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The Scottish Government is involved in a wide range of activities to attract investment in South Scotland. These activities include boosting export performance to attract foreign investment, developing transport links to help maximise the potential of the area as well as working with the South of Scotland Alliance to raise the profile of the South of Scotland and to identify and develop opportunities for growth.

Projects identified in the South of Scotland Alliance's Rural Regional Economic Development Programme as significant in supporting economic growth include four key areas of activity to maximise opportunities: Borders Railway and Central Borders Business Park, Mountain Biking, M74 Economic Development Strategy, and the Stranraer Waterfront. The Scottish Government is committed to creating a more inclusive form of growth that tackles inequalities whilst driving competitiveness and we are committed to working with the Alliance as these projects develop.

Over the last three years seven Regional Selective Assistance grants worth a combined £2,146,300 have been awarded to businesses in the South of Scotland, helping to create 175 new jobs. In the same timeframe six inward investments have been secured for the South of Scotland, creating 531 new jobs and safeguarding a further 67 jobs.

We also recognise that good digital infrastructure has an important role to play in attracting new investment. The Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme is delivering over £410 million of investment to extend fibre broadband access across Scotland to areas where the market would not otherwise go, and over 95% of premises across the south of Scotland will have access to fibre broadband by the end of 2017 as a result of this investment. However, we want to push coverage even further and, as set out in the Programme for Government, the Scottish Government has committed to delivering 100% superfast broadband coverage by 2021 and we expect new procurements - to deliver new investment to meet our 100% target - to begin from 2017.

We will continue to work with partners to ensure that the South of Scotland continues to attract new investment.

There are no current plans to increase the HGV speed limit as we believe that there is currently insufficient evidence in this area to justify a change.

In conjunction with the A9 average speed camera system we have increased HGV speed limits on single-carriageway sections of the A9 between Perth and Inverness in order to address issues specific to that route.

With road safety considerations paramount, we will continue to consider any emerging evidence regarding speed limits for HGVs including findings from our on-going monitoring of the A9 and the increased HGV speed limit in England and Wales.

The Minister for Transport and the Islands is currently reviewing Transport Scotland’s comments on the A7 Action Plan and will report back to the A7 Action group as soon as possible.

This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. I have asked the Chief Executive to contact you with the information you have requested and my understanding is that this will be with you soon.

This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. I have asked the Chief Executive to contact you with the information you have requested and my understanding is that this will be with you soon.

The Scottish Government carried out a full policy review after five years of operation of the home report. The findings of a public consultation were published on the Scottish Government website on 7 May 2014, and of a research study on 7 January 2015. We have no plans to undertake a further policy review at this stage.

A full five-year policy review of the Home Report was launched on 5 December 2013 and consisted of a public consultation (the findings from which were published on 7 May 2014) and a research study (published on 7 January 2015). Overall, the Review found that the home report is supported and valued. A clear majority of the respondents to the consultation felt that the home report was continuing to meet its original objectives and that these remained appropriate. The review found that while the home report had an impact on buyers and sellers, the impact on the wider housing market was more limited.

Businesses are required under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments to ensure disabled people do not experience substantial disadvantage compared with nondisabled people.

The duty is ‘anticipatory’. An organisation cannot wait until a disabled person wants to use its services, but must think in advance (and on an ongoing basis) about what disabled people might reasonably need.

Examples of reasonable adjustments would include ramps and stairway lifts, making doorways wider, installing automatic doors, more lighting and clearer signs. If a disabled person would be at a substantial disadvantage compared with a nondisabled person, not providing reasonable adjustments would be unlawful discrimination and could result in a discrimination claim under the act.

More examples are provided on the EHRC’s website at:

A meeting of the Road Maintenance Strategic Action Group has been scheduled to discuss the Group’s response to the recommendations of the Audit Scotland report. We will continue to co-fund the Roads Collaboration Programme and use that forum to engage with all councils in Scotland to explore opportunities to share services.

With regard to funding, the Scottish Government has allocated over £10.3 billion to local government for 2016-17. It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectives.

On 22 August 2016, the Deputy First Minister and I hosted a groundbreaking Transport Summit in Dumfries at which a variety of important issues were discussed including the condition of both national and local roads in Dumfries and Galloway. We have committed to publishing a draft report of the summit within four weeks.