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Table 1.21 of Scottish Transport Statistics provides information on the number of Blue Badges on issue by each local authority from 2014 to 2021 and is available via the following web link https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/scottish-transport-statistics-2021/chapter-01-road-transport-vehicles/ .

The information for 2022 will be published by Transport Scotland on 14 March 2023.

Since my appointment as Minister for Transport, I have visited Edinburgh Airport and met officials on one occasion in person with a further meeting held virtually. I have met virtually the CEO of AGS Airports, who own both Aberdeen and Glasgow Airports, for a meeting. I have visited Glasgow Airport on two occasions when flying for Ministerial engagements. I have not visited Aberdeen Airport during my time as Minister for Transport. I have not visited Prestwick Airport as Prestwick is not within my Ministerial portfolio.

Transport Scotland has a highly successful record of reintroducing stations and routes to the network, reconnecting and bringing new opportunities to Scotland’s communities. These include the Airdrie to Bathgate line and the Borders Railway, and most recently, the reopening of Reston Station. A new station at East Linton is expected to open before the end of this control period. Work is well underway on the Levenmouth Railway, which will enter service in 2024, reversing historical closure and returning stations and new journeys and economic opportunities to the communities surrounding Leven and Cameron Bridge.

As regulations governing electricity networks, including connection, are reserved to the UK Government the Scottish Government has no power determine what investments are made by the distribution network operators (DNOs) on their networks.

The Scottish Government has been working with DNOs in Scotland and other stakeholders to ensure that network business plans reflect the scale and pace of deployment necessary to meet Scotland’s net zero and interim climate change targets.

I am pleased to confirm that we have today published the 2023-24 Public Sector Pay Strategy on the Scottish Government website.

The Scottish Government does not collect information on what rent increase options individual social landlords consulted their tenants on. The Scottish Housing Regulator report on the rent increases social landlords will apply in 2023-24 Rent increases by Scottish social landlords 2023/24 - March 2023 | Scottish Housing Regulator includes details of actual rent increases applied by each landlord.

We have worked intensively with social landlords to develop an agreement on below-inflation rent increases for the next financial year. The Scottish Housing Regulator has published details of the rent increases which Scottish social landlords will apply in 2023-24 for social housing tenants. The report shows average rent increases by social landlords will be 5%. Rent increases by Scottish social landlords 2023/24 - March 2023 | Scottish Housing Regulator

These increases, based on consultations with tenants, will strike an appropriate balance between protecting tenants and ensuring that landlords can maintain a balance between affordability and sustainable investment in social housing for public good.

Safeguarding the Eskdalemuir Seismic Array is the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence and any decision to amend the seismic noise budget for the array is a decision for the UK Government.

The Scottish Government acknowledges the seismic noise budget for the Eskdalemuir consultation zone has been consumed and that currently the Ministry of Defence will object to all developments within the consultation zone, both Section 36 applications and local planning applications, in order to protect the operation of the array.

The public consultation analysis of the responses to the draft route map to achieving a 20% reduction in car km in Scotland by 2030 will be published alongside the final version of the route map in the coming months.

Number of applications in each academic year: