Jamie Halcro Johnston

23 Jan 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what regulations are in place governing the operation of landowning maintenance companies, which charge people in residential developments for maintenance.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011 sets out a statutory framework to provide protection for homeowners in Scotland who receive services from a property factor. The Act sets minimum standards for the property management industry and requires all factors …

23 Jan 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take in relation to the imposition of unfair management charges in residential developments by landowning maintenance companies.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Property Factor Code of Conduct sets standards for clarity and transparency in the information provided to owners, including on charges, to ensure that home owners can make informed decisions about contracts. It would not be appropriate for Scottish Mini…

14 Jan 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the financial sustainability of the further education sector.

8 Jan 2020 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the delivery of foundation apprenticeships.

11 Dec 2019 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what update it can provide on legal action in relation to Northern Isles Ferry Services.

20 Nov 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that as many older people as possible can continue to live independently in their own homes.

13 Nov 2019 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve transport connections in remote and rural areas.

30 Oct 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the management of the geese and stoat populations in Orkney.

23 Oct 2019 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to museums and other heritage sites.

4 Sep 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its consultation on the regulation of electricians that was announced in its Programme for Government.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The consultation will be published by spring 2020.  

28 Aug 2019 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how Ministers ensure that they engage with the public in all parts of Scotland, including the Highlands and Islands.

29 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many official visits the First Minister has undertaken in Scotland since 16 May 2007, broken down by (a) year and (b) parliamentary constituency and region.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Details of official visits undertaken by the First Minister can be found at the following link https://www.gov.scot/publications/?term=ministerial%20engagements&page=1 . A breakdown by parliamentary constituency and region is not available for all visits w…

6 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the financial penalty for Fair Start providers that fail to deliver individual placement and support has been removed from the Fair Start Scotland Quality and Compliance Decision Making Log and, if so, for what reason.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: There have been no changes to the Fair Start Scotland Quality and Compliance Decision Making Log in relation to Individual Placement and Support.  

6 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether individual placement and support provision under schedule 1 of the Fair Start Scotland Specification and Service Levels is measured monthly via a random sample of service providers caseload management records and, if so, what the findings of this reporting has been, including (a)…

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: We regularly monitor providers on their performance as part of our quality assurance process to ensure that key performance indicators (KPIs) and key delivery indicators (KDIs) are met. IPS provision is measured via a random sample of Service Providers’ casel…

4 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its commitment in its Economic Action Plan 2018-20 to publish its Future Skills Action Plan "in early 2019", by what date this will be published.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: We continue to work with stakeholders, including the Enterprise and Skills Strategic Board and the agencies, to develop the Future Skills Action Plan. It is crucial that the plan is fully aligned with the delivery of the Strategic Board’s Strategic Plan, and…

30 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many referrals were recorded in each contract area by Fair Start Scotland in the last year; how many starts there were, and how many participants (a) started a job after joining, (b) were in employment for at least (i) 13 and (ii) 26 weeks, (c) left the service early and (d) enrolled…

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Data for Fair Start Scotland (FSS) referrals and starts is already published at Local Authority (LA) area level. A table is provided in the Background Information section of the devolved employment services statistical publication that allows LA data to be ma…

29 May 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with farmers regarding the impact of the Orkney Native Wildlife Project on the agricultural sector.

2 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many planning applications for new build residential properties have been refused by a planning authority but successfully appealed to the Scottish Ministers since 2007, broken down by (a) planning authority, (b) year, (c) applicant and (d) size of proposed development.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The information requested is given in the tables entitled “Planning appeals allowed, broken down by planning authority and by year" and "Planning appeals allowed, broken down by appellant and size of development", a copy of which has been placed in the Scotti…

1 May 2019 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support rural GP practices and community health facilities in the Highlands and Islands.

27 Mar 2019 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent school estate statistics, which record that 71% of primary and 63% of secondary schools in Moray are in an unsatisfactory condition.

1 Mar 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on preparations for the creation of a Scottish National Investment Bank.

Answer · Derek Mackay: At the end of the current financial year 18-19 the Scottish Government will have spent £4 million to support the establishment of a Scottish National Investment Bank. The Bank will be operational in 2020 providing a cornerstone institution in Scotland’s econo…

26 Feb 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how its budget will impact on Orkney and Shetland.

11 Feb 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EU) 2018/844.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Scottish Government officials liaise on a regular basis with officials across UK departments on Directive implementation. This includes ‘round table’ meetings of all UK administrations on a six-monthly basis, the last of which was on 28 September 2018.

11 Feb 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for the implementation of the updated Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EU) 2018/844 and the creation of strategies (a) to improve indoor air quality, (b) for renovating existing buildings to improve energy efficiency and (c) to make buildings ready for smart e…

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Directive implementation will be subject to a consultation as part of the review of energy standards within building regulations, which started with a call for evidence in 2018. Our Energy Efficient Scotland Route Map (May 2018) sets out intended action to d…

16 Jan 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how Transport Scotland supports and promotes tourism.

19 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether its 2013 white paper, Scotland’s Future: Your Guide to an Independent Scotland, continues to reflect its policy.

Answer · Michael Russell: I refer the member to answer to question S5W-20723 on 8 January 2019. 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/288…

19 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will list those policies and positions that were set out in its 2013 white paper, Scotland’s Future: Your Guide to an Independent Scotland, which are no longer its current policy or preferred options.

Answer · Michael Russell: Scotland’s Future set out the Scottish Government’s arguments for independence to inform the referendum held in 2014. There have been significant and material changes of circumstances since the publication of Scotland’s Future , most crucially the prospect of…

19 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much The Moray Council has received in (a) revenue support /general revenue grant, (b) non-domestic rate income and (c) specific revenue grants in each of the last 10 years, also expressed in real terms.

Answer · Kate Forbes: Total revenue funding split by general revenue grant, non-domestic rate income and specific revenue grants provided by the Scottish Government to Moray Council in each of the last 10 years, is set out in a document that has been placed in the Scottish Parliam…

19 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with the delivery of reduced fares on Orkney ferry services.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government is engaging with the European Commission following a complaint made on 8 June 2018 regarding our plans to reduce ferry fares to the Northern Isles. Scottish Government Officials met with European Commission officials in Brussels on 12…

19 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with ferry operators regarding the delivery of reduced fares on Northern Isles' services. 

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Extensive discussions regarding the planned delivery of reduced fares by June 2018 took place with all the relevant ferry operators prior to an official State aid complaint being made to the European Commission. Since the complaint was made, the Scottish Gov…