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STPR2 is a long-term vision of this government’s ambition for transport investment and highlights essential projects for the next two decades. Given that this is a 20-year programme, some elements will not commence immediately. The delivery of the STPR2 recommendations is subject to the funding allocations agreed by Parliament each year through the annual budget process.

The Scottish Government is facing a real terms cut in our capital budget. The flat and falling funding trajectory from the UK Government will and has significantly impacted our ability to deliver on our capital infrastructure commitments.

The UK Government have not inflation-proofed their Capital Budget which is forecast to result in 9.8% real terms cut in our capital funding over the medium term between 2023-24 and 2027-28.

Given the worsening outlook for capital, it will take more time to prepare the multi-year capital allocations and to refresh the infrastructure investment pipeline. We are therefore having to make tough decisions on our infrastructure projects pipeline to ensure we spend within our means while delivering for the people of Scotland.

Development of the STPR2 delivery plan is underway. This takes account of the current financial climate and is examining existing schemes across all modes in addition to the STPR2 recommendations.

Estimated costs for each recommendation was considered during detailed appraisal stage of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review.

The appraisal reports can be accessed here: Final technical report - December 2022 - STPR2 | Transport Scotland .

The Public Bodies referenced in the minutes of 11 October in respect of the presence of RAAC were NHS Lanarkshire, the Scottish Police Authority, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and SportScotland.

As Glasgow Science Centre is a subsidiary of Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise has been represented at discussions between Glasgow Science Centre and Glasgow City Council regarding repair work at the Millennium Bridge. However, this is an operational matter for both the Science Centre and Glasgow City Council.

No date has been set for the decarbonisation of the lines between Aberdeen and Edinburgh, and Aberdeen and the electrified network at Dunblane. However, in line with the Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan, these routes are under consideration for future decarbonisation through electrification by Transport Scotland, with plans at an early stage of development.

As set out in the Decarbonisation Action Plan, the order and pace in which decarbonisation is undertaken has always, and continues to, depend on business cases and available budgets.

In recognition of the ongoing pressures on the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, including the Office of the Public Guardian, additional funding for SCTS in 2024-25 was prioritised. The 2024-25 budget provides an additional £9.7 million resource and £3.9 million additional capital budget . As a non-Ministerial public body, d ecisions on the allocation of these additional resources are for the judicially-led SCTS Board.

I welcome the report from Education Scotland, which was produced in response to my request for a national evidence base to better understand the current barriers and challenges experienced by schools, children and young people and their families which influence school attendance.

Following its publication, I tasked the Interim Chief Executive of Education Scotland to work directly with Directors of Education to take forward improvement on attendance as a matter of priority. The Interim Chief Executive has since written to all Directors of Education setting out current and future support that Education Scotland can provide to schools and local authorities to improve attendance.

We continue to review the findings of Education Scotland’s report, together with the findings of the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research, as part of the development of our relationships and behaviour action plan.

The national action plan will be developed in collaboration with the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools (SAGRABIS), which met to discuss the draft action plan on 12 December 2023 and 31 January 2024. It is expected that the action plan will be published in spring 2024.

There is no record of funding being provided by the Scottish Government to the “Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Community Project Limited” since 2019.

The Scottish Government has spent £67,232 on the construction of safety improvements on the A90 Toll of Birness junction since 1 April 2017. These safety improvements have been delivered through Transport Scotland’s Trunk Road Casualty Reduction programme of works. This spend was primarily associated with the provision of three vehicle activated signs (VAS) recommended from previous safety studies. Two signs were erected in 2017 with a third sign to supplement the northbound VAS erected in 2021. Other work involved the provision of an additional northbound advance direction sign.

This spend does may not include some elements of wider spend across the North East Operating Company Unit as it is not possible identify those that relate specifically to the A90 at this location.

The majority of data against which we measure our national-level Active Travel Framework Indicators comes from the questions on transport and travel asked in the Scottish Household Survey (SHS), an annual, cross-sectional national survey looking at the composition, characteristics, attitudes and behaviour of private households. The survey includes a range of questions related to transport and travel. It also includes the travel diary, in which respondents provide detailed information on all the journeys they made the previous day.

At city-level, the Walking and Cycling Index (WACI) compiled every two years combines local walking and cycling data, modelling, and an independent representative survey of at least 1,100 respondents aged 16 and above in each place.

Covering cycling specifically, the Cycling Open Data (COD) portal combines cycling statistics from the Scottish Household Survey, Sustrans, Living Streets Scotland and Transport Scotland, with a National Monitoring Framework of real-time automatic cycle counter data and traffic survey data from across Scotland, alongside Cycling Scotland programme data from Bikeability Scotland, the Big Count, YouGov Surveys, and the Cycling Friendly awards.

Covering travel to schools specifically, the Hands Up Scotland Survey (HUSS) is a joint annual survey across all 32 Scottish local authorities asking pupils ‘How do you normally travel to school?’.

All of the above is supplemented by programme level data monitoring and evaluation carried out as a condition of grant by Transport Scotland Active Travel Delivery Partners (ATDPs).