Donald Cameron

6 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the UK Government regarding ensuring that its R100 programme meets the 2025 switchover deadline from analogue telephone networks to new digital technology using an internet connection.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is a privately-owned telecoms network and the decision to upgrade it has been taken by the telecoms industry, and not the UK Government. PSTN migration from analogue to digital telephony services also does not affe…

6 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it anticipates that its R100 programme will meet the 2025 switchover deadline from analogue telephone networks to new digital technology using an internet connection.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is a privately-owned telecoms network and the decision to upgrade it has been taken by the telecoms industry. The primary focus of PSTN migration is to switch over the telephony signal from analogue to digital serv…

1 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on any investigations that the National Library of Scotland has undertaken to determine whether any of the buildings that it manages were fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete; whether any public funding was used to conduct any necessary repairs, and,…

Answer · Christina McKelvie: Questions regarding day-to-day operational matters of National Library of Scotland, including information relating to any repair and maintenance works, are best answered directly by National Library of Scotland. I have asked National Library of Scotland to …

1 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on any investigations that Scottish Opera has undertaken to determine whether any of the buildings that it manages were fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete; whether any public funding was used to conduct any necessary repairs, and, if this is the ca…

Answer · Christina McKelvie: Questions regarding day-to-day operational matters of Scottish Opera, including information relating to any repair and maintenance works, are best answered directly by Scottish Opera. I have asked Scottish Opera to respond directly to the member with a full …

1 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on any investigations that the National Theatre of Scotland has undertaken to determine whether any of the buildings that it manages were fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete; whether any public funding was used to conduct any necessary repairs, and,…

Answer · Christina McKelvie: The National Theatre of Scotland does not manage any buildings fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

1 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on any investigations that the Royal Scottish National Orchestra has undertaken to determine whether any of the buildings that it manages were fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete; whether any public funding was used to conduct any necessary repairs,…

Answer · Christina McKelvie: The Royal Scottish National Orchestra does not manage any buildings fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

1 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on any investigations that the Scottish Chamber Orchestra has undertaken to determine whether any of the buildings that it manages were fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete; whether any public funding was used to conduct any necessary repairs, and, i…

Answer · Christina McKelvie: The Scottish Chamber Orchestra does not manage any buildings fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

1 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on any investigations that Scottish Ballet has undertaken to determine whether any of the buildings that it manages were fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete; whether any public funding was used to conduct any necessary repairs, and, if this is the c…

Answer · Christina McKelvie: Scottish Ballet does not manage any buildings fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.  

1 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what investigations Historic Environment Scotland has undertaken to determine whether any of the buildings that it manages were fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, and what the cost was of conducting any necessary repairs, broken down by building.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: Questions regarding day-to-day operational matters of Historic Environment Scotland, including information relating to any repair and maintenance works, are best answered directly by Historic Environment Scotland. I have asked Historic Environment Scotland t…

1 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what investigations Creative Scotland has undertaken to determine whether any of the buildings that it manages were fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, and what the cost was of conducting any necessary repairs, broken down by building.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: Creative Scotland does not manage any buildings fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

1 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what investigations National Museums Scotland has undertaken to determine whether any of the buildings that it manages were fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, and what the cost was of conducting any necessary repairs, broken down by building.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: Questions regarding day-to-day operational matters of National Museums Scotland, including information relating to any repair and maintenance works, are best answered directly by National Galleries of Scotland. I have asked National Museums Scotland to resp…

1 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what investigations the Scottish Library and Information Council has undertaken to determine whether any of the buildings that it manages were fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, and what the cost was of conducting any necessary repairs, broken down by building.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: Scottish Library and Information Council do not own or manage any buildings.

1 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what investigations National Records of Scotland has undertaken to determine whether any of the buildings that it manages were fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, and what the cost was of conducting any necessary repairs, broken down by building.

Answer · Angus Robertson: National Records of Scotland (NRS) has reviewed its asset information and has found no reference to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) having been used anywhere within its estate. NRS has not incurred cost for repairs associated with RAAC.

