Parliamentary questions
Liam Kerr
2,176 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
21 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has relocated its office in London to Scotland House on Victoria Embankment; how much the relocation will cost; what the annual running cost will be, and how this will compare with the cost of running the previous office at Dover House.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government is committed to making Scotland a better place to work and do business by attracting investment, promoting the research and innovation capabilities of Scottish companies and universities and enhancing international collaboration. In he…
21 Mar 2017 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support businesses in North East Scotland.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government, working in concert with the Energy Jobs Taskforce, continues to support businesses and individuals in the North East of Scotland which has been particularly affected by the downturn in the oil and gas sector. Our £12 million Transitio…
14 Mar 2017 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the impact has been of the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government's priority is, and remains, to help first-time buyers enter the property market and to assist people as they progress through the property market. LBTT will ensure everyone buying a property under £325,000 pays no tax or less tax than …
8 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses will be taken out of the small business bonus threshold following the recent revaluations.
Answer · Derek Mackay: Provisional data from Scottish Assessors show that there are just over 5,000 properties who have a rateable value below £18,000 in 2016-17 who will have a rateable value above £18,000 in 2017-18 due to revaluation, but it is not possible to confirm how many o…
6 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of competitive tendering processes for bus services.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Each local authority is responsible for determining the tendering process they use for bus services. The Accounts Commission are the custodians of Best Value and Audit Scotland is responsible for carrying out best value audits of local authorities. Scottish C…
6 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how its strategy, Beating Cancer: Ambition and Action, will ensure that men who have had prostate cancer treatment will have equity of access to (a) erectile dysfunction clinics, (b) the medication, tadalafil (Cialis), (c) vacuum pumps and (d) psychosexual services/sex therapy.
Answer · Shona Robison: We expect that anyone who living with or after cancer has access to the services appropriate to their clinical needs. The Scottish Government’s cancer strategy ‘Beating Cancer: Ambition and Action’ and the accompanying £100 million investment over the coming …
6 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many specialist nurses will be needed in each of the next four years to meet the aim in its strategy, Beating Cancer: Ambition and Action, that “by 2021 people with cancer who need it [will] have access to a specialist nurse during and after their treatment and care”.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-07773 on 16 March 2017. 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/2…
6 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many urological cancer clinical nurse specialists will be needed in each of the next four years to meet the aim in its strategy, Beating Cancer: Ambition and Action, that “by 2021 people with cancer who need it [will] have access to a specialist nurse during and after their treatment…
Answer · Shona Robison: It is the responsibility of NHS to plan and provide services to meet the needs of their resident populations, in line with relevant national strategies/frameworks, within their annual funding allocations. To assist health Boards in making these decisions, pla…
6 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many cancer clinical nurse specialists there are in each NHS board, also broken down by how many specialise in urological cancers.
Answer · Shona Robison: Information on the number of specialist nurses who are responsible for the delivery of cancer care and urology oncology is published by ISD Scotland and is available at the following link:- https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/201…
6 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it is investing in the strategy, Beating Cancer: Ambition and Action, in 2016-17, and how much it will allocate in each of the next four years, also broken down by the amount set aside for (a) recruiting and (b) retraining cancer clinical nurse specialists.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-07773 on 16 March 2017. 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/2…
6 Mar 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update regarding the date that the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route will be open to traffic.
Answer · Keith Brown: The AWPR/B-T project is currently scheduled to open to traffic in the winter period of 2017-18.
27 Feb 2017 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the proposed integration of the British Transport Police in Scotland into Police Scotland.
22 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to introduce the road equivalent tariff for the Northern Isles.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government’s Ferries Plan 2013-2022, published in December 2012, was clear that introducing Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) at that time or in the next few years would mean an increase on a range of available fares. Therefore the Ferries Plan stated…
22 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when its freight fares review for the Northern Isles will be completed.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Following a commitment made in the Ferries Plan 2013-2022, Transport Scotland, under guidance of a working group of key stakeholders, is currently conducting a comprehensive review of ferry freight fares. The aim of the review is to develop an overarching pol…
22 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the data collected by the review into ferry tendering announced by the Minister for Transport and the Islands on 2 February 2017 will be put into the public domain after the conclusion of the review.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The review will produce for publication a report on its recommendations for the future of ferry procurement in Scotland, together with relevant supporting information. Commercially sensitive material and detailed legal advice will not be shared, as per usual …
22 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which individuals are undertaking the review into ferry tendering as announced by the Minister for Transport and the Islands on 2 February 2017, and what experience they have in (a) the ferry industry and (b) competitive tendering processes.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I will oversee the review which will be conducted by officials with the relevant expertise from across Transport Scotland and Scottish Government. In my statement to Parliament I made clear that I am fully committed to keeping everyone informed about the purp…
22 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its ongoing review of the tendering process for ferry routes, what it means by the term, "in house operator".
