Jamie Halcro Johnston

9 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government (a) what specific concerns were raised and (b) on what date any concerns were first raised with Transport Scotland by (i) consultants and (ii) contractors that the 2025 deadline for completing the dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness was not achievable.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Transport Scotland’s primary engagement with consultants was via the appointments made to provide support on the delivery of the A9 Dualling programme. Under those various appointments the views of a number of consultants have informed the identification and …

9 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on what date Transport Scotland first raised concerns with the Scottish Ministers that the 2025 deadline for completing the dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness was not achievable.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Transport Scotland applied its normal risk management practices from the beginning of its work on the A9 Dualling programme to the identification and assessment of factors that could affect delivery of the programme. Individual factors were raised with Minist…

9 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on what date Transport Scotland concluded that the 2025 deadline for completing the dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness was not achievable.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15055 on 21 March 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committee…

9 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on what date the Minister for Transport was first advised that the 2025 deadline for completing the dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness was not achievable.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Arising from its ongoing work to determine the optimal procurement approach to the remainder of the programme, Transport Scotland concluded in late 2022 that the completion date of 2025 could not be achieved and should no longer apply to the A9 Dualling progr…

9 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many years behind the original timetable, published in 2011, the project to complete the dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness is.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The 2025 target date for completion of the full programme represented an ambitious challenge. It was reliant on the timely and positive outcome of a range of factors such as completing public and stakeholder consultation; statutory approval processes; suffici…

1 Feb 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry.

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether there have been any design changes to the two vessels that CMAL has ordered from the Cemre Marin Endustri yard to serve on the Uig to Lochmaddy and Uig to Tarbert ferry routes.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: CMAL as procuring authority have confirmed that there have been no changes to the design or specifications for the vessels ordered from the Cemre Marin Endustri yard to serve on the Uig to Lochmaddy and Uig to Tarbert ferry routes.    

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the two vessels that CMAL has ordered from the Cemre Marin Endustri yard to serve on the Uig to Lochmaddy and Uig to Tarbert ferry routes will have Changing Places toilets, and whether it can confirm whether all future new ferries will have Changing Places toilet facilities.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: All major new vessels, including the Little Minch vessels set to be deployed on the Uig to Lochmaddy and Uig to Tarbert (Harris) ferry routes will have Changing Places toilet facilities.    

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) length, (b) beam and (c) maximum operational draught of MV Hebrides is.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: MV Hebrides is 99 metres in length, 15.8 metres wide and her operational draught, which is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the vessel’s hull, is 3.3 metres. Further information is available on CalMac’s website by following the …

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) length, (b) beam and (c) maximum operational draught will be of (i) Hull 802, currently under construction for CMAL and (ii) the two vessels that CMAL has ordered from the Cemre Marin Endustri yard to serve on the Uig to Lochmaddy and Uig to Tarbert ferry routes.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Hull 802 and MV Glen Sannox length is 102.4m with a beam of 17.0m and a maximum operational draft of 3.7m. Little Minch vessels length will be 94.8m with a beam of 18.7m and a maximum operational draft of 4.0m.    

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last received an update from CMAL on the progress of the two ferries that it has ordered from the Cemre Marin Endustri yard to serve on the Uig to Lochmaddy and Uig to Tarbert ferry routes.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government receives regular updates on all new vessel builds. The contract for the Little Minch vessels was signed on 11 January and all agreements including full Builders Refund Guarentees were put in place recently. The latest update was receiv…

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the current estimated total cost, including design, contract management, construction, legal, and administrative costs, is for the upgrading of the ferry terminal at Uig to allow its use by Hull 802, and what percentage of the total cost will be funded by (a) it and (b) other bodies.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The works at each of the ports as part of the Skye Triangle Infrastructure Programme (Tarbert, Lochmaddy & Uig) are aimed at replacing life expired infrastructure, improving resilience and increasing the range of vessels that can use the ports. The Uig projec…

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost will be of the two vessels that CMAL has ordered from the Cemre Marin Endustri yard to serve on the Uig to Lochmaddy and Uig to Tarbert ferry routes.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government announced up to £115 million funding for the two Little Minch vessels, and associated port works and project costs, in October 2022. The total costs of the vessels are commercially confidential.  