1 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what investigations National Galleries Scotland has undertaken to determine whether any of the buildings that it manages were fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, and what the cost was of conducting any necessary repairs, broken down by building.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: Questions regarding day-to-day operational matters of National Galleries of Scotland, including information relating to any repair and maintenance works, are best answered directly by National Galleries of Scotland. I have asked National Galleries of Scotla…

30 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has allocated to the maintenance of Scotland's UNESCO World Heritage Sites in each year since 2007, broken down by site.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: Scotland’s six UNESCO World Heritage Sites are highly varied in their composition and management. As Historic Environment Scotland is a partner for all six sites, I have asked it to write to the member with the information on Historic Scotland funding from 20…

24 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to help mitigate any bus driver shortages in the Highlands and Islands, which are reportedly leading to service cancellations.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government is aware of the shortage of drivers for buses, which is exacerbated by BREXIT preventing people from the EU coming here to work freely. We are working with bus operators and key industry stakeholders through the Bus Taskforce – while r…

24 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support musical festivals in island communities, where associated costs to run events may be higher than on the mainland.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: The National Islands Plan provides a framework for action in order to meaningfully improve outcomes for island communities. The Plan sets out 13 Strategic Objectives and over 100 commitments, which must be delivered over the five year lifetime of the Plan. St…

24 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to recruit social workers in the Highlands and Islands, in light of reports that the region could face a “critical to catastrophic” risk to duty of care due to the number of vacancies.

Answer · Maree Todd: We are aware that there are ongoing challenges around staff recruitment and retention in the social work sector as a whole and more acutely in areas such as the Highlands and Islands. We have introduced measures to address these challenges under the Improvem…

24 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its commitment to increase the vehicle and freight capacity of the Islay and Jura ferry routes by 40%, whether it plans to increase the capacity of the rest of the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service routes to the same extent or more.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Capacity is one of a number of factors taken into account when considering ferry services. As part of the Islands Connectivity Plan, the Long-term Plan for Vessels and Ports will set out the Scottish Government’s investment plans for both the Clyde and Hebrid…

24 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to commence its review of Non-Methane Volatile Organic Compound (NMVOC) emissions from malt whisky maturation.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The review has now been completed. The report is currently being finalised and will be published later in 2023.

24 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many medicine graduates from Scottish universities have stayed in Scotland to complete their two-year Foundation Programme training in each year since 2007.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Data is not available from 2007 as there were formerly no records held at a national level at that time. This information has been held on the national recruitment system from 2018 onwards, currently providing 5 years of finalised data and 1 year of provision…

24 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of 2022 reportedly being Scottish Mountain Rescue’s busiest year on record, what action it plans to take to support Scottish Mountain Rescue in carrying out its essential work in 2023.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: Scottish Ministers greatly value the selfless work carried out by all of the Scottish volunteer mountain rescue teams, who stand ready to help those in need of assistance, often in dangerous conditions, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. In recog…

19 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has requested a progress update from the Scottish Civil Justice Council on its review of court rules, scheduled for completion by 31 March 2023, including on the timeline for public consultation on that review, and, if so, whether it has received any such update.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government has not requested a progress update from the Scottish Civil Justice Council on its review of court rules in relation to Protective Expenses Orders. The Scottish Civil Justice Council is an independent body. Publicly available minutes o…

19 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the Scottish Civil Justice Council’s review of court rules, which was scheduled for completion by 31 March 2023, meets the requirements of decision VII/8s of the Aarhus Convention’s Meeting of Parties, that "the allocation of costs in all court procedures …

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Civil Justice Council is a body independent of the Scottish Government, which has responsibility for drafting rules of procedure for the civil courts. We will await the outcome of the current review before taking a view on whether the requirement…

18 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it plans to publish its International Education Strategy, as set out in the Scottish Connections Framework.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government is currently engaging with stakeholders taking into consideration their ambitions and priorities to develop an International Education Strategy which works for Scotland.

18 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will appoint its diaspora Youth Officers, as set out in the Scottish Connections Framework, and how many Youth Officers it plans to appoint each year.

Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government, in its Scottish Connections Framework, committed to engage with Scottish heritage organisations internationally, supporting these organisations to broaden their appeal to young people, including supporting appointment of Youth Officer…

18 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will launch its International Culture Strategy, as set out in the Scottish Connections Framework.

Answer · Angus Robertson: Scotland’s culture is recognised across the world. It is a massive asset to our country in cultural and economic terms, but also in its potential to open doors and support Scotland’s wider international relationships. As such, we have committed to develop an …

18 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many new trade envoys it aims to appoint in each of the next five years, and in which countries they will be based.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Our export growth plan, A Trading Nation, committed to evaluating the existing Trade & Investment Envoy network with a view to increasing the number of envoys from the four (at the time) to twelve. This would be subject to a review of the current arrangements…

18 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates it will complete the work to map and engage Scotland’s diaspora, as set out in the Scottish Connections Framework, and how it will publish the results.

Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government, in its Scottish Connections Framework, committed to collaborate across our full network – our international offices, including SDI, GlobalScots, Trade and Investment Envoys and public bodies – to map and engage our diaspora. This wil…

18 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will begin its trial launch of Instagram channels in targeted international markets, as set out in the Scottish Connections Framework.

Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government, in its Scottish Connections Framework, committed to trial the launch of Instagram channels in targeted international markets. Adding Instagram channel capacity in specific locations will allow the Scottish Government to more closely e…