Liam McArthur

10 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken in light of reports that two in five fostered teenagers are living with their third foster family since going into care.

Answer · Fiona McLeod: The Scottish Government recognises the need for all children and young people, including those who are in care, to live in a safe, secure, permanent, nurturing home. Regrettably, we know that too many children and young people in care experience drift and del…

3 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what formula it used to calculate fares for (a) cars and (b) passengers on ferry services between Colintraive and Rhubodach.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) formulae from 2013 were used to calculate the RET fares for the October 2015 roll out, of RET to the Colintraive-Rhubodach service. For cars, this is a fixed element of £5 plus £0.80 per mile and for passengers this is a fixe…

3 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Beauly to Denny transmission line is at capacity and, if so, what plans are in place to support any future upgrade.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Beauly to Denny transmission line is on track to become fully energised by November 2015. It will not operate at its full capacity initially as other circuits on the east coast will reach their full capacity before Beauly to Denny. Network reinforcement …

3 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to enable renewable energy generation in Orkney and the other island groups to be exported to the mainland.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Since S4W-22028 answered on the 30 July 2014, the Scottish Island Renewables Delivery Forum has met on a further two occasions, in September 2014 and January 2015. As a result of close intergovernmental work the UK Government has recognised calls for addition…

3 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Orkney Islands Council about when the islands' internal ferry fleet will be replaced.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government has been working closely with Orkney Islands Council and others, to consider Orkney’s internal ferry services. The Scottish Government has recently committed to jointly funding a strategic transport appraisal guidance (STAG2) study to …

3 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects superfast broadband to be rolled out to Stronsay and the other outer north isles of Orkney.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government and its public and private sector partners are investing over £410 million in the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme to deliver fibre broadband to 85% premises by 2015-16 and 95% by 2017-18. Significant benefits are …

3 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to attract and retain young people in the smaller islands within Orkney and other island groups.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is committed to working with its delivery agencies and local authorities to ensure that there are opportunities for young people throughout Scotland’s islands, supporting businesses, social enterprises and community organisations in th…

3 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to replacing the air ambulance helicopter with a fixed-wing aircraft based in Orkney.

Answer · Shona Robison: The management and deployment of air ambulance services is an operational matter for the Scottish Ambulance Service which it contracts out to a specialist provider. The service recently completed a re-procurement programme of its air ambulance services whic…

1 Jun 2015 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on reports that teachers are working 11 hours each week on top of their contracted hours.

21 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the use of mobile repeaters to help extend mobile phone coverage in rural and island areas and with what conclusions.

Answer · John Swinney: Mobile repeaters are routinely used by mobile operators to extend their network coverage, predominantly in urban areas. As part of our Demonstrating Digital programme, together with industry, we are exploring methods to demonstrate more cost effective rural …

21 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it (a) has taken and (b) will take to improve mobile phone coverage in rural and island areas.

Answer · John Swinney: Achieving widespread 4G coverage throughout rural Scotland, whilst ensuring that the gap between those who don’t receive 3G or even 2G services doesn’t widen, is a priority for the Scottish Government. A fundamental part of our World Class Digital programme i…

18 May 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Highlands and Islands Enterprise regarding whether Wave Energy Scotland should be located in Orkney.

15 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether Employer Recruitment Incentive payments will continue in their current form after 31 May 2015.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Yes, the Youth Employment Scotland Fund will continue to deliver incentives in their current form after 31 May 2015. We committed in our refreshed youth employment strategy to bring forward a revised approach to recruitment incentives which will focus on thos…

12 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment the National Scottish Steering Group for Educational Psychologists has made of (a) the suitability of the funding support available for students and (b) current and future staffing levels in the sector.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: We are currently funding a position in Education Scotland to work with the National Scottish Steering Group for Educational Psychologists (NSSGEP) to undertake a workforce planning project for educational psychology services in Scotland. As part of this proje…

12 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many students have trained as educational psychologists in each of the last three years.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: The University of Dundee and the University of Strathclyde run, with an intake in alternate years, two year Master of Science (MSc) courses in educational psychology. The number of students starting the course and the number of students successfully completin…

6 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-25286 by Angela Constance on 6 May 2015, if there is a change in its position, whether it will inform the Parliament before any action is taken.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government has no plans to participate in any future sale of student loan debt. Should the Scottish Government’s position change, the government would follow the appropriate consultation processes and consult with all relevant stakeholders.

5 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-25348 by Angela Constance on 5 May 2015, whether it has established a timeframe for the Widening Access Commission to report back with its conclusions.

