Tuesday 27 September 2016

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT

Communities

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow ) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many homes have been purchased under the Help to Buy scheme.

(S5W-02265)

Kevin Stewart: Sales data for the Help to Buy (Scotland) schemes is published on the Scottish Government website quarterly in arrears. From the launch of Help to Buy (Scotland) in September 2013 to the end of December 2015 7,720 homes had been purchased using the scheme.

Further update to the published data is expected shortly.

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow ) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how long the Help to Buy scheme is scheduled to run.

(S5W-02266)

Kevin Stewart: Funding for the Help to Buy (Scotland) Affordable New Build and Smaller Developers schemes has been committed to 2018-19, bringing total support through our Help to Buy (Scotland) schemes to £0.5 Billion over six years.

Funding breakdown

Scheme Year Ceiling Price Budget

2016-17 £230,000 £80 million

2017-18 £200,000 £65 million

2018-19 £175,000 £50 million

Christina McKelvie (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage greater gender balance on boards and whether any further initiatives are planned.

(S5W-02642)

Angela Constance: The Scottish Government is taking decisive action to ensure women are represented in senior and decision making roles, including in the boardroom. The government will legislate for gender balance on public sector boards in the first year of this Parliament. Using the new powers transferred through the Scotland Act, the Bill will lock in the gains we have already made to improve the number of women on public boards.

We also continue to champion our Partnership for Change 50/50 by 2020 campaign, encouraging organisations and businesses from the private, third, and public sectors, to make a voluntary commitment to work towards gender balance on their boards by 2020.

Claudia Beamish (South Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of how it will spend the £500 million investment on energy efficiency programmes over the next four years that it announced in the 2016-17 Programme for Government.

(S5W-02698)

Angela Constance: Further information on our investment in energy efficiency will be included in the draft Budget Bill which will be introduced to the Scottish Parliament later in 2016.

Monica Lennon (Central Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-29137 by Michael Matheson on 13 January 2016, what progress has been made on its commitment to amend legislation to extend planning controls on changing premises into betting shops.

(S5W-02731)

Kevin Stewart: Amendments to the Use Classes Order in this regard are being considered in the context of the current programme of work to bring forward further reform to the planning system.

Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Scottish Conservatives and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what its view is on the report from Citizens Advice Scotland, The Cost of Saying Goodbye 2016, and its finding that the cost of a basic burial in Edinburgh is the highest in Scotland.

(S5W-02846)

Angela Constance: The Scottish Government is concerned about variation in the costs of burial and cremation across Scotland and the impact this can have on people on low incomes. While it is for individual local authorities to set the level of their fees and manage their budgets, the Scottish Government will be working with them and the funeral industry to look at the impacts of variable fees as part of our wider work on funeral poverty. This will include a round table event with local authorities and a national conference on funeral poverty on 16 November 2016.

Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Scottish Conservatives and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle funeral poverty.

(S5W-02847)

Angela Constance: The Scottish Government commissioned an independent review of funeral poverty in October 2015 and this was published in February 2016. The Scottish Government response accepts almost all of the report’s recommendations and we have been pursuing a coordinated set of activity since then. For example:

During autumn 2016 we are undertaking a series of engagement events including three themed round table discussions and a national conference on funeral poverty to promote a debate and develop a shared understanding of the issues. This work will feed in to a funeral costs plan which identifies practical actions.

Developing and consulting on options for a Scottish Funeral Payment to produce a benefit which helps more people, is more predictable and provides help more quickly. Considering whether a Scottish Funeral Bond could help people plan ahead for their funeral.

Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Scottish Conservatives and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government and other stakeholders regarding funeral costs, funeral poverty and the funeral payment scheme.

(S5W-02848)

Angela Constance: The Scottish Government has: Written to Baroness Altman outlining our concerns regarding the current Department for Work and Pensions Social Fund Funeral Payment. Had discussions at official level with the Department for Work and Pensions on the Social Fund Funeral Payment. Set up a Funeral Poverty and Funeral Payment Reference Group to advise on work on funeral poverty and the development of the successor to the DWP Funeral Payment. Had discussions with COSLA regarding the role of local authorities, and funeral directors and funeral plan providers about the role of the funeral industry. Met with third sector organisations, advice services, the NHS, older people’s organisations and others with an interest to seek their views. Published a consultation on the Future of Social Security in Scotland, which includes a section on the Funeral Payment. The consultation closes on 28 October 2016. Set up a series of themed round table discussions and a National Conference on Funeral Poverty to progress the public debate.

Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of the town centre investment zones that have been established under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015.

(S5W-02862)

Derek Mackay: As pledged in our Town Centre Action Plan, we created powers for local authorities to establish a Town Centre Investment Zone using discretionary rates relief to encourage local business. The discretionary rates relief power was established by the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, commenced in October 2015 and has already been used in 2016. It is up to local authorities whether and how to use this power, and we remain keen to discuss options for supporting a pilot Town Centre Investment Zone scheme with interested local authorities.

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government how much funding was provided to each local authority to implement the suicide prevention strategy, Choose Life, in each year since 2013.

(S5W-02984)

Kevin Stewart: Provision of £3.298 million per annum was added to the Local Government Finance Settlement baseline from 2008-09 for the "Choose Life" Strategy and included within the block grant support from the Scottish Government. It is the responsibility of each individual authority to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, including funding for the suicide prevention strategy, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

Enterprise and Environment

Claudia Beamish (South Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the results of its assessment of whether smaller and rural businesses are able to complete on an even playing field for energy efficient measures.

Holding answer issued: 21 September 2016 (S5W-02128)

Paul Wheelhouse: In 2015, the Scottish Government funded Energy Saving Trust to commission an assessment of the barriers and issues preventing SMEs in rural areas from maximising opportunities from the energy efficiency market. The report can be found here: http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/reports/EST%20remote%20rural%20and%20island%20supply%20chain%20research%20March%202015.pdf

We have designated the energy efficiency of buildings as a national infrastructure priority – Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP). This will deliver a number of economic benefits including opportunities to create a substantial Scottish market and supply chain for businesses of all sizes and from all parts of the country. There will be consideration of the skills and training required to develop the necessary capacity in the sector as the new SEEP programme is piloted and developed.

The development of SEEP will complement learning already gained from the previous research and from the Scottish Government’s existing programmes of support to SMEs on energy efficiency, such as: The Energy Saving Trust supply chain support programme. Through ongoing seminars and training events at different locations, and a social media network, this programme provides networking and collaboration opportunities for SMEs on a range of topics that can support their effective participation in the market for energy efficiency and small-scale renewables measures. This has included the development and publication of a procurement guide to help SMEs bid for public sector contracts in the energy efficiency and renewables marketplace. http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland/businesses-organisations/supply-chain

The Resource Efficient Scotland advice and support service, SME resource efficiency loans, and the Green Business Network, which provide advice, networking and financial support to SMEs to improve their own energy efficiency and install renewables.

The contract for the Scottish Government’s flagship national fuel poverty scheme Warmer Homes Scotland which was awarded to Warmworks Scotland in May 2015. Warmworks have a supply chain of 32 installation contractors made up of: 4 Large firms (250+ employees)

9 medium firms up to 249 employees 19 small firms up to 49 employees Of the small firms, five are micro business with ten or fewer direct employees. Ten of the 32 installers are based in rural locations, mainly across the islands and the highlands and borders regions. Our area based fuel poverty schemes provide funding to all of Scotland’s local authorities which in turn provides economic opportunities to smaller and rural business across the country.

Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether the drilling of boreholes solely for the purpose of core sampling to assess shale and coal bed methane resource requires planning permission at all times.

(S5W-02605)

Paul Wheelhouse: I shall reply to the member as soon as possible.

Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many times planning permission has been given for the drilling of boreholes solely for the purpose of core sampling for shale and coal bed methane (a) prior to and (b) since the moratorium on fracking for shale gas.

(S5W-02606)

Paul Wheelhouse: I shall reply to the member as soon as possible.

Richard Lochhead (Moray) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the financial support that it has provided to the owners of Elgin abattoir.

(S5W-02639)

Fergus Ewing: I shall reply to the member as soon as possible.

Richard Leonard (Central Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what the labour productivity figure has been in each year since 2007, expressed in output per hour.

