Colin Smyth

28 Aug 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support community land ownership in the South Scotland region.

21 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the nature of the support will be for the additional 200 projects that will be supported through the Places for Everyone programme in 2019-20; what it expects the cost of this to be, and whether this funding is additional to the existing Active Travel budget.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The additional 206 projects will receive up to £27.8 million worth of funding through the Places for Everyone programme in 2019-20. The larger of these projects may also receive direct support from Sustrans in: project design, community engagement, project mo…

21 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria were used to assess bids to the Places for Everyone programme; how many of the bids that were received were viable; for what reason the unsuccessful bids were not selected, and what it will do to take forward the unsuccessful bids.

Answer · Michael Matheson: 206 of the bids made to Places for Everyone for the 2019-20 funding year received a high enough score to be viable. There were 47 projects to which no award of funding was made because they scored zero under one or more of the five scoring criteria laid out i…

17 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in delivering the target to double palliative and end of life provision in the community, and when this target will be met.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: We do not have a single measure that captures performance against this aim, as the provision of palliative care depends on the interaction of a range of services - formal palliative care, care at home and care home services, and access to hospice and hospice-…

16 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-21323 by Jeane Freeman on 20 February 2019, how it plans to measure the quality of care experienced by people at end of life.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: We recognise the importance of having robust and sensitive processes for capturing and utilising feedback on the quality of end of life care. Earlier this year, the Scottish Government asked an NHS Lothian based project team to take forward work to provide o…

16 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-21323 by Jeane Freeman on 20 February 2019, what progress officials have made in identifying options to capture the views of family and carers who have recently been bereaved.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-24389 on 14 August 2019. 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…

12 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it would have to notify Abellio of a decision to let the ScotRail franchise expire at the first possible expiry date of March 2022.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Depending on certain contractual mechanisms being followed, the final date for the process by which a decision will be made to let the ScotRail Franchise expire at the first expiry date of March 2022 is March 2020.

12 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-23751 by Michael Matheson on 25 June 2019, whether the group will be convened prior to the ScotRail franchise break clause review date.

Answer · Michael Matheson: There is not a defined "ScotRail franchise break clause review date" in the franchise contract. The public sector bidder stakeholder reference group will reconvene once the recommendations of the UK Rail Review, chaired by Keith Williams, are known. As indica…

12 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in response to the operator’s performance, whether it plans to initiate the break clause in the ScotRail franchise agreement and terminate the franchise in 2022.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government is giving due consideration to the franchise date options contained in the franchise contract, and, having regard to the franchisee’s overall performance, will make an appropriate decision within the timescales set out in that contract…

12 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether ScotRail is meeting the terms of its franchise agreement and remedial plan.

Answer · Michael Matheson: My Officials at Transport Scotland monitor ScotRail’s progress against the obligations contained in the franchise agreement through a series of regular engagement and meetings including the monthly Franchise Performance meeting. Notes of this meeting are publ…

9 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06770 by Shona Robison on 24 February 2017, whether it will provide the same information for each year since 2016-17.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The following table includes patients with a Key Information Summary (KIS) or Shared Clinical Data Record (SCD) which has been provided to us by NHS National Services Scotland (NSS). NSS recently ran a maintenance job which removed all people from the record …

1 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-02383 by Kevin Stewart on 20 September 2018 (Official Report, c.5) on funding for the Stranraer Waterfront regeneration, whether the £6 million will be in addition to any funding allocated through the Borderlands Growth Deal.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: Funding allocated to projects through the Borderlands Growth Deal is separate and additional to the £6m commitment made in relation to the Stranraer Waterfront.

25 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment by the First Minister on 15 November 2018 (Official Report, c. 16) that "I understand and appreciate the arguments for a Galloway national park. We want to give full consideration to the proposal, and I am happy to ask the relevant minister to engage with...other…

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I met with the Galloway National Park Association (GNPA) and local MSPs on 15 January and on 30 April when I received the GNPA’s full proposal for a new national park in Galloway. The Scottish Government is considering the proposal and plans to have further d…

20 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will publish the responses to its consultation on proposed changes to the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government published the responses to the consultation on amendments to the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 on 10 May 2019. The 4,292 responses for which permission was given to publish can be accessed at https://consult.gov.scot/a…

20 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-23516 by Mairi Gougeon on 7 June 2019, what account the review of electronic shock collars will take of there being no prosecutions for causing unnecessary suffering since 1 October 2018.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government will take full account of all relevant information in its review of the effectiveness of its guidance on dog training aids.

