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The Scottish Government ensures the continued provision of safe and efficient ferries that play a vital role in the economic, social and cultural life of our island and remote communities. Transport Scotland implements ferry policy on behalf of Scottish Ministers including by providing financial subsidies to the operators of ferry routes or networks that it considers to be lifeline and required for communities to be viable.

The operators on the Clyde and Hebrides and Northern Isles routes provide ferry services under tendered contracts with Scottish Ministers, thereby ensuring sustainable and improving services will be provided to communities through these contracts until 2024 and 2028 respectively.

The Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) has responsibility for setting charge caps and otherwise sets out expectations or forecasts including for income as a guide to Scottish Water and stakeholders. Across the 2021-27 regulatory period the maximum increase to charges will be capped at CPI+2% on average for each year of the regulatory control period. Scottish Water must propose charges in its Annual Scheme of Charges that are consistent with this average annual cap and the cumulative application of this cap. It has discretion as to the precise profile of charges that it seeks to levy on customers within the regulatory control period. In line with its statutory duties, WICS considers any Charges Scheme that could be consistent with the overall cap on the amount of charges that can be levied on customers during the 2021-27 regulatory control period. The average household charge for 2022-23 remains lower than the average charge in England and Wales.

Using official statistics, which are at a UK level, in 2020 indigenous gas production met more than half of UK demand with the remainder supplied via imports of gas, of which 5% came from Russia. In 2020, UK demand was met by imports of approximately 80% of crude oil and 47% of Petroleum products. Russian imports met an estimated 7.8% and 7.7% of UK demand.

In 2020, of the Petroleum products, Russian imports were predominately diesel, accounting for 33% of total UK Diesel imports.

In 2020, total gross trade in goods in 2020 (Imports and Exports) between the UK and Russia was £10.3 billion, which included the following imported from Russia: Refined oil (£2.3 Billion), Crude oil (£1 Billion) and Gas (£0.5 Billion).

Most recently services and ferry delivery structures in other countries have been reviewed include Norway, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. These examples will inform the development of ferries policy including in the consideration of relevant assessments and the decarbonisation of the Scottish Government ferry fleet.

We understand, following the completion of its ticket office opening hours consultation and Transport Focus’ findings report, that ScotRail intends to publish, in due course, its Diversity Impact Assessment.

The new vehicle entry system was one of several security enhancements to upgrade the security of the Service Yard.  These enhancements were identified in the Police Scotland review commissioned by the SPCB in 2017, following the tragic attacks on Westminster Bridge in London.

The main aim of the Service Yard project was to improve the security of the area by addressing vulnerabilities with the layout and replace ageing technology with a state-of-the-art hostile vehicle mitigation system.

There have been several assessments throughout the Service Yard project in relation to users’ safety.  These have included a review of the flow of vehicle traffic, the safety of the gates and barriers and an overall health and safety review of the arrangements in the Service Yard.

The results of these assessments are that the project to improve the Service Yard has delivered the desired outcomes of significantly improving safety and security at the vehicle entrance area.

The project to put in place the new Parliament website was a significant and complex change project.

The business case for the project was considered and agreed by officials on the Digital Strategy Board. This is the usual governance for digital projects undertaken in the Parliament.

The budget for the project was included in the SPCB’s budget process in each of the financial years that the project was running.

The rights to naturally occurring gold and silver in this area are managed by Crown Estate Scotland, not by the Scottish Ministers. The Scottish Government is aware that Crown Estate Scotland have issued two Mines Royal Options to JDH Exploration Ltd within Dumfries and Galloway for gold and silver exploration. Crown Estate Scotland do not manage the rights to the land or any other minerals in these areas and an option holder must obtain all other relevant permissions for its activities.

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) has subsequently granted access (only) permissions for metalliferous mineral prospecting to JDH Exploration Limited for an area of ground on Scotland’s national forests and land, South West of Loch Dee in Dumfries and Galloway.

These access permissions are not for mineral extraction.

The access permissions issued by FLS allow for a limited amount of ground survey work, including soil sampling using hand tools (e.g. hand auger) and aerial surveys within a defined area of Scotland’s national forests and land.

All Forestry Grant Scheme applications are assessed according to the criteria set out in the guidance available at Scoring criteria and clearing process (ruralpayments.org)

This includes value for money and compliance with the UK Forestry Standard, the governments’ approach to sustainable forestry, which recognises that forests have environmental, economic and social objectives and sets out how these can be achieved.

The Scottish Government does not collect or hold this information.