Mike Rumbles

27 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether Transport Scotland launched the consultation of the A96 Huntly to Aberdeen dualling project (a) without providing notification to Aberdeenshire Council and (b) on 21 December 2020 while local communities were entering the Christmas holiday period, and what the reasons were for it…

Answer · Michael Matheson: As for all Transport Scotland’s major infrastructure projects, consultation is an integral part of the design process for the A96 Dualling East of Huntly to Aberdeen scheme. Transport Scotland advised a representative from Aberdeenshire Council about the for…

27 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns by the Deputy Leader of Aberdeenshire Council regarding the window of time allowed for the consultation on the A96 Huntly to Aberdeen dualling project, before it is completed on 15 February 2021.

Answer · Michael Matheson: As with all Transport Scotland’s major infrastructure projects, consultation is an integral part of the design process for the A96 Dualling East of Huntly to Aberdeen scheme. Recognising the impact of the festive period and the COVID-19 restrictions, we had …

18 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the additional pressure on the NHS due to COVID-19, what (a) action it has taken and (b) additional funding it has provided to support local authorities in preventing injuries caused by inadequate gritting during periods of icy weather.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Scotland's 32 local authorities are responsible for the maintenance and safe operation of Scotland's local road network. Each local authority is responsible for all aspects of the non-trunk road network within their jurisdiction, including Winter Service Oper…

15 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Passenger Assist app, which enables disabled passengers to pre-book boarding assistance six hours ahead of a train journey, will work in Scotland and, if so, when it will be available for passengers to use.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The responsibility for this lies with the Rail Delivery Group, however once the app is approved it will be available for use in Scotland. The member may wish to contact the Rail Delivery Group for further information.

23 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-34207 by Jamie Hepburn on 23 December 2020, what proportion of the target of 30,000 apprenticeship starts this year will be met.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Covid-19 continues to present unprecedented challenges for business across Scotland with many employers delaying and pausing recruitment decisions which will continue to have, an impact on apprenticeship provision. Skills Development Scotland will publish Mod…

19 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the £14 million financial support scheme for taxi drivers in Northern Ireland announced on 13 November 2020, whether it has considered providing an annual block grant for local licencing authorities in Scotland in order to remove the fee for processing licence applications f…

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: In addition to the £30 million discretionary funding announced on 17 November, we are actively exploring additional opportunities to support taxi and private hire vehicle operators in recognition of the devastating impact of restrictions on their trade and th…

19 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to support taxi businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: We acknowledge the devastating impact that restrictions have had on the taxi and private vehicle hire sector since the outset of the pandemic. We also recognise that this sector has particularly high fixed costs associated with financing and maintaining vehic…

27 Oct 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-10494 by Roseanna Cunningham on 15 August 2017, which of the 42 formal flood protection schemes or engineering works have been completed, broken down by (a) the number of properties being protected, (b) the completion date and (c) what the (i) initi…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Details are as follows: Scheme (a) Properties Protected (b) Completion Date (c)(i) Initial Cost (£ million) (1) (c) (ii) Estimated Final Cost (£ million) Huntly 63 2017 4.9 3.8 Newmill 18 2017 1.9 1.8 Dundee 200 2018 6.2 6.9 Kirkwall 7…

27 Oct 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-10494 by Roseanna Cunningham on 15 August 2017, which of the 42 formal flood protection schemes or engineering works have been removed from the list of proposed works, broken down by the (a) number of properties that were expected to be protected, (…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-27519 on 4 March 2020. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/2…

27 Oct 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-10494 by Roseanna Cunningham on 15 August 2017, which of the 42 formal flood protection schemes or engineering works are (a) under construction and (b) at the planning or other stage of development, broken down by (i) what the expected completion da…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The 14 Flood Risk Management Strategies published by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in December 2015 set objectives and measures for the management of flood risk for potentially vulnerable areas. Local Flood Risk Management Plans, published…

27 Oct 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-10494 by Roseanna Cunningham on 15 August 2017, how many floods have been recorded in each of the 42 formal flood protection schemes or engineering works' areas since January 2016, broken down by the (a) damage caused and (b) cost of each incident.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-27523 on 5 March 2020. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/2…

24 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, prior to 24 September 2020, whether there has ever been a legally enforceable (a) travel ban and (b) restriction on people meeting in the west of Scotland.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The local measures introduced within seven west of Scotland Local Authorities were made with regard to the nature and extent of the public health risk, including the sources of infection Such decisions are never taken lightly and are made with due considerati…

28 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the request by Aberdeenshire Council for emergency funding to replace the bridges that have been damaged by flash flooding near King Edward, Banff, and what action it will take to ensure that people and businesses living in the community are not cut off from each …

Answer · Michael Matheson: Maintenance of the local road network is the responsibility of local authorities to allocate resources on the basis of local priorities. The vast majority of funding to local authorities from the Scottish Government is provided via a block grant and we do not…

20 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether there is currently a legal ban on the opening of non-essential offices, or whether this is simply advice, and who decides what is essential and non-essential.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: There is currently no legal ban on the opening of non-essential offices. Based on the public health risks, our clear advice is that non-essential offices remain closed, and this position is regularly reviewed. The current status of the epidemic in Scotland me…

16 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the evidence on which it based its decision not to advise that secondary school students should wear face coverings in schools.