18 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the latest ISD Scotland figures, which show that, since the beginning of 2019, 642 patients in NHS Ayrshire and Arran have had to wait longer than 12 hours to be seen and were then either transferred, admitted or discharged.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Waiting Time figures recorded by ISD reflect the complete patient journey, not just the time a person attending A&E waits to be seen and treated by a member of staff – but from the time they arrive at the A&E department until they are either admitted, disc…

17 Jun 2019 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister whether she will provide an update on the Scottish Government's plans to sell Prestwick airport.

13 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the Public Sector Bidder Stakeholder Reference Group will next meet.

Answer · Michael Matheson: A meeting of the public sector bidder stakeholder reference group will be organised in the autumn to discuss the outcomes from the UK Rail Review, which is chaired by Keith Williams, and what those will mean for Scotland’s railway.

10 Jun 2019 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the R100 project is expected to deliver its target of 100% superfast broadband coverage.

30 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to protect house buyers by ending the self-certification of flood risk in the property questionnaire in conveyancing transactions.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The self-certification questionnaire does include a question on structural damage caused by any storm, fire or flood during the householders ownership. There are no plans to introduce a flood risk assessment for conveyancing transactions.

30 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress SEPA is making in widening access to flood risk data to inform house purchase transactions.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: SEPA does not plan to widen access to flood risk data to inform house purchase transactions. Flood maps available via SEPA’s webpage are strategic assessment tools, and are not intended to provide information at property level. However, when considering purch…

22 May 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the level of new social housing building in Dumfries and Galloway.

17 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the upper limit of 25 pupils is used in determining the level of class size in composite classes in primary school.

Answer · John Swinney: Composite class sizes are limited to 25 to ensure the teacher has the capacity to tailor teaching methods and programmes of study for two different year groups. Composite class sizes are set by the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT).

15 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the national guidance on class size composition.

Answer · John Swinney: Any such review would be a matter for the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers. The Scottish Government has no plans to review the national guidance on class size composition. In 2010, we legislated to reduce the maximum class size in Primary 1 to 25,…

15 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to local authorities to ensure that rural schools are sustainable.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government recognises that rural schools play a hugely important part in ensuring a vibrant and sustainable local community and economy in towns and villages across rural Scotland. We are delivering a funding package of £11.2 billion for all loc…

15 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many schools had a composite class that included pupils ranging from P1 to P7 in the same class in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18 and (c) 2018-19, also broken down by local authority.

Answer · John Swinney: Table 1: Number of schools 1 with a composite class with at least one pupil in P1 and at least one pupil in P7 2 , by local authority and year, 2016-2018  School year 3  2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 Aberdeen City 0 0 0 Aberdeenshire 6 7 2 Angus 3 4 …

25 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it decided to set up its recently-established ferry industry advisory group; how the group’s (a) policy remit, (b) role and (c) membership differs from that of the Expert Ferry Group, and what action it is taking to ensure that trade unions will be represented on it.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The decision to change the name of the group from the ‘Expert Ferry Group’ to the ‘Ferry Industry Advisory Group’ was taken in order to better reflect the remit and role of the group. There is no change to the remit or function of the Group and after conside…

24 Apr 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve cancer services in the NHS Dumfries and Galloway area.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government's national cancer strategy ‘Beating Cancer: Ambition and Action’ was launched in March 2016 alongside a commitment to spend £100 million over 5 years to improve the prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment and aftercare of those aff…

23 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the ScotRail remedial plan on customer satisfaction will be published.

Answer · Michael Matheson: ScotRail’s proposed Remedial Plan in relation to the passenger satisfaction KPI is scheduled to be received on 3 May 2019. This will be subject to scrutiny, evaluation and assessment and proper legal process in order to produce a satisfactory and contractuall…

23 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) Caledonian MacBrayne and (b) Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd regarding the mechanical failure of the MV Isle of Lewis at Castlebay ferry terminal, Barra, in April 2019, and what impact this incident has had on (a) sailings, (b) passengers, (c) staff an…

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Transport Scotland officials held ongoing discussions with CalMac Ferries Ltd. throughout the period of disruption, when MV Isle of Lewis experienced mechanical breakdown at Castlebay Ferry Terminal 14 April to 18 April 2019, due to a problem encountered with…