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Transport Scotland, acting on behalf of the Scottish Ministers, is a statutory consultee in the planning process for all planning applications that have the potential to impact the performance and safety of the Trunk Road Network.

East Ayrshire Council consulted Transport Scotland on two separate planning applications for residential developments in Mauchline on the A76. Both planning applications were supported by detailed transport appraisals, the outcomes and recommendations from which were accepted by Transport Scotland. Following extensive dialogue with the developer regarding the proposed junction accesses onto the A76 trunk road, and submission of Road Safety Audits, Transport Scotland responded to the planning authority on both applications recommending approval subject to a number of conditions.

From our latest review of the trunk road network there are 35 bridges which have been identified as requiring upgrades. These are located within the following Local Authority areas:

To date, no operator has been penalised for not meeting the terms and conditions of the Network Support Grant Plus.

All operators who claim Network Support Grant Plus must sign up to specific conditions and terms set out, or will have no entitlement to the grant. This includes the condition to freeze fares, which took effect from 10 October 2022. My officials gather relevant information, and ensure payment is made on the basis of actual kilometres run by each operator.

The Scottish Government is providing £50,000 in grant funding to Energy Saving Trust (EST), an independent organisation working to address the climate emergency, to administer the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Market Transition Scheme in the 2022-23 financial year. The administrative costs, inclusive of EST staffing, are set out in the following table alongside the value of funds that EST are distributing and the outputs achieved.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15621 on 21 March 2023. 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

NHS Grampian is the only Health Board to trial technology ahead of the Deposit Return Scheme launch. In total NHS Scotland Assure has provided £1,000 to off-set the costs incurred by the Health Board for the trial.

I look forward to launching the public consultation of the draft Long-term Plan for Vessels and Ports on the Clyde & Hebrides and Northern Isles Networks (2023 – 2045) in April. An advance copy of the draft Plan was sent to key stakeholders, for initial comments, and published on the Transport Scotland website on 30 December 2022.

www.transport.gov.scot/publication/draft-for-consultation-long-term-plan-for-vessels-and-ports-on-the-clyde-hebrides-and-northern-isles-networks-2023-2045-islands-connectivity-plan

This is not a matter for the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government plans to carry out a further Gateway Review during week commencing 13 March 2023, in line with the last Assurance of Action Plan report’s recommendations for a review to take place in February 2023, or close to that date. The Scottish Government will consider carefully the recommendations from this review, and will share these and its response with the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee in due course.

There have been no such meetings with Pentland Ferries on this matter. Any discussions regarding the chartering of vessels for the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service contract would be a matter for the operator CalMac Ferries Limited. However, the Minister for Transport met with Pentland Ferries 20 December 2022 for general discussion on the MV Pentalina Charter with Transport Scotland officials present in a supporting role.