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The Scottish Government has not held recent discussions with the UK Government regarding employment conditions for merchant seafarers working on ferry routes between Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Shipping safety, seafarer welfare and employment conditions are matters reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Government expects the highest shipping safety, crew welfare and employment conditions, and for these to be applied in the case of those vessels and personnel accessing Scotland’s ports and coastal areas.

Between 2020 and 2023 the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations worked in partnership with the Scottish Government to administer the Homelessness Prevention Fund.

The time-limited fund, which ended in December 2023, provided a total of £1.5 million to support the work of housing associations across the country to prevent homelessness for low-income families in Scotland.

We have not extended this particular scheme as the work required to end homelessness has evolved. In particular, the commitment to introduce new homelessness prevention duties points to the need for more targeted funding fully aligned with the aims of the legislation.

Peak times on East Kilbride to Glasgow route currently see 4 services per hour. ScotRail advises that off peak services, which see 2 trains per hour are meeting the current passenger demand. With this in mind, there are no current plans to extend the 4 trains per hour service to off peak travel. However ScotRail keeps services under continued review to ensure the passenger demand is met.

As set out in my previous reply to S6W-27492 we have now reached a point where there is a need for a transition to a public charging network that will be largely financed and delivered through the private sector. The £30 million EV infrastructure fund will support local authorities across Scotland attract private investment to install public charging infrastructure in locations best suited to serve the local community’s needs. Residents and organisations should contact their own Local Authorities to discuss potential charging infrastructure opportunities in their own local area.

These are unprecedented times with significant pressure on financial resources and difficult decisions had to be taken when setting the 2024-25 Scottish Budget. Given these constraints, our consumer-focussed incentives are evolving to support individuals who live in rural and island communities, residents in flats and factored developments that do not have access to dedicated off street parking, and community transport organisations. This financial support will enable recipients to purchase and install charge points for private use, complementing Scotland’s public EV charging network. Those who wish to register their interest should contact Energy Saving Trust for further details.

The area under the Kingston Bridge West Street on and off ramps requires fencing off to address a growing problem of anti-social behaviour. Issues include the lighting of fires, illegal drug use, discarded hypodermic needles and graffiti.

It should be emphasised that skateboarders who use the unofficial skate park are not being blamed for this anti-social behaviour.

The unofficial skate park lies within the area to be fenced-off. However, contrary to suggestions in the media, Transport Scotland has no intention of closing the skate park and, indeed, is supportive of the initiative. Gated access will be required to the area for bridge maintenance purposes. Transport Scotland and Amey will be happy to discuss how shared access can be accommodated, to allow continued use of the skate park.

Transport Scotland’s Operating Company, Amey Highways, is progressing the fencing scheme. The work will commence in the autumn and will be completed by the end of the year.

Transport Scotland has invested £86,956,343 on maintenance and improvement of the A83 between financial years 2016-17 and 2023-24. This figure is up to March 2024.

This is broken down in the following table.

P&O are not members of the Scottish Maritime Cluster.

The Scottish Government has not estimated employment levels at P&O Ferries.

Our vision, shared with the Fair Work Convention, is for Scotland to be a leading Fair Work Nation by 2025, where fair work drives success, wellbeing and prosperity for individuals, businesses, organisations and society. Fair Work is a key driver for achieving sustainable and inclusive economic growth and a wellbeing economy.

Control over employment and industrial relations legislation is currently reserved to the UK Parliament; while this remains the case, we will continue to use our Fair Work policy to drive up labour market standards for workers across the Scottish labour market.

The Scottish Government continues to assess how we best share our data with partners. The Scottish Government publishes quarterly housing statistics on the Affordable Housing Supply Programme covering approvals, starts and completions by tenure and build form.

The Scottish Government is supportive of workers’ legal right to strike, and to take action short of a strike. We would in all situations encourage employers, workers, and their representatives to work together and engage in meaningful dialogue to ensure a satisfactory agreement can be reached.