 Good afternoon. The first item of business this afternoon is portfolio questions and the portfolio on this occasion is net zero energy and transport. I would ask members wishing to ask a supplementary question to press their request to speak buttons during the relevant question. I would also make a plea given the level of interest in supplementaries today for the questions to be as brief as possible and the answers to match. Question number one has not been lodged. Question number two, Graham Day. To ask the Scottish Government what plans Forestry and Land Scotland has for the Glenfrozen estate. Glenfrozen estate will be managed by Forestry and Land Scotland in accordance with the variety of Scottish Government policy aims to benefit people, nature and climate and the local economy by collaborating with the community and neighbouring public and private landowners and managers. FLS and the wider Scottish Government is keen to lead a partnership approach to land management and habitat restoration on a landscape scale, and that across the Angus Glen and within the Cairngorms national park. I want to thank Forestry and Land Scotland for their engagement with me as the local MSP over the purchase of the estate and the implication for employees to whom secured housing tenancies as a result of those discussions, which also helped me to part-time employment opportunity for an estate staff. However, it is only by expending that type of engagement into the wider community that will hopefully avoid uninformed commentary of the type that surrounded the sale process. I ask the minister to assure me that going forward FLS will engage fully with the local community around the plans for the estate and with neighbouring landholdings in relation to deer management. I am glad to assure Mr Day that FLS will be actively engaging with all local stakeholders. I am very pleased to hear that they have already been engaging with him as constituency MSP. That will include, especially, the local community and neighbouring landowners, as I said. All of that will form part of the land management plan, which FLS will develop over the coming year, to ensure that the benefits of that acquisition can be afforded by everyone. I would add that, as well as the arrangements for employment of those who worked on the former sporting estate, as well as an opportunity for landscape scale restoration, that acquisition presents the opportunity for community engagement and opportunity, something that was limited in the former use. I think that we can expect employment opportunities from woodland creation among other pursuits. I am briefly at Liam Kerr. The purchase of Glenprosan estate is one of the largest land deals involving settled land for years. Despite the warm words that we have just heard about future consultation, the £18 million purchase was entirely off-market, behind closed doors and with no meetings or consultations with any of the local community. Given the recent public and media attention about so-called green lords, does the minister consider that this purchase process was appropriate as to how deals of public interest are conducted? Can we expect similar secrecy in future public land ministries? FLS operates in a competitive commercial land market where their job is to work to optimise benefits for the people of Scotland. FLS were one of a small number of potentially interested parties who were approached by the agents to bid on that. Given the enormous strategic opportunity presented by the former sporting estate for Scottish Government objectives, FLS opted to offer. I have already rehearsed some of the multiple benefits that will come from this landscape scale woodland. Recreation is an opportunity, so is peatland restoration and community involvement. As Liam Kerr takes the opportunity to say on the record what the actual sale price was, I hope that him and his colleagues will consider some of the more spurious figures that they have used in this chamber before, which I was not able to correct owing to confidentiality. I will leave it to them to consider their responsibilities for correcting the record. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will have carried out an assessment of the potential impact of its decision to end the network support grant plus for bus operators. It is clear that the current cost of living crisis is making it challenging to deliver bus services in many local communities. That is why the temporary network support grant plus has been extended until 31 March this year to help people to travel this winter. I continue to collaborate with bus operators through the bus task force to address the immediate challenges to help bus operators to move to a more sustainable footing and to ensure that the sector is supported by wider policies to improve bus services across Scotland. I thank the minister for that answer. After the SNP Green Government decided to cut the network support grant plus on 9 October, it quickly U-turned and reintroduced the scheme in December 2022. However, the scheme has now only been brought back until March, and the funding has been reduced by 22 per cent for bus operators. Can the minister confirm the reasons for ending the scheme again and why the funding offered has been significantly reduced? I am not sure if Alexander Stewart is aware that the SNP plus grant was always at a temporary fund. It was always meant to come to an end at the end of the pandemic. I have made two decisions now to extend that funding further, one back in June and one as the member alluded to in October. The funding coming to an end in March brings us into line with the funding ending in England and Wales, so there is parity now across the UK in terms of that emergency funding that was announced during the pandemic to help our bus operators survive and to sustain themselves further as we continue to support that recovery from the pandemic. I think that it is really important to put on the record the additional funding that we provide to bus operators, so that is around £210 million that we have already given during the pandemic, and that, of course, has ensured that our bus operators are well positioned and are at the forefront of that green recovery. We