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The term "in house operator" is a reference to a “controlled person” within the meaning of regulation 13 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.
20 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact the average speed cameras on the A9 have had on the number of (a) offences and (b) accidents.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Since the Average Speed Camera system was introduced on the A9 Dunblane to Inverness in October 2014, the latest figures indicate: a) an annual average reduction of over 65% in the number of drivers being detected speeding; and b) a reduction of over 32% in…
20 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has in place to improve safety at the Laurencekirk Junction on the A90 over the next two years.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Our most recent statistics show that there have been no fatal or serious accidents at the southern Laurencekirk junction since 2005. As such, we have no plans for further measures at this time, however we will continue to monitor road safety. In the longer …
15 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has given assurances to any publicly-owned ferry operator that, if the review into ferry tendering recommends that the Teckal exemption, or any other process that allows ministers to award contracts to publicly-owned operators without a competitive tendering process, should ap…
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-06959 on 22 February 2017. 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/parliamentarybusine…
15 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will still continue to hold competitive tendering processes for routes if the review into ferry tendering recommends that the Teckal exemption, or any other process that allows ministers to award contracts to publicly-owned operators without a competitive tendering process, sh…
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-06959 on 22 February 2017. 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/parliamentarybusine…
15 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the managing director of CalMac has rescinded his decision to resign, and whether it played a role in him persuading him to reach this conclusion.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The reasons for Martin Dorchester, the Managing Director of CalMac Ferries Ltd rescinding his decision to resign are outlined in a news release issued by CalMac on 13 February 2017. The Scottish Government played no role in influencing him to reach this deci…
9 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it ensures that any lay-bys that are situated on the approach to a junction have signs for the junction that appear before the sign for the lay-by.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The design of new lay-bys on the Trunk Road Network are required to adhere to the standards detailed within the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) which states that lay-bys must not be sited between a junction advance direction sign and the junction d…
9 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its planned programme to replace all unprotected lay-bys on dual carriageway sections of the trunk road network with the latest protected designs, and when this programme will be completed.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: There is no set programme for the replacement of lay-bys on dual carriageways on the trunk road network. The programming of lay-by improvement schemes are considered based upon; condition inspections, whether there are other improvement schemes planned adjace…
9 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what policies are in place to ensure that lay-bys on dual carriageways are not situated on right-hand bends or on the approach to a junction.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The design of new lay-bys on the Trunk Road Network are required to adhere to the standards within the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) which states that lay-bys should not be sited on the outside of a right hand curve with a radius less than the ap…
8 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an outline of the procurement process that it uses when purchasing vessels for Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government does not purchase vessels for Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd. Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd procures vessels for use by CalMac Ferries Ltd on the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network. The requirements, and abilities, of the vessels are s…
8 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what criteria it uses for assessing ferry and ferry operating company performance and delays.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Information regarding the Performance Monitoring Regime in respect of the Northern Isles Ferry Services, operated by Serco NorthLink Ferries, and the Gourock-Dunoon Ferry Service, operated by Argyll Ferries Ltd, are available on the Transport Scotland website…
8 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it made any formal, stress-tested assessment regarding which designs would be appropriate for Scottish weather conditions when purchasing vessels for Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd, and for what reasons decisions were made to purchase vessels that would not be able to sail in unf…
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd is responsible for the procurement of ferries on behalf of the Scottish Government. Safety is paramount and, as such, the Scottish Government has made that the top priority for new vessel design. After safety, reliability is a…
8 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of “incentives to innovate”, and what incentive there is to increase passenger numbers for a publicly-owned transport provider, given that there is no commercial imperative.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Under the terms of the new Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service contract operated by CalMac, the company has made almost 350 commitments to improve the services. These commitments aim to help drive economic growth and improve customer service. This includes incre…
8 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a health and safety assessment of how it manages ferry ports, including those held by its subsidiaries.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government has no responsibility for managing such ports. Any such assessments are the responsibility of the appropriate harbour authority.