Parliamentary questions
John Finnie
1,255 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
23 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the advice on which it based the decision to put out to tender an eight-year contract for Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services from October 2016.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The decision was taken after consideration of the European Commission guidelines (2014) on the interpretation of Council Regulation 3577/92 applying the principles of freedom to provide services to maritime transport within members states (marine cabotage) an…
23 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to start the competitive procedure with negotiation procurement process with bidders for the 2016 to 2024 contract for Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services and to what extent this process will inform (a) passenger service, (b) employment and (c) pension specifications in the i…
Answer · Derek Mackay: The answer to question S4W-24448 on 17 February 2015 announced the start of the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services procurement process. The invitation to tender is due to issue in June 2015. This will confirm the specification for services being tendered and w…
23 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the deadline is for bidders for the 2016 to 2024 contract for Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services to submit their proposals for meeting passenger service obligations.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The current timeline anticipates bidders submitting initial tenders by the end of July 2015. These tenders will include proposals for passenger service obligations. Following the negotiating procedure on non-mandatory elements of the tender specification, fin…
23 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the deadline is for bidders for the 2016 to 2024 contract for Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services to submit their proposals for meeting (a) employment and (b) pension obligations.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The current timeline anticipates bidders submitting initial tenders by the end of July 2015. Following the negotiated procedure on non-mandatory elements of the tender specification, final tenders are anticipated to be submitted by the end of January 2016. Th…
23 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the differences are between competitive dialogue and competitive procedure with negotiation in the procurement of public ferry services.
Answer · Derek Mackay: Competitive procedure with negotiation is the preferred procurement process for tendering the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services. It provides for a mandatory service specification, whilst affording the opportunity for bidders to highlight their approach to inn…
23 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will issue the invitation to tender (ITT) for the 2016 to 2024 contract for Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services and whether it will consult potential bidders on the contractual specifications prior to publication of the ITT.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The ITT is due to issue in June 2015. The publication of the contract notice, prospectus and pre-qualification questionnaire on 17 February 2015 means that we are now constrained in the discussions we can have with bidders. Consequently, we will not consult b…
23 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd’s total annual spend on (a) vessels and (b) infrastructure on the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network (i) was between 1 January 2007 and 31 January 2015 and (ii) is estimated to be in each year between 2016 and 2024.
Answer · Derek Mackay: Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd’s (CMAL) total annual spend on vessels and infrastructure on the Clyde and Hebrides ferry service network is as follows: Actual Capital expenditure (£) Year Ending Vessels Infrastructure 31 March 2008 5,000 3,923 31 Ma…
23 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which (a) paragraphs or (b) sections of the Scottish Ferries Services: Ferries Plan (2013-2022) will form the basis of the 2016 to 2024 contract for Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services.
Answer · Derek Mackay: All relevant sections of the ferries plan that relate to the Clyde and Hebrides, together with other strategic policy commitments, will be reflected in the invitation to tender and accompanying draft contract, due to issue in June 2015.
23 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what profits Caledonian MacBrayne made in each year of its 2007 to 2013 contract for Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services and which routes were (a) most and (b) least profitable over the life of the contract.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The profits in each year of the Clyde and Hebrides ferry service contract are as follows: Contract Year 1 £2.2 million Contract Year 2 £2.2 million Contract Year 3 £2.1 million Contract Year 4 £2.1 million Contract Year 5 £2.2 million Contract Year…
23 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the total annual value was of the 2007 to 2013 contract with Caledonian MacBrayne for Clyde and Hebrides ferry services and what estimate it has made of the total annual value of the contract extension to October 2016 that it signed in 2013.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The total annual value of the Clyde and Hebrides ferry service contract is as follows: Contract Year 1 (October 2007-September 2008) £47 million Contract Year 2 £55 million Contract Year 3 £58 million Contract Year 4 £63.1 million Contract Year 5 …
23 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the projected passenger fare revenues will be in each year of the 2016 to 2024 contract for Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services and whether bidders for the contract will be entitled to revenue support from the Scottish Government under specified circumstances.
Answer · Derek Mackay: Information on passenger fare revenues will form part of tender submissions and considerations. In order not to prejudice bids, this information is considered commercially sensitive until the procurement process is complete.
23 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the estimated value of the contract for a harbour operating agreement on Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services from 2016 to 2024 in terms of (a) contract payments, (b) vessel and infrastructure investment and (c) total annual public subsidy paid by Cale…
Answer · Derek Mackay: Information on contract payments, vessel and infrastructure investment, and annual public subsidy will form part of tender submissions and considerations. In order not to prejudice bids, this information is considered commercially sensitive until baseline fig…
23 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the estimated value of the contract for provision of Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services from 2016 to 2024 in terms of (a) contract payments, (b) vessel and infrastructure investment, (c) implementing the Road Equivalent Tariff and (d) total annual pu…
Answer · Derek Mackay: Information on contract payments, vessel and infrastructure investment, and annual public subsidy will form part of tender submissions and considerations. In order not to prejudice bids, this information is considered commercially sensitive until the procurem…
23 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the availability of translators in Mandarin in the civil or criminal justice court system.
