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The 22 zero-emission electric buses owned by First Bus, which were partly funded through Transport Scotland's Scottish Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme (SULEBS), are all now in service on routes in Glasgow following COP26 in October.

Vessel procurement is not considered as part of this assessment.

The vessel procurement strategy will be taken forward in the Islands Connectivity Plan and details have already been included in the Infrastructure Investment Plan.

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 Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has advised that it is in discussions with the manufacturer of Palforzia ® , Aimmune Therapeutics UK Limited, regarding their plans for a submission to the SMC’s appraisal process. The decision to make a submission, and the timing of that submission, are entirely for the manufacturer to make. Information on SMC timelines and submission scheduling can be found here . Once the manufacturer has provided the Palforzia ® submission to the SMC, information on the specific timelines for this assessment will be available via the search facility available on the home page of the SMC’s website here . After a submission is received and scheduled for review by the SMC, the resulting advice is e published and takes effect for NHS Scotland from the month following the review meeting.

As soon as the medicine is submitted to the SMC for appraisal, Health Boards have procedures in place using the Peer Approved Clinical System “PACS Tier Two” process which provides an opportunity for doctors, on a case by case basis for individual patients, to request the use of the medicine in advance of the SMC completing the appraisal process and issuing its advice.

Collective bargaining agreements are not considered as part of that assessment.

We are fully committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2045 and transforming Scotland in to a fairer, greener and more prosperous country, that is why we have committed £2 billion in low carbon funding to invest in new measures to end Scotland’s contribution to climate change and create green jobs. Creating, supporting and monitoring green jobs through initiatives like the Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray and the Green Jobs Fund will be vital in helping Scotland to secure a truly just transition to net zero, with no person or region left behind.

These statistics, published by ONS annually, relate to what may be considered a narrower definition of direct jobs in the UK low carbon and renewable energy economy, including the offshore wind sector. Work is ongoing within the Scottish Government to establish a broader measure of green jobs. ScotWind puts Scotland at the forefront of the global development of offshore wind and represents a huge step forward in our just transition to net zero. I welcome the commitments from the winning consortia to invest at least £1 billion, on average, in Scotland's supply chain for every gigawatt of capacity generated. This will generate thousands of new jobs and provide opportunities for diversification and skills transfer from existing sectors such as oil and gas.

I am delighted to advise Parliament that Dr Jacqueline Taylor, past President of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, will be the Independent Chair of the National Audiology Review Group. Dr Taylor brings a wealth of Scotland wide clinical and training experience to the role. She will provide strong leadership in the delivery of an independent and evidence led review.

While it will be for the Chair to determine how the review is best taken forward, I know we share the determination that the outcome of the review leads us to ensuring our hearing services are fit for purpose across Scotland. The National Audiology Review Group will be tasked with providing recommendations for a national plan for improvement. To achieve this we will also work closely with our partners and wider stakeholders.

A further update will be provided to Parliament detailing the remit of the review, its membership and timetable for reporting once it has been agreed with the Chair.

Following consultation in late 2021 to inform the development of the necessary secondary legislation and guidance, we will today publish the consultation results and analysis which will be available via the following web link : https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/implementing-part-three-of-the-transport-scotland-act-2019-bus-services-analysis-of-consultation-responses/

A high level summary of the main aspects and consultation responses is provided as follows:

Section 34 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 Act (“the Act”) provides local transport authorities (LTAs) with the power to run their own services in any way they see fit within the wider context of their obligations. This power sits alongside their existing ability to subsidise services. On this, respondents indicated no desire for additional duties to be imposed on LTAs in how they run services. Instead, respondents made suggestions on supporting information to help implement this provision, including in relation to legislative requirements, competition impacts, the sharing and generation of data and information for planning public transport networks, examples of best practice and case studies, and funding for LTAs to implement the provisions.

Sections 35 to 37 of the Act provide for Bus Service Improvement Partnerships which are a new type of statutory partnership between LTAs and bus operators. As part of a partnership, a range of service standards can be set, including on the frequency or timing of services, the vehicles used, maximum fares charged for particular journeys, and the pricing of multi-operator travel cards. Respondents commented on a range of aspects relating to the operation of the model, including processes related to the preparation, variation and revocation of partnership plans and schemes, the partnership voting mechanism, accessibility provisions and the scrutiny of the partnership, among others.

Section 38 of the Act provides for local services franchising which allows LTAs to award exclusive rights for the operation of a service or services to the most competitive bidder for a set period under certain conditions. During this period, no other operator can run those services. On franchising, respondents commented on guidance required for LTAs on the making of a franchise assessment, guidance for auditors assessing the LTA’s business case for a franchising framework, relevant information required, and the composition of the independent panel considering the making of the framework.

In relation to the implementation timeline, we plan to commence section 34 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 (Provision of bus services etc. by local transport authorities) before the summer recess and lay the legislation necessary for commencement of section 39 (provision of service information when varying or cancelling a registration) before the end of this year. We aim to introduce the necessary secondary legislation for sections 35 to 38 (Bus Service Improvement Partnerships and local services franchises) before the end of 2023.

The UK Government has not confirmed what the design of the ECO4 scheme will be. Scottish Ministers anticipate that they will be consulted about the new regulations as part of Ministerial write round. The Scottish Government will then assess how effectively the new scheme tackles fuel poverty and supports delivery of our net zero ambitions in Scotland. This will inform our response to the UK Government and any changes that we may propose.

We will also consider the UK Government’s response to any issues raised by Scottish stakeholders about ECO4. For example, we have previously raised our concerns with the UK Government about their failure to respond to stakeholder feedback from remote rural and island communities in Scotland.

Fuel poverty is a devolved matter but relevant powers for these schemes are reserved to the Secretary of State. Nevertheless we remain keen to work in partnership with the UK Government to ensure that changes to the ECO scheme do not cause detriment to Scotland or the rest of the UK.

The Scottish Government is taking a range of immediate steps to help Ukrainian families fleeing conflict, through financial humanitarian aid and medical equipment. We have committed £4 million in humanitarian aid through aid agencies to help provide basic humanitarian assistance, including in health, water and sanitation, and shelter for those fleeing Ukraine; this includes £2 million to the DEC Appeal for Ukraine. We are also working with the Ukrainian Government to provide medical supplies from stocks we hold, worth around £2.9 million, and are coordinating with other UK nations to ensure that these supplies get to where they are needed as quickly as possible; a total of three donations of medical equipment, valued at approximately £1.6 million has shipped to date.

The UK Government’s current proposals are insufficient, and the Scottish Government continues to call on the UK Government to develop a comprehensive resettlement programme and to fully waive visa requirements for Ukrainian nationals so those who have been displaced can be offered immediate refuge.

Scotland has a proud history of welcoming refugees and people seeking asylum. The Scottish Government and Scotland’s local authorities stand ready to welcome and support people with the safety and security they need to rebuild their lives.