Chamber and committees

South Ayrshire Council are leading on the work to determine the most appropriate option for the former Ayr Station Hotel via a comprehensive feasibility study coordinated through the Ayr Station Strategic Governance Group.

The Scottish Government, through Transport Scotland and other key stakeholders including Network Rail, continue to press the Council in regard to the importance of the interface with the railway station and the need to reach a timely decision on the preferred option.

Yes. I have been quite happy to discuss the Island Connectivity Plan with the unions during our regular quarterly meetings. I would anticipate that this dialogue will continue as the Islands Connectivity Plan is developed, given that the trade unions are important stakeholders in the delivery of Scotland's supported ferries.

The following table sets out the information requested based on Passenger Locator Form data provided to Public Health Scotland:

I met with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury in September 2020, January 2021 and most recently on 16 February to discuss the development of implementation of the Scottish Government’s tailored green port model for Scotland.

Scottish Government officials have also undertaken regular meetings with UK Government counterparts on this subject throughout 2020 and 2021, including weekly meetings since autumn 2020.

The Infrastructure Investment Plan for Scotland 2021-2022 to 2025-2026 includes major investment in natural infrastructure such as forestry and peatlands amounting to £283 million and £100 million respectively. It also includes a £50 million programme of investment in the reuse of vacant and derelict land in order to support nature-based solutions and to ensure that the land is utilised for maximum environmental and community benefit.

Many other programmes of infrastructure investment in areas such as transport, housing, regeneration, flood management and water and waste water all have nature-based solutions embedded within them. However, these are not identified separately within the major projects and programmes annex of the Infrastructure Investment Plan.

£35 million of capital funding has been allocated to bus priority infrastructure on local and trunk roads in the 2021-22 financial year. This is part of the Future Transport Fund. The allocation will be split between the Bus Partnership Fund (BPF) and reallocation of road space on the strategic transport network, but the proportions will not be known until applications to the BPF close and the scope of the next stage of motorway and trunk road work is defined.

Once the final Respiratory Action Plan has been published, we will develop a programme for its implementation. This implementation programme will give a clearer understanding of the funding required to deliver the commitments and priorities for asthma, bronchiectasis, COPD, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and obstructive sleep apnoea.

We recognise that supporting people to remain physically active and keep mobile can reduce the incidence of both venous thromboembolism and pulmonary embolism.

Being physically active is particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic as this not only has significant benefits for our physical health but also our mental health.

In April 2020, the Scottish Government launched the ‘Clear your Head’ campaign to help people look after their own mental health and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. This included an emphasis on keeping active. Working with partner organisations, the campaign was shared via television, radio and digital mediums in order to provide practical advice and tips on coping with the restrictions and signpost people to further sources of information and support ( www.clearyourhead.scot ).

We expect clinicians to deliver care in line with all relevant clinical guidelines when assessing patients who present themselves at healthcare settings with breathlessness. SIGN Guideline 122 on the prevention and management of venous thromboembolism was introduced in 2010 and updated in 2014. Implementation of SIGN guidelines is the responsibility of each individual NHS Board and local ownership of the implementation process.

The Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN) is reliant on the capacity of front line health and social care professionals working in guideline development groups. Given the current demands these individuals are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the normal SIGN programme remains on hold, while SIGN focuses on supporting the response to COVID-19. This situation is kept under regular review.