���˿���

Due to the Design Build Finance and Operate (DBFO) procurement model for the AWPR/B-T project, the costs associated with construction works on specific junctions cannot be disaggregated from the cumulative cost information held for the project.

As the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work announced in his statement to the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee in Parliament on 29 March 2017, the Queensferry crossing is expected to open to traffic between mid-July and the end of August.

The construction of the AWPR/B-T is now well underway. The project currently remains on schedule to open to traffic in Winter 2017-18.

There has been no change to the plans for the A944 South Kingswells Junction which were published in September 2007.

The Scottish Government is committed to making Scotland a better place to work and do business by attracting investment, promoting the research and innovation capabilities of Scottish companies and universities and enhancing international collaboration. In her Programme for Government of 1 September 2015 the First Minister announced the establishment of Innovation and Investment Hubs to meet this commitment.

Dover House provided minimal limited office accommodation for Scottish Government use only at an annual cost of £130,000. Through the Smarter Workplaces Programme, the Scottish Government is delivering new ways of working across the Government estate to help the Government and public bodies to deliver better services through, for example, co-location and common use of facilities. Scotland House London brings together under one roof the Scottish Government and other partners; Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Development International, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Visit Scotland, and provides more flexible space and improved facilities which allows Scottish businesses and entrepreneurs to meet potential customers and investors, to showcase their goods and services and to host events. SG will pay an estimated £425,000 per annum towards the occupancy costs which are shared across the partners and there are no Scottish Government re-location costs.

The Scottish Government, working in concert with the Energy Jobs Taskforce, continues to support businesses and individuals in the North East of Scotland which has been particularly affected by the downturn in the oil and gas sector. Our £12 million Transition Training Fund has funded re-training opportunities for more than 1800 individuals faced with redundancy; with additional training programmes procured by the fund looking to create up to 755 employment opportunities across Scotland, with my having announced the latest tranche supporting 425 opportunities when I visited Aberdeen on 10th February. There are also 12 individuals being supported into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (or STEM) teaching opportunities within the North East. We have also, to date, provided over £7million for 78 innovation projects and provision of business resilience support to 144 companies.

Our competitive business rates package also targets support where it is most needed, with a recent additional allocation of around £9.8m to cap business rates increases for certain properties in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. Councils are able to apply further rates reductions, and we continue to work with Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils to inform this consideration.

The AWPR/B-T project is currently scheduled to open to traffic in the winter period of 2017-18.

The Scottish Government's priority is, and remains, to help first-time buyers enter the property market and to assist people as they progress through the property market. LBTT will ensure everyone buying a property under £325,000 pays no tax or less tax than under Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). 93% who bought a house for £40,000 or more either paid less tax compared to UK SDLT or paid no tax at all in the first 19 months of LBTT.

The Scottish Parliament's recent inquiry into the first year of LBTT concluded that "....the transition to LBTT went well and that its first year has been operationally successful. And that it is "....too early to draw any definitive conclusions on the impact of the rates and bands from the available outturn data but recommends that the Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) should continue to monitor the data on an ongoing basis."

The Scottish Government provided evidence to the Inquiry in August 2016 and responded to the final report in February 2017.

Provisional data from Scottish Assessors show that there are just over 5,000 properties who have a rateable value below £18,000 in 2016-17 who will have a rateable value above £18,000 in 2017-18 due to revaluation, but it is not possible to confirm how many of these properties are eligible for or are currently claiming Small Business Bonus Scheme relief.

Each local authority is responsible for determining the tendering process they use for bus services. The Accounts Commission are the custodians of Best Value and Audit Scotland is responsible for carrying out best value audits of local authorities. Scottish Councils are autonomous bodies, independent of central government and as long as they act legally the Scottish Government would not become involved.

The Transport Bill, which we want to introduce during the current Parliament, will aim to strengthen the range of options available to local authorities to improve bus services in their areas, such as through better partnership working with bus operators, setting up their own bus operations or introducing local franchises, in which operators would compete for the right to operate services under contract. These options will be sufficiently flexible to be customised to meet the needs of both rural and urban areas. We will consult on these measures.