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, before an order was placed for Hull 802, whether an alternative option of ordering two smaller vessels to serve on the Uig to Lochmaddy and Uig to Tarbert ferry routes was considered, and, if it was the case, for what reason any such alternative option was rejected, and, if it was not t…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The proposal for the procurement of what became vessels 801 and 802 was set out in the Vessel Replacement and Deployment Plan (VRDP) Annual Report 2014 vrdp-annual-report-2014.pdf (transport.gov.scot) The recently published Ferries Plan 2013-2022 had concl…

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the current estimated total cost, including design, contract management, construction, legal, and administrative costs, is for the upgrading of the ferry terminal at Tarbert to allow its use by Hull 802, and what percentage of the total cost will be funded by (a) it and (b) other bo…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The works at each of the ports as part of the Skye Triangle Infrastructure programme (Tarbert, Lochmaddy & Uig) are aimed at replacing life expired infrastructure, improving resilience and increasing the range of vessels that can use the ports. The Tarbert (H…

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the two vessels which CMAL has ordered from the Cemre Marin Endustri yard to serve on the Uig to Lochmaddy and Uig to Tarbert ferry routes could have operated from ferry terminals at (a) Uig, (b) Lochmaddy and (c) Tarbert without the reconstruction and dredging operations being c…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The vessels currently under construction at Cemre could not have served the ports at Uig, Lochmaddy and Tarbert without changes to infrastructure. The works at each of the ports are aimed at replacing life expired infrastructure, improving resilience and incr…

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the current estimated total cost, including design, contract management, construction, legal, and administrative costs, is for the upgrading of the ferry terminal at Lochmaddy to allow its use by Hull 802, and what percentage of the total cost will be funded by (a) it and (b) other …

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The works at each of the ports as part of the Skye Triangle Infrastructure programme (Tarbert, Lochmaddy & Uig) are aimed at replacing life expired infrastructure, improving resilience and increasing the range of vessels that can use the ports. The Lochmaddy …

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has received from local residents and business owners on future transport options for the Corran Narrows, including the possibility of a fixed link.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government has received representations from local residents and MSPs regarding transport options for the Corran Narrows, however, Scottish Ministers have no locus in this decision. Transport links across the Corran Narrows is wholly the respons…

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the environmental impact of the improper disposal of vapes.

Answer · Lorna Slater: I have commissioned an urgent review of the environmental impacts and management of single-use vapes. Zero Waste Scotland will lead on the review which will examine available evidence, including the environmental impact of incorrect disposal of vapes. We wi…

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to a deposit return scheme for disposable vapes.

Answer · Lorna Slater: I have commissioned an urgent review of the environmental impacts and management of single-use vapes. Zero Waste Scotland will lead on the review, which will examine available evidence and consider potential options to tackle the issue, including the potentia…

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it has undertaken with local residents and business owners on future transport options for the Corran Narrows, including the possibility of a fixed link.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Scottish Ministers have no locus in this decision. Transport links across the Corran Narrows are wholly the responsibility of The Highland Council and, as such, any decision to replace ferries or deliver a fixed link (including funding of this) would be a mat…

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on implementing the recommendations in the report, Independent External View of Skye, Lochalsh and South West Ross Out of Hours Services.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Independent External View of Skye, Lochalsh and South-West Ross Report written by Sir Lewis Ritchie contained 15 recommendations. Progress has been made on most of the recommendations, including preservation of in-patient bed provision at Portree Hospital…

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with The Highland Council regarding the potential of a fixed link across the Corran Narrows.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government has engaged with The Highland Council during the previous appraisal work carried out by HITRANS, on behalf of the Council, which considered a range of options for the Corran Narrows. We are aware the Council is now pursuing an upgrade …

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage the recycling of lithium in disposable vaping products.

Answer · Lorna Slater: I have commissioned an urgent review of the environmental impacts and management of single-use vapes. Zero Waste Scotland will lead on the review, which will examine available evidence and consider potential options to tackle the issue. The review will consi…

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has undertaken of the potential economic and social benefits of a fixed link across the Corran Narrows.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government has not undertaken any assessments regarding the social and economic benefits of a fixed link across the Corran Narrows. The Scottish Government is aware of work carried out by HITRANS on behalf of The Highland Council to consider a r…

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the viability of a fixed link across the Corran Narrows.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government has not undertaken any assessments regarding the viability of a fixed link across the Corran Narrows. The Scottish Government is aware of work carried out by HITRANS on behalf of The Highland Council to consider a range of options for…

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting NHS Highland to provide 24/7 urgent care at Portree Hospital.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Since publication of the Independent External View of Skye, Lochalsh and South-West Ross Report in May 2018 by Sir Lewis Ritchie. Scottish Government officials have been in regular contact with NHS Highland to assess progress. Sir Lewis Ritchie has made four…

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to assess whether disposable vapes can be incorporated into recycling policies.

Answer · Lorna Slater: I have commissioned an urgent review of the environmental impacts and management of single-use vapes. The review of the environmental impacts and management of single-use vapes will examine available evidence and consider potential options to improve the man…

24 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Deputy First Minister regarding the emergency budget review, on 2 November 2022, whether it remains its position that £1.7 billion has been eroded from the Scottish Budget 2022-23.

Answer · John Swinney: The calculation referred to in the question was made based on data on inflation available at the time. Using the updated GDP deflators the comparable figure is now around £800 million. As the Scottish Fiscal Commission has noted, due to the way that the GDP …

18 Jan 2023 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will improve transport connectivity for Scotland’s islands.