Answer · John Swinney: The evidence was set out in the guidance on physical distancing in schools by the Covid-19 Advisory Sub-Group on Education and Children's issues, which was published on 16 July. However, in the light of the latest scientific and public health advice, includin…

14 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Honk for Hope event that took place in Edinburgh on 6 August 2020, and the reported challenges facing the coach sector during the COVID-19 outbreak, whether it will respond to the proposal for support set out by the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-31225 on 27 August 2020. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness…

29 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the evidence that it has taken into consideration when deciding to maintain quarantine arrangements for international travel, including potential "air corridors".

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government has based its decisions on evidence from Public Health England and prevalence measures from the UK Joint Biosecurity Centre. For both the UK and Scotland this is based on an assessment of risk by Public Health England, and the relativ…

29 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, since quarantine regulations came into force on 8 June 2020, how many people arriving in Scotland have been (a) quarantined, (b) contacted by NHS boards and (c) identified as bringing COVID-19 into the country.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Quarantine regulations began on 8 June 2020, data was first received from the Home Office 29 June for passengers identified as requiring to quarantine from 22 June. The PHS COVID-19 Statistical Report from Wednesday 19 August will include data for the first …

11 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, following the UK Government’s budget statement 2020, which announced the intention to provide £1 billion of funding to remove dangerous cladding from residential buildings over 18 metres high, what plans it has to provide an equivalent proportion of funding to carry out this fire safety…

Answer · Kevin Stewart: We note with interest the UK Government's further announcement on its Building Safety Fund. We are currently clarifying the consequential funding that will accrue to Scotland as a result of the commitment by the UK Government and Scottish Ministers will take …

9 Mar 2020 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many surveyors in Scotland are able to issue an EWS1 external wall system compliance form.

2 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what percentage of people in the NHS Grampian area who were due to receive cancer treatment in 2019 were seen within the 62-day standard.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Data on performance can be accessed via the ISD website. Data for Q4 2019 will not be published until end March 2020. Table 1. Cancer Waiting Times performance in NHS Grampianin 2019 (Q1 - Q3). Cancer Waiting times 62 Day pathway Q1 Q2 Q3 Total Number…

2 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what percentage of children in the NHS Grampian area who were due to receive mental health treatment in 2019 were seen within the 18-week deadline.

Answer · Clare Haughey: In 2019 the number of CAMHS patients seen by NHS Grampian was 1,320. Of these 56.0 per cent were seen within 18 weeks of referral.

2 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what percentage of people who were not seen within the 18-week deadline for chronic pain treatment in 2019 were under the care of NHS Grampian.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The requested data is published quarterly on the ISD website, for more information, see https://beta.isdscotland.org/media/2859/2019-12-10-chronic-pain-publication-tables-and-charts.xlsx .

28 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the NHS spending proposals in the Budget (Scotland) (No.4) Bill, whether NHS Grampian will receive its full share of NRAC allocated funding in (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Budget provides additional funding of £454 million for frontline NHS Boards in 2020-21 and continues to ensure that no Board is further than 0.8% from its target funding allocation. In 2020-21, NHS Grampian will receive additional investment of …

26 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many rail passenger journeys there have been in each of the last three years, broken down by Parliamentary region.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government does not hold rail passenger information broken down by specific parliamentary region. The continued investment in Scotland’s Railway, infrastructure, stations and services has seen patronage grow by 35% in the last 10 years across Sc…

26 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many trains in each of the last five years have used toilets that disperse waste on the tracks, also broken down by the volume of waste matter dispersed each year.

Answer · Michael Matheson: This is an operational matter for all train operating companies in Scotland and as such the Scottish Government does not hold the information. Through the franchise contract the Scottish Government has specified and funded the removal of all ScotRail carriag…

24 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to have a list of all the homes that cannot be connected to superfast broadband through the R100 programme by the end of 2021, which will therefore be eligible to apply to its alternative voucher scheme.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: As I have set out to the Rural Economy Committee and in the Chamber, it is our intention to develop an on online checker - which we aim to launch in Summer 2020 – which will provide information down to the individual premises level. This is an improvement on …

24 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many miles of (a) copper wire and (b) fibre compose the existing internet network, and how many miles of existing copper wire are due to be replaced by fibre by the end of 2021.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The existing physical infrastructure network is owned by various commercial suppliers such as Openreach, Virgin Media, CityFibre, etc. As such the Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of miles of copper wire or fibre that make up the ex…

24 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many miles of (a) copper wire and (b) fibre for internet infrastructure has been laid in each of the last three years, and how many miles of the copper wire laid in each year (i) replaced existing copper wire and (ii) created new connections.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-27585 on 6 March 2020, the existing physical infrastructure network is owned by various commercial suppliers such as Openreach, Virgin Media, CityFibre, etc. As such the Scottish Government does not hold inform…

21 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much (a) local authorities and (b) bus operators have paid in non-domestic rates for bus shelters in each year since 2017-18.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: Non-domestic rates for bus shelters are exclusively paid for by local authorities. The estimated net non-domestic rates costs for bus shelters paid for by local authorities in the years 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 are set out in the following table. Local A…