Wednesday 1 February 2017
SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT
Communities John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government how the ability to make twice-monthly payments and pay the housing element of universal credit directly to landlords compares with the current monthly payment system. (S5O-620) Jeane Freeman: By making Universal Credit payments more flexible and adaptable we are giving people in Scotland more choice and control over how they manage their budget. During our social security consultation, DWP’s monthly payments were repeatedly raised as a problem. Twice-monthly payments can make life a bit easier for low income households who have to make a tight budget work for them and their family. Direct payments to landlords can also help people manage their income better, as well as providing rental security and minimising rent arrears for local authorities and landlords.
Mike Rumbles (North East Scotland) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government whether the planning system encourages the use of alternatives to pylons, and how it works to mitigate their visual impact, especially in areas of natural beauty, such as Bennachie. (S5O-621) Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Planning Policy states that consideration should be given to underground grid connections where possible.
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what additional social security support it is providing to low income households that will see an increase in council tax from 1 April 2017. (S5O-622) Jeane Freeman: The Council Tax Reduction Scheme assists low income households in meeting their Council Tax liabilities but is not part of either the devolved or the UK Government Social Security systems.
Clare Adamson (Motherwell and Wishaw) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the UK Government's recently published document, Consultation response - Exceptions to the limiting of the individual Child Element of Child Tax Credit and the Child Element of Universal Credit to a maximum of two children. (S5O-623) Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government is fundamentally opposed to this policy which will have a devastating impact on low income families in Scotland. Latest published estimates are that this policy will cut UK Welfare spend by a further 1.6 billion by 2020-21. DWP’s own impact assessment found that more than 600,000 families will receive a lower entitlement by 2020-21 and, once the policy is fully rolled out, this figure will rise to 3.7 million. We have raised our concerns direct with UK Government Ministers and it is disgraceful that they have has chosen to ignore the serious concerns raised by the public and many other stakeholders.
Tom Arthur (Renfrewshire South) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 in reducing inequalities. (S5O-624) Kevin Stewart: The different Parts of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 are being brought into force to different timescales. Part 5 of the Act on Asset Transfer was the latest when it was brought into force on 23 January 2017. The Scottish Government will keep the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 under review to look at the impact on improving outcomes for people and communities across a number of key aspects including reducing inequalities.
Joan McAlpine (South Scotland) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government how the second allocation of money from the Fair Food Transformation Fund will impact on communities and organisations in South Scotland. (S5O-625) Angela Constance: All four organisations from the South Scotland region that applied in the second round were successful and will receive funding for a range of activities, including establishing a Community Food Hub and café, practical cooking, budgeting and growing skills, and community meal provision for those at risk of food poverty and social isolation. This takes the total number of projects supported in South Scotland to six of the 36 successful projects across Scotland.
Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what impact the UK Government’s welfare reforms have had on North Ayrshire's economy. (S5O-626) Jeane Freeman: The UK Government’s welfare changes are impacting across the whole of Scotland. By 2019-20, the cuts are expected to take £1 billion per annum out of the Scottish economy. This inevitably has a major impact on low income households and a knock on impact on local economies. The Scottish Government continues to do what it can with the resources it has to mitigate the impact of UK welfare changes, including the Scottish Welfare Fund (£38million); mitigating the Bedroom Tax (£35million); and the council tax reduction scheme (£23million).
Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support rural halls and community spaces. (S5O-627) Kevin Stewart: This Government understands the importance of strong resilient communities and community spaces. We are helping rural communities make the most of these local assets including support from the Community Land Fund, the People and Communities Fund and LEADER.
