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Transport Scotland engages and consults with taxi operators on an ongoing basis through various strands of the agency’s work. Taxi operators are key consultees for matters related to rail station access and operators have participated in national Low Emission Zone consultations and attended various stakeholder events including Mobility as a Service. Transport Scotland values the ongoing participation from taxi operators in helping to inform and influence policy making through these engagement channels.

The total cost from April 2020 to date for Scottish Government to remove car parking charges at the PFI hospital car parks at Ninewells Hospital, the Glasgow Royal Infirmary and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh was £6.97million, inclusive of irrecoverable VAT.

We are unable to provide the cost at each of the individual hospitals as disclosure of this particular information would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially the commercial interests of the contracted PFI company’s business operations.

The Scottish Government has used a number of initiatives to promote regular testing using lateral flow devices. This includes:

• Running targeted campaigns to promote the importance of testing through platforms including TV, radio and social media.
• Promoting free access to lateral flow test kits that are delivered directly to a person’s home.
• Introducing Pharmacy Collect – a service that allows the collection of free lateral flow test kits from over 1000 pharmacies throughout Scotland

The Scottish Government has worked with NHS Inform to promote information on how to accurately take an LFD test. This included commissioning a video from Professor Jason Leitch with instructions on how to take the test. This has been translated into multiple languages including BSL, Arabic, Polish and Urdu. Information on NHS Inform pages , for example on where to get a test, has also been translated.

The Scottish Government continues to produce testing information and campaigns to help aid the use and promotion of testing and will continue to do so throughout the course of this pandemic.

All applicants to Scottish Forestry for woodland creation grants are expected to undertake pre-application due diligence to identify significant issues from the proposal.

Depending upon the agricultural land classification as defined by the James Hutton Institute, the applicant may be required to consult with Scottish Government Rural Payment and Inspectorate Division (SGRPID) to obtain feedback upon the likelihood of the proposal having a negative impact upon the agricultural sector and jobs in particular and then act on any issues identified with appropriate mitigation.

In addition, to support the development of increase woodland cover on existing farmland, Scottish Forestry has developed a Forestry Grant Scheme option called “Sheep and Trees”. This option was developed in partnership with the National Sheep Association Scotland, National Farmers Union Scotland and SGRPID, to better integrate forestry and farming practices, and provide new opportunities for farm enterprises; it is available to new tenant farmers with landlord or leasehold approval.

Scottish Government is also working on the “integrating trees on your land – farming for a better climate” 2 initiative. This initiative involves showcasing opportunities, through case studies, for farmers to integrate trees planting in the wider farm enterprise with a view to helping new entrant farmers to adopt a more holistic and diverse approach to their enterprise.

The contribution of additional new planting towards Scotland’s net zero targets has been calculated by the Scottish Government using an economy-wide model that projects future CO ₂ emissions and removals to 2045.

The forestry element of the model uses data from the forestry part of the UK GHG projections for Scotland and from estimates of forest growth following planting. The model is responsive to different levels of woodland planting in future. The UK GHG projections show the forest estate in Scotland remaining a carbon sink throughout the period to 2045.

The Scottish Government’s commitment to tackling the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss is unwavering. Many of the points made in the Dasgupta review align closely with our existing approaches, and with our Wellbeing Economy, Inclusive Growth and Green Recovery, and “four pillars” approach to economic development. The Scottish Government and Scottish Green Party have agreed to work together to develop a new Natural Environment Bill which will put in place key legislative changes to restore and protect nature, including statutory targets for nature restoration.

Our Environment Strategy and our Statement of Intent on biodiversity published in December 2020 fully recognise the value of nature and the essential services and benefits it provides to Scotland’s people. The Statement of Intent signals our ambitions for biodiversity in Scotland, and commits Scotland to development of a new biodiversity strategy within 12 months of COP15. It also commits us to:

• Endorsing the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature, launched at the UN General Assembly in September which commits signatories to reversing biodiversity loss by 2030, sending a united signal to step up global ambition for nature, climate and people.
• Extending the area protected for nature in Scotland to at least 30% of our land area by 2030.
• Ensuring that National Planning Framework 4 works to secure positive effects for biodiversity.
• Increasing ecological connectivity through support for locally-driven projects.

In July 2021 we launched the Nature Restoration Fund, which provided an additional £10 million capital funding for projects that will restore nature, safeguard wildlife and tackle the causes of biodiversity loss and climate change.

The Scottish Government’s public agencies are running promotional campaigns to support responsible enjoyment of the countryside, as part of the wider national visitor management strategy co-ordinated by VisitScotland. This includes messaging which relates to responsible lighting of fires, strongly emphasising for example the use of camping stoves. It also highlights the need to follow any relevant local guidance and promotes sensible behaviours. The campaigns are being taken forward through both traditional and social media, including work with online influencers to help reach audiences that are otherwise difficult to engage.

Figures show there has been widespread public engagement with these campaigns over the summer period.

£2.75 million has been allocated by Scottish Ministers this year for the Better Places Green Recovery Fund, administered by NatureScot, which partly provides for additional seasonal rangers to promote responsible behaviour. We are also providing our National Parks with an extra £3.6 million in 2021 which will support, among other things, seasonal rangers.

In addition, land managers have been advised to use time limited local signage or other communication methods to inform people when there are high risk conditions, working with local authorities and National Park Authorities.

In recognition of the importance of monitoring our soils, the Scottish Government, through the Rural and Environment Science Analytical Services (RESAS), is evaluating proposals for a systematic soil monitoring framework for Scotland to begin April 2022.

As concluded in the South West Scotland Transport Study, a new station at Thornhill was one of the interventions recommended for the next stage of appraisal. This option is one of 58 potential new stations across Scotland that are being appraised as part of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2).

The appraisal process for STPR2 is considering the performance of all options against the transport outcomes we are seeking, the Transport Planning Objectives, which are aligned to our National Transport Strategy priorities and outcomes. The interventions will seek to contribute to our vision of a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system helping deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for communities, businesses and visitors.

Therefore, we need to consider the social and economic benefits and impacts based on performance against these objectives and the five Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance criteria, to determine the overall Value for Money. This also takes into account risks, uncertainties and other factors such as affordability, deliverability and the wider acceptability of options. This will be an important consideration given pressures on current and future public finances.

Also underpinning STPR2 is the Sustainable Investment Hierarchy where we will aim first to reduce the need to travel unsustainably, make better use of and enhance existing infrastructure, before investing in new capacity. This hierarchy is also central to Infrastructure Investment Plan. STPR2 will conclude later this year, with publication of recommendations for investment and an appropriate statutory consultation period.

Until the appraisal process is completed, it is not possible to make individual decisions on potential new stations such as Thornhill.

The carrying capacity of vessels under physical distancing requirements is dependent upon the individual layout, including access and egress arrangements. The table below provides information on the normal passenger carrying capacity of the vessels used on the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services and the Northern Isles Ferry Services as well as carrying capacity under 2m and 1m physical distancing requirements.