(S5W-02710)

Keith Brown: The latest labour productivity statistics for Scotland are available at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Economy/PROD2014

Richard Leonard (Central Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many registered businesses there have been in each year since 2007.

(S5W-02711)

Keith Brown: The Scottish Government publishes a count of the number of private sector registered businesses, in the ‘Businesses in Scotland’ report, on an annual basis. The table below is taken from the ‘Businesses in Scotland 2015’ report, which was published on 3 November 2015 and can be found at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Business/Corporate

Registered businesses, operating in Scotland, 2007 to 2015

Year Registered Businesses

2007 151,145

2008 155,285

2009 155,320

2010 155,045

2011 154,365

2012 159,580

2013 160,050

2014 166,525

2015 170,335

Source: Businesses in Scotland 2015, Scottish Government Notes: Registered businesses are those businesses that are registered for Value Added Tax (VAT) and/or Pay As You Earn (PAYE). Excludes central and local government.

Richard Leonard (Central Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what the budget is for the Workplace Innovation Service, and how many businesses will receive assistance.

(S5W-02715)

Keith Brown: Scottish Enterprise launched their Workplace Innovation (WPI) Service on 22 August

2016 to enhance established support services for innovation. With a budget of £400,000 this pilot will support up to 100 companies over the next two years.

Kezia Dugdale (Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to support the growth of the fintech sector in (a) Edinburgh and (b) Scotland.

(S5W-02727)

Paul Wheelhouse: I shall reply to the member as soon as possible.

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many non-licensed weirs there are on the River Tyne in East Lothian; what action the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is taking to ensure that that these become licensed in accordance with the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011; when it expects this task to be completed, and what information it has regarding other man-made obstructions on the river.

(S5W-02748)

Roseanna Cunningham: SEPA is aware of six unlicensed weirs on the River Tyne catchment in East Lothian. These redundant weirs were once used to supply water to mills; the industry associated with them has long since gone and current ownership of them is unclear. SEPA is currently undertaking investigations to establish ownership of the weirs. Once ownership has been established, action will be taken to ensure that the weirs are properly authorised in accordance with the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 and that fish passage is provided. These redundant weirs on the River Tyne have been prioritised for action by 2021.

The Knowes weir is one of those scheduled for improvement by 2021.

There are also three weirs on the River Tyne that are properly authorised under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011. Of these, only Sandy Mills weir is considered impassable to fish. SEPA will be working with the owner of that weir to ensure fish passage is provided.

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what action the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is taking to address the reported problem with the passage of fish at the Knowes Weir on the River Tyne in East Lothian.

(S5W-02749)

Roseanna Cunningham: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-02748 on 27 September 2016. 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/28877.aspx

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government which (a) weirs and (b) other man-made obstructions on the River Tyne in East Lothian are licensed in accordance with the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011.

(S5W-02750)

Roseanna Cunningham: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-02748 on 27 September 2016. 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/28877.aspx

Donald Cameron (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionits Party): To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take in response to the claim in the report State of Nature 2016 Scotland that one-in-11 species of animals and plants in the country are at risk of extinction.

(S5W-02778)

Roseanna Cunningham: The State of Nature 2016 Scotland Report has highlighted the challenges which lie ahead in conserving Scotland’s wonderful nature. We are committed to driving forward Scotland’s Biodiversity Strategy - the ‘2020 Challenge for Scotland’s Biodiversity’ published in 2013, which sets out the major steps needed to improve the state of nature in Scotland - and the accompanying ‘Scotland’s Biodiversity - a Route Map to 2020’ published in 2015. The Route Map helps direct priorities for action and sets out six Big Steps for Nature and a number of priority projects associated with them.

The planning and implementation of the Route Map takes a cooperative approach between the Scottish Government, its agencies, environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and others with a key role or interest in looking after Scotland’s biodiversity. The work is being led and coordinated by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). Implementation of the Route Map will contribute to Scotland meeting our international commitments on biodiversity. Many of the Route Map Priority Projects will help to protect plant and animal species, for example, Priority Project 9 on the conservation of priority species is particularly focussed on delivering this. Work is ongoing to protect species and enhance habitats, including freshwater pearl mussel, breeding seabirds on the Shiant Islands and red squirrels.

Progress under the National Peatland Plan has already exceeded the Route Map target and restored more than 5,000 hectares of peatland. The Peatland Action project, led by SNH, was recently awarded the Best Practice - Large Scale Conservation Award for 2016 by the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management. We have also achieved and surpassed our action to ensure that at least 18% of land and freshwater is under conservation designation. Indeed Scotland is leading globally with protection of 23% of our land and freshwaters and 16% of our marine waters. The main headline from the recent IUCN World Conservation Congress, which closed last week, highlights that the terrestrial and inland waters figure globally has reached 15%.

As part of its role on reporting regularly on progress with the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and the Route Map to 2020, SNH published a six month progress report in November 2015. It reported on progress on the Route Map’s 12 Priority Projects and 64 route map actions undertaken through partnerships and collaborative working across the public, private and third sectors. The Route Map to 2020 first year report will be published shortly. Preliminary outcomes of this report suggest that nearly 80% of the actions included in the Route Map are on track to achieve or exceed their target. A report of progress towards the international ‘Aichi’ biodiversity targets will also be published shortly.

John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes in response to negative publicity and the potential impact on exports that arises from the shooting of seals in Scotland.

(S5W-02945)

Fergus Ewing: The Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 already prohibits the intentional killing of seals, except under strict licence conditions.

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will set out the consumer and competition principles, as set out in the Programme for Government.

(S5W-02949)

Keith Brown: A final date has not yet been set for the publication of the consumer and competition principles and policy statement. However, work is progressing towards publication in November, as set out in the Programme for Government.

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will establish a Scottish consumer taskforce, as set out in the Programme for Government.

(S5W-02950)

Keith Brown: We anticipate that the Scottish Consumer Taskforce will commence its work early in 2017. Further detail will be included in the consumer and competition principles and policy statement, due to be published in November 2016.

Jackson Carlaw (Eastwood) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-02070 by Roseanna Cunningham on 7 September 2016, what (a) monitoring and (b) auditing of the grants that are issued by the Climate Challenge Fund (i) has been carried out each year, (ii) is being carried and (iii) is planned.

(S5W-02973)

Roseanna Cunningham: The Climate Challenge Fund is managed on behalf of the Scottish Government, under contract, by Keep Scotland Beautiful. As the Fund’s administrator, Keep Scotland Beautiful operate a continuous monitoring system of all funded projects to ensure grant compliance and measure progress against outcomes agreed in approved applications. Grant recipients submit monthly progress reports which cover financial updates, project progress and support requirements.

In addition to monthly reports, Keep Scotland Beautiful officers have more regular contact with grant recipients. This includes project visits to verify information provided and assess overall progress of funded projects.

Furthermore, in order for payments to be issued to grant recipients, all items of expenditure must be evidenced and in line with the activities identified in the approved application.

Jackson Carlaw (Eastwood) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-02070 by Roseanna Cunningham on 7 September 2016, what (a) monitoring and (b) auditing of the Climate Challenge Fund (i) has been carried out each year, (ii) is being carried out and (iii) is planned.

(S5W-02974)

Roseanna Cunningham: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-02973 on 27 September 2016. 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/28877.aspx

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow ) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing legislation regarding the number of dog litters that non-registered owners can breed.

(S5W-03068)

Roseanna Cunningham: The possible need for further regulation on commercial and non-commercial dog breeding will be considered as part of an ongoing review of pet welfare. The Scottish Government has already held a number of meetings with stakeholders around that ongoing review; and will invite further participation from them.

Finance

Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government which local authorities have exercised their powers to apply discretionary rates relief under the terms of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015.

(S5W-02851)

Derek Mackay: This information will be collated at a local authority level as part of regular monitoring arrangements and will be available in due course.

The Scottish Government understands that Perth and Kinross Council has decided to make use of this power in respect of 2016-17.

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow ) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had regarding implications for the UK and Scotland's relationship with the European Investment Bank following Brexit, and with whom.