also need to tackle congestion and improve bus journey times. We have also awarded £25 million of initial funding for that to 11 bus partnerships covering 28 local authorities across Scotland. Looking ahead, of course, we will consider any further support that we may be able to provide to the sector, but those are very challenging times for the Government, as the member will recognise. Despite the huge investment in bus from the Scottish Government from Covid recovery funding to extension of concessionary travel, many constituents of ours are still facing really poor services. I understand that the receipt of the network support grant plus is conditional on operators meeting particular terms and conditions from freezing fares to protecting service levels, so can I ask the transport minister to provide any further information on whether any current recipients of the fund have been penalised for not meeting the fund's conditions? As briefly as possible, minister. I do not have the detail of what the member has asked me, but I can confirm that a freeze on fares is conditional on participating in the NSD plus extension, and I will be happy to write to the member with the detail that he has sought. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government what economic analysis it considers prior to awarding ferry contracts worth £150 million to a shipyard in Turkey. The long-term economic benefits of this investment will be derived from the improvements to the tariff at Harris and Loch Maddy north-east ferry services. Over 40% increase in vehicle capacity during summer and over 10% of an increase in winter will support sustainable growth on our islands. Those vessels will also provide significant reliability and resilience benefits across the wider west coast routes. In line with relevant procurement legislation, the contract was awarded following an open tendering process by CMAL as procuring authority. The bid received from the yard represented best value for money in terms of quality and price. The glaring omission in that answer was about the impact on the Scottish shipbuilding industry. I am afraid that I have already asked a written question in regards to this, but what waiting has applied to foreign shipbuilders against domestic shipbuilders, the Scottish Government told me that the score for foreign domestic shipbuilders is the same on social value and other criteria. An apprenticeship created in Turkey is weighed the same as an apprenticeship created in Greenock. Its absurd given analysis shows that £1 spent on domestic shipbuilding returns a 35% benefit to local economy in Scotland in supply chains. The minister did not realise how foolish this approach is, and she realised that continuing with that approach will result in the terminal decline of shipbuilding in Scotland. Given most foreign shipbuilders are heavily subsidised by their Governments and are therefore able to submit bids that domestic shipbuilders are simply unable to compete with. The member touched on a number of different points in his question. I recognise that he has also asked a number of written parliamentary questions, which I believe I have responded to. In relation to the vessels themselves, the relevant procurement legislation has been adhered to. The most important challenge to my mind at the current time is to bring that additional capacity to the western isles in particular and to the Calmax. We have to provide additional capacity. I am proud that, in the last year alone, we have been able to confirm that there will be the two new additional isle vessels. We have the additional vessel on the open to craig new route in the Lochfrija. I confirmed additional vessels at the end of last year to which the member has alluded, but the bid received from that yard represented the best value for money in terms of quality and price. The two vessels in construction at the yard are progressing well. The two that I announced earlier this year remain on time and within budget. CML's recent confirmation of signing the contract with the additional two vessels at the same design spec with the same yard follows the recent procurement exercise that the member has alluded to. That includes a full builders refund guarantee. However, the most important point in all of that is that we deliver that extra capacity to Calmax to allow it to provide a more sustainable service to the western isles in particular. I have two brief supplementaries, but they will need to be brief, as will the answers. I remind Labour that it was the SNP who took action to save Ferguson's shipyard from closure. As the minister has just highlighted, those new ferries are going to increase capacity and resilience for islanders. That investment is therefore welcome news for islanders and businesses. Does the minister share my views that we should all focus on the real differences that those vessels will make to the lives of the people who rely on them rather than seeking to score political points? Ms Minto is right to highlight our intention on those vessels and the benefits that they will bring to our island communities and businesses that they will serve. Some of the challenges have been well rehearsed in recent months, so we should all welcome that investment from the Scottish Government. If we look at the progress that I mentioned in the last 12 months, we have now four additional major vessels on order or under construction in addition to the two major vessels under construction at Port Glasgow. The Scottish Government remains absolutely committed to improving our lifeline very flea and better at meeting the needs of our island communities. I think that there is on one occasion that the minister shouldn't be proud, as she put it, in the case of constructing ferries for the western isles. She should be ashamed of what's happened, not proud. Can I just ask a specific question? Were there any clauses in the contract with SEMRA stipulating that Scottish businesses should form part of the supply chain? In relation to the procurement, which is the wider point of Mr Rennie's question, I answered that in relation to Mr Swinney's point. In relation to ferries more generally, we know that they are actively pursuing opportunities for