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Road studs (cat's eyes) are inspected 6 monthly on all Trunk Roads within the North East Unit, including the A90. This is in addition to safety inspections.

As part of wider catering provision in Scottish Government buildings, a catering contract is in-place to ensure value for money for taxpayers. In-line with Scottish Government spending controls, visitor hospitality is only provided in limited circumstances.

Robust contract management arrangements are in place and this includes an annual review of tariffs and costs which are scrutinised by an independent catering specialist to ensure costs are in-line with industry standards and the Consumer Price Index.

Railway safety is a matter reserved to the UK Government and responsibility for this lies with Office of Rail and Road who provides guidance to railway operators.

There are no recorded instances of national flags being stolen or wilfully damaged in the last 15 years.

The master of the vessel convicted of fishing in the South Aran Marine Protected Area was initially offered a £10,000 Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN), the maximum permitted under the FPN scheme. This consisted of £4,000 for the "access offence" and £6,000 for the value of the catch, as determined when the catch was inspected by Marine Directorate Officers at the time of landing. The FPN was not paid and the case was reported the Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Service and the case went to trial where the master was fined £4175 by the Sheriff.

The catch consisted of 914kg of king scallops, which was sold to a merchant. The merchant provided the Marine Directorate with a salenote stating the value of the catch was £4548.50. The value of the catch would have been paid to the owner of the vessel.

Further details of the FPN are available - Marine compliance: fixed penalty notices - gov.scot

Since 2016, all media training for Ministers or civil servants has been provided by Scottish Government Communications Division staff at no additional cost. Executive Agencies are responsible for their own training provision and information is not held centrally.

The implementation and evaluation of the Collaborative and Compassionate Cancer Care The Cancer Strategy for Children and Young People in Scotland 2021–2026 is managed by the Managed Service Network for Children and Young People with Cancer (MSN CYPC).

The MSN CYPC works collaboratively with a range of stakeholders in the delivery of children and young people’s cancer services across Scotland. This approach will continue in informing any future national cancer strategy, beyond 2026.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-34287 on 27 January 2025. 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

A breakdown of flags purchased since 2017 is shown in the table below. The Scottish Government does not hold information on flag purchases prior to 2017.

The Scottish Government has 8 flag poles of the following lengths:

59 ft (18m) x 2; 56 ft (17m) x 2; and 48 ft (14.6m) x 4

We do not hold any information on specific maintenance costs associated with these poles.