(S5W-02911)

Derek Mackay: Discussions between European Investment Bank and Scottish Government officials took place immediately after the EU referendum to underline the government's commitment to continue working with the Bank whilst its longer-term relationship with the wider UK is clarified.

Health and Social Care

Richard Lochhead (Moray) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what investment it has made in sports facilities in each of the last five years, also broken down by local authority.

Holding answer issued: 26 September 2016 (S5W-02186)

Aileen Campbell: As the national agency for sport, sportscotland invests Scottish Government and National Lottery resources. SportScotland has invested in excess of £81.5 million in sports facilities across Scotland’s local authority areas over the past five years. SportScotland investment highlighted in the following table includes:

Facilities investment in Local Authority areas (including Sports Facilities Fund; Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund; sportsmatch; Cashback; Awards for All).

Local Authority Area 2011-12 Investment

2012-13 Investment

2013-14 Investment

2014-15 Investment

2015-16 Investment

Aberdeen City £69,940.00 £199,164.00 £615,478.00 £345,916.00 £76,330.00

Aberdeenshire £613,635.00 £362,195.00 £1,242,967.00 £360,645.00 £610,536.00

Angus £38,891.00 £150,094.00 £252,426.00 £63,400.00 £311,842.00

Argyll and Bute £501,235.00 £211,683.00 £368,950.00 £328,498.00 £75,528.00

Clackmannanshire £250,205.00 £9,574.00 £20,130.00 £209,680.00 £7,750.00

Dumfries and Galloway

£11,500.00 £452,496.00 £1,249,176.00 £64,497.00 £120,978.00

Dundee City £360,871.50 £75,392.00 £273,544.00 £367,210.00 £37,996.00

East Ayrshire £608,231.00 £325,827.00 £24,307.00 £389,788.00 £34,895.00

East Dunbartonshire

£222,772.00 £8,000.00 £14,111.00 £58,073.00 £526,846.00

East Lothian £56,639.00 £783,930.00 £136,387.00 £241,026.00 £159,041.00

East Renfrewshire £50,513.00 £398,985.00 £120,983.00 £10,500.00 £51,398.00

Edinburgh City £243,110.00 £376,933.50 £1,207,299.40 £354,729.00 *£336,413.00

Falkirk £21,043.00 £115,300.00 £345,855.00 £542,745.00 £389,858.00

Fife £58,400.96 £714,159.00 £737,885.00 £876,386.00 £1,443,802.00

Glasgow City £495,575.00 £755,559.00 £490,437.00 £1,111,740.00 £144,889.00

Highland £399,354.00 £693,641.00 £424,163.00 £753,270.00 £1,262,268.00

Inverclyde £65,850.00 £268,486.00 £45,674.00 £97,960.00 £9,480.00

Midlothian £925.00 £10,100.00 £200,565.00 £83,579.00 £0.00

Moray £11,803.00 £85,414.00 £24,103.00 £153,911.00 £287,433.00

North Ayrshire £576,108.00 £881,771.90 £126,561.00 £820,870.00 *£40,211.00

North Lanarkshire £427,000.00 £903,843.00 £674,204.00 £47,278.00 £364,397.00

Orkney Islands £140,250.00 £186,620.00 £22,300.00 £67,250.00 £2,330.00

Perth and Kinross £146,225.00 £297,532.00 £1,213,238.00 £421,952.00 £288,115.00

Renfrewshire £1,017,500.00 £16,014.00 £52,326.00 £398,583.00 £393,547.00

Scottish Borders £327,855.00 £822,053.00 £305,379.00 £210,939.00 £734,752.00

Local Authority Area 2011-12 Investment

2012-13 Investment

2013-14 Investment

2014-15 Investment

2015-16 Investment

Shetland Islands £2,000.00 £282,470.00 £125,852.00 £11,820.00 £522,149.00

South Ayrshire £146,525.00 £77,175.00 £401,255.00 £134,915.00 £515,447.00

South Lanarkshire £246,337.89 £265,499.00 £628,401.30 £334,369.00 £708,118.00

Stirling £131,272.00 £375,510.00 £344,039.00 £437,873.00 £93,632.00

West Dunbartonshire

£33,878.00 £439,670.00 £73,211.00 £18,500.00 £269,751.00

West Lothian £475,336.00 £312,242.00 £367,484.00 £380,915.00 £340,172.00

Western Isles £538,417.00 £215,278.00 £36,400.00 £107,020.00 £12,859.00

*Excludes the £24 million for the development of the National Performance Centre for Sport (Edinburgh City) and £6 million allocated for the development of the National Para-sports Centre (North Ayrshire)

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how many attempted suicides have been recorded in (a) hospitals and (b) prisons in each year since 2007.

Holding answer issued: 22 September 2016 (S5W-02426)

Maureen Watt: a) This information is not held centrally.

b) The following table provides the number of attempted suicides in prison as recorded within the SPS Prisoner Records reporting system (PR2):

Year Number of Attempted Suicides in Prison

2007 26

2008 21

2009 18

2010 18

2011 23

2012 24

2013 13

2014 38

2015 47

2016 (to 15-09-16) 20

Ross Thomson (North East Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what the annual spend for the Detect Cancer Early Programme in (a) Scotland and (b) NHS Grampian (i) will be for 2016-17 and (ii) was in each year since 2013-14.

(S5W-02624)

Shona Robison: £41 million in total has been allocated to the Detect Cancer Early programme since 2013-14.

£5.6 million was made available to territorial NHS boards recurrently from 2014-15 and an additional £2.25 million made available recurrently to NHS boards from 2015/16 (£7.85 million in total to NHS territorial boards). A further £600k was made recurring to NHS NSS from 2014/15 to support NHS ISD data collection, LDP standards reporting and to support improvements is the cancer screening programmes.

The Scottish Government does not hold the details regarding the full annual spend on the Detect Cancer Early programme by NHS board or by NHS Scotland.

Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Scottish Conservatives and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to raise awareness of the risks and symptoms of blood clots, and what leaflets and materials it provides to patients and medical staff in this regard.

(S5W-02629)

Aileen Campbell: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the formation of blood clots in the vein. The Scottish Patient Safety Programme (SPSP) ran a national collaborative during 2014 to reduce hospital associated VTE. As part of this work, SPSP supported health boards to raise awareness among the public of the risks of blood clots and the risks and benefits of thromboprophylaxis with the production of an information leaflet and posters. The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network has published guidance for boards on the prevention and management of venous thromboembolism and produced a patient leaflet. http://www.sign.ac.uk/pdf/pat122.pdf

SPSP is now working with NHS Borders to identify further learning for spread across Scotland. This includes work to develop a public facing campaign for VTE.

Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Isle of Arran not being covered by the Met Office mountain weather forecast, what discussions it has had with sportscotland regarding how the withdrawal of funding for the Mountain Weather Information Service could impact on the safety of climbers on the island.

(S5W-02638)

Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government's priority is to ensure the long-term provision of critical mountain weather forecasting and that is precisely what will be delivered. I can confirm that this includes funding to Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS) for the next three years to allow the continuation of this trusted and valued service.

The future service will be informed by both users and providers such as MWIS to ensure any future service will be enhanced.

Mary Fee (West Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what NHS services are available to support women who have undergone female genital mutilation.

(S5W-02644)

Aileen Campbell: The aim was to have a consistent approach to the delivery of multiagency services that was required locally according to assessed need. This is expected to be delivered jointly with other public sector and third sector agencies. As part of the work of the Multiagency Short Life Working Group for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Guidance for Service Specification for Healthcare to prevent FGM and Healthcare to respond to the needs of survivors of FGM, and service standards to consider, was published in February 2016.

Liam Kerr (North East Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what impact closing the Mountain Weather Information Service would have on North East Scotland.

(S5W-02645)

Aileen Campbell: I refer the member to the answer for question S5W-02638 on 27 September 2016. 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/28877.aspx

Learning and Justice

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government, in light of comments made in The Press and Journal on 2 September 2016 by David Hamilton that “if we [police officers] had something (a taser) that did not look like a gun, it might be more acceptable", what plans are there to introduce tasers that do not resemble a firearm.

(S5W-02297)

Michael Matheson: The deployment of tasers is an operational matter for the Chief Constable of Police Scotland. The specific make and model available must be approved by the Home Secretary.

Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how many free school meals were distributed in each local authority area in the last year.

Holding answer issued: 23 September 2016 (S5W-02604)

John Swinney: The Local Finance Returns outline the amount of free school meals served in pre-primary, primary, secondary and special education; and are published on a financial year, rather than a calendar year basis. The following table outlines the amount of free school meals served in pre-primary, primary, secondary and special education settings according to the most recent Local Finance Returns for 2014-15:

Total number of free school meals

Scotland* 22,828,000

Aberdeen City 597,000

Aberdeenshire 709,000

Angus 417,000

Argyll & Bute 330,000

Clackmannanshire 262,000

Dumfries & Galloway 714,000

Dundee City 773,000

East Ayrshire 697,000

East Dunbartonshire 445,000

East Lothian 312,000

East Renfrewshire 367,000

Edinburgh, City of 1,430,000

Eilean Siar 75,000

Falkirk 794,000

Fife 1,381,000

Glasgow City 3,651,000

Highland 842,000

Inverclyde 427,000

Midlothian 422,000

Moray 288,000

North Ayrshire 779,000

North Lanarkshire 1,818,000

Orkney Islands 59,000

Perth & Kinross 384,000

Renfrewshire 733, 000

Scottish Borders 418,000

Shetland Islands 57,000

South Ayrshire 494,000

South Lanarkshire 1,356,000

Stirling 306,000

West Dunbartonshire 516,000

West Lothian 979,000

*Scotland total does not equal the sum of components due to rounding to nearest 000. This data includes the number of free school meals provided for children in Primary 1-3 in January-March 2015 following the launch of the universal free school meals policy for P1-3 in January 2015.

Douglas Ross (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government whether it anticipates a decrease in the number of railway police officers and staff following the integration of the British Transport Police into Police Scotland.

(S5W-02686)

Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government's plans are based on maintaining capability and capacity in railway policing in Scotland.

Douglas Ross (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what provisions it will put in place to deal with any rise in calls from the public following the proposed merger of the British Transport Police and Police Scotland.

(S5W-02687)

Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-02686 on 27 September 2016. 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/28877.aspx.

Douglas Ross (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how it anticipates policing cross-border travel without disrupting service provision to passengers and railway operators following the integration of the British Transport Police into Police Scotland.

(S5W-02688)

Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-02686 on 27 September 2016. 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/28877.aspx

Douglas Ross (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of (a) sheriff court and (b) Justice of the Peace court cases has been dealt with within the 26-week performance target from caution and charge to verdict, in each month since April 2014.

(S5W-02689)

Michael Matheson: I shall reply to the member as soon as possible.

Douglas Ross (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what the average time from caution and charge to verdict for (a) sheriff court and (b) Justice of the Peace court cases has been in each month since April 2014.

(S5W-02690)

Michael Matheson: I shall reply to the member as soon as possible.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what labour market data it plans to expand.

(S5W-02704)

Jamie Hepburn: I shall reply to the member as soon as possible.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what new labour market indicators it plans to adopt and what external bodies it has consulted.

(S5W-02705)

Jamie Hepburn: I shall reply to the member as soon as possible.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken on new labour market indicators for Scotland.

(S5W-02706)

Jamie Hepburn: I shall reply to the member as soon as possible.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken on the proposed work quality indicators, referred to in its Labour Market Strategy.

(S5W-02707)

Jamie Hepburn: I shall reply to the member as soon as possible.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT To ask the Scottish Government when the Strategic Labour Market Group will be established; what its membership will be; what its remit will be, and when it will first meet.

(S5W-2708)

Jamie Hepburn: I shall reply to the member as soon as possible.

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many females have been held on remand in each of the last five years, also broken down by how many subsequently received a custodial sentence.

(S5W-02729)

Michael Matheson: The average daily female remand population in Scotland over the past five years is shown in the following table

2011-12 108

2012-13 107

2013-14 106

2014-15 105

2015-16 98

Source: Scottish Government (2015) Prison statistics and population projections Scotland 2013-14 for data up to 2013-14.

Figures for 2014-15 and 2015-16 are based on administrative data from the Scottish Prison Service PR2 management information system and are compiled on a slightly different basis from those reported in earlier years. This will not affect the observed trend to any great extent.

Scottish Government and Scottish Prison Service data are not held in a way which allows routine identification of the outcome of remand episodes. Earlier analysis carried out by Scottish Government Justice Analytical Services suggests that at least a third of women remanded to prison custody subsequently receive a custodial sentence.

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how much it will cost to operate the International Education Advisory Panel; whether it will publish the minutes of the panel's inaugural meeting, and on what future dates it is scheduled to meet.

(S5W-02763)

John Swinney: The costs associated with each meeting of the International Council of Education Advisers, together with the minutes of the meeting will be published on the Scottish Government website at the following address: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Education/Schools/govscot

Members of the International Council of Education Advisers (ICEA) are appointed on a voluntary and personal basis. They do not receive any direct remuneration related to this role. All reasonable expenses incurred by members in the course of attending the ICEA are met by the Scottish Government. These include air travel, meal allowances and accommodation.

The ICEA will meet again in February and September 2017, with dates to be confirmed.

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what level of funding will be provided to the (a) Play, Talk, Read and (b) Read, Write, Count campaigns in (i) real and (ii) cash terms in each year of the current parliamentary session.

(S5W-02776)

John Swinney: £700,000 has been allocated to the Play, Talk, Read campaign in the current financial year in cash terms (£689,655.17 in real terms). £1.5 million has been allocated to Read, Write, Count in the current financial year in cash terms (£1,477,832.51 in real terms). Real terms figures are in 2015-16 prices and are calculated using the HM Treasury GDP deflator series. Funding for future years has not yet been decided.

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government to which schools the Read, Write, Count campaign will be extended from April 2017.

(S5W-02779)

John Swinney: The Read, Write, Count campaign will be extended to P4-P7 in areas of high deprivation from April 2017. No decision has yet been taken on which schools this will include.

James Kelly (GLASGOW) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many arrests were made on the weekend of 10 and 11 September 2016, and how many of these were in relation to the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012.

(S5W-02892)

Annabelle Ewing: Investigations into disorder related to the Celtic FC v Rangers FC match on 10 September 2016 are still on-going. Police Scotland has advised that to date one male has been charged with an alleged breach of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012. A further 29 individuals were arrested for various offences directly related to the match. Police Scotland has confirmed that officers are examining footage from both CCTV and the match broadcasters in order to identify those responsible for disorder, vandalism, offensive and antisocial behaviour witnessed at the match.

Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to provide secondary schools with discretionary measures to develop employability projects that best reflect their local needs and opportunities.

(S5W-02915)

John Swinney: The Youth Employment Strategy: Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) sets out our ambitions for reducing youth unemployment in Scotland. This includes a range of milestones around strengthening links between schools and employers; improving the quality of careers education; and ensuring that all young people have access to a range of high quality work related learning opportunities.

Local collaborative partnership working, which has the flexibility to ensure that all young people in their area have access to a broad range of work relevant education opportunities, is a key aim of the DYW programme. The DYW Regional Groups have been established to support these partnerships and encourage more employers to engage directly with education in their region.

In addition to a series of national learning events, national guidance on school/employer partnerships, a career education standard (3-18) and a revised work placements standard have been provided on the Education Scotland and Skills Development Scotland’s websites, alongside a range of resources on DYW for local authorities, teachers and other partners.

Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has published for military recruitment visits to schools.

(S5W-02917)

John Swinney: The Scottish Government does not have the responsibility for visits by external parties to schools in Scotland. This responsibility lies with local authorities who have the statutory responsibility to deliver education in their locality.

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on consulting on its proposed family justice modernisation strategy, and when it will publish the strategy.

(S5W-02919)

Annabelle Ewing: The Scottish Government held a Family Justice Modernisation Strategy summit on 17 March 2016. The outcomes of that summit will be published shortly. The Scottish Government is still considering how best to take the Strategy forward, and an announcement will be made in due course. A key part of the Strategy is about the voice of the child being heard in family cases. The Family Law Committee of the Scottish Civil Justice Council, which advises on court rules and procedures, is already taking forward work on the voice of the child in family actions, following a policy paper prepared by the Scottish Government. The Committee is also in the process of commissioning research on case management to inform its work. More details of the work of the Committee can be found on the Scottish Civil Justice Council's website.

