Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government supported a meeting with NFUS and DG Sante on this matter held earlier this year. No concerns were raised or foreseen by EU officials on the use of UHF in Scotland.

Following the Scottish Budget, announced on 4 December 2024, details on the future of the Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund will be finalised following the 2025-26 budget approval.

The Scottish Government officials are in regular discussions with the other UK administrations on bovine EID.

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.

Adult Disability Payment provides financial support to disabled adults to help mitigate the additional costs of being disabled or having a long-term ill health condition so they can lead their lives more independently and fully. It is not an income replacement benefit and eligibility for Adult Disability Payment is not related to employment.

The Scottish Government are working to improve employment opportunities for those who face barriers in the labour market, including disabled people and those with ill health conditions. Through No One Left Behind, the Scottish Government are delivering person-centred, tailored employability services and in-work support through locally designed services. Between April and June 2024, 30% of participants accessing the service reported a disability, the largest proportion in a single quarter to date.

Work is underway to drive forward the commitment to implement Specialist Employability Support for disabled people across all 32 Local Authorities from Summer 2025 so that they can access secure fulfilling jobs.

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.

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.

Social Security Scotland routinely publishes information on Adult Disability Payment applications and caseload, broken down by disability condition. No information on the number of indefinite awards made as a result of Adult Disability Payment applications is currently published.

As of 31 October 2024, statistics showed that there were 374,655 clients on the Adult Disability Payment caseload, of which 142,480 had the primary disability condition “Mental and Behavioural Disorders”.

The latest Adult Disability Payment official statistics publication can be found at: https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/publications/statistics. The next release of Adult Disability Payment statistics which will cover the period to the end of January 2024, is due to be published on 18 March 2024.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-32072 on 7 January 2025. 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

Discussions continue between the main funding partners in relation to financial packages and legal agreements as part of the business case and cost review exercise. Officials are progressing these matters as quickly and robustly as possible and will look to provide updates when notable progress is made.