Kenneth Gibson

29 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will fully implement the review of the impacts of bottom-trawling and scallop dredging of Priority Marine Features before 31 March 2021.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Work to develop fisheries management measures for Priority Marine Features (PMFs) following the PMF review has been postponed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. We intend to resume the project when it is safe and appropriate to do so.

29 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether any review of the status of marine biogenic habitats has found that there has been (a) a loss, (b) no change or (c) a recovery in the status and/or extent of these since 2011.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Marine Strategy assessment published in October 2019 includes an indicator for sublittoral rock and biogenic habitats. The assessment found that Good Environmental Status has not yet been achieved in either the Greater North Sea or the Celtic Seas. The re…

1 Jun 2020 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what steps will be taken to avoid a big increase in youth unemployment in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

25 May 2020 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government has had any discussions with the Treasury regarding Project Birch, the plan to assist struggling companies of strategic importance.

7 May 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much in non-domestic rates relief will be given in the financial year 2020-21 to (a) Aldi, (b) Asda, (c) Co-op, (d) Lidl, (e) Morrisons, (f) Sainsbury’s and (g) Tesco.

Answer · Kate Forbes: The grants and reliefs are being administered by local authorities and Scottish Government does not hold information on individual relief recipients. We are determined to help keep companies in business and our financial support now exceeds the £2.3 billion …

27 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils there were in each local authority area in (i) 2012 and (ii) 2019, also broken down by how many had additional support needs.

Answer · John Swinney: Statistics on the number of pupils in the primary and secondary sectors in each local authority and the number of these pupils with additional support needs are published in the Pupil Census Supplementary Statistics . The number of pupils in primary and seco…

24 Apr 2020 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers will be the impact on sport of an extended ban on public gatherings.

15 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it will provide to North Ayrshire Council to support the construction of a new Ardrossan Academy, in light of the proposals being approved.

Answer · John Swinney: I am pleased that an Ardrossan Community Learning and Innovation Hub - to replace Ardrossan Academy and Winton Primary School - is one of the projects to benefit from the first phase of the Learning Estate Investment Programme. Initial funding discussions hav…

10 Mar 2020 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to ensure that wild wrasse are fished sustainably.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The important role played by wrasse in controlling lice in salmon farms is already recognised and this Government is committed to ensuring that wild caught wrasse are being fished sustainably, with effective management in place to safeguard their numbers. In…

6 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it anticipates it would cost each year to provide free ferry travel to island residents aged 18 and under.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Currently we do not have a definitive estimate of the annual cost of providing free ferry travel to island residents aged 18 and under.

2 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its decision to extend free bus travel to those aged 18 and under, what consideration it will give to allowing young island residents to travel free on ferries.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: We have committed to a national concessionary travel scheme for free bus travel for people aged 18 and under from January 2021, subject to completion of the necessary preparations, including due diligence and research. We will engage with young people across …

2 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a Greenspace Scotland report stating that ground-source heating from urban parks could provide low-carbon energy to heat 15% of homes.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government welcomes the work of Greenspace Scotland in estimating the potential for ground source heating from parks. As we transition to a low carbon economy we will use a range of sources for heating. We are working with local authorities to d…

24 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it estimates firms will save from the decision to increase the business rate poundage by less than CPI inflation in 2020-21, broken down by industry sector.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: The basic rate poundage that has been set for 2020-21 is 49.8p, 1.6% higher than it was in 2019-20 (49.0p) (inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index in September 2019 was 1.7%). This, combined with a below-inflation increase in the poundage in 2019-2…

17 Jan 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to support Cervical Cancer Prevention Week.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Scottish Government fully support the aims of Cervical Cancer Prevention Week (CCPW), and congratulate Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust on their ongoing work to highlight the important role cervical screening plays in the prevention of cervical cancer. We know that…

13 Jan 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the abolition of the uniform business rate might have on support in future ballots for Business Improvement Districts, which may be funded by a levy related to business rates.

Answer · Kate Forbes: Section 8C of the Non-Domestic Rates (Scotland) Bill, which devolves the power to set rates to local authorities, is technically flawed and would introduce complexity, risks and potential unpredictability into the rates system. Business Improvement Districts…

13 Jan 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has received regarding the abolition of the uniform business rate and the handing of control over business rates to local authorities.

Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government has received numerous representations including a joint letter on 15 January 2020 from an unprecedented 27 national business organisations representing thousands of members from a wide cross section of Scottish industry including manuf…

13 Jan 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the abolition of the uniform business rate would allow local authorities to introduce rate supplements and additional levies.

Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government does not support the principle of abolishing the uniform business rate and has written to business representative organisations echoing concerns that had been raised to all Members of the Scottish Parliament in a joint letter on 15 Jan…

18 Dec 2019 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the return of Glasgow Prestwick Airport to the private sector.

Answer · Michael Matheson: We made clear in 2013 that the Scottish Government intended to return Glasgow Prestwick Airport to the private sector when the time was right. We were pleased that the opportunity to buy the business, set out in the Official Journal of the European Union, att…

9 Dec 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it will provide to North Ayrshire Council to support the construction of a new Ardrossan Academy.

9 Dec 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how abolishing the uniform business rate and handing the control of business rates to local authorities could impact on its proposed rates relief for shops and others hosting deposit and return reverse vending machines.

Answer · Kate Forbes: On 29 October 2019, the First Minister confirmed that a new 100% non-domestic rates relief for Reverse Vending Machines will take effect from 1 April 2020 in preparation for the Deposit Return Scheme going live. The amendment to the Non-Domestic Rates (Scotl…

19 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people are in receipt of free personal and nursing care (a) in North Ayrshire and (b) nationally.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The latest statistics for 2017-18 published in August 2019 estimate free personal and/or nursing care is provided to 2,510 people in North Ayrshire and 77,520 people in Scotland. This information can be found at https://www.gov.scot/publications/free-person…

19 Nov 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many children and young people in North Ayrshire it expects to receive support from the new Scottish Child Payment.

11 Nov 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs will be created in North Ayrshire through the expansion of early years learning and childcare.

4 Nov 2019 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to recent figures showing that the number of workers earning less than the real Living Wage has decreased by 13% in the last year.

30 Oct 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether COSLA has made any suggestions regarding additional financial powers that it seeks during the remainder of the parliamentary session.

28 Oct 2019 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the University of Glasgow research finding that former professional football players are three and a half times more likely to die of degenerative brain disease than the general population.

2 Oct 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether children with additional support needs should be educated at the nearest appropriate school to their home.

30 Sep 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many trainee doctors have been recruited to the NHS through each current medical fellowship programme since their inception.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: NHS Education for Scotland are responsible for a number of GP Fellowships and, in partnership with the Scottish Government, GMC, the Scottish Academy and others, run the Scottish Clinical Leadership Fellows (SCLF) scheme. The number of trainee doctors recruit…

30 Sep 2019 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to reports that the number of police officers injured in attacks has risen by almost a third amid heightened sectarian and other tensions.

25 Sep 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the percentage change has been in the number of recorded crimes in North Ayrshire over the last decade, and how this compares with the national figure.