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We remain committed to Phase 2 of the 2018 GP Contract and ensuring the stability and sustainability of general practice.

Discussions with the BMA on Phase 2 are ongoing and we are developing a refreshed delivery plan for this work – this will include a revised timeline for delivery.

Scotland’s Accessible Travel Framework and its successive delivery plans set out the means of ensuring that disabled people can travel with the same freedom, choice, dignity and opportunity as other citizens.

Specific programmes to support disabled people to access mobility support include, the Accessible Vehicles and Equipment scheme, under which people receiving a qualifying social security benefit can lease a vehicle or mobility equipment that meets their needs, and the Scottish Driving Assessment Service, which provides advice on people’s ability to resume, continue or begin to drive, along with any potential car modifications, following diagnosis of illness or significant event.

The Scottish Government continues to work with disabled people’s organisations and the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland to provide a focus for action.

The Scottish Government remains fully committed to improving Scotland’s transport and trade links to the Continent, which carries even more importance after the UK Government’s damaging exit from the EU.

I have personally engaged with parties interested in introducing new ferry services, and Transport Scotland officials continue to communicate regularly with potential operators and Scotland’s main ports.

I also met with Lord Davies of Gower, then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, in London on 5 February regarding this issue. I subsequently received written confirmation from Lord Davies that the UK Government was not willing to financially support a new service from Rosyth, highlighting the risk of potential litigation should other operators consider such support to be subsidy.

Due to UK Subsidy Control restrictions, any service is required to operate on a commercial basis. I hope that prospective commercial operators are able to commit to operating a successful and profitable service, however this is ultimately a decision for those operators.

We will continue to engage with port operators and others to explore opportunities for new commercial services, so that Scottish exporters have more direct routes to markets on the Continent.

On 22 July 2024, the Scottish Government announced that Galloway has been proposed as the location for Scotland’s third National Park. A detailed investigation will now be carried out on its suitability including extensive engagement and consultation with local communities, businesses, interest groups and representatives from the agriculture, forestry and other land-based sectors given their importance in the area. NatureScot has been asked to take forward this investigation and to provide a report to Scottish Ministers by 28 April 2025.

New National Park nominations were also received from groups in Loch Awe, Lochaber, Scottish Borders and Tay Forest.

I have written to all of the groups that submitted nominations, including for Tay Forest, to offer meetings with Scottish Government officials to discuss the outcome of this process and any reflections they may wish to share following its conclusion.

These meetings with officials will offer an opportunity for groups to make the case for such proposals and, where relevant, groups may wish to explore particular elements of their nominations that would merit further consideration. For example, they may wish to explore potential opportunities to support nature restoration and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The Scottish Government recognises the significant and unique challenges faced by our rural communities, and is committed to understanding and tackling those challenges.

For example, the forthcoming Mainland Rural Delivery Plan will set out how all parts of the Scottish Government are delivering for Scotland’s rural communities, and will cover a range of topics, including healthcare, education, social justice and transport. Furthermore, the Addressing Depopulation Action Plan, sets out how we will work with regional, local and community partners to ensure that we collectively deliver a sustainable solution to the key challenges in rural communities.

The Scottish Government is committed to working with our international partners to secure a global transition to a net zero and nature positive future in a way that is fair and just for all.

The Scottish Growth Scheme (SGS) supports the growth and export plans of SMEs. It has been delivered through a series of financial instruments the latest of which are the 5 debt and equity funds delivered by publicly procured fund managers who invest in Scotland’s most ambitious SMEs.

The current 5 SGS funds have £97 million in funds under management, 77% of which had been invested by December 2023 providing £75 million alongside £205 million from private sector investors so that 621 businesses received £280 million to finance their growth and exporting ambitions, creating 1,585 jobs to date. It is expected that the remaining £22 million to be invested by SGS fund managers will yield similar results.

We have confirmed that at present, there is no available budget to recapitalise Business Loans Scotland and UMi Debt Finance Scotland, 2 of the debt fund managers operating under the SGS.DSL Business Finance concluded microfinance lending in August 2021 as British Business Bank expanded the eligibility criteria for their microfinance scheme. Foresight is managing a portfolio of SGS investments and has successfully raised a new equity fund from private sector investors. There are ongoing discussions regarding the recapitalisation of Techstart who invest in young, innovative start-ups.

In October 2023, communities were invited to explore and develop proposals for their local area to be considered for designation as Scotland’s next National Park. The nomination phase closed on 29 February and nominations were received from Galloway, Loch Awe, Lochaber, Scottish Borders and Tay Forest.

The appraisal process concluded in May and the appraisal panel’s report has been published on our website: Scotland's New National Park Appraisal Panel: final report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . On 22 July 2024, I announced that Galloway has been confirmed as the proposed location for Scotland’s next National Park. A Reporter process will now be undertaken by NatureScot to consider this proposal. That process will include extensive public consultation and engagement with local communities, stakeholders, businesses, landowners and managers and public bodies to discuss, test and further shape and refine the National Park proposal.

I have written to all nominating groups to offer meetings with Scottish Government officials to discuss the outcome of this process and any reflections they may wish to share following its conclusion.

On behalf of the Scottish Government, I would like to offer our thanks for the considerable time, effort and commitment that all the nominating groups and members of these local communities have invested in exploring and developing their nominations.

The Scottish Government has been made aware of the ongoing commercial acquisition of Spirit Aerosystems by The Boeing Company, including the agreement Airbus has entered into in relation to a potential acquisition of some activities currently performed for Airbus.

Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) Scotland was contracted by Scottish Government in 2014 to help support the delivery and development of BIDs across Scotland. Scottish Government published a report in December 2016 outlining research findings on the impact of the support they provided. The report can be found on the Scottish Government website. Research Findings 9/2016: Review of Business Improvement Districts Scotland (www.gov.scot) .

Since September 2018, Scottish Government has funded Scotland’s Improvement Districts (SIDs), which forms part of Scotland’s Towns Partnership, as the lead organisation for supporting and encouraging the development and success of the nation’s Improvement Districts. Though there are no plans to undertake a formal analysis of their performance, we review progress of BIDs activity with SIDs on a regular basis.