Stewart Stevenson

18 Dec 2019 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on procurement contracts relating to its Reaching 100% programme.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Following my announcement on 10 October that BT plc was the sole bidder for lots 2 and 3, covering Central and South Scotland, I can confirm that these contracts were signed on Monday 16 December. BT plc has also been selected as the preferred bidder for lot…

12 Nov 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it undertakes with major employers to ensure that STEM courses are relevant and appropriate to the needs of commerce and industry.

8 Nov 2019 · SPCB Oral Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will consider introducing a scheme to support employees of MSPs who, for reasons of ill-health, are unable to continue in work.

Answer · Liam McArthur: The SPCB provides a pension scheme for MSPs’ staff which is administered on our behalf by AVIVA. This scheme makes provision for circumstances in which staff are unable to continue to work due to ill health. In such cases, staff who cannot carry out their n…

6 Nov 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on its commitment to help mitigate the damage to transport infrastructure caused by flooding in the north east and, in particular, the King Edward area in the Banffshire and Buchan Coast constituency.

6 Nov 2019 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for developing Scotland’s circular economy.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: A public consultation on proposals for a circular economy bill is being published today and runs until 19 December: https://consult.gov.scot/environment-forestry/circular-economy-proposals-for-legislation/ . The proposals form part of wider plans for a step…

30 Oct 2019 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to victims of financial crime in circumstances where banks seem to have failed to observe their own lending criteria and "know your customer" protocols.

18 Oct 2019 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government, following its announcement of Serco as the preferred bidder for the Northern Isles Ferry Services tender, when the contract will be signed.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: We have received further correspondence from the European Commission in relation to the ongoing complaint from Pentland Ferries that we want to consider and respond to before signing the contract. The current contract with Serco NorthLink Ferries Ltd has been…

2 Oct 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the reported decline in the number of European tourists visiting Scotland due to negative perceptions of Brexit.

18 Sep 2019 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its approach to implementing the ban on sending biodegradable municipal waste to landfill, which is due to be enforced from 1 January 2021.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The recent advice from the Committee on Climate Change reinforced the importance of reducing our reliance on landfill and the Scottish Government remains fully committed to ending the practice of sending biodegradable municipal waste to landfill . This will c…

27 Aug 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle the climate emergency.

17 Jun 2019 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Serco regarding the recent disruption to the Caledonian Sleeper service.

13 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many wild wrasse were (a) caught, (b) cultivated and (c) used by the aquaculture industry in (i) 2017 and (ii) 2018, broken down by species.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: (a) 39.6 tonnes and 38.1 tonnes wrasse were landed in 2017 and 2018 respectively as per the following table. 2017 data has been verified and published whereas 2018 remains provisional. Year Species Weight (tonnes) 2017 Ballan Wrasse 29.8  Corkwing Wras…

6 Jun 2019 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the procurement for the Reaching 100% programme.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: We are determined that R100 programme delivers the best possible value and benefit for Scotland and have designed a procurement process to achieve this. Key to doing so is to ensure a highly competitive process that results in the £600 million funding for thi…

15 May 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the impact that Brexit could have on immigration to Scotland.

8 May 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has invested in transport infrastructure in the north east in the last decade.

1 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it would cost to extend concessionary bus travel to all 16- to 24-year-olds.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Initial estimates of the cost to extend concessionary bus travel to all 16-24 year olds are in the region of £175 – £205 million per year, depending on the change in demand for bus travel.

27 Mar 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the decision by the UK Government to reject Aberdeenshire Council’s bid for funding from the Local Full Fibre Networks Challenge Fund to improve digital infrastructure.

21 Mar 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how much is spent per person on (a) health, (b) education, (c) transport, (d) policing, public order and safety and (e) housing and community amenities in (i) Scotland, (ii) England and (iii) Wales.

Answer · Derek Mackay: According to the following table from HM Treasury’s ‘Country and Regional Analysis: 2018’ identifiable public expenditure per person in 2017-18 on (a) health and social care, (b) education and training, (c) transport, (d) public order and safety (including po…

21 Mar 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how much is spent per person on environmental protection in (a) Scotland, (b) England and (c) Wales.

Answer · Derek Mackay: According to the following table from HM Treasury’s ‘Country and Regional Analysis: 2018’ identifiable public expenditure per person in 2017-18 on environmental protection in Scotland, England and Wales, was as follows. Spend per person on environmental prot…

21 Mar 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how much is spent per person on (a) agriculture, (b) fisheries and (c) forestry in (i) Scotland, (ii) England and (iii) Wales.

Answer · Derek Mackay: According to the following table from HM Treasury’s ‘Country and Regional Analysis: 2018’ identifiable public expenditure per person in 2017-18 on agriculture, fisheries and food and forestry in Scotland, England and Wales, was as follows. Spend per person o…

20 Mar 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much communities will receive from the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund in 2019-20.

18 Mar 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how much is spent per person on (a) health, (b) education, (c) transport, (d) policing, public order and safety, (e) housing and community amenities, (f) environmental protection, (g) agriculture, (h) fisheries and (i) forestry in (i) Scotland, (ii) Engl…

27 Feb 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact on the economy of a no deal Brexit.

27 Feb 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact concerns over a no deal Brexit are having on Scotland’s rural economy.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: A ‘no deal’ outcome threatens to be catastrophic for jobs, investment and living standards across Scotland and the rest of the UK. It would have severe and disproportionate impacts on Scotland and particularly to the rural economy where key economic growth se…

13 Feb 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that its commitment to develop rural clinics aligns with the needs of NHS boards and clinicians.

4 Feb 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it will make available to fish processors and exporters of live marine animals in the event of a hard deal Brexit.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: It is likely that the impact of a no deal Brexit will have catastrophic consequences for the seafood processing sector in Scotland and for adaption of live marine animals. Our seafood sector will be severely impacted by disruption at the port of Dover which w…

30 Jan 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Higher Education Statistics Agency recording a record number of students from deprived areas enrolling at university in Scotland.

4 Dec 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in meeting the target in its cancer strategy to increase NHS scope capacity by an additional 2,000 per annum on a sustainable basis.

5 Nov 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to NFU Scotland's claim that post-Brexit free trade agreements with Australia, New Zealand and the United States present few opportunities and could have the potential to undermine productions standards in Scotland.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: In discussions with the UK Government, Scottish Ministers have been clear that any future trade deals should not result in UK producers being undercut by imported products which have not been produced to the same standards required of our own domestic farmers…

31 Oct 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the impact of the proposals in the UK Budget on the lowest fifth of households in Scotland, in light of the comment by the Resolution Foundation that it will “overwhelmingly benefit richer households”.