Jamie Greene

29 Aug 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the North Sea oil revenues were for 2016-17, and how this compares to the projections in its 2013 document, Scotland's Future.

24 Aug 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve (a) the reliability and punctuality of rail services and (b) rail stations.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Responsibility for the reliability and punctuality of rail services within Scotland rests primarily with ScotRail, the operator for 95 percent of rail services within Scotland. The Scottish Government’s Franchise Agreement with ScotRail is designed to delive…

24 Aug 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support airlines that are expanding their operations in Scotland and creating jobs.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: To support route development at Scotland’s airports, the Scottish Government adopts a Team Scotland approach. This sees Transport Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and VisitScotland work in partnership to provide support to airlines which can be instrumental in a…

24 Aug 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will improve infrastructure in the Highlands, where it is reported that a surge in tourism is causing increased pressure on public transport and Wi-Fi and mobile phone networks.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that infrastructure in the Highlands we have responsibility for delivering meets the needs of both locals and tourists. Encouraging our visitors to see the best of what the Highlands has to offer by public tr…

24 Aug 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve infrastructure on the Isle of Skye in order to help both residents and the tourism industry.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government fully recognises the importance of appropriate infrastructure, both for its residents, and to ensure that our visitors enjoy a quality experience. The majority of that infrastructure is the responsibility of the local authority, The H…

24 Aug 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what issues the Accessible Travel Framework has solved for disabled people, and whether it plans to conduct further research into improving transport accessibility.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Within the first year of the Accessible Travel Framework we have made progress in tackling issues faced by disabled people. For example, the notice period for booking Passenger Assist on ScotRail services has been reduced to three hours, the Clyde and Hebride…

24 Aug 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken regarding solutions to traffic congestion at Largs ferry terminal.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The roads in the immediate vicinity of the Largs ferry terminal are local roads and the responsibility of the local roads authority, North Ayrshire Council. Traffic management solutions on local roads is a matter for the Council to consider. We therefore have…

24 Aug 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of satisfaction scores for rail station parking.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Transport Scotland has discussed with ScotRail the satisfaction scores for rail station parking following the results of the recent National Rail Passenger Surveys, it is difficult to determine the reasons for the low satisfaction score. Therefore ScotRail un…

24 Aug 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of reported concerns regarding train delays in the west of Scotland.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The situation for train performance in the West of Scotland, including delays, is advised to the Scottish Ministers on a regular basis. ScotRail publish their performance statistics for each sector on a four-weekly basis: https://www.scotrail.co.uk/performan…

24 Aug 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support (a) airlines and (b) airports to tackle alcohol abuse on flights, in light of recent reports of misbehaviour on Ryanair flights.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Aviation safety is a matter reserved to the UK Government. While disruptive behaviour remains rare, when it does happen the impact can be significant. Anyone travelling on air services should be able to do so without having their journeys disrupted by drunk o…

24 Aug 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what further plans it has to improve the road network, following the completion of the M8 from Glasgow to Edinburgh.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: We are continuing to take forward record investment in new major roads projects across the country, with significant milestones being met across the roads portfolio. We are also taking forward a programme of work comprising £174m investment in new constructi…

24 Aug 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to increase the number of rapid electrical chargers for electric cars throughout the country in order to increase the use of these vehicles.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: As stated in the Programme for Government, we will take the lead in promoting the use of ultra low emission vehicles. One method to achieve this vision will be by increasing the number of ChargePlace Scotland rapid chargers, building on plans set out in “Swit…

23 Aug 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Goverment what action it takes to encourage the transport sector to reduce its carbon emissions output.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The draft Climate Change Plan sets out how we propose to drive down transport emissions. The Plan includes a number of catalytic actions which aim to reduce emissions and end the need for individuals to purchase petrol or diesel cars by 2032. This comes throu…

2 Aug 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to expand Aberdeen International Airport.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Any further expansion of Aberdeen Airport would be a commercial decision for the owners of the airport, AGS Airports Limited. The First Minister visited Aberdeen International Airport in February 2016 to unveil details of a £20 million investment plan for th…

31 Jul 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to deliver high speed rail, and whether it has undertaken any consultation on the viability of a Maglev system in Scotland.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: My officials are currently working with the Department for Transport, HS2 Ltd and Network Rail to identify options that could be implemented between 2019 and 2029 to improve journey times, capacity, resilience and reliability on routes between England and Sco…

31 Jul 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to expand the aviation industry, and what consideration it has given to the construction of additional runways at Scotland’s major airports.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Aviation is pivotal in supporting the Scottish Government’s purpose of sustainable economic growth and we work closely with Scotland’s airports to help secure new routes that improve business connectivity and inbound tourism. Our commitment to deliver a 50% …

31 Jul 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of the demand for additional aviation routes from Scottish airports.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government periodically commissions analysis which benchmarks the level of air service connectivity to and from Scotland against peer regions in Europe. The most recent benchmarking analysis for 2011-2015 was completed in July 2015. After compil…

27 Jul 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, how many (a) public and (b) private care homes there are in each local authority area, and what information it has regarding how many provide LGBTI+ training for staff.

