Parliamentary questions
Edward Mountain
327 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
12 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the construction of the proposed HMP Highland, which company was awarded the public contract published on 26 August 2020 to provide specialist professional advisory services relating to the development of the new prison facility; how much this cost; what actions were required …
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: Baker Hicks Ltd. were awarded the public contract published on 26 August 2020 to provide specialist advisory services relating…
12 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will launch its Consultation on Scottish Court Fees 2021-2024.
Answer · Ash Denham: There is no statutory requirement for the Scottish Government to review court fees on a specific date. However, court fees have generally been reviewed every three years, with the last full round being implemented in 2018. The Scottish Government intended to …
6 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the current waiting time is for children in (a) the NHS Highland region and (b) Scotland who are on the waiting list to have a neurological assessment under the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule.
Answer · Clare Haughey: This is a matter for each individual NHS Board. The information requested is not held centrally.
6 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the length of time for children waiting to have a neurological assessment under the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, including those waiting to be added to, as well as those already on, the waiting list.
Answer · Clare Haughey: Scottish Government funds the National Autism Implementation Team, which was established in partnership with Queen Margaret University and continues to support NHS Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships to consider best practice and improve service th…
6 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many children in (a) the NHS Highland region and (b) Scotland are currently waiting to be added onto the waiting list to have a neurological assessment under the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule.
Answer · Clare Haughey: This is a matter for each individual NHS Board. The information requested is not held centrally.
6 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the current waiting time is for children in (a) the NHS Highland region and (b) Scotland who are waiting to be added onto the waiting list to having a neurological assessment under the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule.
Answer · Clare Haughey: This is a matter for each individual NHS Board. The information requested is not held centrally.
6 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many children in (a) the NHS Highland region and (b) Scotland are currently on the waiting list to have a neurological assessment under the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule.
Answer · Clare Haughey: This is a matter for each individual NHS Board. The information requested is not held centrally.
3 Nov 2020 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the additional £700 million of funding from the UK Government for the current financial year will be spent.
6 Oct 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-31963 by Fergus Ewing on 6 October 2020, by what date the report of the Scottish Tourism Recovery Task Force will be published.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Tourism Recovery Taskforce report was published on 23 October.
21 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Scottish Tourism Recovery Task Force will publish its report on the recovery of the industry.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Taskforce report is being finalised at present, following the final meeting of the group on 23 September, and will be published shortly.
21 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will consider the expressions of interest it has received in developing a new medical school, and when a final decision will be made on its preferred location.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The answer to the former part of Mr Mountain’s question remains unchanged since it was last answered on 31 July. All Programme for Government commitments announced in 2019 (including the one to develop proposals for a new medical school in Scotland) have been…
21 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners who live in the Highlands have been accommodated outwith HMP Inverness in each month between March and August 2020.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: As part of our response to the pandemic, and in line with public health advice, Inter Prison Transfers were temporarily suspen…
21 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-30924 by Humza Yousaf on 20 August 2020, whether it will specify the current prison capacity at HMP Inverness that was determined by a dynamic risk assessment.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: Capacity is determined through a process of dynamic risk assessment to ensure appropriate accommodation is available for those…
21 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what rehabilitation courses are being run at HMP Inverness; in what ways the delivery of these have been impacted by social distancing measures, and how many prisoners have (a) attended and (b) completed such courses in each month between March and August 2020.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: HMP Inverness did not deliver these activities during the time period identified as group delivery was suspended in response t…
15 Sep 2020 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether community councils have been able to fully contribute to local government during the COVID-19 pandemic.
9 Sep 2020 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what additional action it is taking to protect apprenticeship schemes in the Highlands and Islands, and how this compares with the rest of Scotland.
2 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when physical work on delivering Lot 1 of the R100 high-speed broadband programme will (a) begin and (b) be completed.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The award of the North Lot contract of the Reaching 100% (R100) programme has been on hold pending the resolution of a procurement challenge raised by Gigaclear in December 2019. Now that a settlement has been agreed and the case has been formally dismissed,…
26 Aug 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-30897 by Fergus Ewing on 20 August 2020, whether the Rural Payments and Services CAP digital platform was able to assess and process all payments without overrides or manual intervention; how many staff were required to process payments in (a) 2017,…
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Rural Payments and Services system was designed to require consideration or confirmation from staff under certain conditions. There will always be a proportion of cases that require staff intervention. As with any IT system we continue to make improvement…
3 Aug 2020 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what additional funding the finance secretary has made available to allow schools to return from 11 August.
24 Jul 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-30426 by Humza Yousaf on 21 July 2020, what the maximum capacity of HMP Inverness is when adhering to the latest advice on social-distancing measures.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: Prison capacity is determined through a process of dynamic risk assessment this is to ensure appropriate accommodation is avai…
23 Jul 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether its IT system for common agricultural payments is fully operational and able to process payments in accordance with the specifications that were set out when it was purchased and, if so, for what reason loans are being issued for basic payment claims that were submitted in May 20…
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Rural Payments and Services CAP digital platform is operational with a number of routine enhancements currently being prepared in readiness for the 2020 scheme year. For the 2019 scheme year all payment targets have been met or exceeded with just over £44…
15 Jul 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-29800 by Jean Freeman on 10 July 2020, whether construction commenced in June 2020 and, if so, what form this took.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, construction commenced on the North of Scotland Elective Care Centre on 20 July 2020. This consists of advanced construction site works, including archaeological examinations. It is anticipated that the main contra…
2 Jul 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average population of HMP Inverness has been in each (a) year and (b) month since 1 January 2018.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: Table 1 provides a breakdown of the average population of HMP Inverness in each year since 1 January 2018. Table 2 provides a…
2 Jul 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the key criteria will be for it to assess the proposals for a new medical school in Scotland.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The proposals that were submitted by interested parties in February 2020 were substantively developed prior to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. We invited proposals which would i) meet our goals around widening access, ii) supply future doctors with the ap…
2 Jul 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when work will resume on developing proposals for a new medical school in Scotland.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government remains committed to fully reviewing each of the proposals received. Pursuant to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, work on the development of proposals for a new medical school has been formally paused. We have not yet set a timet…
2 Jul 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which institutions have submitted expressions of interest in developing a new medical school in Scotland.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Following a formal call for expressions of interest, proposals were received from 7 institutions across Scotland by the deadline of Friday 28 February 2020. Those institutions were Aberdeen University, Dundee University, Edinburgh University, Glasgow Universi…
2 Jul 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its contingency plans are in the event that the ongoing legal challenge concerning Lot 1 of the R100 high-speed broadband programme is not resolved before 31 December 2020.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: It would be inappropriate to comment on the North Lot of the Reaching 100% programme, while legal proceedings are ongoing or to speculate on the outcome. It is for the courts to determine the timetable, but it has been made clear, in proceedings, that there i…
2 Jul 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of how funding from the Bed and Breakfast Hardship Fund has been allocated by each local authority.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-30419 on 28 July 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/28…
2 Jul 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications to the Bed and Breakfast Hardship Fund were submitted by businesses paying rates to The Highland Council, and how many were successful.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government continues to support Scotland’s businesses by passing on every penny we receive from the UK Government and more. Our approach to supporting businesses is tailored to Scotland’s economic needs and we have developed a package of measures…
2 Jul 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications were submitted to the Bed and Breakfast Hardship Fund, and how many were successful.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government continues to support Scotland’s businesses by passing on every penny we receive from the UK Government and more. Our approach to supporting businesses is tailored to Scotland’s economic needs and we have developed a package of measures…