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to develop a system of collecting disaggregated data on the use of restraint and other restrictive interventions on children, in light of the recent report, UK Concluding Observations, by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.

(S5W-02921)

John Swinney: We have committed to incorporating guidance on restraint in school settings in our refreshed guidance ‘Included, Engaged and Involved Part two: A Positive Approach to Preventing and Managing School Exclusions’. It will be clear that any incident where a decision is made to physically restrain a child or young person must be recorded and monitored. Details on how this should be undertaken should be included in a local authority’s policy on de-escalation, physical intervention and restraint.

The recording and monitoring of such incidents will help local authorities to monitor the effectiveness of their policy and practice and enable them to review and improve, where appropriate, their policy and also help identify professional learning needs.

This refreshed guidance will be published 2016-17. It will be clear that the use of physical intervention and physical restraint should be seen within the context of early intervention, positive relationships and behaviour and used only as a last resort, in line with the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child recommendations. In other non-school settings further work has been done and is being undertaken in relation to restraint:

Scottish Government Guidance ‘Holding Safely’ on the use of restraint in residential settings (which is applicable in schools and other establishments) was updated in 2013.

Scottish Government has asked the Care Inspectorate to gather information regarding restraint practice in secure care during 2016-17 to inform improvement.

Scottish Government also published additional guidance for child protection for disabled children (2014). This applies to all settings, and states that inappropriate restraint, sanctions, humiliation, intimidation, verbal abuse, and having needs ignored; depending on the circumstances, may also be criminal offences, acts of gross misconduct and reportable to Police Scotland and relevant professional regulatory bodies.

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish stand-alone guidance on de-escalation, restraint, and physical intervention of children at school and, if so, when.

(S5W-02922)

John Swinney: This government have committed to include guidance on the use of restraint (for all children, including children with complex additional support needs), in the context of de-escalation as part of early intervention approaches in our refreshed guidance ‘Included, Engaged and Involved Part two: A Positive Approach to Preventing and Managing School Exclusions’.

This refreshed guidance will be published 2016-17. In addition, ‘Holding Safely’ (updated 2013) Scottish Government guidance on the use of restraint in residential settings (which is applicable in schools and other establishments) is available.

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on cases where restraint and other restrictive interventions on children at school have been used in each year since 2010.

(S5W-02923)

John Swinney: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally.

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow ) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government when it will announce its decision on whether to ban dog shock collars.

(S5W-03067)

Roseanna Cunningham: Scottish Ministers are currently considering all the evidence, including responses to the consultation on electronic training devices which closed earlier this year, and hope to announce a decision on the future of such devices in Scotland before the end of 2016.

Strategy and Operations

Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the effectiveness of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and what action it takes to ensure that it is adhered to and applied by all public authorities in a consistent manner and in the spirit of the law.

(S5W-02607)

Joe FitzPatrick: Scotland’s Freedom of Information regime is widely recognised as being strong and progressive. Compliance with the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 is a matter for the independent Scottish Information Commissioner.

Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has commissioned to assess its performance in adhering to the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

(S5W-02608)

Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government publishes a report on Freedom of Information performance annually, which can be found on our website at: http://www.gov.scot/About/Information/FOI/Reporting.

Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many requests under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 have been received each year by (a) it and (b) all public authorities, also broken down by how many were answered within 20 days.

(S5W-02609)

Joe FitzPatrick: Information about the number of requests made to the Scottish Government, and how many were answered within 20 working days, is available from the FOI Annual Reports which are published on our website at: http://www.gov.scot/About/Information/FOI/Reporting.

Similar information about requests made to other public authorities is published on the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website at: http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/ScottishPublicAuthorities/StatisticsCollection.aspx

Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many requests it has received each year under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 have been subject to a review.

(S5W-02612)

Joe FitzPatrick: Information about the number of review requests received by the Scottish Government is available from the FOI Annual Reports which are published on our website at: http://www.gov.scot/About/Information/FOI/Reporting.

Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many requests it has received each year under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 that have been subject to an appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner, broken down by how many times the commissioner ruled in favour of (a) it and (b) the applicant.

(S5W-02613)

Joe FitzPatrick: Information about the number of appeals made to the Scottish Information Commissioner in relation to the Scottish Government requests, and their outcome, is available from the FOI Annual Reports which are published on our website at: http://www.gov.scot/About/Information/FOI/Reporting.

Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the (a) number and (b) types of exemption it has used in each year under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 to justify not providing the information that was requested.

(S5W-02614)

Joe FitzPatrick: Breakdowns of the number and types of exemption applied by the Scottish Government before 2013 is available from the FOI Annual Reports which are published on our website at: http://www.gov.scot/About/Information/FOI/Reporting. For 2013 onwards, this information is available on the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website at: http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/ScottishPublicAuthorities/StatisticsCollection.aspx

Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to ensure that its system of (a) recording and (b) filing records ensures that it meets its obligations under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

(S5W-02615)

Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government has an electronic records and document management system, with supporting guidance, which enables us to record and file the records we need to meet our FOI obligations.

Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to raise the £600 exemption threshold set out in the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

(S5W-02616)

Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government has no plans to raise the £600 exemption threshold.

Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to extend the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 to include all (a) private and (b) public contractors that have been contracted by public bodies.

(S5W-02617)

Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government takes an incremental approach to extending coverage of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. The legislation has recently been extended to private prison contractors and further proposals to extend coverage will follow in due course.

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01987 by Derek Mackay on 8 September 2016, in light of the link it supplied giving information from 2008 only, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding the provision of a breakdown of all ministerial visits to (a) Orkney and (b) Shetland in 2007-08, also broken down by (i) location, (ii) date and (iii) the name of the person or group that was met.

(S5W-02655)

Derek Mackay: I shall reply to the member as soon as possible.

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01987 by Derek Mackay on 8 September 2016, in light of the link it supplied not providing information regarding the location of every ministerial visit, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding the provision of a breakdown of all ministerial visits to (a) Orkney and (b) Shetland since May 2007, also broken down by (i) location, (ii) date and (iii) the name of the person or group that was met.

(S5W-02656)

Derek Mackay: I shall reply to the member as soon as possible.

Transport Scotland

Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it has provided to (a) third sector organisations and (b) local authorities to conduct research to support the development of potential projects through the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance process.

(S5W-02244)

Humza Yousaf: In the last eight years, the Scottish Government has provided in the region of £211,000 to a variety of organisations including Nestrans, Highland/North Ayrshire/Perth and Kinross Council and Glasgow Airport. The Scottish Government has also committed to contribute to funding through the Longannet Task Force and the Aberdeen City Region Deal.

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how many sets of temporary traffic lights there are on the Transport Scotland road network (a) nationally and (b) in Dumfries and Galloway.

(S5W-02780)

Humza Yousaf: The number of temporary traffic signals on the trunk road network changes daily according to demands. On a typical day such as the 21st September 2019 there were 76 sets of temporary traffic signals three of which were in Dumfries and Galloway.

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to ensure that (a) pavements, (b) road signage and (c) street furniture in towns and villages on trunk routes are maintained.

(S5W-02784)

Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-02786 on 27 September 2016. All written answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/2877.aspx

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with (a) Transport Scotland and (b) Amey regarding the maintenance of (i) pavements, (ii) road signage and (iii) street furniture in Langholm.

(S5W-02785)

Humza Yousaf: Transport Scotland is part of the Scottish Government and discussions / meetings with occur regularly in the normal course of business.

Transport Scotland continues to have regular and frequent discussions with its Operating Company (Amey) regarding the effective maintenance and management of all trunk roads in the south east of Scotland, including the A7 through Langholm.

The Minister for Transport and Islands met the A7 Action Group in Parliament on 15 June 2016 to discuss their Action Plan, which set out its aspirations for the route and included a number of improvements in the vicinity of Langholm. Transport Scotland has undertaken a review and identified a range of items within the Action Plan that they now propose to take forward further consideration towards. This will be done alongside on-going maintenance and improvement programmes on the route.

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how Transport Scotland surveys the trunk road network to identify any need for repairs.

