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As part of our plans for the Rest and Be Thankful, we are developing a medium term solution to provide resilience whilst the long term solution is progressed. A number of options are currently being assessed, including the possible use of the existing forestry track and improvements to the Old Military Road.

Depending on whether statutory consents are needed, it is envisaged that a finalised proposal for a medium term solution could be developed by late 2022.A timetable for the construction phase of a medium term solution can only be set once the scope of the proposals are finalised and any statutory procedures required have been successfully completed.

Liberty Steel Dalzell continues to trade. At the time of the deal, in 2016, a parent company guarantee was signed with Liberty House, which meant that, if the part of the company at Liberty Steel Dalzell ceased to exist, the liabilities would pass to the wider group.

The Managing Director of Scotland’s Railway is an employee of Network Rail, which is owned by the UK Government. His salary may be found in line 175 of the ‘Senior Officials high earners salaries as at 30 September 2020’ spreadsheet contained in the HM Government website and can be accessed via the following link:-

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/senior-officials-high-earners-salaries

We have considered the compliance and disclosure risks associated with significant and complex transactions. This includes the high-profile interventions that the Scottish Government has supported in recent years as outlined in 2020-21 Annual Accounts.

These transactions have been reviewed and, on the basis of information available it remains the case that there was no state aid present in any of the transactions. We have also obtained assurances in respect of the appropriate recognition and disclosure of contingent liabilities.

There is no liability in relation to the facilitation of the sale of the Dalzell steelwork.

Initial advice was provided to Ministers of concern on the grounds of potentially non-compliant State aid on 17 August 2021 and Officials were asked to undertake further investigation including obtaining additional specialist advice.

I was provided with a further update on a potential issue concerning non-compliant State aid on 25 October 2021 following further investigation.

Final advice was provided to Ministers on 8 December 2021.

The Scottish Government owned the Dalzell and Clydebridge steelworks momentarily in 2016 before the same were immediately sold to Liberty House.

The negotiation and agreements are commercially sensitive information.

The Capital Land and Works budget for Motorways and Trunk Roads in the 2022-23 Capital Spending Review reflects the current expenditure profile of road construction schemes. That review and the general availability of budget for all the Motorway and Trunk Road projects are the only considerations which influence the progress of projects already committed to.

Table 1 shows the number of non-sexual crimes of violence recorded by the police in Scotland from 2011-12 to 2020-21. From 2019-20 onwards this includes new crimes recorded under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018, following its enactment on 1 April 2019. In addition to this, Table 2 shows the number of common assaults recorded by the police over the same time period. Both of these tables are available from the Recorded Crime in Scotland National Statistics ( Recorded Crime in Scotland - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

Table 1. Recorded crimes of non-sexual violence in Scotland, 2011-12 to 2020-21

Less than two percent of agricultural holdings in Scotland, covering 52 per cent of agricultural land, are estimated to be above a threshold of 2,500 acres. Less than one percent of owned or tenanted holdings with crofts are above 2,500 acres in size. Five per cent of tenanted holdings without crofts and two per cent of owner occupied holdings without crofts are above 2,500 acres in size.

The data presented in the paragraph above refers to data collected as part of the June Agricultural Census 2021. The data included contains holdings with a registered croft, not all crofts have registered holdings and are therefore excluded from this analysis. A small number of large holdings include a registered croft on the holding. As these figures relate to the land area of the holding and not the croft these areas will have a large impact on reported area of crofts. A single holding may comprise both rented and owned land, these categories are based on majority area for the holding.