Bob Doris (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of how UK Government plans to reduce housing benefit for people under 35 will impact on those affected as well as on the social rented sector. (S5O-628) Angela Constance: We are extremely concerned about the potential impact of the UK Government's decision to apply local housing allowance rates to the social rented sector from April 2019. Single people under the age of 35 are likely to be most affected as support for their housing costs will be capped at the shared accommodation rate. We know from current Housing Benefit caseload information that more than 25,000 social sector households come into this category and could face a cut in benefits if their rents are above the shared accommodation rate for their area. We are also aware that social landlords’ have concerns about the impact of the UK Government’s plans and will continue to work closely with our housing partners and stakeholders to fully understand the implications of the proposed policy.
Elaine Smith (Central Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether councils that do not accept the settlements resulting from its Draft Budget will be penalised and, if so, how. (S5W-6351) Kevin Stewart: Any local authority not wishing to accept the 2017-18 local government funding package on offer was required to write to the Scottish Government by 20 January 2017. No such letters were received.
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government when it will (a) undertake a review of Scottish Office Circular 4/1998: The Use of Conditions in Planning Permission and its addendum and (b) publish up-to-date guidance on planning conditions. (S5W-6352) Kevin Stewart: We have no immediate plans to review this circular and addendum; however, we are currently consulting widely on proposals for changes to the planning system. We will consider future options in light of the results of the consultation.
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government for what reason empty properties will have to pay water charges even from April 2017 when no water is being used, and whether a system of reliefs will be in place. (S5W-6446) Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government considers that, whilst vacant properties may not be in active use to produce goods and to deliver services, owners of these properties still benefit by being able to rely on the continued availability of services provided by Scottish Water. There is a reliance, in particular, on drainage services to ensure that rainwater from roofs and car parks continues to be drained so that properties are not flooded. It is also important to note that the costs associated with maintaining services to these properties currently falls to other non-household customers. The revenue generated from the removal of the exemption is enabling a price freeze in business charges for the period 2015-21. There are no exemptions proposed.
Mark Griffin (Central Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of responses to its consultation on social security in Scotland advocated means testing for winter fuel payments. (S5W-6490) Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government has commissioned an independent organisation, Research Scotland, to carry out an analysis of all of the responses to the Scottish Government’s consultation on social security. The analysis report, which will be published shortly, will provide a summary of the findings to all of the questions, including those on winter fuel payments.
Mark Griffin (Central Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the potential impact on victims, whether it has notified the UK Government of its position on the so-called tax credit “rape clause” proposal in which, to avoid losing tax credits, a woman who has a third child as the result of rape would have to justify her decision to keep the child. (S5W-6494) Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government wrote to the Minister of State for Welfare Reform on 15 December 2016 about the UK Government's proposals for “Exceptions to the limiting of the Child Element of Universal Credit to a maximum of two children”. The letter made clear that the Scottish Government is fundamentally opposed both to the policy in its entirety and the way in which the UK Government plans to implement it. There is no acceptable process which can ever be put in place which requires a woman being forced to disclose being raped in order to access social security.
Economy Alexander Burnett (Aberdeenshire West) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how much planned investment it has to further develop wind farms across the north east. Holding answer issued: 17 January 2017 (S5W-5812) Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government does not have any plans to directly invest in wind farms anywhere in Scotland. Our draft Energy Strategy is due for publication shortly and will outline our aspirations for onshore wind in Scotland. Through Local Energy Scotland, the Scottish Government offers start-up grants and pre-planning loans for community and locally owned projects. Due to unwelcome reductions in UK support for renewable energy technologies, as many as 14 previously viable projects are no longerviable, therefore in the North East we currently estimate that 5 onshore wind projects are likely to progress and will require a total of £220,000 of future investment.”
Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what figures or estimates it has regarding the comparative financial value of Scotland’s exports to the UK, EU and US. Holding answer issued: 1 February 2017 (S5W-6267) Keith Brown: The latest statistics from the Exports Statistics Scotland publication estimate Scottish exports to the rest of the UK at £49.8 billion; Scottish exports to the EU at £12.3 billion; and Scottish exports to the US at £4.6 billion. The USA continues to be Scotland’s top international trading country, while the EU remains the largest single market for Scotland’s international exports. We are therefore well aware of the importance of these markets to the Scottish economy. Our Trade and Investment Strategy published in March last year set out a comprehensive action plan to boost Scotland’s export activity in these markets and beyond. The recently announced Trade board will support the delivery of these actions.
Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the potential impact that a trade deal between the UK and US would have on Scotland’s economy. Holding answer issued: 1 February 2017 (S5W-6268) Keith Brown: The USA continues to be Scotland’s top international trading partner, with exports to the US worth £4.6 billion in 2015. In addition, the USA is Scotland’s top source of inward investment, providing 43 of Scotland’s 119 inward investment projects secured in 2015. The extent to which any UK trade deal could enhance Scotland’s economy will depend entirely on the scope and scale of any such agreement. The Scottish Government will do everything possible to ensure that Scotland’s interests are properly represented in any future trade negotiations between the UK and US, which can only take place once the UK has formally left the EU. The Scottish Government is clear on the importance of broadening Scotland’s export base and growing our exports and we are working closely with SDI and our enterprise agencies to deliver the actions contained in our Trade and Investment Strategy, including the recently announced that is why we have created a Trade Board, which will provide advice on to boost the number of exporters, to help join up services and support and increase the number of exports to new markets.
Gillian Martin (Aberdeenshire East) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what support it has awarded to geothermal energy initiatives in North East Scotland through the Geothermal Energy Challenge Fund. (S5W-6295) Paul Wheelhouse: The Geothermal Energy Challenge Fund was launched on 6 March 2015 and was run as part of the Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme. A total of £179,131 grant was made available during the 2015-16 financial year to explore the technical feasibility, economic viability and environmental sustainability of the geothermal resource in 4 sites in Scotland, 2 of which were in North East Scotland. An award of £48,900 supported a feasibility study for the Hill of Banchory Deep Geothermal Energy project and, separately, an award of £43,500 supported a feasibility study for the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre deep geothermal single well project The findings of the feasibility studies were published on the Scottish Government website: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2016/03/9242 Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre deep geothermal single well project http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2016/03/6881 Hill of Banchory Deep Geothermal Energy project
Gillian Martin (Aberdeenshire East) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of how geothermal energy could provide alternative employment opportunities for people who have gained skills and training in the oil and gas sector. (S5W-6297) Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government commissioned study into the potential for deep geothermal energy in Scotland (which was published in 2013 and is available at http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2013/11/2800) acknowledged a potential crossover of skilled employment opportunities in the developing geothermal industry for those in the oil and gas, manufacturing and traditional energy-generation sectors. In addition, one of the four feasibility studies which received financial support in 2015-16 from the Scottish Government’s Geothermal Energy Challenge Fund considered the potential crossover with the oil and gas industry. The Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre deep geothermal single well project feasibility study report (which was published in March 2016 and is available at http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0049/00497878.pdf) recognised that the technical and commercial skills of Aberdeen’s oil and gas supply chain offer a good opportunity for the crossover and transition of skills to geothermal exploration. Support is available, to those oil and gas workers faced with redundancy, to help them transition to other roles or sectors, through the £12million Transition Training Fund, which is nearing the end of its first year in a three-year programme.
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06110 by Keith Brown on 17 January 2017, how many (a) new, (b) safeguarded and (c) expanded jobs have been secured as a result of the 55 inward investment projects that have been confirmed since April 2016. (S5W-6373) Paul Wheelhouse: There have been 601 new jobs, 1,577 safeguarded jobs and 1,241 expansion jobs secured as a result of the 55 inward investment projects confirmed since April 2016.
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06110 by Keith Brown on 17 January 2017, how many of the 55 inward investment projects that have been confirmed since April 2016 are (a) new, (b) safeguarded and (c) expansions. (S5W-6374) Paul Wheelhouse: Of the 55 inward investment projects confirmed since April 2016, 16 are new projects, nine are safeguarded projects and 30 are expansion projects.
