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The Scottish Government does not hold information on the stops that have skipped each year broken down by how many times, on the Borders Railway.

ScotRail provides Transport Scotland with performance information by Sector Group and these are monitored against the specified benchmarks contained in the Franchise Agreement.

The Scottish Government has given clear assurances in Parliament that the terms and conditions, pay and pensions of British Transport Police officers and staff will be the same as they are currently, or that an equivalent level of benefit will be provided to ensure transfer takes place on a no-detriment basis.

The benefits of integration were identified in the Policy Memorandum to the Railway Policing (Scotland) Bill:

 - ensuring that railway policing in Scotland is accountable, through the Chief Constable and the SPA, to the people of Scotland;

- enhancing railway policing in Scotland through direct access to the specialist resources of Police Scotland;

- future-proofing the infrastructure policing model in Scotland against changes that may arise from the review of infrastructure policing in England and Wales.

Alongside the Policy Memorandum, the Scottish Government published a report compiled by an independent research company that summarised the views of respondents to the Scottish Government consultation, including benefits and disbenefits. The Financial Memorandum set out projected costs associated with the Bill.

The Joint Programme Board which is overseeing the programme has continued to develop its understanding of benefits, risks and costs as more detailed work on integration has progressed.

Over £2m has been invested in average speed cameras (ASC) on the A90 to make the road safer for everyone travelling along the route.

As part of this spend, £43,853 was invested to develop and deliver a robust communication strategy which aimed to raise awareness around the introduction of ASC on the route.

These cameras are already encouraging improved driver behaviour and better speed limit compliance, which will lead to fewer camera detections, fewer penalty points, fewer drivers fined, and ultimately reduce the number of people being killed or injured on this route.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the percentage of services each year on the Borders Railway that have arrived at each stop on time.

Performance in the railway system in Great Britain is measured using the Public-Performance Measure (PPM), which counts all trains planned to run, which run and arrive within five minutes of their scheduled arrival time.

ScotRail provides Transport Scotland with performance information by Sector Group and these are monitored against the specified benchmarks contained in the Franchise Agreement.

Any change to the way in which exams are delivered in Scotland is an operational matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). I have asked the Chief Executive of SQA to write to you.

The Scottish Government wants all children and their families to eat healthily, have a healthy weight and enjoy the same healthy life expectancy no matter where they live. We recognise there is no simple solution and are presently consulting on a bold new diet and obesity strategy. This proposes a package of measures to improve the food environment and improve children’s diet including limiting the promotion of products high in fat, sugar and salt and tackling advertising. The consultation on ' runs until 31 January 2018.

Through the Curriculum for Excellence, every school pupil is entitled to learn about food and health, not just practical cooking skills but also nutrition, hygiene and making choices alongside the influence of advertising. We are also supporting children to eat a healthy balanced diet throughout their school day including free school meals for Primary 1-3. Between 2015-19 we are investing £50 million in Active Schools.

Across Scotland, environmental protection - including pest control and nuisance - is the responsibility of the environmental health department of the relevant local authority.

The source of the statistic provided by The Scotsman article in question is the Scottish Government's 2016 Annual Report on Wildlife Crime in Scotland which is available via the following web link: .

Hare coursing, an offence covered by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002, accounted for 38 of the 44 offences involving hunting with dogs in 2015/16. A significant element of the increase in this crime is attributable to greater awareness of the offence and improved reporting of suspicious activity.

Police Scotland recognises hare coursing as a Wildlife Crime Priority (noting that it is often linked with other types of rural crime) and is considering ways to further address it in 2018. Anyone witnessing suspicious activity should report it to Police Scotland by dialling 101 or 999 if a crime is in progress.

The Environmental Statement for the A9 Dualling Killiecrankie to Glen Garry project was published on 28 November 2017. This provides full details of the environmental impacts, mitigation and residual impacts associated with the project. It is publicly available and can be viewed on the Transport Scotland website at