Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6O-05083 on 30 October 2025 regarding the conclusion of the purchase.

The redevelopment of Ardrossan and the current focus on potential purchase remains a priority for this Government. I will of course update members of the Ardrossan Taskforce and the relevant Parliamentary Committee and other interested parties and MSPs on an outcome as soon as I am able to.

It is acknowledged that the upgrade of the Irish Berth was not included within the original project scope and commercial proposal from Peel Ports and North Ayrshire Council. If the change in ownership proceeds, Transport Scotland and CMAL will consider the future of the Irish Berth and other areas/facilities included in the harbour area.

All answers to 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40730 on 1 October 2025 and confirm the specification is not a stand-alone document, it is embedded within the grant agreement which was published on 1st October 2025 on the Transport Scotland website, alongside other relevant governance documentation.

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.

We are investing more than £135.5 million this year to cut waits, and we expect to see the full impact of our targeted funding in the coming months. As detailed in my response to question S6W-37797 on 30 May 2025, NHS Ayrshire & Arran was initially allocated over £5.7 million funding. This was later supplemented with an additional allocation of almost £600,000 as well as a further allocation of over £1.3 million for dermatology services, bringing total funding up to £7.6 million.

Across Scotland, this targeted funding is expected to deliver more than 213,000 additional procedures and appointments this year, including thousands of additional new outpatient appointments in NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

Our plan is clearly working; the latest data shows 61.7% of new outpatient appointments were seen within 12 weeks last quarter, and over 42% of those still waiting have waited less than 12 weeks.

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.

The Scottish Government is working with the UK Government to progress the implementation of Air Departure Tax. Discussions are continuing as required to ensure that this is done in a way that protects Highlands and Islands connectivity and complies with the UK Government’s subsidy control regime.

The following regulations apply to waste and recycling facilities in Scotland.

• Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004
• Building (Scotland) Act 2003 (and associated legislation)
• Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002
• Environmental Protection Act 1990
• Fire (Scotland) Act 2005
• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
• Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2012
• Waste Management (Scotland) Regulations 2011

The following table covers the various organisations involved in authorising the creation and operation of waste and recycling sites, including their responsibilities and enforcement duties.

Council Tax is a local tax, set and administered by individual local authorities. Future local government finance settlements, including any decisions on council tax, will be set out in the usual way as part of the annual Scottish Budget.

The Scottish Government continues to support a national Council Tax Reduction scheme to protect those most in need. Over 450,000 households receive some level of Council Tax Reduction, saving recipients on average over £850 a year.

The Scottish Government welcomes the contribution of the Scottish Retail Consortium and other stakeholders to the debate on how best to support economic growth in Scotland.

There are no NHS boards in the Highlands and Islands region that have formally established a Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Service for patients with non-specific symptoms of cancer.

In line with recently revised Scottish Referral Guidelines for Urgent Suspicion of Cancer all NHS territorial Health Boards now have pathways in place for those presenting with non-specific symptoms of cancer.

Local government is a crucial partner in helping to deliver better outcomes for the people of Scotland. That is why we have provided councils with a record £15.1 billion this year, a real terms increase of 5.5%, and have delivered a wide range of powers for local councils.

Our joint Local Governance Review with COSLA will conclude by the end of the Parliament, setting out how power and resources can be better shared between national and local government and with communities.

In addition, this year the Scottish Government has allocated nearly £2.2 billion for social care and integration, representing an increase of over £1.2 billion since
2021-22. This goes almost £350 million beyond the Scottish Government’s original commitment to increase social care funding by 25% (£840 million) over the lifetime of the Parliament.

The Scottish Government has been investing heavily in the social care workforce through its fair work commitments. We will continue to work with local government partners to ensure the people of Scotland can access the services they need when and where they need them.

The Hydrogen Innovation Scheme, part of the Scottish Government’s Emerging Energy Technology Fund, was launched for project funding applications in June 2022 and closed in August 2022 for Stream 1 projects and in September 2022 for Stream 2 projects.