Seòmar agus comataidhean

This is a matter for Network Rail. The Member may wish to contact this organisation directly.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43658 on 18 February 2026. 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 committed to continued investment in new vessels and supporting infrastructure at our ports and harbours across the ferry network. Full detail on the Scottish Governments ambitious vessel renewal and port upgrade programmes was published in May 2025 as part of the Islands Connectivity Plan – Vessels and Ports Plan.

This includes 13 new vessels across the CalMac fleet. Major infrastructure investment has also been achieved with the Islay enabling works and the Little Minch Infrastructure Programme: Tarbert (Harris), Lochmaddy (South Uist) and Uig (Skye) along with other smaller projects. Work also continues on major projects including Port Ellen Terminal Development, Ardrossan and Gasay works.

The MV Glen Sannox entered service in Jan 2025 and the MV Isle of Islay has been handed over to CalMac and is enroute to Scotland. In addition, CMAL purchased the MV Loch Frisa in 2021 and works recently commenced on the Cumbrae Slipway Replacement Project.

Our new four-year Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline which was published in January, contains projects over £5 million and programmes over £20 million which have agreed outline business cases (or equivalent) and agreed funding. These include a number of vessels, ports and harbours inclusions and we will report on the progress of delivering these every six months following the Scottish parliamentary election in May.

The Scottish Government will today publish a Working Paper setting out our proposals for refreshing priority areas of the Good Practice Principles for Community Benefits from Onshore Renewable Energy Developments. It is vital that our Good Practice Principles are as effective as possible in securing benefits for communities across Scotland.

We are therefore seeking views on our proposals to increase the fund level recommendation for onshore wind; make clearer how the guidance applies for different types of development, such as solar and battery energy storage; and improve our guidance, tools and support for communities to get the most from community benefits. These proposals are based on evidence gathered from our consultation and our extensive engagement with groups from across the community benefit landscape.

We are seeking further views to refine these proposals before developing the final updated Good Practice Principles planned for publication later in 2026. This programme of engagement will include online feedback on the Scottish Government Dialogue platform, regional discussion events, and targeted engagement with community groups and developers over the coming weeks. We encourage all those with an interest to share their views, so that the Good Practice Principles continue to support clear, lasting benefits for communities across Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to fully implementing Part 1 of the 2021 Act, but it is a complex piece of legislation with recognised operational challenges, as identified by justice partners and stakeholders. Following a workshop in March 2025, key stakeholders were of the view that fundamental changes were needed to the legislation to ensure that the policy aims of a domestic abuse protection order could be realised in a sustainable way. A short life working group was therefore established to consider possible legislative changes to ensure that the Act can be implemented as intended. That group has now met five times following the first meeting on 11 September 2025. This work will inform a consultation in early 2026 on possible changes to the legislation.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43633 on 18 February 2025. 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.

Network Rail is responsible for the delivery of these works; and it is held to account by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). The Member may wish to approach these organisations directly for further details.

The Scottish Government is fully committed to ensuring people have access to advice and support for their physical and mental health, at the point they need it. We are also committed to healthcare being delivered in an integrated, person-centred way, both to improve patient outcomes and mitigate the risk of diagnostic overshadowing.

All NHS Boards in Scotland adhere to clinical guidelines and best practice when planning services, and the NHS medical workforce is trained to identify and manage risks of diagnostic overshadowing. These staff also work within their competencies and in accordance with professional practice guidance to ensure the most appropriate assessment, diagnosis and treatment is carried out. In practice, this means the healthcare workforce gives ongoing consideration to the presence and interaction between physical and mental health in order to identify and support comorbidities and mitigate the risk of diagnostic overshadowing.

Our Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategy includes a priority outcome of ensuring ‘people with mental health conditions, including those with co-existing health conditions, experience improved quality and length of life, free from stigma and discrimination’. This priority has led to our associated Mental Health and Wellbeing Delivery Plan identifying groups most likely to be affected by diagnostic overshadowing, along with a range of actions to mitigate this risk. For example, by May 2024, professional learning resources were delivered for all NHS professionals working in adult services (or with adults) to help ensure our communities’ mental health and wellbeing needs are better understood and met.

Additionally our Core Mental Health Quality Standards make clear that NHS Boards should take a whole person approach to assessing and meeting an individual’s mental health needs, by considering their physical, social, communication and psychological and neuordivergent needs.

Finally, our National Specification for Psychological Therapies and Interventions sets standards for the delivery of psychological therapies by NHS Boards. These therapies are proven to make a real difference to people’s mental and physical health. A key element of the specification is for psychological therapies to be delivered in a person-centred way and integrated way in order to improve an individual’s psychological and physical health. Positively, in 2024-25 more than 74,000 people started treatment in psychological therapies in the NHS in Scotland, with over 63% of the psychology workforce delivering therapies within mental health settings and the remaining 37% in other settings – showing how mental health needs are being identified and met across a range of healthcare settings.

A key focus of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Delivery Plan is improving the quality of life for people with mental health conditions, recognising that poorer physical health outcomes are a contributor to the mortality gap.

To achieve this, we are improving access to timely, effective, and person-centred mental health support, care and treatment, ensuring people can access the right care when they need it. Between the Scottish Government and NHS Boards, we expect spending on Mental Health to exceed £1.5 billion in 2026-27 based on the most recent cost book data.

There are a wide range of factors, including poverty, employment, financial wellbeing and housing and homelessness, that can contribute to whether a person is mentally healthy or not. That is why our Mental Health and Wellbeing strategy recognises mental health as a cross-government priority and why we are working across portfolios and with a range of partners to address the wider social determinants of mental health more broadly.

In Scotland, there is no requirement for annual physical health checks for people with mental illness. However, the Scottish Government has issued National Directions requiring NHS Boards to deliver annual health checks to people aged 16+ with learning disabilities. GPs are best placed to advise and guide people about treatment and management of symptoms relating to their mental and physical health. Routine assessment through general practice services remains the primary route for addressing concerns and we would encourage anyone, including people living with mental illness, to contact their GP whenever they have concerns about their physical or mental health.