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All vehicles listed in the answer to question S6W-42094 on 26 November 2025 have been deployed except for two of the Ford Ranger Multi-Role Units (which are at the final stage of commissioning work expected to be deployed by next month) and the Ford Ranger Ultra-Light Pumping Units. These units required additional configuration from the supplier. As present, five of eight are completed, and all eight units are expected to be deployed within the next few weeks. 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.

In the past decade, Scottish public sector-led digital infrastructure programmes have enabled over one million faster broadband connections. Through the Reaching 100% (R100) and Project Gigabit in Scotland (PGiS) programmes, we are continuing to accelerate access to future-proofed full fibre broadband for those who need it most, despite Scotland having some of the most challenging terrain in which to deploy digital infrastructure in Europe.

The switch-off of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) in the UK is industry-led, with oversight from the UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), reflecting that telecoms legislation is reserved.

The Scottish Government offers a competitive non-domestic rates regime delivering in 2025-26 the lowest property rate in the UK for the seventh year in a row, ensuring that over 95% of non-domestic properties continue to be liable for a lower property tax rate than anywhere else in the UK.

The package of rates relief to support businesses and communities is worth an estimated £730 million in 2025-26, with nearly half of all non-domestic properties in Scotland paying no rates. This includes the Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS), the most generous relief scheme of its kind in the UK, which reduces the rates bill for small businesses by nearly £250 million as at June 2025.

The retail sector continues to be the largest beneficiary of SBBS relief, with 30,000 shops receiving SBBS, reducing their collective rates bill by £86 million as at June 2025. Overall, 34,000 shops receive rates relief, worth over £110 million, and half of all shops in Scotland pay no rates.

Decisions on non-domestic rates, including the poundage and any reliefs, are generally considered in the context of the Scottish Budget in line with other government priorities.

The figures above relate to the ‘shops’ property class, as defined by the Scottish Assessors. Property class is a classification used by Scottish Assessors to describe the type of property and does not necessarily accurately reflect the actual use of a property.

The Scottish Government continues to offer a competitive non-domestic rates regime and the 2025-26 Budget delivered the lowest Basic Property Rate in the UK for the seventh year in a row.

Over 95% of shops in Scotland are liable for the lowest rate in the UK, and this is estimated to have saved them £11.5m over the same timeframe compared with what they would have been liable for under English rates (note that this is a gross estimate and has not been adjusted for any reliefs).

In addition, the Small Business Bonus Scheme remains the most generous scheme of its kind in the UK, and the retail sector continues to be one of its main beneficiaries, with 30,000 shops receiving SBBS relief, reducing their collective rates bill by £86 million as at June 2025. Overall, 34,000 shops receive rates relief, worth over £110 million. Half of all shops in Scotland pay no rates.

These figures relate to the ‘shops’ property class, as defined by the Scottish Assessors. Property class is a classification used by Scottish Assessors to describe the type of property and does not necessarily accurately reflect the actual use of a property.

In its 2025-26 Budget, the Scottish Government maintained a competitive non-domestic rates regime delivering the lowest property rate in the UK for the seventh year in a row, ensuring that over 95% of non-domestic properties continue to be liable for a lower property tax rate than anywhere else in the UK.

The retail sector continues to be one of the main beneficiaries of the Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS) with 30,000 shops receiving SBBS relief, reducing their collective rates bill by £86 million as at June 2025. Overall, 34,000 shops receive rates relief, worth over £110 million and half of all shops in Scotland pay no rates.

These figures relate to the ‘shops’ property class, as defined by the Scottish Assessors. Property class is a classification used by Scottish Assessors to describe the type of property and does not necessarily accurately reflect the actual use of a property.

Tax policy decisions are made annually at budget in line with prevailing economic decisions and Government priorities.

In the past three years, SFRS has procured the following 4x4 and multi-role vehicles:

• 10x Ford Ranger Wildfire Units for dedicated wildfire management @ £44,050 each (£440,500);
• 4x Iveco Daily Wildfire Support Units for supporting and providing additional equipment to Wildfire Units @ £95,394 each (£381,576);
• 10x Polaris Ranger 4x4 All-Terrain Vehicles for dedicated wildfire management @ £33,450 each (£334,500);
• 21x Ford Ranger Multi-Role Units for use in rural communities, adverse weather, towing, and off-road access as needed @ £35,402.93 each (£743,461.53); and
• 8x Ford Ranger Ultra-Light Pumping Units for wildfire management at volunteer stations, road traffic accidents, and other operational activities as needed @ £123,043.40 each (£984,347.20).

Transport Scotland has no direct funding relationship with Dunoon Community Development Trust (DCDT), but since its creation in 2021(with support including £15,000 from the Scottish Government’s ‘Scotland Loves Local Fund’), DCDT has benefitted from support via Transport Scotland funded programmes.

This Transport Scotland backed support has included funding through Cycling UK via the Smarter Choices Smarter Places (SCSP) programme, and support from the regional transport partnership Hitrans via the People and Place programme (see table below).

Prior to 2021, a number of different legacy projects and initiatives in the Dunoon area benefited from Transport Scotland support, some aspects of which we understand DCDT has since taken on and continued. This includes Cycling UK’s Dunoon Bothy Project, which had previously been supported via the separately funded ‘Connecting Communities’ programme, and an app which had previously been developed by Argyle and Bue Council, with SCSP funding.

Processing a public representation requires multiple members of staff in the Energy Consents Unit (ECU) to manually undertake a sequence of detailed administrative tasks. This involves logging the submission in the correct format, reviewing its contents for validation, ensuring it is compliant with data protection obligations and preparation for inclusion in the case record.

Each representation must also be checked for sensitive material and cross-referenced with other submissions, which adds further administrative time. The estimated cost and time taken to process representations is therefore highly dependent on the nature of each submission, and the total number of representations received for an application.

The programme of informing the UK industry of these changes is being led by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) with input and support by Devolved Governments.

We would encourage industry to engage with the process and attend the virtual engagement sessions raising any concerns or questions they may have. The changes being introduced by the EU are mandatory for all imports of fisheries products entering the EU from all third countries after 10 January 2026 so there is no alternative to compliance when trading.

Alongside other Fisheries Administrations, we have been seeking clarity, via UKG engagement with the EU, on the most pressing areas where questions remain, so responses can then be passed to industry.

Marine Directorate compliance officials are also flagging the MMO guidance as part of their routine engagement with industry. A dedicated Scottish mailing address has also been created and communicated to industry to field direct queries to.

For those impacted, they should talk with other industry representatives and their associations to ensure as many as possible are aware of the changes and what additional actions will be required from each other to facilitate continued trade.