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The A9 dualling programme will upgrade 83 miles (133 kilometres) of road from single to dual carriageway. As of March 2026, two out of the eleven sections of the A9 dualling programme have been completed totalling 11 miles (17kilometres). This includes the first section to be dualled, Kincraig to Dalraddy, which has been operational since September 2017, and the second section to be dualled, Luncarty to Pass of Birnam, which has been operational since August 2021. Since the start of the current parliamentary session in 2021 construction works have commenced on the third and fourth sections to be dualled, which together total 11 miles(17 kilometres), with contract award for the Tomatinto Moy contract in July 2024 and for the Tay Crossing to Ballinluig project in July 2025. Procurement of the4 mile(6.4 kilometre)fifth section, the Pitlochry to Killiecrankie project, also commenced in July 2025.

Turning to the A96, the Scottish Government remains committed to dualling the A96 and we are pressing forward with the steps to make this happen.

Investment in the trunk road network over the next four years will allow the Scottish Government to make further progress on dualling the A96 between Inverness and Nairn, including the Nairn Bypass. With the statutory procedures completed and land acquired in 2025, funding is included in the 2026/27 draft Budget to commence the delivery of advanced works for this scheme, with a view to commencing procurement of the main works construction contract within this Capital Spending Review period.

The Scottish Government’s preference would be to deliver the A96 Dualling Inverness to Nairn (including Nairn Bypass) as one project. However, due to the continued fiscal challenges which follow nearly 14 years of austerity and cost pressures under the previous UK Government, it is planned that we will take forward a phased approach to delivery, starting with the Nairn Bypass, followed by the remaining sections of the scheme, from Seafield, east of Inverness, to Balloch and then on from Balloch to the Nairn Bypass. Following the A96 Dualling Inverness to Nairn (including Nairn Bypass) scheme, the Scottish Government will continue to progress improvements to the A96 eastwards, including an Elgin Bypass.

The Scottish Government publishes accredited statistics each December that are based on the number of second homes and empty properties on council tax registers as at September each year. A full breakdown by local authority area is available at: Housing statistics: Second homes and empty properties - gov.scot.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government It is the responsibility of local authorities to enforce compliance with the register of tobacco and vapes in their local areas.

The Scottish Government published the final report of the Social Tariff Working Group in March 2025. Since then, we have consistently and regularly pressed the UK Government to introduce an automatic and targeted discount on energy bills to address unaffordable energy prices at source.

In November 2025, we published modelling which shows that, based on the 2023 Scottish Housing Conditions Survey, the introduction of a social tariff would result in 660,000 households in Scotland seeing their estimated fuel bills go down by an average of £700.

Developing global events urgently reinforce the need for the UK Government to put in place arrangements for a sustainable and targeted bill support scheme as quickly as possible and we will continue to strongly make the case.

The Scottish Government does not hold the specific information requested and this would need to be sought from the operator. However, I can advise that the original cost of the CHFS2 contract included a forecast amount relating to agency staff of £729k.

The initial contract award period was extended by one year (Oct 2024 – Sept 2025) and the estimated costings provided did not separate out any agency costs.

The tables below set out fixed penalty notices for breaches of the Register of Tobacco and Nicotine Vapour Product Retailers covering the period you request.

We have always been clear that prison is necessary for those that pose the greatest risk to our society. The Scottish Government is investing over £1 billion in Scottish prisons to maintain safety and security, progress improvements and maximise capacity.

Decisions regarding remand and sentencing are always a matter for the independent courts.

There are currently four gender identity services providing specialist gender identity healthcare to adults in NHS Scotland. A separate service for young people accepts referrals from across Scotland. The governance of each of gender identity healthcare service remains the responsibility of the respective Health Board running the service.

Several actions from the NHS Gender Identity Services: Strategic Action Framework 2022-2024, published in December 2021, jointly support the NHS Health Boards in strengthening governance arrangements to deliver safe and effective healthcare:

?Healthcare Improvement Scotland has published national Gender identity healthcare services standards. These support national consistency in the multidisciplinary delivery and coordination of high-quality gender identity healthcare, which is based on current evidence and best practice. Standards apply to all services where people may access gender identity healthcare and are clear in expectation that organisations must demonstrate effective and collaborative leadership, governance and partnership working.

• The Gender reassignment protocol for Scotland (September 2024) sets out expectations for pathways and delivery of NHS Scotland adult gender identity healthcare.
• NHS National Education for Scotland (NES) has published their Transgender Care Knowledge and Skills framework for adults and is now developing an annex to the Framework for staff supporting children and young people who are trans or gender-questioning
• On 28 October 2025, Public Health Scotland published, for the second time, nationally collated data on waiting times for accessing NHS gender identity clinics. This follows the first publication on 5 November 2024, which was the first of its kind in the UK.

Before the oil price shock, based on the Ofgem energy price cap announcement, our forward looking estimates for April to June this year showed a decrease in fuel poverty in Scotland of around 30,000 households from estimates for January to March 2026.

However, developing global events continue to reinforce the impact of high energy prices, and the need to put in place robust and effective consumer protections and financial assistance for all fuel users.

While welcome, the limited support announced by the UK Government on 16 March, equates to only £33 per household using oil heating. This does not go far enough.

That is why the Scottish Government announced on 17 March we will more than double the amount available to support Scottish households struggling with heating oil prices. We will commit an additional £5.4 million on top of the £4.6 million allocated by the UK Government. We will announce further details around eligibility as soon as possible.

This new scheme is in addition to our existing support, including our energy efficiency schemes which already deliver average savings of £300 annually.

We urge the UK Government to take their responsibility for energy pricing seriously. In an energy-rich nation, no one should struggle to pay their bills. We must have the full powers of independence to make our energy wealth work for our people.

The Ministerial Oversight Board in relation to the Union Street fire first met on 11 March 2026 and has subsequently met a further three times. These meetings drew together Cabinet Secretaries and Ministers with a role in the response to and recovery from the fire, as well as policy and operational teams across the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland. We also extended the invitation to the meetings to senior leaders from Glasgow City Council. Processes to ensure effective Ministerial oversight will be kept under review by the group as we move from the immediate response into the longer-term recovery phase.