Parliamentary questions
Colin Smyth
990 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
22 Oct 2019 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many carer and disability benefit recipients in the South Scotland region participate in the social security experience panels.
22 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding whether its proposed deposit return scheme will be compatible with any similar proposals for England.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government is in regular dialogue with the other United Kingdom administrations regarding deposit return and is open to the delivery of complementary schemes across the UK. Our understanding is that a further consultation on the design of a depos…
22 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what economic impact assessment has been carried out to determine the potential impact of its proposed deposit return scheme on retailers located near the border with England.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government published “A Deposit Return Scheme for Scotland: Full Business Regulatory Impact Assessment” (BRIA) on? 9 July 2019. That BRIA identified that other deposit return schemes implemented internationally had increased cross-border trade as…
22 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what responsibilities England-based retailers that deliver goods to Scotland will be expected to have in administering its proposed deposit return scheme.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Regulations 2020, published for views on 10 September 2019, require that a 20p deposit is applied each time a single-use drinks container is sold to a consumer in Scotland. This extends to goods sold by way of distan…
18 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will appoint the Chief Executive of the South of Scotland Enterprise Agency.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The recruitment campaign for the post of chief executive began on 14 August 2019. The role was widely advertised for 4 weeks across multiple channels including press adverts, online job boards, diversity and equality websites and supported by a radio advertis…
18 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the selection criteria will be for members of the Board of the South of Scotland Enterprise Agency.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The South of Scotland Enterprise Act 2019 provides that members of the board of South of Scotland Enterprise, when taken as a whole, will be required to have:experience or knowledge of the whole of the South of Scotland,experience or knowledge of issues facin…
18 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will (a) invite applications for and (b) appoint members to the Board of the South of Scotland Enterprise Agency.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The South of Scotland Enterprise Act 2019 provides that members of the board of South of Scotland Enterprise will be appointed by Scottish Ministers. The appointments process will start later this Autumn so that the board will be in place when South of Scotla…
18 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government who will be responsible for the appointments process for members of the Board of the South of Scotland Enterprise Agency.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The South of Scotland Enterprise Act 2019 provides that members of the board of South of Scotland Enterprise will be appointed by Scottish Ministers. An open appointment process will be led by a selection panel, including the SOSE Chair Designate, Professor R…
16 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to issue a revised climate change public engagement strategy, in line with the requirements of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The climate change public engagement strategy is currently being revised and we hope to publish a new strategy in Spring 2020.
16 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much has been allocated to GP services in NHS Ayrshire and Arran in each of the last five years, broken down by what percentage of the NHS board's spending this represents.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The following table shows how much has been allocated by the Scottish Government to GP services in NHS Ayrshire and Arran in each of the last five years but it does not represent the full percentage of spend by NHS Ayrshire & Arran. Table 1 - Allocations to …
16 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish guidance regarding the provision of bus services by transport authorities.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Transport (Scotland) Bill was passed on 10 October and is anticipated to receive Royal Assent before the end of this year. A good deal of preparatory work will be undertaken on the significant volume of regulations and guidance required in relation to th…
16 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government by what date it expects the proposals set out in the recently passed Transport (Scotland) Bill regarding bus services to come into effect.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Transport (Scotland) Bill was passed on 10 October and is anticipated to receive Royal Assent before the end of this year. A good deal of preparatory work will be undertaken on the significant volume of regulations and guidance required in relation to th…
16 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what date it (a) received or (b) expects to receive the report by the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division on the public inquiry on the Whitesands Flood Protection Scheme, and when it will announce its decision whether to proceed with or reject the scheme.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Reporters submitted their report and recommendation to the Scottish Ministers on 13 September 2019. Ministers are giving full consideration to the issue and will notify the local authority of their decision as soon as possible.
16 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will announce the levels of funding for the next phase of the Learning Estate Investment Programme, and what the timescale will be for local authorities to bid for this.
Answer · John Swinney: The next phase of projects to benefit from the £1 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme will be announced within 12 months. The Scottish Government look forward to continuing discussions will local authorities in the coming months regarding which of t…
15 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the number of Scottish seafarers who are employed on the (a) Helliar and (b) Hildasay freight ships chartered to work on the Northern Isles Ferry Services contract.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: There are currently 19 positions (including 1 cadet who is a Scottish seafarer) on the Helliar and 18 on the Hildasay. All crew on board the vessels are entitled to work in the UK and are European nationals. The crew on these vessels are provided through Mar…
15 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the anticipated impact of its proposed Bus Partnership Fund on passenger numbers (a) overall and (b) in (i) urban and (ii) rural areas.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The expected impacts of projects taken forward under the Bus Partnership Fund, including the effects on passenger numbers, will differ depending on the scale, type, and location of the investment, and these impacts will be assessed on a per-project basis.
