The Scottish Government will consider whether to buy low emission aircraft for use on the Glasgow to Campbeltown, Tiree and Barra air services, to replace the current Highlands and Islands Airports Limited owned aircraft, when such aircraft become commercially available. Our consideration will take into account such factors as the Scottish Government’s budgetary position and the reduction in emissions that available aircraft could likely deliver.

The Scottish Government’s Aviation Statement, which will be published shortly, will set out actions that the Scottish Government will take to help achieve our aviation emissions reduction targets.

Additionally, we have already set out 45 recommendations for future investment in Scotland’s strategic transport network in the second Strategic Transport Projects Review, published on 8 December 2022. Within these recommendations we have considered airport access in our strategic transport planning considerations. These have been considered in the recommendations for mass or rapid transit systems for the Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen City Regions, in the form of Clyde Metro, Edinburgh and South East Scotland Mass Transit and Aberdeen Rapid Transit. These recommendations can provide a transformational change in the service provision, focusing on strategic routes and / or corridors where bus and rail provide the most effective service. This will improve access to an affordable and reliable public transport system within these City Regions.

National Planning Framework 4 is also now in effect. Policy 13, ‘Sustainable Transport’, has a clear intent ‘to encourage, promote and facilitate developments that prioritise walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport for everyday travel and reduce the need to travel unsustainably.’ It promotes the National Transport Strategy 2 and places the climate emergency at the forefront of decision making.

The Scottish Government’s Aviation Statement, which will be published shortly, will set out actions that the Scottish Government will take to help achieve our aviation emissions reduction targets. Our Hydrogen Innovation Scheme previously provided £150,000 of funding to Glasgow Airport for a study to explore the feasibility of a hydrogen production, storage and distribution hub that would support zero emission transport at the airport. The Scottish Government has also provided grant funding to Edinburgh Airport to support its low carbon energy system.

The Scottish Government’s Aviation Statement, which will be published shortly, will set out actions that the Scottish Government will take to help achieve our aviation emissions reduction targets. As noted in the Climate Change Committee’s report, aviation decarbonisation will require UK-wide co-operation and progress across all aviation emissions mitigation solutions.

The Scottish Government is grateful for the latest advice from the Climate Change Committee. We have always been clear that meeting the legislated 2030 target – agreed by Parliament on a cross party basis - will be extremely challenging, and may not be feasible. Scotland is already half way to net zero and continues to decarbonise faster than the UK average.

On the 18th of April, Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy, outlined plans for a package to accelerate our actions to achieve net zero by 2045, which include a timeline for implementing demand management, to help us achieve our much needed target to reduce car usage.

We will carefully consider the report’s recommendations and provide a Scottish Government response in due course.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-26543 on 17 April 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 nature of Scottish Government funding for bus and rail sectors is fundamentally different. Funding provided to the bus sector is primarily through reimbursement for concessionary travel schemes which provides free bus travel for eligible passengers, and the Network Support Grant to support local bus services. This makes fares more affordable for the public, whilst supporting bus operators. Funding for rail provides subsidy to ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper which is necessary to provide services, with the majority of funding supporting Network Rail Scotland to operate, maintain, renew and enhance the rail network infrastructure.

Almost one half of all bus journeys in 2022-23 were made under the National Concessionary Travel scheme, 12 percentage points more than in 2021-22. In early 2022, the scheme was expanded to include those aged under 22.

It is important to clarify the difference between Bus services improvement partnerships (BSIPs) in the Scottish and UK context. BSIPs in Scotland are partnerships between local transport authorities and bus operators to improve bus services in their areas, and are equivalent to the UK Government’s Enhanced Partnerships.

In England a Bus Service Improvement Plan or BSIP is a public document prepared by every Local Transport Authority in England, outside London, which sets out the vision and plan for improving bus services and growing bus patronage in their local area, in line with the UK Government’s National Bus Strategy aims. The document referred to in the question is intended to provide guidance for these authorities in updating their BSIPs for 2024.

In Scotland, as stated in the recently published Fair Fares Review, Transport Scotland, working with local government, industry and other stakeholders, will develop a bus service improvement plan and delivery framework, over the next 18 months to improve the future availability of bus services across Scotland.

As the framework is still to be developed, the Scottish Government has not rejected any approach at this time. As we develop the framework we will consider actions taken in other parts of the UK, to determine the most appropriate approach for Scotland. This includes the UK Government’s National Bus Strategy and supporting documents, such as the one mentioned in the question.

Our 2023 Programme for Government included a commitment to publish a final version of the route map to achieving the 20% car kilometre reduction this year, and we look forward to publishing this in the coming months.

The UK Government’s equivalent to Bus Services Improvement Partnerships (BSIPs) in Scotland are “Enhanced Partnerships”. Both models take a similar approach to partnership working, ensuring that operators and local transport authorities collaborate to achieve improved bus provision, but there are some key differences which reflect the Scottish context.

For instance, while both BSIPs and Enhanced Partnerships allow for the setting of requirements in respect of service frequency and timings, they take different approaches to addressing overprovision of services.

Also, BSIPs specifically allow for the setting of maximum fares which is not included in Enhanced Partnerships.

BSIPs schemes are required to include either facilities or measures to be provided by the Local Transport Authority (LTA); Enhanced Partnership schemes may include facilities or measures but these are not required.

Both BSIPs and Enhanced Partnerships have an operator objection mechanism based on the number of operators in an area and the registered distance they operate. The objections mechanism allows operators to object to the proposed making, variation or revocation of a plan or a scheme. The criteria for being excluded from the objection mechanism varies between the two models. The thresholds used to determine what constitutes a "sufficient number of persons" for the purpose of the objection mechanism also differs between the two models, to account for network variations across Scotland.

Furthermore, the Enhanced Partnership model allows, and in certain circumstances requires, the traffic commissioner to delegate to the LTA their registration functions as regards the services within the Enhanced Partnership scheme area. That is not included in BSIPs.