Answer · Michael Matheson: This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court Service (SCS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCS who will reply in writing within 20 days
23 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether people accessing the civil or criminal justice court system who require a translator have equal access to such a service regardless of location, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer · Michael Matheson: This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court Service (SCS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCS who will reply within 20 days.
23 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements are in place to ensure that the civil or criminal justice court system does not place at a disadvantage people who do not have a sufficient understanding of English.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Where a person is the subject of criminal proceedings, interpretation and translation assistance is statutorily required by the Right to Interpretation and Translation in Criminal Proceedings (Scotland) Regulations 2014. The court hearing those proceedings mu…
17 Feb 2015 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much compensation was paid out by Police Scotland and its predecessor service in each of the last three years.
10 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the impact was on each sheriff court of the agreement between Police Scotland and Sheriffs Principal for a reduction in the court programme for domestic abuse cases for the duration of the Commonwealth Games.
Answer · Michael Matheson: This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court Service (SCS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCS who will reply in writing with 20 days.
9 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency regarding the reported increase in marine mammal strandings off the west coast and the factors that might have contributed to these.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has no role in relation to marine mammal strandings. Accordingly the Scottish Government has not had any discussions with them on this matter.
9 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has had discussions with the Ministry of Defence regarding whether military traffic levels have contributed to the reported increase of marine mammal strandings off the west coast.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has no role in relation to marine mammal strandings. We are not aware of any discussions between them and the Ministry of Defence. The Scottish Government does however fund the Scottish Rural College in Inverness to…
4 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the creation of Police Scotland resulted in changes to procedures for a member of the public who wishes to make a criminal accusation against a member of (a) Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal staff and (b) the judiciary.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The procedure for any member of the public who wishes to make a criminal accusation against a member of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal staff or the judiciary has not changed as a result of the creation of Police Scotland. If a member of the public be…
4 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the procedure is when a member of the public wishes to make a criminal accusation against a member of (a) Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal staff and (b) the judiciary.
Answer · Michael Matheson: If a member of the public believes that a criminal offence has been committed, they should report this to Police Scotland on the 101 non- emergency number or write to Chief Constable Sir Stephen House, Police Scotland, PO Box 21184, Alloa, FK10 9DE.
4 Feb 2015 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, further to the answer to question S4O-03697 by David Stewart on 13 November 2014 (Official Report, c.33), whether it has now received a response from the trustees of the pension scheme and, if so, whether it will publish this.
Answer · John Pentland: I understand the trustees are due to discuss the matter at their next quarterly meeting on 3 March 2015. The corporate body will provide an update on this matter as soon as possible after receiving a response from the trustees.
2 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the absence of livestock grazing on areas susceptible to landslides such as the Rest and Be Thankful.
Answer · Derek Mackay: As part of the A83 Route Study, Transport Scotland commissioned the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) to undertake an examination of potential ecological and related landslide solutions. TRL produced a report addressing the proposed solutions which includes…
2 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many major disruptions there have been on the Far North railway line in each (a) quarter of each of the last five years and (b) of the last six months; what the nature was of each disruption, and what impact each had on passenger numbers.
Answer · Derek Mackay: (a) The number of major disruptions on the Far North railway line in each quarter of the last five years has been as follows: Year Quarter 1 (Jan-March) Quarter 2 (April-June) Quarter 3 (July-Sept) Quarter 4 (Oct-Dec) Total 2010 5 1 1 5 12 20…
2 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on extending Student Awards Agency for Scotland funding to distance learning students studying for their first undergraduate degree.
Answer · Angela Constance: Through the part-time fee grant (PTFG), many students who want to undertake their first undergraduate degree through distance learning are now able to access funding support. All eligible students undertaking their first undergraduate degree, with a personal…
2 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact ineligibility for Student Awards Agency for Scotland funding has on access to higher education for people wanting to study by distance learning.
Answer · Angela Constance: All eligible students with a personal income of less than £25,000 per annum can apply to the Student Awards Agency for Scotland for an award of part-time fee grant (PTFG). This includes students studying with the Open University or other institutions offering…
2 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what importance it considers distance learning has in broadening access to higher education.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of distance learning in providing students with flexibility in how they choose to engage in higher education. In 2014, through the part-time fee grant, 13,773 students with the Open University and other insti…
2 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of distance learning courses is taken by undergraduates who are (a) mature students, (b) disabled, (c) on low incomes and (d) from remote areas.
Answer · Angela Constance: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-24260 on 12 February 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/parliamenta…
2 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of degree-level distance learning courses is taken by undergraduates who are (a) mature students, (b) disabled, (c) on low incomes and (d) from remote areas.
Answer · Angela Constance: The latest data for students on distance learning courses at Scottish Higher Education institutions (HEIs) are Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data for 2013-14. Tables 1, 2 and 4 provide information by age, declaration of disability and urban/rural…