Liam McArthur

11 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that a prisoner was denied medication while in HMP Grampian.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government cannot comment on individual cases. Healthcare provision in prisons is the responsibility of local Health Boards and Integration Joint Boards. Decisions about patient care and treatment are determined by a range of influences and are …

11 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is confident that continuity of care is provided in all Scottish Prison Service establishments.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The safe treatment and health of those in custody is a key priority for Scotland’s prisons. Our frontline prison officers, together with our NHS staff, work hard every day to support people in custody who often have complex health care needs. The responsibili…

6 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has not published the scheduled quarterly update of mental health professionals, and when this information will be shared.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The quarterly update on action 15 was published at 09:00 on 11 March 2020.

4 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many primary radar heads are expected to be installed in order to help deliver Highlands and Islands Airports Limited's Air Traffic Management Strategy, and, in respect of each radar head, what the projected cost is of the (a) equipment, (b) installation and (c) operation.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The provision of surveillance at each of Highlands and Islands Airports Limited’s (HIAL) Air Traffic Control airports is crucial to the delivery of modern, efficient and environmentally sound Air Traffic Services in the Highlands and Islands, where safe opera…

4 Mar 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on preparations for a ministerial visit to Orkney to view the impact of resident greylag geese on farmland and crops.

24 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-25332 by Maree Todd on 2 October 2019, what arrangements have been made to continue the Interventions for Vulnerable Youth service beyond the end of March 2020.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Interventions for Vulnerable Youth service transferred to Kibble Education and Care Centre in October 2019. Funding remains in place for the delivery of the current service until 1 April 2020. The Scottish Government value this important preventative ser…

21 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what projects have been supported by the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund in Orkney in (a) 2018 and (b) 2019.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Stones of Stenness was chosen as the location of one of the three initial pilots for the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund, with £80,000 awarded in March 2018 to Orkney Islands Council for that purpose. Work by the Council on delivering much needed car pa…

21 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the additional £3 million allocated to the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund will be used to enhance the visitor experience at tourist destinations in Orkney.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government's Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund, administered by VisitScotland, is investing £9 million in much-needed infrastructure across rural Scotland. £6 million has already been awarded over the first two rounds. Recognising both the succes…

21 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the 2020 Agri-Environmental Climate Scheme (AECS) will be open to new applicants.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-25939 on 24 October 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877…

21 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the 2019 Agri-Environmental Climate Scheme (AECS) contracts will be issued to successful applicants.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W–27559 on 24 February 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/parliamentarybusine…

21 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-26056 by Humza Yousaf on 13 November 2019, when it was established that there was a data gap, and when it expects the new platform to be live.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The data gap initially arose due to technological difficulties when the Scottish Government server was upgraded in 2014. Scottish Government analysts agreed with the Scottish Prison Service that SPS would provide public information on the prison population re…

21 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it would cost to upgrade each control tower in the Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) network.

Answer · Michael Matheson: As set out in the Air Traffic Management 2030 Strategy Programme Business Case, the estimated cost of deploying surveillance equipment at each airport is £19.8 million. This does not, however, include the cost of refurbishment / replacement of the existing to…

20 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there has been a delay to publishing updates on the prison population, and when up-to-date figures will be resumed.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: There had been a temporary delay to publishing weekly figures based on live and aggregated management information due to temporary resourcing issues at the SPS, however this has now been addressed and weekly publication has resumed and is up-to-date. In addi…

18 Feb 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Destination Orkney and Orkney Islands Council regarding the future needs of the tourism sector.

14 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish an updated National Flood Risk Assessment in partnership with SEPA.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) published the first National Flood Risk Assessment (NFRA) in December 2011. The Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 required SEPA to publish the second NFRA by 22 December 2018, and to subsequently revie…

14 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to meet the objective in the Flood Risk Management Plan for Orkney to (a) reduce the overall flood and (b) avoid an overall increase in flood risk, and how it has measured the effectiveness of any action taken.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-27453 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…

14 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to support the Flood Risk Management Plan for Orkney.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government undertakes a range of actions to support the Flood Risk Management Plan for Orkney and help meet the objectives set out within it. These include ensuring that national polices and guidance are in place to help reduce and avoid flooding…

14 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has invested in the research programme, Dynamic Change: Scotland’s Coastal Change Assessment, in each year since 2015.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Centre of Expertise for Waters, which is a Scottish Government-funded research partnership, has made £462,848 available for phases 1 and 2 of the Dynamic Coast project since 2014-15. This is split by financial year as follows: Phase 1 2014-15 - £39,269 …

12 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has approved for the rollout of Highlands and Islands Airports Limited's Air Traffic Management Strategy.

