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The Scottish Government is providing £450,000 this year for the Public Library Improvement Fund, enabling libraries across Scotland to undertake a range of pioneering projects for to benefit our communities.

We are investing £1 million over three years through the School Library Improvement Fund, recognising the significant contribution school libraries can make to educational attainment.

Public libraries can access both these funds to support educational initiatives aimed at schoolchildren and are receiving almost £80,000 for such projects this year. They also play an important part in a number of national initiatives, such as the First Minister’s Reading Challenge.

Scotland's Economic Strategy sets out the framework for delivering inclusive growth via boosting competitiveness and tackling inequality. At a national level, the Economic Action Plan - published in October of this year - sets out the wide range of actions that we are taking to deliver on our ambitions, including measures focused on place as well as increasing job creation and promoting fair work.

At a local and regional level, the Scottish Government has been working with North Ayrshire Council to undertake an inclusive growth diagnostic exercise to understand the barriers and opportunities for unlocking inclusive economic growth in the area.

We have also been working closely with North Ayrshire Council, and their sister councils in East and South Ayrshire, to develop the Ayrshire Growth Deal. Officials have supported the development and refinement of proposals: with several in North Ayrshire. We hope that the deal will bring significant investment to the region and be key to driving inclusive economic growth over the coming years. Our ambition is to be able to agree that deal, in partnership with the local authorities and the UK Government, in early 2019.

The collaborative working behind the growth deal extends to the Regional Economic Partnership which the Local Authorities have agreed to create: working with our enterprise and skills agencies, academia, the third sector and the private sector in order to ensure that resources and priorities are aligned in order to generate the best possible outcomes for the region. The authorities agreed an outline structure for this in October and November this year, and will be drafting a regional economic plan in consultation with the partners. I look forward to seeing the impact that this partnership can have on driving inclusive growth in Ayrshire.

The Scottish Government recognises that the commitment to phase out the need for new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2032 is likely to lead to an increased demand for electric vehicles (EVs), although there is little certainty about how future transport systems will evolve. Increasing EV uptake will have a range of impacts on electricity demand and supporting infrastructure. We will work collaboratively to find innovative solutions that avoid unnecessary disruptions and investment.

The regulation of electricity networks is specifically reserved to the UK Government. However, we hold regular discussions with National Grid in the context of its role as System Operator across Great Britain, as well as with the UK Government, Ofgem, and industry partners on how networks need to change to support rising EV uptake and our wider carbon reduction targets. We intend to publish a Networks Vision statement by the end of the year, describing the ways in which the electricity and gas networks will have to change to enable the continued decarbonisation of Scotland’s economy, including transport.

The decarbonisation of transport is an integral part of the whole systems approach set out in our Energy Strategy. The associated target for the equivalent of 50% of energy for Scotland’s heat, transport and electricity to be supplied from renewable sources by 2030 will require changes to the ways in which energy is generated and consumed. We are working closely with Scotland’s network operators and others to consider the ways in which higher demand for electricity arising from EV uptake may vary in different geographical areas during the period up to 2030. Renewables will play a big part in meeting this increased demand, with roles for other sources and technologies, such as battery storage, within a smarter, more interconnected network.

West College Scotland was created in 2013 as a result of the merger of Clydebank College, James Watt College’s Greenock Campus and Reid Kerr College. The information requested is therefore not available prior to financial year 2014-15 for West College Scotland.

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) provides funding for estates on a college basis with the college determining the allocation to each campus, with the exception of 2018-19 when colleges were allocated additional funding to address the very high priority works identified in the 2017 College sector estates condition survey. The survey provided details of recommended works on a campus by campus basis, hence, a breakdown of this funding by campus is available. The College itself will hold information on spend on individual campuses.

The following table provides details of SFC funding allocations to West College Scotland since merger.

West College Scotland was formed of 3 colleges; James Watt, Reid Kerr and Clydebank in 2013. 2014-15 is the first year for which the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) hold data on staffing at West College Scotland. The SFC report that the number of full-time equivalent lecturers in the year 2014-15 was 390 FTE; 404.9 FTE in the year 2015-16 and 400.2 FTE in 2016-17.

No data is yet available from the SFC for colleges in 2017-18, nor do the SFC hold data by staff type.

Separate data provided by West College Scotland provides data of other academic, administrative and ancillary staff

The SFC has provided the following information in line with college figures produced for annual accounting purposes:

The total voluntary severance headcount taken-up by lecturers across all 3 campuses of West College Scotland was 15 in the year 2014 -15. The breakdown for each of the campuses is:

• Clydebank - 6
• Greenock - 3
• Paisley - 6.

No voluntary severance occurred in the years 2015-2016 and 2016-2017.

The total voluntary severance headcount taken-up by lecturers across all 3 campuses of West College Scotland was 10 in the year 2017 -18. The breakdown across each of the campuses being:

• Clydebank - 2
• Greenock - 4
• Paisley - 4.

The number of enrolments in each West College Scotland (WCS) campus is as follows.

Enrolments at West College Scotland, 2010-11 – 2016-17

I last met with the Managing Director of the ScotRail Alliance and some of his team on 6 November 2018 where we discussed a number of topics including ScotRail performance and the impending December 2018 timetable change.

My officials at Transport Scotland also meet regularly with ScotRail to discuss a range of issues.

We continue to work with farmers, food producers and industry bodies to drive forward the Ambition 2030 food and drink strategy. Our new Programme for Government sets out a range of new measures to support the sector, building on the range of work that is already ongoing.

Indeed, direct investment and support to the food and drink sector in Scotland from the public sector across a range of areas including skills, education, research, industry development, standards and capital investment equates to approximately £100 million per annum.