Mike Rumbles

13 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans, or is discussing, an expansion of agricultural subsidies to (a) dairy and (b) pig farmers in the current parliamentary session.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Active dairy and outdoor pig producers are currently eligible for the Basic Payment Scheme provided they meet the eligibility criteria and Scottish Government is intent on pursuing all options to maintain Scotland's EU status to help support all our farmers. …

13 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the value was of public investment to improve mobile phone coverage in Aberdeenshire in the previous parliamentary session and what the value is of planned investment in the current session.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Mobile investment to date in Aberdeenshire, and indeed throughout Scotland, has largely been made by commercial suppliers. However the Home Office-led Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme is expected to extend the availability of mobile services…

13 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has in place or is planning, to improve basic mobile phone coverage in Aberdeenshire.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-01476 on 1 August 2016. 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…

13 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) plans and (b) funding programmes are in place to prioritise rural and remote areas not already included in the current phase of its Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband rollout.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government and our partners are delivering a number of national broadband projects that will benefit rural and remote areas. The £410m Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) Programme will extend fibre broadband access to at least 95% of pr…

13 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the current percentage of superfast broadband coverage is in Aberdeenshire and what it is expected to be by (a) the end of 2017 and (b) April 2021.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is committed to delivering 100% superfast broadband access by 2021. As a first step, we are investing over £410 million alongside our partners in the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) Programme, which will extend access to f…

13 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when a grade separated junction at Laurencekirk will be (a) started and (b) completed.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Transport Scotland is currently procuring a design consultant to take forward the next phases of design for the Laurencekirk junction upgrade including route option assessment and the development of preferred junction option, leading to the preparation of dra…

13 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects a new railway station at Newtonhill to be opened and what the timetable is for the project.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I understand that a railway station at Newtonhill remains a long term aspiration for the North East Regional Transport Partnership (Nestrans) and can confirm that officials from Transport Scotland regularly engage with representatives from Nestrans to discuss…

13 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the rebuilding of Kintore railway station will be completed; when the station will be open for public use; what the timetable is for each stage of the work, and which body will be responsible for delivering each stage of the project.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The responsibility for the planning and the delivery of Kintore railway station rests with third party promoters and funders, which includes Aberdeenshire Council and the North East Regional Transport Partnership (Nestrans). The expected completion date is Ma…

13 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve rail commuter times between Inverurie and Aberdeen and, if work is to be carried out, when it will take place.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government’s investment in Phase One of the Aberdeen to Inverness Rail Improvements project will deliver greater connectivity for both passenger and freight services operating on this corridor. As announced by the Transport Minister on 15 March 2…

13 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people in North East Scotland have been made redundant in the oil and gas sector in each of the last six months.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government continues to monitor the impact that low oil prices are having on the oil and gas industry and its wider supply chain, and the impact on the North East of Scotland in particular. Official redundancy figures are produced by the Office f…

13 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people in North East Scotland who have been made redundant in the oil and gas sector are being or have been (a) retrained as teachers and (b) (i) retained, (ii) reskilled (iii) re-employed under the schemes that it has introduced to support the sector.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government is doing all it can under devolved powers to support the oil and gas industry during these challenging times. As part of its wide-ranging efforts to support the oil and gas sector, the Energy Jobs Taskforce has provided significant le…

1 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the value is of road and rail investment planned for the north east in (a) 2016-17 and (b) the current parliamentary session, and how this compares with the previous parliamentary session.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Project investment and delivery in future years will depend on budget availability. There is currently an approved budget for 2016-17 and budgets for future years will be determined by the spending review process. Table 12.01 of Scotland’s Spending Plans and…

1 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is planning to use its new tax raising powers to increase investment in connectivity in the north east.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government is committed to using the tax powers devolved to the Scottish Parliament, including those devolved by the Scotland Act 2016, to grow Scotland's economy and to provide additional investment in public services.