Answer · Shona Robison: The number of care homes in each local authority area by (a) public and (b) private care homes is set out in the following table. Care Homes for Adults, at March 2016 SECTOR Public Private Aberdeen City 0 32 Aberdeenshire 11 38 Angus 4…

26 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that more than half of school leavers did not have a key maths qualification in 2015-16.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is determined to deliver excellence and equity in education and driving improvements in numeracy is a priority. We are investing £1.3 million over the period 2014 to 2018 in professional learning opportunities for both primary and sec…

26 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it contacted the European Commission to request an extension to the 30 June 2017 deadline for common agriculture policy (CAP) payments.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government wrote to the European Commission on 21 June to request an extension.

26 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will implement the terms of motion S5M-06126 as amended (Freedom of Information Requests), which was agreed to on 21 June 2017, and, if so, (a) when and (b) what specific action it will take.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: As I said in the debate on 21 June, the Scottish Information Commissioner who is completely independent of government is already scrutinising our FOI performance. We are co-operating fully with that scrutiny and have a programme of action under way to improve…

26 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the contract to build HMS Queen Elizabeth at Rosyth has had on the economy (a) in Fife and (b) nationally.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: As the aircraft carrier was constructed using a modular approach supported by multiple supply chains throughout Scotland and the rest of the UK, identifying the exact economic impact of the project to a regional area such as Fife is highly complex. However, w…

26 Jun 2017 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it will provide to workers in Scotland who might lose their jobs as a result of RBS moving hundreds of jobs to India.

22 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government from which areas of expertise the members of the independent expert advisory panel that is referred to in Realising Scotland's full potential in a digital world: A Digital Strategy for Scotland will be drawn, and whether it has appointed any members of the panel and, if so, whom.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Expert Advisory Panel on the Collaborative Economy, chaired by Helen Goulden, Executive Director of Nesta, met for this first time in May 2017. Membership was drawn from and representative of those with knowledge and expertise of the benefits and…

22 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress Scottish Enterprise is making in achieving the goals set out in A Manufacturing Future for Scotland.

Answer · Keith Brown: The manufacturing action plan is based on a commitment to raising productivity through increased investment and innovation and a long-term partnership between government, industry, our Enterprise Agencies and other key stakeholders. Key actions to date inclu…

22 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its strategy is for maximising digital growth for cities and regions that are in receipt of local deals from the UK Government.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government is unaware of any cities and regions in Scotland that are in receipt of local deals from the UK Government. In relation to City Deals however the Scottish Government has committed up to £760 million over the next 10 to 20 years for Cit…

22 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the action point set out in Realising Scotland's full potential in a digital world: A Digital Strategy for Scotland, what (a)its expansion plans are for the Digital Boost programme, (b) improvements it plans to make to the current measures used in the Digital Economy Maturit…

Answer · Keith Brown: (a) The DigitalBoost programme was a national programme of digital engagement and business support funded via the Digital Scotland Business Excellence Partnership and delivered by Scotland's Enterprise Agencies and Business Gateway in partnership. The Scottis…

22 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with each of its targets set out in Realising Scotland's full potential in a digital world: A Digital Strategy for Scotland.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The refreshed digital strategy was published on 22 March 2017. This is a strategy for the long term and delivery requires involvement from all parts of Scotland. Clear progress has been made towards delivering positive outcomes supporting economic development…

20 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of the economic benefits that the HS2 rail line could bring to Scotland.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Broad options for upgraded and high speed railways to the North of England and Scotland Report, published by HS2 Ltd in March 2016, contained an economic analysis of the benefits that the HS2 rail line could bring to Scotland. The report acknowledges that…

20 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the projected growth in the Scottish digital economy.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government are committed to supporting the growing digital sector and wider economy to enable them to grasp the opportunities that technologies present. As set out in the refreshed Digital Strategy ‘Realising Scotland’s Potential in a Digital Wor…