed by an independent evaluation panel against the published criteria, with Ministers making final funding decisions. The outcome of the funding round will be announced in due course, once the decision-making process is complete.

Whilst universities are autonomous institutions with responsibility for their own strategic and operational decision making, the Scottish Government expects staff and trade unions to be consulted meaningfully on the potential impact of any cost-saving measures - in line with Fair Work principles. In line with its statutory responsibilities, the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) will continue to offer appropriate support as universities develop their own cost-saving measures, and advise the Scottish Government regarding any financial or governance concerns.

The Scottish Government cannot compel universities to commit to no compulsory redundancies, however our clear expectation is that they are only considered as a last resort, after all other cost-saving measures have been fully explored.

Implementation of Fair Work First must be the guiding criteria to promote fairer work practices for staff within the university sector. Universities in receipt of government funding through the SFC are currently expected to meet two mandatory Fair Work First criteria (payment of at least the real Living Wage; and provision of appropriate channels for effective workers’ voice, such as trade union recognition), while being encouraged to meet all other non-mandatory Fair Work First criteria. From April 2027, universities will be expected to adopt all Fair Work First criteria, and the SFC will look to include these as a condition of grant. Further details are set out in my answer to question S6W-42976 on 13 January 2026.

I also expect universities to take appropriate steps to support and promote staff wellbeing, and comply with relevant legal requirements, including the Health and Safety At Work Act 1974. The Health and Safety Executive is responsible for enforcing health and safety requirements at UK workplaces, including universities.

The Scottish Government recognises the vital role that universities play in Scotland’s economy and wider society, which is why we are investing over £1.4 billion in the university sector in 2026-27. This includes a combined increase of over £55m in resource and capital funding via the SFC, equivalent to a 5% uplift on last year’s budget.

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 Scottish Government remains firmly committed to a public health, evidence-based approach to drug harms as outlined in our Alcohol and Drugs Strategic Plan published on 10 March. We recognise substance use as a complex health and social issue often driven by trauma, poverty, inequality and marginalisation. The Strategic Plan sets out how we will strengthen prevention, harm reduction, and treatment and care measures to promote wellbeing and support recovery.

However, many internationally recognised, evidence-based harm reduction interventions for drugs remain prohibited under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. We will continue to work with the UK Government and other devolved administrations to pursue further harm reduction measures to support a public health approach.

The Strategic Plan is available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/preventing-harm-promoting-recovery-scotlands-alcohol-drugs-strategic-plan-2026-2035/.

The Scottish Government remains firmly committed to reducing drug-related harms. On 10 March 2026, the Scottish Government and COSLA published ‘Preventing Harm, Promoting Recovery: Scotland’s Alcohol and Drugs Strategic Plan 2026-2035’. This long-term plan builds on the achievements of the National Mission and provides a clear framework for sustaining action to reduce both drug- and alcohol-related harms.

To deliver on our ambitions, we are sustaining the significant increase in investment made over the course of the National Mission. We are maintaining record levels of funding of more than £160 million in total. This includes £115 million for Alcohol and Drugs Partnerships across Scotland and continued investment in the third sector.

The Strategic Plan is available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/preventing-harm-promoting-recovery-scotlands-alcohol-drugs-strategic-plan-2026-2035/.

The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting digital learning within schools and recognises the importance of harnessing technology in ways that enhance learning and teaching, ensuring alignment with the wider ambitions of Scottish education.

Denmark has announced that it will ban mobile phones and other personal internet enabled devices at school, during both lesson and break times. It is important to distinguish between school-managed learning devices and personal devices such as mobile phones and tablets.

Personal devices and school-issued devices serve fundamentally different roles in educational settings. Mobile phones and other personal devices which are not managed by local authorities, may have unrestricted access to the internet and apps that are not chosen for educational value. Digital technology, in the form of school managed devices and carefully curated tools and services, is a key part of modern education and we are working to ensure it is used purposefully to enhance learning experiences. Teachers are using their professional judgement to determine when digital tools add value and when traditional methods are more appropriate.

As part of our work to develop a new digital strategy for education, we are engaging with partners to explore and define the essential components that enable digital technology to be used in ways that genuinely add value to learning, while protecting children’s wellbeing and safety. These include clarity of educational purpose, age-appropriate approaches, strong safeguarding measures, professional learning for staff, and meaningful engagement with parents and carers.

Learning how to use technology responsibly, within clear boundaries and with appropriate support, is also an important part of helping children and young people develop the skills they need to navigate the wider digital world.

Decisions of the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (the Tribunal) are published on their website, and these are intimated to Scottish Government officials. In addition, the Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011 requires the Tribunal to notify Scottish Ministers when a property factor has failed to comply with a Property Factor Enforcement Order (PFEO).

On receipt of a Notice, the Scottish Ministers initial aim is to encourage compliance and ensure all issues are addressed. When assessing whether a factor remains fit and proper, Ministers will consider all relevant information, and this will include the extent to which a factor has demonstrated compliance with the property factor code of conduct and any PFEO made by the Tribunal.

Where appropriate compliance cannot be achieved, Scottish Ministers can remove the property factor from the Register, which would prevent the individual or organisation from operating legally as a property factor in Scotland.

The Scottish Government supports households of all ages who are in, or at risk of, fuel poverty to makes their homes warmer and cheaper to heat, through our Warmer Homes Scotland and Area Based Schemes. This can include solar panels where appropriate. These schemes have supported around 75,000 households in the last 5 years alone, including over 2000 solar PV installations.

There are no age restrictions on these or any other Scottish Government energy efficiency schemes that would prevent people over 75 from benefitting, although, our Home Energy Scotland scheme no longer supports the installation of solar panels.

The Home Energy Scotland advice service, which is funded by the Scottish Government, already offers free, bespoke, impartial advice to all Scottish householders, on how to make their homes greener and easier to heat. This service offers the gateway to accessing all our energy efficiency funding schemes. Households who want advice about Scottish Government funding schemes, or improving the energy efficiency of their homes in general, can call Home Energy Scotland on 0808 808 2282.

The average lifespan of a passenger ferry is 25-30 years, a number of CalMac Ferries are operating beyond their original planned service.

The Island Connectivity Plan (ICP) includes the Vessels and Ports Plan (VPP) and the VPP provides detail of vessels operating the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS) and Northern Isles Ferry Services (NIFS), information is available on the following link: Islands Connectivity Plan – Vessels and Ports Plan 2025-2045