14 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many additional front line staff will be employed as a result of the Programme for Government announcement to invest £15 million in additional support for learning by the end of the current academic year, also broken down by local authority.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government will invest an additional £15m in additional support for learning to secure additional frontline staff. The Scottish Government is engaging with CoSLA to agree how this commitment will be implemented. However, the employment of staff …
14 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many additional support for learning staff have been employed during each of the last 10 years, also broken down by local authority.
Answer · John Swinney: We want all children and young people to receive the support they need to reach their full potential. We are clear that all school staff provide additional support for learning, not just support for learning staff. Information on the number of staff employe…
14 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with COSLA on its Programme for Government announcement to invest an additional £15 million in additional support for learning.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government has had a number of discussions with CoSLA about our commitment to invest an additional £15 million in additional support for learning. We are engaging with CoSLA to agree how this commitment will be implemented across Scotland to bui…
11 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what (a) cost, (b) quality or (c) other grounds David MacBrayne Ltd’s bid for the Northern Isles Ferry Services contract from 31 October 2019 was unsuccessful.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Until the new contract for the Northern Isles Ferry Services is awarded, this is a live procurement and there is a limit on what information can be provided. Following completion of the procurement, the detailed terms of David MacBrayne Ltd’s bid will remain …
11 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government further to the Transport Scotland news release of 20 September 2019, whether it expects to introduce the three-year fares freeze for (a) passengers, (b) non-commercial vehicles and (c) cabins on the (i) Aberdeen-Lerwick and (ii) Kirkwall-Lerwick routes from January 2020.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: As I announced on 20 September 2019, cabin fares on Aberdeen-Kirkwall-Lerwick routes will be reduced by 20% for islanders and we will also introduce a three-year islander fares freeze for passengers, non-commercial vehicles and cabins on those routes. I can …
11 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the cost to (a) public funds and (b) Serco NorthLink of the new smart ticketing system that will be introduced for foot passengers on Northern Isles Ferry Services, and when it expects that system to be in use for those passengers.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: We initially estimated the total contract value at some £370 million. It is for the operator to deliver costed service solutions that fall within that initial value. Although annual subsidy requirements will be published on a retrospective basis, financial d…
11 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its current estimate is of the costs to public funds that have resulted from the delay in delivering the (a) Glen Sannox and (b) hull 802 ferries to Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work has set up a Programme Review Board to report on the revised schedule and costs for the delivery of vessels 801 and 802 under construction at Ferguson Marine shipyard. The report is expected to be subm…
11 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) revenues or (b) inter-group loans from Serco Group plc have been used to fund the operation of the current Northern Isles Ferry Services contract with Serco NorthLink Ferries since July 2012.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government can confirm that no revenues, or intergroup loans, from Serco Group plc have been used to fund the operation of the current Northern Isles Ferry Services (NIFS) contract with Serco NorthLink Ferries since July 2012. Commercial revenue…
11 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its current estimate is of the dates when the (a) Glen Sannox and (b) hull 802 will be delivered to Caledonian MacBrayne for operational use.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work set up a Programme Review Board to report on the revised schedule and costs for the delivery of vessels 801 and 802 under construction at Ferguson Marine shipyard. The report is expected to be submitte…
11 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a subsidy claw back provision in the 2019-27 contract for Northern Isles Ferry Services awarded to Serco NorthLink.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: A subsidy claw back provision is included in the 2019-27 contract for Northern Isles Ferry Services. A redacted version of the signed contract will subsequently be made available on Transport Scotland's website.
11 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its plans are for fares reductions for (a) passengers and (b) non-commercial vehicles on the (i) Scrabster-Stromness and (ii) Aberdeen-Kirkwall route over the life of the 2019-27 contract for Northern Isles Ferry Services.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The 2016 SNP manifesto committed to taking action to reduce ferry fares to Orkney and Shetland. Despite positive engagement, a State aid complaint was made to the European Commission by Pentland Ferries on 8 June 2018 regarding our plans to reduce fares. At t…
11 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on Caledonian MacBrayne (a) passengers and (b) staff of the ongoing delay in delivery of the (i) Glen Sannox and (ii) hull 802, and what the current length of the delay in delivery is in both cases.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: We recognise the impact the delay in delivery of both the MV Glen Sannox and Hull 802 has had on the availability of vessels to provide cover in instances where technical faults have caused disruption and as cover during the planned winter maintenance of vess…
11 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the cost to (a) public funds and (b) Serco NorthLink of planned improvements to the terminal facilities at Hatston, Kirkwall during the 2019-27 contract for Northern Isles Ferry Services, and when it expects those improvements to be completed.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: We initially estimated the total contract value at some £370 million. It is for the operator to deliver costed service solutions that fall within that initial value. Although annual subsidy requirements will be published on a retrospective basis, financial d…
11 Oct 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the annual cost to (a) public funds and (b) Serco NorthLink from the planned (i) maintenance and (ii) dry docking of the publicly-owned fleet during the 2019-27 Northern Isles Ferry Services contract.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: We initially estimated the total contract value at some £370 million. It is for the operator to deliver costed service solutions that fall within that initial value. Although annual subsidy requirements will be published on a retrospective basis, financial d…