future vessel contracts. As a shareholder and as a Government, we will do all we can to help the yard to secure those opportunities, but decisions on what vessel contracts to bid for are of course a matter for the yard management and the board themselves. To ask the Scottish Government how the strategic transport project review number two will improve rail infrastructure, journey times and rail connectivity across the South Scotland region. A number of the SEPR2 recommendations make a direct contribution to improving rail in the south of Scotland. Those focus on infrastructure to provide access for all railway stations, on decarbonising the network, on high-speed cross-border rail enhancements, on consideration of the upgrade or relocation of Strannau rail station, and on rail freight terminals and facilities. All of those will contribute to meeting the aims of protecting the climate and improving lives through better transport connectivity. Thank the minister for that answer. The SEPR2 makes a commitment to improve journey times specifically on the Glasgow-Carly line. Can the minister comment further on how that commitment will be taken forward and on timescales for the changes happening, as improving the line from the current two-hour journey from Dumfries to Glasgow will allow more people to rely on public transport across the region and will attract people to DNG as the stations in the region could be key commuter lines to Glasgow? I very much agree with the sentiment of the member's question that the long-term plans for our rail network in Scotland, including the south of Scotland, are set out in the SEPR2, which was published back in December 2020 of last year. The recommendations for future rail investment focus on the decarbonisation of the remainder of the network and on reducing the emissions from road transport by getting more freight and passengers on to rail. SEPR2 will help to deliver the vision, priorities and outcomes that are set out in the national transport strategy, and it will also provide improved rail infrastructure journey times, as the member alluded to, and rail connectivity across the south of Scotland. The delivery plan, which will give the further detail that Ms Harper has sought today, will be published later this year, and I believe that the cabinet secretary will be bringing a statement to Parliament next week on that very matter. So, after years of waiting, hundreds of thousands of pounds of public funds, the long-awaited SEPR2 report still leaves us none the wiser as to what investment Scottish Government will commit to the south of Scotland transport infrastructure. Can I ask the cabinet secretary for the sake of all those who live in the southwest, when can we expect any details on actual projects for this area of Scotland, already ignored by the Scottish Government, and bring the transport infrastructure up to an acceptable standard? As I mentioned in my response to Ms Harper, the delivery plan will be set out in the coming months, and the cabinet secretary will bring a statement to Parliament next week. During the budget, the Deputy First Minister said that a six-month pilot will remove peak rail time fares. It turns out that it will only be some peak rail fare, so can the minister tell us which rail routes in south Scotland will see peak fares removed, because clearly it won't be all of them? My understanding is that it will be all routes and the coming details. I await further advice from my officials in transport Scotland in relation to how the scheme will operate. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to help to increase public transport use in East Kilbride. The Scottish Government is investing more than £100 million in the East Kilbride rail project, enabling more diesel trains to be replaced across Scotland, and encouraging greater modal shift. The electrification from Glasgow to Barhead is under way alongside the relocation of Hermeyr's station, where the plan is to create a new fully accessible transport interchange, giving the local community the option to walk, wheel or travel by bus to the station. We are also supporting bus use through the under-22s free bus travel scheme, which means that around half of Scotland's population can now travel for free by bus. I thank the minister for that response. Could the minister provide an update on the East Kilbride rail enhancements, as well as the benefits the Clyde metro will bring to the town and can she outline the local engagement taking place on these matters? For East Kilbride network rail, advanced works have been undertaken at a number of locations, including the successful removal of a redundant footbridge last weekend at the site of the proposed new Hermeyr's station. We continue to make good progress with the East Kilbride business case, including a very well-received event here in the Parliament for members late last year. As the project develops and the full programme of works is finalised, network rail will intensify its activities and continue to work closely with communities, MSPs and other stakeholders along the line of the route to keep them informed. Work on the Clyde metro has been undertaken through the 2022 scoping programme level business case. That is being undertaken collaboratively led by Transport Scotland and its partners, Glasgow City Council and Strathclyde partnership for transport. A delivery plan will be prepared following the completion of the programme level business case. The engagement will be obviously key to that business case as it progresses. I think that what people of East Kilbride want to know, and I certainly want to know, and I am sure that Collette Stevenson wants to know, is when work is actually going to start on the East Kilbride line and when it will be complete. I alluded in my response to Ms Stevenson to the on-going engagement with network rail, and I think that it is really important that Mr Simpson, of course, as a local MSP, continues that engagement too. I think that he met with network rail very recently on the project itself. In terms of the timescales in relation to the decarbonisation work itself, I am more than happy to write to the member with an update on those if they have changed in any way, shape or form in the last months, but not to my knowledge. In a previous portfolio question time, the minister gave a commitment to ask Transport Scotland officials to compile data on the number of bus service cancellations and the reasons for these cancellations. Can the minister update us on that matter and tell us if and when the Government expects to know the full extent of bus service cancellations in Scotland? I did commit to ask my officials in Transport Scotland to provide that data. I have not yet received that data from my officials, but I am more than happy to publish it as of when I receive it to give that national picture of cancellations, because I very much recognise, as the member has alluded to, the on-going challenges that we face in that respect. