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Ministers must collectively consider all factors, particularly antisocial behaviour and violence against women and girls. Therefore, Ministers will continue to be informed by the equally safe strategy, alongside the strategic review by the independent working group on antisocial behaviour, which will present its report to Ministers, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and Police Scotland this year.

The Scottish Government is providing financial support for buildings with known cladding issues through the Cladding Remediation Programme.

The Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act 2024 addresses the risks posed by unsafe cladding on residential buildings. This legislation gives Scottish Ministers the power to assess and remediate buildings with unsafe cladding, establish a Cladding Assurance Register, and create schemes requiring developers to contribute to remediation costs. The Act is expected to be commenced in early 2025.

The Scottish Government’s Cladding Remediation Programme Pilot utilised a self-nomination process to identify buildings, of different tenures, that are potentially affected by unsafe cladding. For the Pilot, the Scottish Government funded Pilot Single Building Assessments to test the concept and deliverability of the Assessment. Following the introduction of the Act we have introduced Single Building Assessments (SBA).

The Scottish Government will continue to fund assessment and remediation where no linked developer can be identified. The level of financial support that will be needed is determined by the comprehensive SBA assessment. We continue to publish spend information for the programme which can be accessed here

Single Building Assessment programme: spending information (gov.scot)

Under the current Clyde and Hebrides ferry contract there is no requirement for CalMac to report this detail. Therefore, the Scottish Government does not hold this information. The booking system, its management and operation is a matter for CalMac.

British Transport Police are responsible for enforcing the alcohol ban and responding to reports of antisocial behaviour on ScotRail trains. The Scottish Government through Transport Scotland engages with British Transport Police in considerations over the future of the ban and in the wider context of tackling antisocial behaviours on the rail network.

It is acknowledged that a greater British Transport Police resource with increased visibility on the rail network could make a difference to enforcement of the alcohol ban. However, as the Scottish Government has no direct responsibility over British Transport Police, we must work within the resource it has and continue to encourage British Transport Police to work more effectively with ScotRail wherever possible.

The route map to achieving a 20% reduction in car use is co-produced with CoSLA, in recognition of the joint commitment to a just transition to reducing car use. We continue to work closely with local and regional partners to update the route map and timeline for demand management, and we will publish it on completion of that engagement.

Recent ScotRail analysis suggests around £160,000 net revenue per annum is foregone from being unable to sell alcohol on ScotRail services.

There have been no discussions between Transport Scotland, CalMac and CMAL on removing the MV Caledonian Isles from service. CalMac is currently working through a data gathering assessment to quantify the requirement for further repairs on the vessel. Once this phase is complete, the outcome and options for progression will be discussed between CalMac, CMAL and Transport Scotland.

The Scottish Government do not hold this information. It is a matter for UK shipyards to come to commercial agreements on guarantees with financial institutions as stipulated in shipbuilding procurements.

The Scottish Government does not record the historic average percentage pay increase for public sector staff due to the complexities associated with calculating the impact of in year promotions, progression increments within pay scales and the large volume of new starts and leavers.

The MV Caledonian Isles entered dry dock for her annual overhaul at Dales, Greenock on 4 January 2024. The vessel moved to Cammell Laird yard in Birkenhead on 11 February 2024 for additional steel works to be undertaken. She departed there on 14 September 2024 and was due to return to service on the on 23 September 2024. However, engineers identified metallic debris in the oil filter for the Port propulsion gearbox and she has remained off service. The vessel is currently at James Watt Dock Greenock undergoing further investigative works. As a precaution and to allow contingency measures to be put in place on affected routes CalMac have planned for the vessel being unavailable for the duration for the winter timetable period which ends on 27 March 2025.

CalMac anticipate having a more detailed estimate of the timing of the required work in the coming weeks.