Seòmar agus comataidhean

Low Emission Zones (LEZs) were formally introduced in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow on 31st May 2022, with grace periods beginning at this point.

Enforcement in Glasgow began on 1 June 2023 (with an additional year for residents within the zone). Enforcement in Dundee will begin on 30 th May 2024 and in Aberdeen and Edinburgh on 1 June 2024.

Transport Scotland continues to work closely with local authorities and DVLA to ensure consistency in the approach to LEZ enforcement.

Transport Scotland is confident that these measures will lead to a reduction of harmful emissions in our city centres.

CalMac are right to raise any concerns they have around infrastructure maintenance at the ports which they use to provide services for our island communities. Transport Scotland continue to engage regularly with Peel Ports Group as owner of Ardrossan Harbour and fully expect facilities to be maintained appropriately in line with operating agreements to support ferry services. Ministers are currently awaiting the completion of essential business case and cost review work for the longer-term investment proposals at Ardrossan, and I hope to provide an update on this to Parliament before the summer recess.

The draft Islands Connectivity Plan Strategic Approach, published for consultation on 1 February 2024, said that we would take forward detailed consideration of proposals for under 22 year old island residents to provide free foot passenger travel on inter-island ferries within the Outer Hebrides, Orkney, and Shetland Island groups and extend the existing National Ferry Concessionary Scheme.

The online consultation concluded on 6 May 2024 and responses will now be collated and analysed. Further detail on next steps and timescales will be confirmed in due course.

The ScotRail Peak Fares Removal Pilot has been extended to 28 June 2024. An interim evaluation is underway to examine the impacts on rail travel patterns and other modes as well as a formal value for money assessment. A final evaluation will be undertaken at the end of the pilot and the Scottish Government will inform further decisions setting future fares.

Officials from Transport Scotland are in regular dialogue with South Ayrshire Council, ScotRail and Network Rail regarding the ongoing disruption caused by the fire at the Ayr Station Hotel. Officials have separately kept the Regional Transport Partnership apprised of developments.

Feedback from ScotRail is that demand for the replacement bus service on the routes South of Ayr has been low.

Officials in Transport Scotland, and the rail industry, are working closely with South Ayrshire Council to ensure that every effort is made to complete the required safety related works affecting services as swiftly as possible to enable the restoration of rail services as soon as it is safe to do so.

The value of consultant contracts held by Transport Scotland relating to the Ardrossan Harbour Re-development Projects since 2016 are provided below:

• MacWilliams Consulting – Gateway Review, £8,491.60
• Turner and Townsend – 2023 Cost Estimate Review, £60,800.40

Work by Morton Fraser MacRoberts (previously MacRoberts Solicitors) on the Commercial and Legal agreements is still ongoing. From financial year 2019-2020 to 2023-2024 our records indicate that payments of £202,353.60 have been made.

All costs are inclusive of VAT.

Transport Scotland are currently reviewing their financial system for costs associated with the 2016-2017 STAG report undertaken by Peter Brett Associates and I will provide an update to the member separately on this item when the review is complete.

Since the publication of the draft of STPR2 in January 2022, a multi-partner working group consisting of Transport Scotland (TS), Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and Glasgow City Council (GCC) has been established to better define the scale of work that Clyde Metro might represent and the associated resource and programme requirements. This is overseen by a Programme Steering Group comprising of the Chief Executives of those organisations. SPT are leading the current stage of Clyde Metro, known as the case for investment stage, working alongside Glasgow City Council and with Transport Scotland providing support in a project assurance role.

Since the publication of STPR2, Transport Scotland took a lead on delivering the recommendation on behalf of the Programme Steering Group and have spent approximately £921,000 on early consultancy services aimed at defining the scope, governance, programme and budget of Clyde Metro. This does not include spend incurred by SPT and GCC.

The National Speed Management Review is due to be completed in the coming weeks and we will then consider the proposed outcomes.

The review process will thereafter include a stakeholder and public consultation to consider their views on whether any changes to speed limit policies and speed management measures should be introduced as part of our speed management plan. The stakeholder and public consultations will take place in the coming months.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27131 on 10 May 2024. 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 .

The Strategic Board for Teacher Education last met on 21 March, to discuss progress against the three workstreams contained in the Board’s workplan.

These are:-

• Workstream 1 – Workforce Planning and Increasing Diversity of the Profession
• Workstream 2 – Improving the Promotion of Teaching as a Valued Career
• Workstream 3 – Continuum of Teacher Education

The agenda, minutes and papers from this meeting and future meetings will be published on the Scottish Government website in due course. The next meeting of the Board is scheduled for 15 May.