Jamie Greene

23 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy Jobs and Fair Work on 22 February 2018 (Official Report, c. 44), what the target date is for Prestwick airport to return to the private sector.

Answer · Keith Brown: As we have made clear since acquiring the airport in 2013, it is the Scottish Government’s intention to return the airport to the private sector when the time is right. No timescale has been set.

23 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy Jobs and Fair Work on 22 February 2018 (Official Report, c. 44), what method it is using to monitor Prestwick airport's financial situation.

Answer · Keith Brown: Appropriate governance arrangements are in place that allow Glasgow Prestwick Airport’s performance to be monitored through the Operating Company Board and the Holding Company Board. The HoldCo Board has corporate responsibility for ensuring that the Group f…

23 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its plan to bid for the next ScotRail franchise, what estimate it has made of what the maximum cost would be to (a) participate in the tendering exercise and (b) operate the franchise if it was successful, broken down by how it reached this figure.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Our consistent view over many years is that there ought to be a level playing field between the private and public sector in bidding for rail franchises. This extends to costs associated with the franchise. As with the private sector, any public sector bidde…

22 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what contingency plans it has in place to deal with any shortage of officers, in light of a recent survey, which suggests that  two-thirds of  British Transport Police officers in Scotland might leave the service following the proposed merger with Police Scotland.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government are committed to delivering the benefits of a single command structure to provide integrated infrastructure policing in Scotland; our priority is to ensure a safe and seamless transition that delivers continuity of service for rail use…

22 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the full fleet of class 385 trains will be (a) delivered to ScotRail and (b) operational; what the cost has been of the delay in delivery; what financial penalties have been imposed on Hitachi as a result of the delay, and whether it will provide a breakdown of what impact t…

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The ScotRail Franchise Agreement requires the full fleet of  ? 70 Class 385 trains to be available for passenger service by December 2018. Scottish Ministers continue to receive regular updates from ScotRail and their supplier – Hitachi Rail Europe on their …

22 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on commissioning a new nuclear power station or nuclear power generation capability at the site of the current Hunterston B plant.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Energy Strategy, published last December, restated the Scottish Government's continued opposition to new nuclear stations, under current technologies. With the costs of renewable and storage technologies falling, new nuclear capacity is not neede…

22 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it is allocating to investigate the potential options for the Clydeport site at Hunterston; which agency is delivering this funding; who is in receipt of it, and what information it has regarding the scope of the options.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Scottish Government’s Decommissioning Challenge Fund provided grant funding of £225,000 to Peel Ports (who own Clydeport) for a number of studies to both develop engineering options for a caisson dry dock gate to replace the existing earth bund and to prepare…

22 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many trains on the ScotRail network will reach the end of their lease by August 2018; how many carriages will be taken out of service because of this, and what contingency measures it will introduce to mitigate any capacity reductions.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: ScotRail is working to address all necessary technical issues to allow the introduction of class 385 Hitachi trains onto Edinburgh - Glasgow services in the coming months. In addition, four fully refurbished and longer High Speed Trains (HSTs) will gradually …

22 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) financial and (b) other support it is providing to LGBTI History Month 2018.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government provides LGBT Youth Scotland with funding of £260,000 from the Equality Budget in 2017-18 for a package of measures to advance LGBTI equality in Scotland, including delivering History Month. I spoke at the Equal Futures Conference on …

22 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy Jobs and Fair Work on 22 February 2018 (Official Report, c. 44), what level of public subsidy it plans to commit to Prestwick airport in each of the next three years.

Answer · Keith Brown: The draft budget for 2018-19 allocates loan support of £7.9 million for Glasgow Prestwick Airport. Loan funding required in future years will be considered through the approval of the airport’s business plan for that year.

20 Feb 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the proposed merger between Police Scotland and the British Transport Police.

19 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will respond to recent data from the Care Inspectorate, which reportedly highlights issues with malnutrition in care homes.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Care Inspectorate is the scrutiny body that supports improvement and monitors the quality of care in Scotland, including care homes. The Care Inspectorate carries out regular, unannounced inspections of every care home in Scotland and if a concern is rai…

19 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects its EU CAP IT system will be fully functional and allow farmers to receive their CAP payments in full.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The system has been functional for some time and, for example, has enabled us to process approximately 18,000 Basic Payment Scheme claims for both 2015 and 2016. Further enhancements in functionality continue to be applied. The Scottish Government has issued…

19 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will respond to SEPA’s reported announcement that major firms are failing to meet environmental protection measures.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Regulation of businesses’ compliance with environmental protection measures is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). SEPA’s Compliance Assessment Scheme (CAS) results for 2016 showed that 92% of its regulated sites were compliant wit…

19 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to promote working mothers and pregnant women in the workplace, in light of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s comment that employers across the UK are “in the dark ages” regarding the role of working mothers in the private sector.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government is committed to the development of an inclusive labour market. Following the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) pregnancy and maternity report in 2016, a Ministerial working group, whose membership includes the EHRC and repres…

19 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the subsidy cost will be of extending the contract with Argyll Ferries Limited until December 2018.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Negotiations between Transport Scotland and Argyll Ferries Ltd are currently on-going in relation to extending the contract to December 2018. Details including subsidy costs are being considered as part of these discussions.

