Liam McArthur

23 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the establishment of so-called emission zones, in which diesel and petrol vehicles would be charged for entering.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-07455 on 8 March 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/parliamentarybusiness/2…

23 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last discussed undertaking trials of connected and autonomous vehicles with (a) Scottish Enterprise, (b) the UK Government and (c) other bodies, and whether it will publish any (i) correspondence and (ii) minutes of meetings regarding this.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government recognises that the legislative and regulatory frameworks on autonomous vehicles are largely reserved to the UK Government but supports and encourages research, testing and development of autonomous vehicles in Scotland, subject to ens…

22 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4W-25353, S4W-26131, S4W-27521, S4W-28458 and S4W-29913 by John Swinney on 7 May 2015, 7 July 2015, 29 September 2015, 2 December 2015 and 8 March 2016 respectively, and to question S5W-00414 by Angela Constance on 14 June 2016, on what date it will …

Answer · Derek Mackay: I refer the member to my answer to S5W-07384 on 22 February 2017, and to my letter of 10 March 2017 to the Finance and Constitution Committee, which is available in SPICe (BiB number 58578). All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on th…

22 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it will provide between now and August 2019 for (a) the ongoing expansion of the publicly available ChargePlace Scotland network and (b) the installation of (i) domestic and (ii) workplace charge points.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The amount and composition of funding for electric vehicle infrastructure beyond 2017-18 will be agreed annually, to ensure funding is deployed in such a way as to maximise support for electric vehicle uptake.

22 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many drivers it expects to complete fuel-efficient driver training in each year until 2032.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The amount and composition of funding for fuel efficient driver training in 2017-18 is currently being finalised, following the approval of the Budget Bill by the Scottish Parliament on 23 February 2017. The amount and composition of funding for fuel efficie…

22 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will support fuel-efficient driver training.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government grant funds the Energy Saving Trust for a range of transport programmes, which includes fuel efficient driver training sessions. These sessions are promoted to organisations through the local EST transport advisor network and are usual…

22 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to providing payment exemptions to electric vehicles on ferry operators in the (a) Northern Isles and (b) rest of Scotland.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Prior to the full roll-out of Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) on the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS) network, an electric vehicle discount scheme was implemented in March 2014 on the busy routes to Bute and Mull. This discount scheme provided a 50% disc…

22 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to use scrappage schemes to encourage drivers to switch to electric cars.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: We have no current plans to introduce a vehicle scrappage scheme in Scotland.

22 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to identify locations for a phased ban in the use of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2025.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government is engaging with local authorities and other key stakeholders to identify an early adopter low-emission zone location for Scotland’s first low-emission zone in 2018. A number of local authorities have already expressed an interest in t…

22 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to decarbonise publicly (a) owned and (b) managed transport fleets.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Our Switched On Fleets initiative commenced in 2014 and offered free, evidence-based analysis of public sector fleets, identifying new opportunities for the cost effective deployment of electric vehicles. Through Switched On Fleets, we’ve provided over £3.7 …

22 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what percentage of vehicles in publicly (i) owned and (ii) managed transport fleets are (A) petrol, (B) diesel and (C) electric.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: There are currently 204 vehicles in the Scottish Government fleet, of which 17 (8%) are petrol, 161 (79%) are diesel and 26 (13%) are electric (either fully electric or plug-in hybrids). There are currently 5 vehicles in the Transport Scotland fleet, of whic…

22 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on increasing on-street parking charges for diesel cars.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government has set a vision of freeing Scotland’s towns, cities and communities from the damaging emissions from petrol and diesel fuelled vehicles by 2050. While local authorities with decriminalised parking enforcement powers are responsible fo…

22 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Doctors Against Diesel campaign regarding the effects on health of both long-term and short-term exposure to small particles and gases from fossil-fuel derived air pollution.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government recognises the health impacts of exposure to transport generated air pollution, especially on the very young and old and those with existing respiratory and cardiovascular conditions. Scotland’s air quality is generally good, but hotsp…

21 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of premises in (a) Orkney, (b) Shetland, (c) the rest of the Highlands and Islands and (d) the rest of Scotland can access superfast broadband, also broken down by the percentage that can access this because of the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: As of 30 September 2016, superfast coverage – through the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme and commercial deployment – is as follows: Orkney – 48.8% Shetland – 51.6% Highlands & Islands – 65.2% Rest of Scotland – 88.5% These figures …

16 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06417 by Michael Matheson on 3 February 2017, what alternative locations there are to prisons for young offenders on remand to be held overnight.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: Other than a prison, young people on remand can be held overnight in a Young Offenders Institution or a Legalised Police Cell (LPC). A LPC w…