(S5W-02786)

Humza Yousaf: Our inspection regime is designed to ensure that the trunk road network is safe for use and fit for purpose and to provide the data required to support asset maintenance planning. The regime is set out in the Road Asset Management Plan for Scottish Trunk Roads which can be accessed at: http://www.transport.gov.scot/road/maintenance/road-asset-management-plan

We commission annual machine-based road condition surveys to ensure that we achieve best value from our structural maintenance programme. Deflectograph surveys provide an indication of road structural strength to estimate remaining useful life; Scanner surveys provide an assessment of current surface condition and SCRIM surveys provide a measure of wet skidding resistance.

Also, in accordance with their contractual requirements, our trunk road operating companies are required to carry out safety inspections, safety patrols, night time survey patrols, detailed inspections and condition surveys. Our operating company contracts can be accessed at: http://www.transport.gov.scot/road/maintenance/operating-companies .

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how much it has invested in road infrastructure in each year since 2007.

(S5W-02788)

Humza Yousaf: By the end of 2016-17, we will have spent over £8 billion on our Motorways and Trunk Road Network, including 23 completed major improvements projects such as the M80 Stepps to Haggs and the completion of the M74, and over 254 lane kilometres of trunk road. Analysis of spend by year, since 2007-08 can be seen in the following table.

Year Annual Motorways And Trunk Road Budget

2007-08 £895.1 million

2008-09 £929.6 million

2009-10 £1,081.6 million

2010-11 £1,167.5 million

2011-12 £553.9 million

2012-13 £651.7 million

2013-14 £711.8 million

2014-15 £677.7 million

2015-16 £734.4 million

Sub Total 2007-08 to 2015-16 £7,403.3 million

2016-09-2717 Draft Budget Note 1 £820.3 million

TOTAL £8,223.6 million

Figures from 2011-12 exclude Cost of Capital which was abolished. Cost of Capital Figures from 2007-08 to 2010-11 are £517.8 million, £546.5 million, £595.5 million and £649.1 million respectively. [1] Figures taken from respective January Scottish Budget Bills.

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how many transport infrastructure feasibility studies it has commissioned in each year since 2007.

(S5W-02789)

Humza Yousaf: Transport Scotland undertake numerous studies in relation to minor improvements, including bridges and road safety, on the trunk road network each year and this work is undertaken as part of the routine work of the Operating Companies. The following table indicates the number of major studies commissioned on an annual basis since 2007.

Year Number of Transport Infrastructure Feasibility Studies

2007 5

2008 3

2009 3

2010 2

2011 1

2012 7

2013 2

2014 4

2015 4

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) First TransPennine, (b) Virgin West Coast and (c) ScotRail regarding introducing additional passenger services at Lockerbie station.

(S5W-02790)

Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government recognises that Lockerbie provides a key rail hub, with links both north and south, and therefore aims to protect and enhance the number of stopping services at Lockerbie Station. Lockerbie station is served predominantly by First TransPennine Express services, with additional Virgin Trains services.

(a) First TransPennine Express (TPE): Following meetings between Transport Scotland officials and First Group in 2015, our proposals for greater connectivity for Lockerbie [and Motherwell] have been addressed, and the new franchise will deliver additional early morning/late evening services between Lockerbie and Edinburgh/Glasgow to facilitate commuting and recreational opportunities from 2017. Additionally, TPE has responded to our concerns by, for instance, calling at Carstairs so as to allow Lockerbie commuters to connect with ScotRail’s Edinburgh-bound services.

(b) Virgin West Coast: The Scottish Government’s response to the recent Inter City West Coast refranchising consultation, made clear that there ought to be a focus by Train Operating Companies on working with others to deliver improvements at stations, including Lockerbie, with measures to increase connectivity and attractiveness particularly welcome.

(c) ScotRail: Lockerbie station is managed by ScotRail but their services do not call at the station.

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what investment it has made in the Dumfries-Kilmarnock rail line in each year since 2007.

(S5W-02798)

Humza Yousaf: Investing in rail is a key priority of the Scottish Government, with over £7 billion committed since 2007 to support Network Rail’s operation, maintenance, renewal and enhancement of the rail infrastructure, and to deliver the economic and social benefits of the ScotRail franchise contract across the full network. This core investment is not disaggregated to individual route levels.

With respect to improvements between Kilmarnock and Dumfries, additional capacity has been provided as patronage levels have grown with longer trains operating at peak periods, and station

facilities have been enhanced along the route. Further improvements for passengers are also planned from 2017, with the introduction of refurbished rolling stock and additional weekday and weekend services.

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what the cost would be of extending the Borders Railway to Carlisle; what the timescale would be to complete the extension; what financial resources it has set aside to explore whether to proceed with this; what the cost of the feasibilty study would be; what criteria would be used to determine the prefered route, and when the preferred route would be announced.

(S5W-02799)

Humza Yousaf: Transport Scotland will lead a multi modal study assessing transport constraints and opportunities in the Borders, including examining the case for extending the railway. Procurement of the study is currently under way, funding will come from existing budgets and it is currently expected that the study will be complete by the end of 2017. As this work is at an early scoping stage it is not currently possible to estimate costs or timescales.

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what targets it has set for the completion of remedial repairs on trunk roads across the Transport Scotland network.

(S5W-02805)

Humza Yousaf: Transport Scotland’s Road Asset Management Plan (RAMP) sets out how our trunk road network is maintained safely, strategically and efficiently to protect our assets and ensure maximum value for money from our road maintenance activities. The RAMP can be accessed at: http://www.transport.gov.scot/road/maintenance/road-asset-management-plan

Trunk road defects are repaired in accordance with the timescales specified in the Operating Company contracts. These can be accessed at: http://www.transport.gov.scot/road/maintenance/operating-companies .

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what triggers and warning systems are in place to alert it when delays to essential repair works on trunk roads exceed a (a) six- (b) twelve-month period.

(S5W-02806)

Humza Yousaf: Transport Scotland has regular programming meetings with its Operating Companies to ensure all safety-critical work is prioritised, so that risks to delivery and public safety are effectively mitigated and managed. The criteria for inspection and repairs on the trunk road network are set out in the Operating Company contracts, which can be accessed at: http://www.transport.gov.scot/road/maintenance/operating-companies.

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what investment it has made in transport infrastructure in each year since 2007, broken down by local authority area.

(S5W-02807)

Humza Yousaf: Total expenditure on transport infrastructure, as reported within The National Transport Statistics 2015 edition and within the Transport Scotland Annual Report and Accounts, totals £18billion since 2007. The totals for each year are shown in the following table. A breakdown of transport infrastructure expenditure by local authority area is not available.

Year Actual Spend £Million

2007-08 1,764

2008-09 1,685

Year Actual Spend £Million

2009-10 1,753

2010-11 1,701

2011-12 1,652

2012-13 1,834

2013-14 1,878

2014-15 1,782

2015-16 1,935

2016-17 budget 2,218

TOTAL 18,202

Source: Years 2007-08-2014-15 = Scottish National Statistics 2015 edition, Years 2015-16 and 2016-17 = Transport Scotland Annual Report and Accounts 2015-16 and published Scottish Budget.

Whilst total expenditure on transport infrastructure, as reported above, totals £18 billion since 2007 to date, a breakdown by local authority area is not possible. This is in part because some investments are of a national nature (Forth Replacement Crossing) and others span a number of local authority areas, such as the M80, the M74 and the M77 construction projects.

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what its total investment in rail has been in each year since 2007.

(S5W-02811)

Humza Yousaf: Between 2007-08 and 2015-16, we have spent over £7 billion in our Rail Network, including 76km of new railways delivered and 13 new stations opened.The budgeted spend on rail in 2016-17 totals a further £0.75 million. The totals for each year are as follows;

Year Actual Spend £000

2007-08 936,273

2008-09 835,751

2009-10 806,960

2010-11 749,018

2011-12 708,156

2012-13 748,400

2013-14 836,961

2014-15 692,325

2015-16 748,587

2016-17 Budget 740,591

TOTAL 7,803,022

Source: Years 2007-08 – 2015-16: Transport Scotland Annual Report and Accounts, Year 2016-17: published Scottish Budget

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding cross-border rail services.

