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The Scottish Government has increased revenue funding for inter-island connectivity by £8.6 million in 2025-26, including extending free ferry travel between islands to under 22s. Provisional local authority allocations are included in Annex E of Local Government Finance Circular 10/2024.

Comparisons of 2024-25 Autumn Budget Revision (ABR) to 2025-26 Budget are misleading in the context of local government funding as the 2024-25 ABR includes an agreed transfer of £13.9 million. This transfer will also be processed at the 2025-26 ABR, increasing the Inter Island Connectivity funding included in table 4.14 of the 2025-26 Scottish Budget from £36.4 million to £50.3 million.

As transactions with a value of under £40,000 are not liable to make an LBTT return, this information is not held.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering the grade separation of Sheriffhall roundabout as part of its £300 million commitment to the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal.

The latest scheme cost estimate, current at Quarter 4 2018 prices, indicated a total cost of approximately £116.5 million, excluding non-recoverable VAT.

We continue to progress the proposed scheme through the statutory process so we can deliver improvements at this key junction as soon as possible. Following the Public Local Inquiry for the scheme, the Reporter’s conclusions and recommendations have been submitted to the Scottish Government and are currently under active consideration before a decision is made by Scottish Ministers whether to progress the scheme.

As with other road infrastructure projects, the estimated cost of the scheme will be updated following completion of the statutory authorisation process and in advance of procurement commencing.

Scottish Rail Holdings oversees Caledonian Sleeper services on behalf of Scottish Ministers and it advises that the regular Sleeper service of six times a week between Aberdeen and London is currently scheduled to recommence in February 2025.

Staff deployment is an operational matter for ScotRail as the employer.

It is incumbent on ScotRail and Scottish Rail Holdings to demonstrate that aims set out it their proposals to adjust the opening hours of some of ScotRail ticket offices can be achieved. This includes any improvements that can be delivered, which would enable ScotRail staff to help British Transport Police tackle anti-social behaviour.

The ScotRail proposals to adjust opening hours of some of its ticket offices reflect and have been amended to take account of responses to the previous appropriate consultation.

The Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme (VDLIP) is available to local authorities which bring forward suitable project proposals associated with remediating and unblocking long-term vacant and derelict land, supporting place based approaches to delivering regeneration and sustainable inclusive growth, as part of a just transition to net-zero. Additional funding to support the delivery of new homes, where this is part of the project proposals, is considered as a part of the application process by the independent investment panel.

The VDLIP has supported the delivery of 110 homes in the Highland Council area across two projects which received funding in 2023 – 2024.

There have been no applications received for projects in Argyll and Bute, Shetland Islands or Moray local authority areas supported by the VDLIP since the fund was launched in 202. We received one application for Orkney Islands and one for the Western Isles but neither was recommended for funding.

Our commitment to reform is not a single programme; it is a cross system approach with a focus on strategic priorities which we set out in the Budget. This work is being progressed through multiple and interconnected work-streams and requires a whole-of-government approach.

There are 5.8 civil servants working in the team that is leading the core public service reform programme.

From 1 August to 31 December 2024, 33 charges under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 have been reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) which make reference to ownership of XL Bully Dogs.

It should be noted that COPFS use a live, operational database to manage the process of reports submitted to Procurators Fiscal by the police and other reporting agencies throughout Scotland. Information provided is at date of extract and may therefore be subject to change as data and systems are updated for operational reasons.

Scottish Ministers are considering all the available information on bovine EID and technology use across the UK. This includes the ScotEID pilot findings into UHF, the results and analysis of the consultation held on Cattle ID and Traceability earlier this year and ongoing close discussions with the livestock sector. All potential impacts, including those on trade, will be fully considered before a final decision is made.