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Food Standards Scotland has a range of enforcement actions detailed in food law it can use to address noncompliance. They also have enforcement polices for each sector they regulate promoting advice and best practice with a view to a graduated approach.

Staffing at railway stations is an operational matter for ScotRail. I have been informed that Troon Station ticket office has recently closed on a number of occasions due to staff shortages. The vacancies have now been filled and it is expected that the new staff will take up positions in February and March.

I also spoke with ScotRail management at the official opening of the award-winning refurbished and rebuilt Troon station on 13 November 2024. They confirmed that the new Changing Places facilities at the station would remain open even if the ticket office is closed during operational hours.

Additionally, ScotRail’s passenger assistance service is designed to help those who need support when traveling on the ScotRail network. Our vision is for all older and disabled individuals to travel with the same freedom, choice, dignity, and opportunity as other citizens.

Investment Zones in Scotland are being jointly delivered by the Scottish and UK Governments. The Scottish Government engages regularly with the UK Government regarding the proposed Investment Zone for the North East region. Weekly progress meetings are held between officials from both Governments to discuss the development of proposals and implementation of the Investment Zone. Additionally, the Scottish and UK Government jointly participate in scheduled fortnightly meetings with the North East Regional Economic Partnership, and more often where required, to ensure continued collaboration.

The Scottish Government is actively working with partners to establish the Investment Zone for the North East region. There is a jointly agreed and delivered Gateway process for the Investment Zone to follow through to delivery. This is currently underway, and it is anticipated that the Investment Zone will be established and operational later this year.

The Scottish and UK Government jointly developed an evidence-led and objective place selection methodology for Investment Zones, adapting the approach taken by the UK Government in England when selecting Investment Zone regions.

As part of the place selection process, financial modelling was undertaken to assess the potential economic benefits of the proposed Investment Zones. This analysis considered a range of factors, including wellbeing economy need, employment growth, and the attraction of inward investment. The modelling also examined the anticipated fiscal impact, including potential revenue generation and cost implications for both governments. The place selection methodology was published on 18 August 2023.

In addition, the Scottish Government regularly engages with regional stakeholders including the North East Regional Economic Partnership to ensure that the Investment Zone continues to align with local economic priorities and maximises benefits for businesses and communities within the region. Further assessment and refinement of the financial modelling will continue as the Investment Zone proposals are developed through the Gateway process, to ensure its long-term success.

The Scottish Government does not collect data on fish survival by calendar year. Each October, Scottish Government publishes a Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey which presents data on survival to harvest within a year class; that is, the fish grown to harvest within a production cycle.

The member may be interested to know that industry trade body Salmon Scotland publishes monthly mortality data. In recent correspondence to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee dated 3 February 2025, Salmon Scotland noted that their data indicated survival across all marine farms was 82.3% in 2024, up 10 percentage points from 72.3% in 2023.

The information requested is not held centrally. Work has begun to routinely collect patient level data from all three hubs.

We assess the environmental impact of farming operations at Knocknagael through the use of Biodiversity and Carbon audits.

We do not hold information on the numbers of livestock owned and managed by our farm and croft tenants or assess any environmental impact of livestock farming on a tenant by tenant basis.

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has not yet received a submission from the manufacturing company, Vertex, for exagamglogene autotemcel (Casgevy®) for the treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD).

The Chief Pharmaceutical Officer (CPO) and the SMC have engaged regularly with the marketing authorisation holder, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, on the SMC’s process for assessing the clinical and cost-effectiveness of exagamglogene autotemcel (Casgevy®) for use in the SCD indication in the NHS in Scotland. The SMC would welcome a submission from Vertex for Casgevy® in the SCD indication at any time.

The Scottish Government draws on the best available international evidence when developing policy, including considering the effects of public health legislation in other countries such as Ireland.

The Scottish Government is a member of the British-Irish Council Drug and Alcohol Work Sector. The Scottish Government engages with officials from Ireland and the UK nations as part of that Work Sector to discuss policy developments including in relation alcohol harm.