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address fuel poverty in North Ayrshire. We are tackling fuel poverty throughout Scotland with £119 million allocated this year to provide heat energy efficiency and fuel poverty measures to fuel poor households. That includes funding for our area-based scheme, delivered in partnership with local authorities. Since 2013, North Ayrshire Council has received over £13.2 million in ABS funding, enabling energy efficiency upgrades to be made to over 2,700 homes. This year, the council has been awarded £1.8 million to target homes in five fuel-poor areas for insulation of external wall insulation and to help to support 100 fuel-poor homes that receive solar PV systems. I have constituents in housing association properties that require work to make them more energy efficient. The landlord tells me that they have no funds for capital improvements. My constituents' wages are stagnant and all other bills are going up, including rent, year-on-year, 7 per cent this year. Can I ask the cabinet secretary what guidance he can give as to what funding is available, whether that is grants or loans to housing associations for such work, and further what advice the Scottish Government can give to help to support my constituents in housing association homes? The schemes that apply to housing associations are exactly the area-based schemes that I just made reference to. For housing associations that are looking to undertake energy efficiency programmes, they should be looking to engage with Warmer Homes Scotland in the range of funding that is available to them to support the installation of energy efficiency measures in properties. To ask the Scottish Government when the final design for the dualling of the A9 path to Inverness road between the pass of Burnham and the Tay crossing will be published. The design work for this challenging section of the A9 is continuing for a community creative process. This process has helped us to form an extremely positive working relationship with the local community and broadened the vision for dualling this section of the A9. An announcement on the preferred route option is expected to be made in the coming months, after which the preferred option will be further refined, developed and assessed before commencement of the statutory process. The community in Dunkeldon, Burnham and, indeed, other road users of the A9 have now been waiting eight years to see a finalised design for this section. I know that there has been extensive engagement with the local community, but that has ceased many months ago. We still haven't seen a finalised plan that we were expecting by the end of last year. Can the minister be more specific as to when exactly we will see a finalised design being published? Perhaps more importantly, when can we expect the works to be done on completing the dual carriageway in this section? The member will recognise that, having gone through a co-creative process with the local community who have identified a preferred route option that they would choose, we have to compare that against other potential route options of which there are three others alongside that, which is being supported by the local community. That piece of work and that assessment work is on-going at the present time. Once it has been completed by officials, we should then be in a position to set out our preferred route option. As I mentioned in my response, we will then communicate that, and I hope to be able to do that in the coming months. The final aspect in relation to the procurement process that we will have to go through, the orders process first of all, before that piece of work can be undertaken, which is obviously a statutory process and once that has been completed, we will then look at the procurement process for this particular aspect of the A9. Even now, the Transport Scotland website says that the dualling of the A9 between Perthland and Vanessa will be completed by 2025. If that happens, I will go out and purchase a hat in order to be able to eat it. Seriously, do we not owe an apology to the people of the Highlands and Scotland because we will not achieve that target? Should we not come clean? Above all, Cabinet Secretary, when will we bring forward full details, a fresh timetable and full details of how we will implement one of our longest standing pledges that we have ever made? I recognise Mr Ewing's long-standing interest in this and I want to reassure him of the Government's long-standing and on-going commitment to the dualling of the A9. There are a number of factors that are being taken into account at the present moment in terms of the procurement process for the next section that we were looking to do, which has been impacted by Covid. I have also been quite significantly impacted by the very significant levels of construction inflation that is now being experienced. We are also having to now look at, in particular, because of some of the economic challenges that we have, the potential procurement approach that we take forward in procurement in this particular aspect. We are looking at taking forward further procurement in the months ahead, and I can assure him that we are also looking at the forward timetable for the programme as we go forward in the years ahead. Thank you, cabinet secretary. That concludes portfolio questions. We have a brief pause before we move to the next item of business to allow the front benches to change.