Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government expects that all policies and proposals set out in the forthcoming Climate Change Plan will be delivered. Progress of these policies and proposals will be monitored closely throughout the plan period through a robust Monitoring and Evaluation Framework. Regular monitoring will establish progress and allow Ministers to consider appropriate action to support any off track indicators on a case to case basis.

Allocation of staffing resources are a matter for Scottish Government to determine in accordance with Scottish Government priorities.

The number of full-time equivalent civil servants is broken down by policy area and condition as follows:

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-33307 on 28 January 2025. 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

Funding and resources available will be published as part of the series of Action Plans.

We are considering using an evidence based process to determine which improvement work will be prioritised and details of this will form part of the Long Term Conditions Framework which we will publish in December 2025.

It is the statutory responsibility of all local authorities to manage and maintain their school estate. However, the Scottish Government are engaging with Local Authorities via the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland and Scottish Heads of Property Services networks regarding the school estate, including the School Grounds in Scotland 2025 report.

As we develop our new integrated Long Term Conditions Framework, we will consider how it and its series of action plans are governed and implemented to ensure all conditions are considered and action plans are implemented effectively. Future planning for current advisory committees and taskforces will be considered at the same time

Details of the governance arrangements will form part of the Framework and will be published in December 2025.

The consultation on a Long Term Conditions Framework is currently live and will close on 20 July.

An analysis report, detailing the number of responses and who responded will be published and the results will assist in the development of a Long Term Conditions Framework.

The Scottish Government is committed to an infrastructure solution to address the A83 Rest and Be Thankful landslip risks. Delivery of a permanent and resilient solution is a priority and we continue to seek ways to achieve that as quickly as possible.

Funding is included in the 2025-26 Budget to continue to progress both the medium and long term solutions. Funding to progress the construction stage of the medium and long term solutions will be determined as part of the annual Scottish Budget setting exercises. However, this scheme is a priority for Scottish Government, noting it is a key recommendation in the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) and is included in our published Programme for Government 2025-26.

A traffic and economics assessment was carried in accordance with the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, however, its purpose is not to assess impacts to each and every business in Argyll and Bute. This is why at the most recent A83 Taskforce meeting I have arranged for roundtable meetings to be taken forward for each of the various business sectors for focussed discussions on the possible impacts and potential mitigation measures which may be implemented to further reduce any impact on businesses during construction of the long term solution. The link to the website can be found here: https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/design-manual-for-roads-and-bridges-dmrb-stage-two-route-options-assessment-report-a83-access-to-argyll-and-bute/.

The Scottish Government is committed to an infrastructure solution to address the A83 Rest and Be Thankful landslip risks. Delivery of a permanent and resilient solution is a priority and we will continue to seek ways to achieve that as quickly as possible.

The design of the debris flow shelter follows both national and international design standards and good practice, including, but not limited to, the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, British Standards and Eurocodes. This is being informed by data collected on the A83 site as well as the extensive experience of Transport Scotland and its technical advisors who have designed similar structures in Europe and around the world.

For the majority of landslide events, material from landslides will not collect on the roof of the debris flow shelter, albeit the roof is being designed to withstand these larger landslide events. Large catchpits are located at the rear of the debris flow shelter to capture any material from landslide before it reaches the shelter for all but the most significant landslide events. The roof will predominantly be used for access to clear material from the catchpits allowing the A83 Trunk Road to continue running during clearance operations.

The proposed solution of the debris flow shelter has been applied across Europe in similar situations, as well as similar approaches taken on railway projects, such as Dawlish rockfall shelter in England. The link to the website can be found here: https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/design-manual-for-roads-and-bridges-dmrb-stage-two-route-options-assessment-report-a83-access-to-argyll-and-bute/.