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Transport Scotland works closely with Network Rail, and the wider industry, on a range of opportunities, plans and projects. Targeted infrastructure upgrades, network modernisation and operational enhancements can all help increase capacity for rail freight in Scotland.

Funded by Scottish Ministers Network Rail recently completed a £7 million upgrade at Mossend (which handles circa 80% of rail freight in Scotland). Additional investment of £250,000 at Mossend also increased yard entry and exit speeds from 5 to 15 miles per hour allowing freight trains to clear the line more quickly improving rail capacity.

Scotland’s rolling programme of electrification also benefits the rail freight industry as do freight specific performance and timetable measures. The rail industry is also working with the freight and logistics industry to develop a long-term plan for rail freight growth as specified by Scottish Ministers.

In addition in 2025 Scottish Ministers awarded two freight facilities grants including a grant of £3,000,000 to enable the construction of rail freight terminal near Inverness to facilitate the movement of finished goods to the UK market by rail.

a) The Scottish Government will publish its new AI Strategy in March 2026. Building on the 2021 AI Strategy, it will outline the Scottish Government’s approach to harnessing the economic opportunities of AI.

As set out in its Programme for Government, the Scottish Government will also launch AI Scotland, a national transformation programme driven by collaboration between business, academia, government, and public agencies to help ensure that Scotland maximises the potential economic and social benefits of AI.

b) The Scottish Government has produced annual delivery plans for the Digital Health and Care Strategy following its publication in 2021. The delivery plans provide an update on progress and developments of projects and programmes to meet our vision and ambition for digital in health and social care. You can find the latest delivery plan on Gov.scot: https://www.gov.scot/publications/care-digital-age-delivery-plan-2025-2026/.

The Scottish Government also produces annual updates for the Data Strategy for Health and Social Care Since the original publication in 2023. These updates provide the latest developments of the Data Strategy. You can find the latest update on Gov.scot: Health and social care - data strategy: 2025 update - progress and priorities - gov.scot

The UK Forest Standard (UKFS) defines the requirements and guidelines on how to practice Sustainable Forest Management in the UK, and ensures the protection of water, soil and biodiversity. It also promotes the benefit of low-impact harvesting to protect sensitive sites. Approval for a felling permission from Scottish Forestry is subject to planned operations being UKFS compliant on the specific site.

Those applying for a felling permission can decide which UKFS compliant harvesting option they use. They may choose to use horse logging, where it supports their management objectives, and contributes to the delivery of the approved grant scheme option. There is no financial support offered for different harvesting methods in the grant scheme. Scottish Government have not specifically assessed the benefits of an expansion in use of horse logging.

As noted in the previous question, S6W-42980, Social Security Scotland makes it clear on their website that disabled people are encouraged to improve their wellbeing by being more physically active, in a way that suits them, without it impacting their eligibility for disability benefits.

Social Security Scotland staff receive training on disability awareness, equality and trauma-informed practice, with in-house health and social care practitioners focusing on how conditions affect daily living.

Social Security Scotland does not provide training on promoting physical activity, as it is not a healthcare provider.

The Scottish Government will publish a new AI Strategy in March 2026. Building on the 2021 AI Strategy, it will outline the Scottish Government’s approach to harnessing the economic opportunities of AI.

Through the Service Renewal Framework, the Scottish Government and COSLA have committed to developing a framework for the safe, efficient and ethical application of AI across health and social care. This is expected to be published in March 2026 and will set out key requirements across the policy and regulatory landscape, define organisational AI readiness and establish a shared AI lifecycle model to support consistent, accountable decision-making across the system.

ScotRail currently operates a diverse fleet of 145 diesel trains and 203 electric trains. The typical design life of a train is around 35 years, although in practice this depends on the quality of construction and may be extended through appropriate investment in obsolescence management and effective heavy maintenance.

We are replacing ScotRail trains as they reach the end of their useful life. This is outlined in the Rail Recharged: Scotland’s Fleet Transition Strategy - Delivering a Modern Fleet for a Connected Scotland | Transport Scotland.

Details of the sources of evidence used by, and related advice provided to, the Scottish Government’s Executive Team during an internal review of its hybrid working policy have been available on the Scottish Government website since July 2025 at: Scottish Government hybrid working policy evidence and findings: FOI release - gov.scot. In particular, the sources of evidence considered are set out at annex 6 and advice in annexes 1 to 5 of that publication.

This is an operational matter for ScotRail Trains Ltd. The member may wish to contact ScotRail Trains Ltd directly to obtain this information.

Further to the answers which Alasdair Allan MSP provided to questions S6W-31744 and S6W-31743 on 5 and 6 December 2024, I can confirm that there has been no change to the estimated ranges given below.

The most recent review of the population of British mammals, published in 2018, estimated the Scottish population of grey squirrels to be between 249000 and 808000 individuals; and the Scottish population of red squirrels at between 181,000 and 444,000 individuals.

Regarding the locations of the remaining populations of grey squirrels they are broadly distributed within three main zones as follows:

• The South of Scotland
• The Central Belt, Ayrshire and north-eastwards to Angus
• Aberdeen City

The South of Scotland population stretches across much of Dumfries & Galloway and the Scottish Borders, although not continuously, as there appears to be a gap in the species’ distribution from approximately Moffat to Langholm. In the east, grey squirrels occur in a strip near the coast from the English Border up to Edinburgh and up the Tweed Valley north-westwards into South Lanarkshire, thereby linking the southern population with the “Central Belt” population.

The “Central Belt” population extends from South Ayrshire northwards to Glasgow, Lanarkshire and the Firth of Clyde, extending up to the south of Loch Lomond (including several of the islands) and the Cowal Peninsula and eastwards to include Falkirk, Edinburgh and the Lothians. Northwards grey squirrels extend up to Stirling and Perth, across Fife and Clackmannanshire and over much of lowland Perthshire and Angus up to just north of Montrose.

The isolated Aberdeen population is restricted almost entirely to the City of Aberdeen and is the subject of an ongoing eradication programme as part of the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels project.

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.

Scottish public finances continue to face a challenging fiscal environment, meeting growing demand despite increasingly challenging settlements. Difficult choices have been necessary, but through the plans set out in the draft 2026-27 Budget, the Scottish Government will invest £1,122 million in 2026-27 in the Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands budget.

This budget will support a sustainable, productive and prosperous future for our rural economy. It provides over £660 million in support for agriculture, including continuing to pay direct payment support unlike other parts of the UK, and spends over £130 million to ensure our land and forests will help to tackle climate change, protect nature and support green jobs, skills and businesses.

The Strategic Integrated Impact Assessment sets out the impact that decisions made in the Scottish Budget, Scottish Spending Review and Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline are likely to have on different groups of people in Scotland.