16 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06417 by Michael Matheson on 3 February 2017, in how many cases a court decision was made to prevent a young offender on remand to be held overnight in an adult prison in each year since 2012.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: With the information the Scottish Prison Service has readily available, we have no record of this taking place. This information is not held…

16 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06417 by Michael Matheson on 3 February 2017, how many young offenders on remand have been placed in each prison since 2010, broken down by those being held for (a) up to one night, (b) two to three nights, (c) four to five nights and (d) six or mor…

Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: This information is not readily available on our electronic Prisoner Records System and requires significant resource time to extract this d…

16 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06417 by Michael Matheson on 3 February 2017, whether the reasons that young offenders on remand are held in a prison overnight are (a) statutory or (b) non-statutory; under what circumstances young offenders are on remand in prisons; whether there …

Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: Young people remanded to SPS custody can legally be held in either a prison or Young Offenders Institution (YOI). In recent years SPS has t…

15 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in implementing the recommendations in the Review of Governance in Policing, and when 12-month review of the report is due.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The SPA board considered an update on the current status of the implementation plan, which has been developed from the recommendation made within the Chair's Review of Governance report, at the public board meeting on 24 February 2017. The paper is available …

14 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5W-00157, S5W-00158, S5W-00159, S5W-00160, S5W-00161 and S5W-00162 by Fergus Ewing on 1 June 2016, whether it will provide an update on (a) what progress is being made with and (b) how it will ensure that organisations, businesses and charities will …

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-07232 on 15 March 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/parliamentarybusiness/…

14 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-02951 by Fergus Ewing on 3 October 2016, whether it will publish the findings of its analysis, and what subsequent steps it has taken.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to supporting food and drink producers from across Scotland, including those located across the islands and regions. The industry leadership body, Scotland Food and Drink, has recently facilitated an extensive e…

14 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the timetable for the introduction of an islands bill.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: As set out in the Programme for Government 2016-17 this Bill is part of the Scottish Government’s Year one legislative programme. The Government sequences the introduction of Bills across the parliamentary year. The Minister for Parliamentary Business has me…

14 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the Transition Training Fund supports oil and gas workers who have lost their jobs in finding alternative work with onshore employers, and how many applicants to the fund have found new employment.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The £12 million Transition Training Fund, launched in 1 February 2016, offers support with training grants to help individuals retrain, upskill or get accreditation or certification that could help individuals get a new job in oil and gas, the wider energy se…

14 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ban the carrying of so-called zombie knives.

Answer · Michael Matheson: It already is a criminal offence to carry in public any blade or instrument with a sharp point. There is an exception relating to a folding pocketknife less than three inches in length. The criminal law therefore bans the carrying of so called zombie-knives i…

14 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the action that it is taking to support oil and gas workers who have lost their jobs in finding alternative work with onshore employers, and what its position is on reports that some employers are discriminating against applicants with offshore experi…

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government has done everything it can to minimise redundancies in the oil and gas industry, but where this has not been possible, we have supported affected employees through our initiative for responding to redundancy situations, Partnership Act…

14 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Fathers4Justice campaign, Forgotten Fathers.

Answer · Annabelle Ewing: Any suicide is a tragedy and we express sincere condolences to the families of any person who has died by suicide. Nearly three-quarters of suicides in Scotland are by men. (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) OECD reports that death rates…

14 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to ensure that its proposed changes to air passenger duty will not lead to passengers on connecting services with the rest of the UK being double-taxed; what discussions it has had or plans with the UK Government regarding this, and whether it will publish any co…

Answer · Derek Mackay: Once section 17(4) of the Scotland Act 2016 takes effect, which is expected to be on 1 April 2018, Air Passenger Duty (APD) will only apply to flights beginning after that date from an airport in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. After that date, Air Depar…

14 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to calls from the Chartered Institute of Taxation for it to provide more information regarding its proposed changes to air passenger duty; what the timetable is for how the changes will be phased in, and what plans it has for an independent assessment of the (a) soci…

Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government will provide further detail on its legislative proposals for tax exemptions, tax bands and tax rate amounts for Air Departure Tax (ADT) at a later date. The Scottish Government has developed and is continuing to refine an evidence base…

14 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support disabled people who are victims of bullying or harassment at work.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People describes a Scotland where we want equal opportunities for disabled people in education. and employment, as well as improved awareness and understanding of discrimination, prejudice and barriers faced by disabled people …

14 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the survey of disabled people in the UK by the charity Scope, which suggested that (a) 53% have been bullied or harassed at work, (b) 21% have tried to hide their disability from their employers and (c) 58% felt at risk of losing their job due to their disability.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government is concerned about these findings. We believe in promoting opportunities and fair treatment for everyone in workplace, irrespective of personal and demographic characteristics. We know that bullying and harassment in the workplace dam…