(S5W-02814)

Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government has had discussions with the UK Government regarding the Scottish Minister’s aspirations in relation to the specification of cross-border rail franchises, including the Inter City East Coast, Inter City West Coast, TransPennine Express and CrossCountry Franchises.

Additionally, Transport Scotland officials engage directly with cross-border train operating companies to ensure that Scotland’s interests continue to be met over the course of the Franchise.

Most recently, in response to UK Government’s consultation on the future of the Inter City West Coast franchise, the Scottish Government made clear the aspiration for safe, fast, frequent, reliable, punctual services connecting Scotland to London and intermediate locations, with on-board facilities and fares that attract and retain passengers, underpinned by the strategic aims including enhanced

connectivity between the main centres of business on each side of the Border served by this route for the mutual benefit of the Scottish and UK economy, and to maintain and if possible, improve the connectivity for intermediate communities, especially those where connectivity has worsened as a consequence of previous timetable changes.

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how many square meters of the land adjacent to the M74 between Moffat and Gretna are in its ownership and what plans it has for this land.

(S5W-02816)

Humza Yousaf: The area of land adjacent to the M74 between Moffat and Gretna which the Scottish Government owns is approximately 3.01 million square metres, that includes any area of land which, if found to be surplus to Scottish Government requirements, will be subject to disposal in accordance with appropriate procedures.

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to ensure that local authorities work together to ensure the viability of strategically important bus services.

(S5W-02821)

Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government has regular ongoing engagement with local authorities and Regional Transport Partnerships (RTPs) through a range of fora, including the Association of Transport Coordinating Officers (ATCO), RTP lead officer and chairs meetings and the Bus Stakeholder Group.

Local authorities work together on bus services informally and through formal channels such as ATCO and their RTP's.

The RTPs work together and with key stakeholders in the bus industry on issues of mutual interest. In particular, these RTPs with public transport responsibilities share good practice, for example, in the procurement of bus services; and the RTPs played a key role in the development of smart, multi-operator ticketing in Aberdeen (Grasshopper), Dundee (ABC), Strathclyde (Zone-card) and Sestran (One-ticket).

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the creation of a rural roads repair fund, following the findings of the recent Audit Scotland report, Maintaining Scotland's Roads, A follow-up report.

(S5W-02822)

Humza Yousaf: The Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 places statutory responsibility for local roads, including structures, improvements, maintenance and repair with local roads authorities. The Scottish Government has allocated over £10.3 billion to local government in 2016-17 and it is for individual councils to allocated funding based on local needs and priorities, including funding for road repairs.

In August 2016, Audit Scotland reported a significant variation in road condition among councils. For example, in 2014-15, the proportion of local roads in acceptable condition ranged from 44% in Argyll and Bute Council to 79% in Orkney Islands Council.

From a national perspective the Scottish Government continues to co-fund the Roads Collaboration Programme and uses that forum to actively engage with councils to explore opportunities for the sharing of services for road maintenance activities.

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact that sub-standard roads are having on the economy following the recent Audit Scotland report, Maintaining Scotland's Roads, A follow-up report.

(S5W-02823)

Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government recognises that road infrastructure in Scotland is hugely important in promoting sustainable economic growth. Since 2007, over £8.2 billion has been invested in our Motorways and Trunk Road Network and we are currently committed to the largest road investment programme that Scotland has ever seen.

We also recognise that in order to support this investment in new infrastructure, a considerable part of Transport Scotland's budget must continue to be directed to maintain and safely operate the existing network, despite cuts to the Scottish Government Capital budget by the UK Government. In 2015-16, we allocated £275 million for the maintenance of motorways and trunk roads and strengthened or resurfaced 378 lane-km of trunk road carriageways.

While the responsibility for local road repairs lies with local authorities, we are committed to working with local government through the Road Collaboration Programme to improve the condition of roads throughout Scotland.

Furthermore, Transport Scotland has commissioned a study to estimate the contribution of the motorway and trunk road network to the society and economy. This study will seek to quantify the social and economic cost and benefits of roads maintenance spending in Scotland.

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what technical advice and support it offers local authorities to assist with local road repairs.

(S5W-02824)

Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government is continuing to co-fund the Road Collaboration Programme. The Programme was established in December 2013 to explore opportunities for road authorities to share services and is overseen by a Board comprising Transport Scotland, members of the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland (SCOTS), SOLACE, COSLA and the Improvement Service. The Programme's aims include encouraging and supporting authorities to share best practice, innovation and expertise.

Furthermore, the Scottish Road Research board meet quarterly to commission and co-ordinate research projects.

to deliver improvements in safety, construction, operation and maintenance to both the trunk and local road network. The Board's objectives include promoting and delivering innovation, sharing new products, techniques and knowledge across Scotland’s road sector.

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to review technical support given to local authorities to assist with local road repairs, following the recent Audit Scotland report, Maintaining Scotland's Roads, A follow-up report.

(S5W-02825)

Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-02824 on 27 September 2016. 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/28877.aspx

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to review the financial support given to local authorities to assist with local road repairs following the recent Audit Scotland report, Maintaining Scotland's Roads, A follow-up report.

(S5W-02826)

Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-02822 on 27 September 2016. 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/28877.aspx

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that local authorities share best practice regarding road repair and maintenance.

(S5W-02827)

Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-02824 on 27 September 2016. 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/28877.aspx.

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that local authorities fulfil their statutory duties regarding roads repairs.

(S5W-02828)

Humza Yousaf: While local authorities are responsible for ensuring they are fulfilling their statutory obligations regarding the maintenance of local roads in their area, the Scottish Government is committed to working with local authorities to ensure the efficient maintenance of all roads in Scotland.

The Road Maintenance Strategic Action Group, which I co-chair with COSLA, provides local road authorities and Transport Scotland with strategic direction and oversees partnership working on road maintenance activities and duties.

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how many Transport Scotland staff have been based in each local authority area in each year since 2007.

(S5W-02834)

Humza Yousaf: Transport Scotland has two main office locations, one in Glasgow and one in Edinburgh, with additional staff on site at the Forth Replacement Crossing, Fife. Both the main Glasgow and Edinburgh locations are where the bulk of Transport Scotland staff are permanently based. Transport Scotland staff travel across Scotland to fulfil their duties in the planning and delivery of infrastructure projects, engaging with communities as well as providing oversight to the performance and operation of service contracts including those for rail and ferries services. The following table details the staff numbers by year and local authority area.

Year Local Authority Area Number of TS staff

2007 Glasgow 255

2008 Glasgow 291

2009 Glasgow 319

2010 Glasgow 338

Edinburgh 76

2011 Glasgow Edinburgh

Fife

292 77 14

2012 Glasgow Edinburgh

Fife

284 75 13

2013 Glasgow Edinburgh

Fife

293 82 16

2014 Glasgow Edinburgh

Fife

303 86 15

2015 Glasgow Edinburgh

Fife

284 91 12

2016 Glasgow Edinburgh

Fife

286 96 11

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve accessibility on rural public transport.

(S5W-02835)

Humza Yousaf: Going Further- Scotland’s Accessible Travel Framework was published on 21 September 2016. Accessibility issues in urban and rural areas will be an important focus of work through the 10 year lifetime of the Framework.

The Scottish Government is investing in significant access improvements through Abellio ScotRail who have begun major refurbishment of trains operating on rural routes. Access improvements are also being delivered at stations across the country, and all new stations such as those opened on the Borders Railway are step free and fully accessible. Abellio ScotRail are required to provide a range of services dedicated to assisting disabled passengers to facilitate their travel.

The timetable for all single decker buses to be fully accessible was 1 January 2016, with double decker’s due by 1 January 2017 and coaches by 1 January 2020. Until these dates, fleet renewal and deployment is a discretionary operational matter for individual operators. Disability legislation is reserved to the UK Parliament, however the Scottish Government is committed to encouraging bus operators to meet these regulations within the timetable.

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government when it became aware of outstanding repair works on the A76 between Sanquhar and Thornhill.

(S5W-02837)

Humza Yousaf: Transport Scotland were first aware of slope stability issues in Enterkinfoot in mid-September 2014.

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what discussions ministers have had with Transport Scotland regarding outstanding repair works on the A76.

