In 2018-19 the Scottish Government doubled its active travel budget to £80 million annually for the term of this Parliament to deliver an active nation and the vision that Scotland’s communities are shaped around people, with walking or cycling the most popular choice for shorter everyday journeys.

The Scottish Government distributes this funding to active travel delivery partners to fund a variety of projects which support and encourage people to walk and cycle. The largest grant, £51 million in 2019-20, is given to Sustrans for its Places for Everyone Programme. This programme provides grants to public and third sector organisations of up to 50% of the total cost for the creation of high quality infrastructure that enables an increased number of trips made by bicycle for everyday journeys.

Places for Everyone brings together three formerly separate funds including Community Links PLUS, which was specifically to fund large projects with segregated cycle paths. The first of these projects to be completed will be the South City Way in Glasgow at the end of this year with five more projects underway. Ten more ambitious projects will be considered for approval over the summer.

In addition, the Scottish Government is also providing £3.5 million for maintaining and extending the National Cycle Network to create more traffic-free and quiet road routes.

Suitable provision for all users, including cyclists, is an important part of the trunk road projects being taken forward by the Scottish Government, including the A9 and A96 dualling programmes. As part of the A9 Dualling programme, 35 kilometres of new cycle lanes will be delivered. In addition, the A96 Dualling Inverness to Nairn (including Nairn Bypass) proposals also include 30 kilometres of off-carriageway shared-use facilities which will improve safety for cyclists and walkers while also helping connect local communities along the route.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-21475 on 13 March 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s web site, the search facility can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

The Scottish Government does not have Delay Repay information broken down by route.

Scotland has an ambitious agenda for decarbonising the transport system, through the policies and proposals in the existing Climate Change Plan.  
We have a successful rolling programme of electrification in Scotland, with the continued roll out of faster, greener electric rolling stock across parts of the network. This remains the most effective means of decarbonising rail transport.  
We are also considering the most advanced options for alternative fuel technologies, including hydrogen fuel cell and battery designs. The Scottish Government has already supported the introduction of hydrogen buses in Aberdeen and lessons learnt are shared across transport modes.

There are 257 stations which are wheelchair accessible in Scotland from one or more platforms. Further detail regarding the extent of accessibility at each of Scotland’s railway stations is available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib number 60684).

The Scottish Government has not spent any money on legal fees in relation to the procurement of vessels 801 and 802. Procurement of the vessels was undertaken by CMAL.

Boards first provided this information to the Scottish Government in September 2018.

NHS Ayrshire and Arran advised us that at that time there were 7 cases going through a formal process in relation to bullying and harassment. These cases were initiated in 2017-2018.

Following John Sturrock`s report into allegations of a bullying culture in NHS Highland we are asking all health boards in Scotland to consider the findings and look again at the effectiveness of their own internal processes for handling concerns, leadership and governance.

Rail Accessibility is a UK Government reserved matter and therefore responsibility for making stations accessible rests with them.

We plan to make nine stations step-free in Control Period 6 (CP6), 2019 to 2024, as follows:

• Six stations will be funded by the Department for Transport’s Access for All Programme:- Anniesland, Croy, Dumfries, Johnstone, Port Glasgow and Uddingston.
• Three stations will be funded by the Scottish Government:- Aviemore, Nairn and Pitlochry.

This Scottish Government is also considering proposals for funding further stations.

Trunk Roads in Scotland are managed and maintained by Transport Scotland’s Operating Companies and Design Build Finance and Operate (DBFO) Contractors, on behalf of the Scottish Ministers. The majority of Private roads are the responsibility of their owners. All other roads are maintained and repaired by local authorities.

The ongoing investment and maintenance in the Trunk Road network is key to supporting the continued economic growth of Scotland. However, some degree of disruption is inevitable for these vital works. In planning and delivering these schemes, we aim to minimise impacts on businesses and communities while seeking to maintain access to local businesses and assisting motorists to make alternative travel arrangements.

Our contracts include timing restrictions for certain routes, which limit works from taking place during the busiest periods. The aim is, where possible and safe to do so, to avoid road closures and long diversions but also to avoid the busier tourist seasons and daily peak traffic hours.

For larger schemes or those particularly disruptive to an area, consultation is undertaken with local residents, businesses, elected members, community councils, transport operators, local authorities, emergency services and other local stakeholders on the timing of roadworks. Following this, works are programmed taking into consideration consultation feedback, avoiding local events and the main tourist season where possible.

To ensure schemes are suitably co-ordinated and planned in advance, we also work closely with the Scottish Road Works Commissioner, established to oversee this co-ordination of roadworks on Scotland’s roads by all roads authorities and statutory undertakers (such as utilities and telecoms companies).

To allow road users to plan their journeys and avoid potential disruption, information about roadworks is provided by Traffic Scotland, on their websites, the Traveline Scotland App, Twitter, Traffic Scotland Radio and other platforms. For larger or disruptive schemes, advance notice of the works is displayed at the roadside before the works start, whether on temporary signs or on Traffic Scotland’s ‘Variable Message Signs’.

The total expenditure for Scotland’s Baby Box up until 17 March 2019 is £14,207,369.47