Answer · Michael Matheson: To date the Scottish Government has provided HIAL with £4.185 million in relation to its Air Traffic Management Strategy. Funding beyond ? 31 March 2020 is subject to the passage of the Budget Bill.

12 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects Highlands and Islands Airports Limited to have (a) commenced and (b) completed the rollout of the Combined Surveillance Centre.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The purchase of the Combined Surveillance Centre is expected to occur in March 2020. The building will undergo a significant remodelling process prior to equipment installation. The first operation is expected to go live in the final quarter of 2022 with the …

12 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the projected (a) annual and (b) total cost is for the infrastructure upgrades required for the Combined Surveillance Centre rollout by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The cost of infrastructure (building procurement and renovation, in addition to the connectivity implementation) is shown in the following table. These figures are high level estimates and may change as the Programme progresses.   Financial Year Cost (£m) …

12 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects Highlands and Islands Airports Limited to have commenced infrastructure upgrades for the planned Combined Surveillance Centre.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Upgrades to infrastructure are expected to commence in March 2020 with the procurement of the Combined Surveillance Centre building and the launch of a connectivity upgrading exercise at Sumburgh Airport.

12 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of recruitment forecasts for air traffic controllers in airports operated by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited, and whether it has received any information and assurances about recruitment and retention under the new Air Traffic Management Strategy.

Answer · Michael Matheson: HIAL continues to find recruitment of air traffic controllers challenging with a number of airports under complement. While HIAL are managing this situation in order to avoid, where possible, any impact on services, the lack of resilience this provides is not…

5 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-26057 by Humza Yousaf on 13 November 2019, by what date the shared operational database will go live, and what data it will include.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Justice Analytical Services (JAS) has been working closely with the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to deliver a shared approach for the dissemination of statistical information collected by their prisoner management information system, PR2. Following a meetin…

29 Jan 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will consult with community groups and councils in the Northern Isles on how to support efforts to extend the tourist season and increase ferry capacity for sailings on Northern Isles ferry routes.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: I recognise the importance of tourism to the economies of the Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands and acknowledge efforts locally to extend the tourism season. Transport Scotland officials, on behalf of the Scottish Government, regularly attend meetings in O…

29 Jan 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to provide funding for additional ferry services in the Northern Isles, in light of reports that additional services are to operate on CalMac ferry routes to Skye and between North Uist and Harris.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Ministers have of course taken full account of the need for Orkney and the wider Northern Isles as islands communities to prosper and grow when considering the provision of supported ferry services under the Northern Isles Ferry Services (NIFS) contract. This…

24 Jan 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what role it will have in the summit that is to be held in Glasgow regarding methods to tackle drug-related deaths.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Despite the UK Government announcing their Summit without any prior consultation with the Scottish Government or Glasgow, we recognise that what really matters is saving lives, and we sought to work collaboratively with the UK Government on the detail of the …

22 Jan 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the progress being made towards achieving the priorities set out in the Scottish Strategy for Autism.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government is committed to improving the lives of autistic people through the Scottish Strategy for Autism. The Scottish Government committed to publish a report on progress towards the priorities set out in the Scottish Strategy for Autism duri…

22 Jan 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to publish an update the 2014 mapping report for local autism services.

Answer · Clare Haughey: Whilst the Scottish Government is committed to improving the lives of autistic people in Scotland, it currently has no plans to update the 2014 mapping report for local autism services. The purpose of the mapping report was to provide each local authority wit…

22 Jan 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what autism strategies and action plans received support from the £35,000 that it allocated to each local authority in 2014 as part of the Scottish Strategy for Autism.

Answer · Clare Haughey: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-111179 on 26 September 2017. 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/parliamentarybus…