16 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many times the Ardrossan-Arran ferry service has been (a) cancelled and (b) delayed since 1 January 2018, broken down by reason.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: From a total of 544 scheduled sailings, ?the Ardrossan-Arran (Brodick) ferry service has been (a) cancelled 34 times and (b) delayed 73 times between 01 January 2018 and 15 February 2018. In the following table a breakdown of the reasons for these disruptions…

16 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has been advised of any issues regarding (a) the bow thruster and (b) other equipment on the Ardrossan-Arran ferry, which are impacting on the craft's seaworthiness and its ability to operate its route and, if so, what action it is taking.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The MV Caledonian Isles is the current vessel on the Arran route. The operator made Scottish Government aware that both of its bow thrusters separately failed in early February 2018. CalMac Ferries Ltd. confirmed that these failures, whilst regrettable, did …

31 Jan 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people in North Ayrshire will see their income tax increase in 2018-19.

9 Jan 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which stakeholders are being consulted by the water charges exemption scheme review.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government has sought feedback from a number of charities, Community Amateur Sports Clubs and voluntary organisations and has consulted with a wide range of stakeholders including: Scottish Water the Water Industry Commission for Scotland Citi…

9 Jan 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the water charges exemption scheme review will be (a) completed and (b) published.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The review has now been concluded following discussions with stakeholders. I am currently considering the review and will publish a report when I am content with the outcomes. I will send you a copy once available.

28 Dec 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) delayed and (b) cancelled trains there were between Edinburgh and Perth in 2017, broken down by date and time.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Performance in the railway system in Great Britain is measured using the Public-Performance Measure (PPM), which counts all trains planned to run, which run and arrive within five minutes of their scheduled arrival time. Trains which are cancelled, either in …

20 Dec 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government with which stakeholders it is consulting regarding the Bowls Scotland business rate review briefing paper.

20 Dec 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the Bowls Scotland business rate review briefing paper will be released.

20 Dec 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering changes to the water and sewerage charges exemption scheme.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government is currently undertaking a review of the water and sewerage charges exemption scheme. The results, including any proposed changes, will be published in early 2018.

19 Dec 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government under what (a) weather and (b) sea conditions the new Ardrossan–Arran ferry will be able to operate, and how this compares with the existing service.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The new ferries are being designed and built by Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd (FMEL) to be capable of operating in the challenging weather conditions experienced on the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services. The new ferry for Arran has 3 x bow transverse thrus…

19 Dec 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the new Ardrossan-Arran ferry will require upgrades to (a) it and (b) (i) Ardrossan and (ii) Brodick Harbour to facilitate its berthing.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) has undertaken a major redevelopment of Brodick harbour. No upgrades will be required to facilitate berthing of the new ferry. A Ministerial Task Force for Ardrossan was established in February 2016 to ensure improvement…

19 Dec 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the new Ardrossan-Arran ferry sea trials have suggested any concerns regarding its ability to (a) meet the requirements of its specification and (b) perform its originally intended operational duties.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The MV Glen Sannox was launched on 21 November 2017. Sea trials are normally carried out by the shipyard 4 to 8 weeks prior to vessel delivery. Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd (FMEL) have advised that they aim to deliver the vessel in Winter 2018-2019.

19 Dec 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the new Ardrossan-Arran ferry will come into service; what the total cost of the project will be, and how these compare with the original estimates.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: In October 2015, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) announced that Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd (FMEL) in Port Glasgow had been awarded the contracts worth £97 million to build two 100 metre ‘dual-fuel’ ferries; i.e. £48.5m per vessel. In my letter of …

13 Dec 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what main environmental impacts of the A9 dualling project between Killiecrankie and Glen Garry were recorded in the recent assessment by Jacobs.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Environmental Statement for the A9 Dualling Killiecrankie to Glen Garry project was published on 28 November 2017. This provides full details of the environmental impacts, mitigation and residual impacts associated with the project. It is publicly availab…