Jamie Halcro Johnston

3 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the Orkney ferry replacement task force will next meet.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government remains committed to the Orkney Internal Ferry Replacement Task Force. The timing of the next meeting will be agreed with relevant stakeholders in due course.

3 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what specific support it provides to local authorities to address any potholes caused by deteriorating roads.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The local road network is the responsibility of local authorities and they will allocate resources on the basis of local priorities. The vast majority of funding to local authorities from the Scottish Government is provided via a block grant and we do not sti…

3 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Highland Council regarding the condition of roads in the Highland Council area.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Transport Scotland officials attend a quarterly liaison meeting with the Highland Council regarding trunk road matters within their area. In addition to the quarterly meeting, the Highland Council road officers get in touch with Transport Scotland officials a…

3 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the Minister for Transport will next meet with local communities to discuss the Corran Narrows crossing.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: I recognise the unavailability of the Corran Ferry is causing major disruption for communities, businesses and visitors to the area. While the operation of transport links across the Corran Narrows is the responsibility of the Highland Council and any decisi…

3 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the Minister for Transport will next meet with Shetland Islands Council to discuss local ferry services.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: I am due to meet with Shetland Islands Council in May 2023.

3 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the Minister for Transport will meet with communities on Skye to discuss local transport issues.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Collaboration and engagement is a cornerstone of all transport activity and there is community engagement at all levels of transport decision making. My predecessors and I, and Transport Scotland officials have engaged and will continue to engage with communi…

3 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the Minister for Transport will meet with communities in Shetland to discuss their transport needs.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-16986 on 11 May 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-committees/…

3 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the Minister for Transport will next meet with Highland Council to discuss the Corran Narrows crossing.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: While the operation of transport links across the Corran Narrows is the responsibility of The Highland Council and any decisions on maintenance, upgrades, or options to replace ferries the I recently met with them to hear more about the Council’s plans for th…

3 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the Minister for Transport will meet with communities in Orkney to discuss their transport needs.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Collaboration and engagement is a cornerstone of all transport activity and there is community engagement at all levels of transport decision making. My predecessors and I, and Transport Scotland officials, have engaged with communities in developing and impl…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much money it expects to save from the change made to the Small Business Bonus Scheme in the Scottish Budget 2023-24, where the threshold for 100% rates relief will reduce from £15,000 to £12,000.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS) was reformed and eligibility extended in the Scottish Budget 2023-24. In the December 2022 Economic and Fiscal Forecast report, the Scottish Fiscal Commission forecast that this would reduce the cost of SBBS relief by £5…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the costs associated with raising the rateable value threshold at which properties qualify for the Fresh Start relief from £95,000 to £100,000.

Answer · Tom Arthur: Forecasts for the 2023-2024 Budget were produced by the Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC), and published on 15 December 2022. The change to the rateable value threshold for Fresh Start relief from £95,000 to £100,000 was judged by the SFC to be below the mater…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress regarding the Digital Productivity Lab Pilot scheme, including when it expects to provide an update on the final outcomes of the scheme.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Digital Productivity Labs pilot programme currently has over 250 businesses participating with over 1100 combined tasks on their action plans to support the implementation of their digital projects. The Scottish Government will provide a final update on f…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to further engage with business stakeholders to ensure that Scottish business concerns are adequately listened to.

Answer · Neil Gray: Ministers are regularly listening to business stakeholders to maintain an understanding of business perspectives, carrying out on average 100 engagements per month. I have already met with a number of businesses and their representative organisations in the 3…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken to evaluate the impact of the Retail Strategy Steering Group, which was established in January 2021 and was superseded by the Retail Industry Leadership Group in March 2022.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Retail Strategy Steering Group was established to guide the content and recommendations of the Retail Strategy and operated for the duration of the strategy’s development. The Steering Group was Chaired by the then Minister for Public Finance, Planning a…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the £100 million allocated to help businesses to improve their digital skills, capacity and capability, whether it will provide a breakdown of what it has spent the £38 million on, as referred to in its response to the Economy and Fair Work Committee report on retail …

Answer · Richard Lochhead: In the period since this commitment was made in 2021 we have invested £38 million directly into Scottish businesses and associated support for them to access. This does not include the value of the programmes that our enterprise agencies deliver on our behalf…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the implementation of the business rates reforms, resulting from the Barclay Review of non-domestic rates, will be concluded.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The independent Barclay Review of non-domestic rates reported in 2017 and made 30 recommendations, the majority of which were accepted by the Scottish Government in the implementation plan published in December 2017. All of the agreed recommendations of the…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to work with local authorities to develop an interlinked strategy for tackling any problems facing Scotland’s town centres, in light of the recent Economy and Fair Work Committee’s Inquiry into Retail and Town Centres in Scotland.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government welcomed the report of the Economy and Fair Work Committee and agrees with the recommendations to focus on coordination, partnership working and long term funding. The Scottish Government is working with COSLA, local government and pa…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the advisory group that has been formed to assist with the process of evidence gathering in relation to the Scottish Aggregates Levy proposals.