Answer · Angela Constance: The commission has been asked to provide an interim report in the autumn, followed by a final report in spring 2016.

28 Apr 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will address the reported disparity in the number of disabled people in Scotland enrolled in modern apprenticeships compared with the numbers in the rest of the UK.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham : In December 2014 the Scottish Government published Developing the Young Workforce: Scotland's Youth Employment Strategy - Implementing the Recommendations of the Commission for Developing Scotland's Young Workforce. You can view the document via the following…

28 Apr 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-25249 by Derek McKay on 24 April 2015, if no increase was assumed in table 11.7 where the road equivalent tariff (RET) would result in a higher fare, for what reason RET was not introduced on the routes where it would result in lower fares.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The fares in table 11.7 of the 2011 Halcrow report contained a number of assumptions and were for illustration purposes only. The Ferries Plan, published in December 2012, was clear that implementing the road equivalent tariff (RET) on routes to the Northern …

28 Apr 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the differences are between the funding formula used to calculate road equivalent tariff fares in Assessment of the Impacts of the Road Equivalent Tariff Pilot: Draft Final Report of March 2011 and in Scottish Ferry Services: Ferries Plan (2013-2022), published in December 2012, and…

Answer · Derek Mackay: Based on independent contemporary research, the variable element of the road equivalent tariff (RET) car formula, the rate per mile, was updated in 2012 to £0.80 per mile to reflect the higher costs of motoring. A comparable increase was made to the variable …

27 Apr 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many disabled people have applied for a modern apprenticeship in each of the last three years; how many of them were aged 16 to 24, and what percentage of modern apprenticeship placements this represents.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham : As all apprentices in Scotland must be employed and recruitment is, rightly, a matter for employers, we do not have figures that tell us how many disabled people have applied for a modern apprenticeship (MA) opportunity. Our national skills body, Skills Deve…

23 Apr 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government who the membership of the Widening Access Commission are; what its remit is, and whether this will include examining student financial support levels.

Answer · Angela Constance: Further to the appointment of Dame Ruth Silver as Chair, the Scottish Government announced the membership of the Widening Access Commission in a press release on Wednesday 29 April 2015. Members are: Professor Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice-Chancello…

20 Apr 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether farmers applying for support under the new common agricultural policy will be required to submit their Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) forms in advance of the publication of the details about the payment regions.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: As per the answer to question S4W-25316 on 7 May 2015, farmers have already received details of the provisional allocations of their agricultural land into the three payment regions, however, this information is not necessary for the completion of the single …

20 Apr 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will publish details of the payment regions under the new common agricultural policy, and what discussions it has had with NFU Scotland regarding the delays in publication.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Details of the payment regions were announced to Parliament on the 11 June 2014. Since then, in October 2014, we wrote to each individual farmer with details of the provisional allocation of their agricultural land into the three new payment regions. Farmers …

14 Apr 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on student debt being included in any future sale of debt.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government has no plans to participate in any future sale of student loan debt.

2 Apr 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it reconciles the statement in the letter to Liam McArthur MSP from the Minister for Transport and Islands dated 5 February 2015 that “The Ferries Plan, published in December 2012, made clear that Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) will form the basis for the fares structure across all sai…

Answer · Derek Mackay: We have always been clear that while road equivalent tariff RET would reduce some fares on services to the Northern Isles, it would significantly increase a number of fares. Therefore the commitment made in The Ferries Plan, published in December 2012, is to …

26 Mar 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when student support rates for 2015-16 will be published.

Answer · Angela Constance: The 2015-16 funding guide, which includes details of student support rates, became available on the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) website on 2 April 2015. The SAAS events team has distributed the guide at events since 26 March 2015. The Scottish Gove…

11 Mar 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the debate on motion S4M-12218 on 18 February 2015, where Wave Energy Scotland is to be located in the future.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: A small Wave Energy Scotland team will be located in the Highlands and Islands. The final decision on location is one for Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

11 Mar 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers the decision to locate Wave Energy Scotland in Inverness is consistent with the commitment to "island-proof" all decisions by it and its agencies.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Wave Energy Scotland (WES) inception team is currently based in Inverness. A decision on the permanent location – or locations – for WES in the Highlands and Islands has not yet been made. This is a matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

11 Mar 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the issue of Wave Energy Scotland being located in Orkney will be considered at the next meeting of the Island Areas Ministerial Working Group.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-24831 on 25 March 2015. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentary…