Seòmar agus comataidhean

The online public consultation on developing a Scottish Government aviation strategy ran from 18 October 2021 until 21 January 2022. 93 responses were received, 38 from individuals and 55 from a broad range of stakeholder organisations. Officials also ran a series of online stakeholder workshops each of which focused on a particular area of the consultation document, namely international connectivity and airfreight; transition to low and zero-emission aviation; domestic connectivity; and governance arrangements in the Highlands and Islands.

On 6 April we published an independent analysis of the consultation responses, including summaries of the main points from the workshops noted above, and those responses where consent to publish was provided.

Work is ongoing across government to develop the aviation strategy, including in relation to Highlands and Islands connectivity, building on the suggestions from the consultation and relevant Scottish Government strategies and polices. The aviation strategy will also inform the development of the Islands Connectivity Plan.

Prior to the 1st April 2022, ScotRail services were operated by Abellio ScotRail. Under the terms of the franchise agreement, revenue figures for the period are commercially confidential. The published accounts for Abellio ScotRail for this period will be found at Companies House in due course.

For the period after 1st April, relevant revenue figures will not be available until the annual accounts for ScotRail Trains Ltd. have been audited, verified and published after the end of the financial year 2022-23.

As part of the cladding remediation programme we will take a building-by-building approach to assess and gather this information to create a central register. This will include buildings over 11 metres. We expect the majority of buildings to be low risk and require limited or no intervention.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-10239 on‎ 7 September 2022 which shows there has been no spend under Mortgage to Shared Equity (MTSE) during the last six years. The most recent MTSE application was in 2015. The table below shows the total and average spend under MTSE and the number of MTSE cases that settled between 2010-11 and 2015-16.

Under the Mortgage to Rent scheme, the Scottish Government subsidise up to 60% of the property value. The total grant includes the purchase subsidy and the cost of repairs required to bring the property up to the Scottish Housing Quality Standard. Further details on how subsidies are calculated can be found in the linked guidance HOSFGN/005 . The following table shows the total and average subsidy paid by the Scottish Government to Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) for each year of operation of Mortgage to Rent.

Scottish Government support for islands, and progress made towards delivery of the National Islands Plan, including strategic objectives one, two and three, is recorded in our annual report, presented to parliament each year. The first of these was the National Islands Plan: annual report 2020 , published 23 March 2021. The most recent report was the National Islands Plan: annual report 2021 , published 23 March 2022.

Furthermore, within the National Islands Plan, Scottish Government committed to publishing a detailed Implementation Route Map that addresses each of the 13 Strategic Objectives and accompanying commitments listed in the Plan.

The Implementation Route Map details how we will deliver our priorities over the lifetime of the National Islands Plan. It identifies the methods we will use to monitor progress towards fulfilling the many commitments in the NIP and sets out how we’ll deliver our work over the short, medium and long-term.

The HRI is a central source of information on key aspects of the construction and fire safety features of high rise domestic blocks; this information was not previously collected or published prior to 2020. The second report was published on 8 November 2021 and there were minimal changes to the inventory following a further year of data collection. The frequency of further data collection is currently under review. It is likely that this data will be integrated within a Register of Safe Buildings, which is being created as part of the Cladding Remediation Programme.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-10585 on‎ 22 September 2022. 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

As a publicly owned and controlled railway, it is important that ScotRail plays its part in delivering Scottish Government ambitions for its success. As part of that, ScotRail quite rightly reviewed the ban on alcohol and brought forward proposals for consideration. Following robust scrutiny against wider Scottish Government priorities and policy implications, it was considered that further work on these proposals would be required including wider consultation on the implications.

Given the diversity of views on the sale and consumption of alcohol on ScotRail services, consideration of its reintroduction will form part of the National Conversation on Rail. This will enable a wide range of views to be taken into account before any final decision is made. In the meantime, everyone needs to be mindful that, while many of the pandemic restrictions have been lifted, Covid hasn’t gone away and the Scottish Government’s advisory guidance remains in place.

Scottish Government Framework Agreements include pricing clauses which may differ depending on the products and services being procured.

The majority of our frameworks have fixed prices for the duration of the agreements, therefore providing a degree of protection from inflationary pressures.

Where the frameworks do not include fixed prices for the duration of the agreement, any potential price increases, as a result of inflationary pressures, will be addressed in accordance with the framework terms and conditions.

The Scottish Government is reviewing its framework agreements to assess likely price increases, where applicable.