Gail Ross

14 Feb 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether a woman can request additional NHS smear tests if she has had a past diagnosis of abnormal or pre-cancerous cells, and in what circumstances a woman can request a higher frequency of tests other than on this basis.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government, along with the rest of the UK is advised on all aspects of screening by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) an independent expert advisory group. The UK NSC currently recommends that women should be screened routinely for cer…

13 Feb 2019 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the new Scottish Forestry organisation will use the ePlanning portal to allow greater community consultation and transparency for proposed new planting or changes to the management of the forest estate.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is committed to consulting and involving communities in decisions about forestry projects. The ePlanning portal is not suitable for the forestry consultation process, as it only handles the application submission stage. However work is…

4 Feb 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its policy is on the use of mobile phones in school classrooms, and whether it has any plans for a complete ban on personal devices.

Answer · John Swinney: Given the prevalence of mobile phone ownership, and the wide ranging potential of mobile phones to support and enhance the learning experience, we have no plans to impose an outright ban at a national level. We urge schools and local authorities to think care…

30 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how complete the Scottish Land Register is.

Answer · Kate Forbes: This is a question for the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland. She advises me that as at 31 Jan 2019 there are 1,808,661 titles on the Land Register representing 66.7% of the total. The land mass this represents is 33.8% of Scotland’s circa 8m hectares.  

29 Jan 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it can support schools to ensure that their staff and teachers are trauma informed.

28 Jan 2019 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what support the Scottish Government provides to mountain rescue services.

23 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans there are to extend the use of the railhead at Georgemas to commercial use in order to take more freight off roads and onto railways.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Decisions on moving goods and the development of freight facilities are primarily a commercial matter. However, optimising the use of the rail freight facilities at Georgemas has been discussed as part of the work of Far North Line Review Team. The Review Tea…

17 Jan 2019 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to better understand the role that mobile abattoirs could play in the rural economy and constituencies such Caithness, Sutherland and Ross.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government recognises the importance local slaughter provisions can play in the red meat sector. As such on the 16 January we invited applications through our Contract Research Fund Project to bid for a research project that will look to assess t…

16 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Crown Office will publish its final letter of instruction to the Procurator Fiscal at Dingwall from January 1996 regarding tolls on the Skye bridge.

Answer · James Wolffe QC: The Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has no plans to publish a letter of instruction (dated 5 January 1996) from the then Deputy Crown Agent to the Procurator Fiscal Dingwall regarding tolls on the Skye Bridge. COPFS would consider any request…

16 Jan 2019 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the invitation to tender for the Northern Isles Ferry Services will be issued.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Invitation to Tender for the Northern Isles Ferry Services was issued to the pre-qualifying participants at 14.00 on 17 January 2019.

16 Jan 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made with the Far North Line Working Group's proposals.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Far North Line Review Team has made significant progress since establishment in 2017, including identifying an improved timetable for the route, removal of temporary speed restrictions, identification of possible infrastructure enhancement options, linesp…

5 Dec 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve addiction support services in the Highlands.

4 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of homes in each local authority area are not connected to the mains gas network.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The following table provides the number of estimated homes, and the percentage in each local authority, which are not connected to the mains gas network.   Off Gas Grid (OGG) Domestic properties - 2016 Estimated number OGG Estimated % OGG Total homes in …

4 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to alleviate fuel poverty in rural areas, and how the level of rural fuel poverty compares with urban areas.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: We already provide extensive support to remote, rural and island communities and are committed to working with stakeholders to develop more innovation and flexibilities across all local area on delivery of our programmes. We are committed to continuing to spe…

4 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what additional support it offers to households facing fuel poverty, and how this is publicised. 

Answer · Kevin Stewart: By the end of 2021, we will have allocated over £1 billion since 2009 through energy efficiency programmes to make homes warmer and cheaper to heat. Since 2013, over 120,000 homes throughout Scotland have benefited from energy efficiency measures through our …

27 Nov 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the last review of how probationer teachers are allocated was undertaken.

22 Nov 2018 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government who will lead the external independent review into the allegations of a culture of bullying and harassment at NHS Highland, and what the scope of the review will be.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: I have asked John Sturrock QC to lead this independent review to explore the underlying issues and concerns that have led to allegations of bullying and harassment within NHS Highland. The review will include conversations with affected individuals, including…

21 Nov 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what help and support it offers to archaeological projects.

15 Nov 2018 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide to NHS Highland to help understand and address the recent allegations regarding a systematic culture of bullying in the board.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The scale and scope of the allegations of bullying and the timespan of these in NHS Highland is such that I need to understand the issues that appear to have led to a culture where these concerns cannot be raised with or resolved satisfactorily by the Board. …

14 Nov 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with the Far North Line Review Group to reduce journey times between Inverness and Caithness.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Far North Line Review Team has made significant progress in achieving their objective of improving performance and journey time on the line. The work of the Team began in 2017, and has brought about improvements on the route through the removal of the te…

14 Nov 2018 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many abattoirs there are.

7 Nov 2018 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its involvement with The Highland Council regarding the Stromeferry bypass in Wester Ross.

29 Oct 2018 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in appointing a chief executive to its new Forestry and Land Scotland executive agency.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Following an open competition overseen by the Civil Service Commission, Simon Hodgson, currently Chief Executive of Forest Enterprise England, has been appointed as Chief Executive designate of Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), which will be established in Ap…

1 Oct 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance and encouragement it gives farmers to use greener forms of farm machinery, and what investment in, and development of, new technologies it is making in this regard.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government (SG) has and will continue to support our agricultural sector as we look to promote and encourage a shift towards low carbon farming practices. Our flagship Farming For A Better Climate initiative supports farmers as the look to reduc…

27 Sep 2018 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it plans to take on the future of civil partnership in Scotland, following the recent decision of the UK Supreme Court in this area.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government has given this matter careful consideration. The Supreme Court made it clear that the Civil Partnership Act 2004 is not compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights as civil partnership is open to same sex couples only where…

24 Sep 2018 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will tender the next Northern Isles Ferry Services contract.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Contract Notice for the Northern Isles Ferry Services was submitted today for publication on Public Contracts Scotland and in the Official Journal of the European Union. This is the first step in taking forward the competition for the next Northern Isles …

18 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that an increase in mackerel stock in the North Atlantic is the most serious risk to wild salmon, including the comment by a former scientist at Institute of Marine Research in Bergen that "super shoals" are impacting on young and juvenile salmon migrating…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government participates in annual negotiations on setting appropriate catch levels, which are agreed in line with robust scientific evidence and the advice provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). There are reg…

18 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to assess and tackle decreases in wild salmon stocks.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government is working with stakeholders across a range of measures to help conserve our iconic wild salmon. In 2016 we introduced new regulations which, amongst other things, introduced a prohibition on the retention of salmon caught in coastal w…

29 Aug 2018 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the successful applications to the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund will be announced.

22 Aug 2018 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to ensure that a public sector body can bid for rail franchises in Scotland.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government secured a legislative change through the Scotland Act 2016 that allows public sector bodies to bid for rail franchise contracts in Scotland. The requirement for the contracts to be let through open competition remains. The consistent …