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Abellio ScotRail advise they carried out analysis from ticket issue data for each of the current ScotRail ticket offices covering the seven-week period from 30 October to 17 December 2016 & 2019, regarded in the industry as the busiest period in the year.

It is important to note the data used for the review was from 2019 and represents a period not impacted by the Covid pandemic and the associated fall in customer numbers.

The Scottish Government is aware of the UK-wide legislative proposals and officials across the UK have held constructive discussions on a number of measures related to the welfare and conservation of animals overseas. We are carefully considering our position on each of these measures.

Transport Scotland has not undertaken any assessment however Abellio ScotRail advise they have carried out a full review of ticket buying at all ticket offices which have remained largely the same since the 1990s. During this period there has been significant investment in the station environment. ScotRail has installed 355 ticket vending machines which accounts for 26 per cent of all ticket sales.

Increased usage and familiarity of the internet has opened up an entirely new retail channel, which in 2019 accounted for 18 per cent of all ticket sales. All train services have two members of staff on board - one driver and one ticket inspector. These factors have all contributed to a drop in ticket office usage over the past three decades. Abellio ScotRail has also made clear that customers will always receive the best value ticket regardless of how they chose to purchase.

Since the start of the pandemic, the Scottish Government has provided £2.5million support to outdoor education.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring learners have access to valuable outdoor learning experiences. We have had intensive discussions with providers on how we can support the sector in this challenging time and we will be announcing details in due course.

Abellio ScotRail has advised that following consultation process, Transport Focus will analyse the results and compile a report. The report outputs will then be considered before any final decisions are reached.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-05834 on 4 February 2022. 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

Transport Scotland has not undertaken any assessment however Abellio ScotRail advise that there is an estimated carbon reduction saving of 75 tons per annum if ticket office opening hours are reviewed however we should wait for the results of the consultation before finalising. It is worth noting there will be no reduction in jobs and any change in ticket office hours will be reinvested to visible frontline activity including passenger assistance or ticket checks.

The Scottish Government is developing an Energy Strategy & Just Transition Plan which will be published in 2022. This document will serve as a plan to transition from today’s energy sector to an new, net-zero sector which meets the 2030 and 2045 climate targets in a fair and just way for all of Scotland.

It is for SEPA , as the independent regulator, to regulate facilities like the Mossmorran Complex in order to protect the environment. The Scottish Government has regular discussions with SEPA on the progress of both the improvement works at the complex and SEPA’s implementation of the recommendations from the Irish Environmental Protection Agency’s regulatory peer review. Both SEPA and the Scottish Government remain clear that compliance with Scotland’s environmental laws is non-negotiable.

The Scottish Government has previously commissioned research which considered the capital and operational costs associated with zero direct emissions heating (ZDEH) technologies within new homes, which encompassed various types of air source heat pumps and direct electric heating. The report, however, did not specifically consider infrared heating panels. A copy of this research is available here: Costs of zero emissions heating in new buildings (climatexchange.org.uk)

As set out in the Scottish Government’s Heat in Buildings Strategy, we are developing regulations to ensure that new homes, applying for a building warrant from 2024, must use ZDEH systems. We consulted on initial proposals for these regulations during 2020-21, and have published an analysis of the consultation responses, which will inform the final design of the regulations. It is our intention for these regulations to be technology-neutral, to ensure developers have flexibility in achieving compliance. At the introduction of these regulations, a full Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) will be published – which will set out the costs and benefits of the policy options considered. We will also undertake a range of impact assessments, including a BRIA, on our proposals to regulate heating systems in existing homes (including off-gas grid homes) when we separately introduce the necessary legislation to achieve this.