(S5W-02838)

Humza Yousaf: Transport Scotland is part of the Scottish Government and discussions/meetings with Ministers occur regularly in the normal course of business. This specific issue was most recently discussed in early September.

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how much it has invested in the A76 in each year since 2007.

(S5W-02840)

Humza Yousaf: Since 2007 a total of £39,023,818 has been invested in the A76. This figure includes £5,553,485 investment for the Glen Airlie improvement scheme.

2007-08 4,724,987

2008-09 6,566,315

2009-10 4,581,316

2010-11 7,058,087

2011-12 3,507,476

2012-13 4,446,513

2013-14 2,379,291

2014-15 2,928,613

2015-16 2,831,220

Total 39,023,818

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how many times have temporary traffic lights in operation on the A76 have failed in the last 12 months.

(S5W-02842)

Humza Yousaf: The temporary lights on the A76 at Enterkinfoot have ceased to operate as required on five occasions. These were identified through the Operating Company’s daily inspections and were quickly made serviceable again.

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what assurances it has had or sought from Scotland TranServ regarding the timetable for completion of the works on the A76 between Sanquhar and Thornhill.

(S5W-02843)

Humza Yousaf: Transport Scotland meets regularly with Scotland Transerv to review the timetable for the completion of the works and is currently looking for opportunities to accelerate the programme for completion.

Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to assist Scotland TranServ with repair works on the A76.

(S5W-02844)

Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government continues to invest in the maintenance of the A76 trunk road. Investment over financial years 2014-15 and 2015-16 has totalled £5.76 million. This includes continued expenditure on landslip/embankment stability works which include ground investigation, geotechnical design and construction works. So far (from winter 2014) the Scottish Government has committed approximately £456,000 towards the delivery of improvement works to resolve these.

Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what it defines as "wholesale re-regulation" in relation to bus services.

(S5W-02852)

Humza Yousaf: "Wholesale re-regulation” refers to nationwide re-regulation of bus services done either through a national franchise or by compelling all local authorities to franchise or directly operate bus services.

Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there has been a reported decline in the number of journeys across (a) commercial and (b) subsidised bus routes.

(S5W-02853)

Humza Yousaf: Bus passenger journeys have generally been falling over the long term, almost halving between 1960 and 1975 and roughly halving again since then. More recently the rate of decline in journey numbers has decreased but we have still seen bus passenger journeys down 12% in the last ten years.

We have been carrying out engagement with local authorities and across the bus industry to better understand the situation and I discussed this most recently when I chaired a meeting of the Bus Stakeholders Group. It is clear that bus patronage trends vary by geographical area and there is no one element driving a decline in bus patronage. The impact of the financial crisis, low costs of private car ownership, congestion and running changes in travel behaviour such as out of town and internet shopping are all contributory factors.

In terms of subsidised routes, local authorities have powers to financially support services regarded as socially necessary to meet local needs and make decisions around how to prioritise support for routes.

Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many statutory quality (a) partnerships and (b) contracts have been introduced.

(S5W-02855)

Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government is aware of five statutory quality partnerships across Scotland. To date no quality contracts have been introduced.

Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how it promotes statutory quality (a) partnerships and (b) contracts to local authorities and their partners.

(S5W-02857)

Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government continue to promote and highlight the importance of partnership working in relation to the transport sector. Guidance was published to encourage the use of both statutory quality partnerships (SQP) and quality contracts. Dialogue to improve and promote the uptake of these is on-going.

The Bus Investment Fund was designed to encourage partnership working and was weighted to favour bids which created or worked towards an SQP.

Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how statutory quality (a) partnerships and (b) contracts for bus services are (i) monitored and (ii) audited.

(S5W-02858)

Humza Yousaf: The monitoring of statutory quality partnerships (SQP) and quality contracts are completed by the local transport authority. Once an SQP scheme becomes operational, monitoring becomes an essential component. It is a requirement of SQP legislation to undertake annual reporting to Scottish Ministers on the effectiveness of the scheme.

Lewis Macdonald (North East Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether it expects an increase in the cost of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route project and, if so, (a) how much will this be and (b) what the reasons are.

(S5W-02927)

Keith Brown: The Scottish Government does not expect an increase in the cost of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route/Balmedie to Tipperty Project. The contract value, which is around £530 million in net present value terms, was confirmed following contract award in December 2014 and remains unchanged, and is over £200 million less than the pre-tender estimate.

Lewis Macdonald (North East Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether it expects any delays to the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route project and, if so, what the reasons are.

(S5W-02928)

Keith Brown: Construction work is continuing across the site of the longest road construction project currently underway in the UK which, over the next 30 years, is expected to generate an additional £6 billion to the north-east economy and create around 14,000 new jobs. As with any major infrastructure project of this scale and complexity, the successful delivery is dependent on a significant number of factors including weather and ground conditions. The Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route and Balmedie to Tipperty section remains scheduled to open to traffic in winter 2017 and spring 2017 respectively.

John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government, further to concerns expressed by the Office of Rail and Road regarding delays, whether Transport Scotland has sufficient resources and staff to deliver the upgrades to the Highland Main Line set out in the Strategic Transport Projects Review, and when these upgrades will be completed.

(S5W-02936)

Humza Yousaf: Network Rail have confirmed that they are on schedule to deliver by March 2019, the Highland Mainline Improvement Project (Phase Two) incorporating journey time improvements

averaging around 10 minutes, an hourly service between Inverness and Perth extended to either Glasgow or Edinburgh and also more efficient operations for freight.

Transport Scotland are fully resourced and committed to funding Network Rail to deliver the Highland Mainline Improvement Project (Phase Two) by March 2019.

John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to ensure that publicly-owned land is not disposed of in a way that could inhibit the growth of the rail or cycle network.

(S5W-02937)

Humza Yousaf: Prior to disposal to any other party, surplus land owned by Scottish Ministers is subject to a ‘trawl’, whereby other parts of the Scottish Government, including Transport Scotland, are notified of the intention to dispose of it. They have the opportunity to acquire it at that stage.

John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the requirement for a maximum journey time of 55 minutes from Edinburgh to Tweedbank, which was in Transport Scotland’s 2009 prequalification document for the Borders Railway, has changed so that 55 minutes is now the minimum journey time, with a longest scheduled time of 65 minutes.

(S5W-02941)

Humza Yousaf: The extension of certain journeys beyond 55 minutes between Edinburgh and Tweedbank is a direct result of the rail industry timetable planning process. It addressed conflicts with other services operating on the East Coast Main Line resulting in their extended journey times.

Currently 82% of scheduled services are timetabled to run at 57 minutes or less and only ONE service out of 68 is timetabled to run at 65 minutes.

John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the requirement for 16 miles of double track in Transport Scotland’s 2009 prequalification document for the Borders Railway resulted in only nine miles of double track on the railway delivered in 2015.

(S5W-02942)

Humza Yousaf: The Borders Railway prequalification document prepared in 2009 was issued to the rail industry as part of Transport Scotland’s Competitive Dialogue Process as an example, and not a requirement, for the bidders to challenge in their bids. Delivery responsibility for the construction of Borders Railway transferred to Network Rail from Scottish Ministers on 5 November 2012.

John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government what the additional cost would have been to make the overbridge at Cowbraehill double-track width while the Borders Railway was under construction, and how much would it cost to rebuild it to double-track width now the railway is operational.

(S5W-02943)

Humza Yousaf: Transport Scotland has not undertaken this cost analysis. The railway at Cowbraehill is single track as is the accompanying overbridge as under licence conditions imposed on Network Rail by the Office of Road and Rail.

John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government what design guidelines regarding the positioning of the track, gabion baskets, drains and lineside equipment were applied to the construction of the Borders Railway to facilitate future doubling of the track between Edinburgh and Gorebridge, in particular at Gorebridge station.

(S5W-02944)

Humza Yousaf: Delivery responsibility for the construction of Borders Railway including the design and future provision for double tracking was transferred to Network Rail by Scottish Ministers on 5 November 2012.

The following questions received holding answers:

S5W-02605 S5W-02606 S5W-02639 S5W-02655 S5W-02656 S5W-02689 S5W-02690 S5W-02704 S5W-02705 S5W-02706 S5W-02707 S5W-02708 S5W-02727