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The following table provides the information requested.

I refer the member to the answer to questions S6W-11493 on 26 October 2022 and S6T-00915 on 25 October 2022 respectively.

The answer to Topical Question S6T-00915 can be found here: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-25-10-2022?meeting=13939&iob=126317#16180

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

On 22 September 2022 we published spending at Independence referendum Supreme Court referral: legal costs - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . Of that £113,824.04 was spent on counsel. There has been no spending on external solicitors. An additional £350 has been spent on Supreme Court filing fees.

We will be publishing updated costs of the reference in December.

The aim of the split is to allow a wide range of applications for different types of innovations, including for potential capital support which can be of higher cost.

There has been promising progress in reducing the backlog of cases in the criminal courts, and the total number of scheduled trials outstanding has fallen by over 10,000 since January this year. In the High Court, the number of trials called where evidence is led has equalled or exceeded pre-pandemic monthly averages throughout 2022. However, progress has been greatest in the summary courts. The Criminal Justice Board, composed of leaders across the sector, is now considering proposals to ensure the allocation of resources is directed towards delivering similar progress in solemn courts.

We are supporting measures that allow victims and witnesses to give their evidence before trial, helping to mitigate the impact of trial delays. For example, we have invested over £2 million across the High Court estate to facilitate the pre-recording of evidence, and there is now capacity to conduct 1,250 of these ‘evidence by commissioner’ hearings every year.

I have engaged with all Cabinet Secretaries collectively throughout the EBR process.

Officials at Transport Scotland directed Scottish Rail Holdings to ensure that ScotRail Trains, in light of this particular incident in Lanarkshire, reviewed the arrangements for passengers requiring travel assistance. ScotRail has provided assurance that it has learnt the lessons from this incident and appropriate actions and processes are in place to avoid further incidents of this nature.

Transport Scotland liaises closely with Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) and other partners regarding future vessel projects. These discussions include appropriate consideration of design and operating options, including alternative fuels. As part of our work on the Islands Connectivity Plan, we will consult on pathways to zero/low-emission ferry transport, learning from experience in other countries.

The Scottish Government has supported the various phases of the HySeas project which is developing a concept design for a hydrogen fuelled vessel that could operate in Scotland. Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) has been a partner in the HySeas III consortium and. both Transport Scotland and CMAL continue to monitor developments and opportunities in this field.

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) emits approximately 20% less carbon than Marine Gas Oil (MGO - the conventional fuel used for ferries), so provides an opportunity for emission reductions in the medium term.