Answer · Tom Arthur: Consistent with Scotland’s Framework for Tax we are consulting and engaging to help inform the development of the Scottish Aggregates Levy Bill. This process began with a public consultation conducted last autumn, complemented by engagement with stakeholders…

24 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the average number of patients per GP has been in NHS (a) Highland, (b) Orkney, (c) Shetland and (d) Western Isles, in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Public Health Scotland Publish information on the number of GPs and patients by Health Board and this is available at: General Practice - GP Workforce and practice list sizes 2012 - 2022 - General Practice - GP workforce and practice list sizes - Publication…

24 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the average number of NHS patients per dentist has been in NHS (a) Highland, (b) Orkney, (c) Shetland and (d) Western Isles, in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Details of the number of patients registered with a NHS dentist by NHS Board area can be found on Public Health Scotland’s website: Dental Statistics – NHS Registration and Participation (publichealthscotland.scot) . Information on the number of dentists b…

24 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the average number of private patients per dentist has been in NHS (a) Highland, (b) Orkney, (c) Shetland and (d) Western Isles, in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Jenni Minto: This information is not held by the Scottish Government. Any information on the number of patients registered privately with a dentist will be held by the individual dentist and is not collected or held centrally.  

24 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the average waiting time has been for patients from the Highlands and Islands region who have travelled to other NHS boards outside of the Highlands and Islands for treatment in each of the last 15 years, also broken down by (a) the patients' registered NHS board, (b) the NHS board …

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Median waiting time for patients residing in NHS Highland, NHS Orkney, NHS Shetland, and NHS Western Isles that have attended a new outpatient appointment or received treatment as an inpatient or day case in other NHS Boards, in each of the last 10 years …

24 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address any distance decay in relation to health outcomes in the Highlands and Islands.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government is not aware of any evidence of distance decay in relation to health outcomes in Scotland. Responsibility for service delivery rests locally with Health Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs). For NHS Boards that cover…

24 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many patients from NHS boards in the Highlands and Islands have currently been waiting over (a) six and (b) 12 months for treatment in other NHS boards, broken down by treatment or speciality.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Information relating to the number of patients residing in NHS Highland, NHS Orkney, NHS Shetland, and NHS Western Isles that are currently waiting over six months (26 weeks) and 12 months (52 weeks) for a new outpatient appointment or treatment as an inpatie…

24 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many patients from NHS (a) Highland, (b) Orkney, (c) Shetland and (d) Western Isles have been treated in other NHS boards outwith the Highlands and Islands in each of the last 10 years, broken down by (i) NHS board of treatment and (ii) speciality.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The statistics in Bib number 64128 provide a total count of elective and emergency hospital activity for inpatients stays and day cases; and elective new and return outpatient appointments, for patients resident in NHS Highland, NHS Orkney, NHS Shetland and N…

24 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will next review the trunk road network on Skye.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Scottish Ministers have no plans to undertake a formal review of the trunk road network on Skye. The statutory duty to manage, maintain and improve the trunk road network is set out in the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 and places an obligation on Ministers to kee…

24 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many times Police Scotland has recorded substandard road conditions as a contributory factor in road traffic accidents in the Highlands and Islands in each of the last 10 years, also broken down by command area.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The following table shows the number of contributory factors in injury road accidents where road surface was poor or defective in Highlands and Islands police division, broken down by council area. In addition to the Highlands and Islands, the North command a…

24 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14079 by Jenny Gilruth on 6 February 2023, how many potholes were (a) reported to and (b) repaired by Transport Scotland in Skye in each month of (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The following tables show how many potholes have been reported and repaired by Transport Scotland’s Operating Company, BEAR Scotland, in Skye in each month of (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022. 2021 Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Pothol…

24 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what research it has undertaken on distance decay in relation to health outcomes in the Highlands and Islands, and whether it has any plans to record the impact of any such distance decay in relation to health outcomes.

Answer · Michael Matheson: We are not aware of any research (or plans to research) by, or on behalf of, the Scottish Government, that has investigated distance decay in relation to health outcomes in the Highlands and Islands.

23 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline what the current exposure is, that is backed by public funds, to any financial guarantees that it has given to GFG Alliance.

Answer · Neil Gray: There has been no call on the Lochaber guarantee and therefore no public expenditure has been incurred. The Scottish Government securities are valued at more than the outstanding amount Guaranteed.