1 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the need for investment in road and rail in the north east between 2016 and 2026.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The recommendations of the Strategic Transport Projects Review sets out 29 investment priorities across the country over the period to 2032 which will be delivered subject to the transport allocation within future spending reviews and affordability. The inter…

1 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what major mobile and broadband projects are planned for the north east to be delivered (a) in the current parliamentary session and (b) after 2021.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government and our partners are delivering a number of national mobile and broadband projects that will benefit the north east. The Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband Programme will extend fibre broadband access to at least 95% of premises in…

1 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the need for investment in mobile and broadband coverage in the north east.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is committed to delivering 100% superfast broadband by 2021 and further details will be available in due course. The current focus is on finalising the coverage footprints that will be delivered by the two Digital Scotland Superfast Br…

1 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the value is of mobile and broadband investment planned for the north east in (a) 2016-17 and (b) the current parliamentary session, and how this compares with the previous parliamentary session.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Mobile and broadband investment is made by both commercial suppliers and through publicly funded programmes. There are a number of publicly funded programmes being delivered that will extend the availability of mobile and broadband services in the north east.…

1 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what major road and rail projects are planned for the north east to be completed (a) in the current parliamentary session and (b) after 2021.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government’s proposals for the north east include a number of significant projects. Investment and delivery in future years will depend on budget availability. There is currently an approved budget for 2016-7 and budgets for future years will be …

1 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what major capital spending projects are planned for the north east during the current parliamentary session.

Answer · Keith Brown: Major projects in the north east which will be in progress or which are planned to be in progress during the current parliamentary session and which are funded or part funded by the Scottish Government, include the following: Aberdeen Western Peripheral Rou…

30 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has met its target to pay all final common agricultural policy payments by 30 June 2016 and, if not, what percentage of the total payment amount remains outstanding.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government has now paid common agricultural policy 2015 payments (basic, greening and young farmers) that total almost £311 million to more than 17,800 farms. Over 16,000 businesses have received their full payment. Our current estimate of the…

30 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the total value is of common agricultural policy payments made as at 30 June 2016, and how much and what percentage remains outstanding.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-001160 on 14 July 2016. 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…

22 Jun 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of how the loss of jobs in the oil and gas sector has affected homelessness in the north east and what action it has taken to mitigate this.

16 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether Aberdeenshire Council's invitation to tender for new mental health service provision across Aberdeenshire references preventative measures and includes a crossover from the current commissioned services to the new provision and whether it considers that not doing so could lead to…

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government sets national direction of policy on mental health and provides funding to agencies – including NHS boards and local authorities – to support implementation of policy. Aberdeenshire Council is currently tendering to re-commission wha…

15 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are plans to close the Mulberry Unit at Stracathro Hospital.

Answer · Shona Robison: It is for NHS boards and health & social care partnerships to plan and provide services that meet the needs of local people, whilst being consistent with national policies and frameworks established by the Scottish Government. Over the last two years, NHS Ta…

15 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has put in place to ensure that people in rural and urban communities have equal access to mental health treatment.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government sets national direction of policy on mental health and provides funding to agencies – including NHS boards and local authorities – to support implementation of policy. The management of local actions in implementing national policy, a…

15 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support mental health treatment in NHS (a) Tayside and (b) Grampian.

Answer · Maureen Watt: NHS boards have also been allocated £24.7 million to increase capacity to deliver services. NHS Grampian have been allocated £2,454,025 of this and NHS Tayside £1,905,168 over five years. We are also providing support for improving mental health services in …

15 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment in its news release of 12 January 2016, Mental health funding, that it would "improve capacity to see people more quickly...redesign local services to make them more efficient, effective and sustainable [and] improve workforce supply and train existing staff to d…

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government sets national direction of policy on mental health and provides funding to agencies – including NHS boards and local authorities – to support implementation of policy. The management of local actions in implementing national policy, a…

15 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position on reports that the qualifying criteria for Aberdeenshire Council's invitation to tender to procure mental health support services suggests that bids should address financial risk to the local authority and not personal risk to the mental health or wellbeing of presenti…

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has no involvement regarding the qualifying criteria for Aberdeenshire Council's invitation to tender for mental health support services. Public bodies should ensure that they consider both the statutory and best practice guidance publ…

15 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the effectiveness of Aberdeenshire Council’s health and social care integration process with regard to mental health provision, including whether (a) the NHS and (b) stakeholders have sufficient input in defining community support services.

Answer · Shona Robison: The design and delivery of integrated health and social care services, including mental health, is the responsibility of the Aberdeenshire health and social care partnership. This is overseen by a joint board whose members are nominated by Aberdeenshire counc…

15 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Aberdeenshire Council regarding concerns that the limit on the number of characters available to bidders using its PCS-Tender e-tendering system to procure mental health support services might impact on the quality of bids.

Answer · Derek Mackay: There have been no discussions with Aberdeenshire Council on this subject.