Following a 2016 manifesto commitment to reduce ferry fares to Orkney and Shetland, the then Minister for Transport and the Islands, Humza Yousaf MSP, previously announced plans to introduce reduced fares on services to the Northern Isles in the first half of 2018.

In order to implement these plans, we sought to reach an agreement with the commercial operators on the Pentland Firth in order to satisfy State aid and Competition rules and protect their market share. Unfortunately not all the commercial operators felt able to agree to our proposals. This means that we cannot currently implement reduced fares on any of the routes between the Scottish mainland and Orkney without the risk of legal challenge.

However a 20% reduction on passenger and car fares was introduced on the Aberdeen - Lerwick and and Kirkwall - Lerwick services on 30 June 2018.

This Scottish Government remains committed to delivering RET for Orkney and Shetland and we will fully consider the options available for the way forward as a matter of urgency.

There have been no meetings at Ministerial level with public transport providers other than David MacBrayne Limited about a public sector bid for the ScotRail franchise. Discussions have been held at Transport Scotland official level, with organisations such as Lothian Buses, Nexus and Transport for London. These discussions have helped to inform the Scottish Government's considerations.

The stakeholder reference group for the work on a public sector bidder will be reconvened shortly.

The benchmarks for the pilot project to recruit and deploy wildlife and rural crime Special Constables in the Cairngorms National Park are currently being finalised by Police Scotland.

A key benchmark is likely to be the delivery of training suited to the role of these Special Constables. A successful outcome will be that this training is put into practice, that these officers address the specific needs and demands of their wildlife and rural crime role within the Cairngorms National Park and that the service they deliver is consistent with best practice both legally and operationally.

Police Scotland are currently carrying out a review of activity during the first quarter following the launch of the pilot project and will be discussing measurement of outcomes with the Cairngorms National Park Authority.

Operational decisions on the deployment of the new wildlife and rural crime Special Constables for the Cairngorms National Park are a matter for Police Scotland. Specific functions for these Special Constables will include:

• Developing relationships and contacts in key areas so the Special Constables are known and trusted. Special Constables are currently meeting stakeholders and partners operating within the Cairngorms National Park;
• Gathering background intelligence relevant to wildlife and rural crime;
• Involvement in crime prevention initiatives.

The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) were consulted on the scheme and were closely involved in its planning and implementation.

The impact of the pilot project to recruit and deploy wildlife and rural crime Special Constables in the Cairngorms National Park (CNP) will be discussed with the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA), Community Policing Teams and the CNP project officers. The activities of the project are also discussed at the geographical Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (PAW) Scotland groups located within the CNP geographical area. Those involved are statutory and non-statutory organisations, including the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, Scottish Natural Heritage and river associations.

The criteria for assessing the impact of the pilot project to recruit wildlife and rural crime Special Constables for the Cairngorms National Park are still being developed as set out in the answer to question S5W-17314 on 23 July 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:
‎ http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/ormain.aspx .

The Scottish Government will review the operation of the project with Police Scotland and the Cairngorms National Park Authority within two years of the start of the project to assess whether it should be extended to other parts of Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-17315 on 23 July 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:
‎ http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/ormain.aspx .

The Scottish Government remains committed to achieving our ambition for Scotland to continue to develop and grow as a Good Food Nation. We are considering how best to achieve this, including through full consideration of the Scottish Food Commission’s recommendations, and will provide more details in due course.

Port Glasgow-based Ferguson Marine Engineering Limited has successfully led a European consortium in a successful bid for EU funding support to pave the way for the building and launch of the world’s first sea-going car and passenger ferry fuelled by hydrogen. The supported development of the construction and testing of a hydrogen-powered maritime drivetrain for future deployment within a ferry is expected to cost around 12.6 million, of which 9.3 million has been awarded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation fund.