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06110 by Keith Brown on 17 January 2017, what the value is of the 55 inward investment projects that have been confirmed since April 2016. (S5W-6375) Paul Wheelhouse: Scottish Development International does not routinely record the value of inward investment. Data collated refers to the number of jobs and projects and those details are provided in the responses to S5W-06373 and S5W-06374 on 1 February 2017. 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
Maree Todd (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding prohibiting the trading away of access to Scottish waters to fishermen from the EU on a long-term or permanent basis after the UK leaves the EU. (S5W-6425) Fergus Ewing: While the UK Government has yet to commence its formal Brexit negotiations, a firm guarantee that long term or permanent access to Scottish waters will not be used as a “bargaining chip” in Brexit negotiations has repeatedly been sought by Scottish Ministers, both in writing and in face-to-face meetings with UK Ministers. No such guarantee has been provided. In view of the significance of this issue to Scotland, however, the Scottish Government will continue to seek assurances that the interests of Scottish industry and communities will not be sacrificed during Brexit negotiations to secure other interests elsewhere in the UK.
Maree Todd (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding whether Scottish fishing stocks will be used as leverage to provide other sectors of the UK’s economy with access to the single market as part of the UK's negotiations on exiting the EU. (S5W-6426) Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-06425 on 1 February 2017. 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.
Ross Greer (West Scotland) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government for what reason levels of anti-social noise, for the purpose of the Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Act 2004, are measured in dB(A) rather than dB(C), in light of evidence that dB(A) measurements have trouble picking up low frequency noises, such as bass, which may cause nuisance. (S5W-6436) Roseanna Cunningham: Part five of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 (ASBA) was designed to provide a swift effective deterrent to the problem of antisocial neighbour noise. The decision to use dB(A) was based on the research report commissioned to inform the legislation. The report can be found at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Research/About/EBAR/19670. Principally, environmental noise levels are generally described in terms of an A-weighting which simulates the response of the ear. The dB(A) weighting network is the most widely used. dB(C) weightings do not correlate well with human subjective tests. In addition a dB(C) weighting protocol would involve a much more complex measurement regime and thus negate the principle of a swift deterrent. If the permitted noise levels are not exceeded, local authority officers or the police can still use other powers to abate the noise nuisance, for example, under the statutory nuisance regime. There is no statutorily defined limit for the volume of noise, including low frequencies, which constitutes a statutory nuisance. Each case is for investigation by an environmental health officer (or equivalent) who is trained to decide whether the law is being breached according to the specific circumstances.
Mike Rumbles (North East Scotland) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the use of underground or undersea cables or other alternatives to electricity pylons to carry power through (a) national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty and (b) new developments where feasible. (S5W-6469) Paul Wheelhouse: The design and construction of network infrastructure to transport electricity within Scotland is the responsibility of the network owners Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks and Scottish Power Energy Networks in conjunction with the GB-wide system operator National Grid. Regulatory oversight of networks costs and protection of consumers’ interests is the responsibility of Ofgem. Engineering and routeing proposals are developed in accordance with the network companies’ licence obligations to develop and maintain an efficient, co-ordinated and economical network. Proposals may include overhead lines, undergrounding or subsea cables. The Scottish Planning Policy states that consideration should be given to underground grid connections where possible. The Scottish Government requires that applications by the Network owners have taken account of relevant national and local planning policies and that environmental impacts have been fully considered.
Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government what measures ministers plan to take to support the mobile gear sector operating in inshore waters. (S5W-6480) Fergus Ewing: Marine Scotland has a number of initiatives to support mobile gear vessels as well as other commercial fishing sectors operating in Scotland’s inshore waters. These initiatives are in line with Marine Scotland's Inshore Fisheries Strategy, which aims to create a more sustainable, profitable and well-managed inshore fisheries sector in Scotland. For the king scallop sector, new management measures are to take effect from 1 June 2017 to help protect this valuable species. This will see a new minimum landing size introduced as well as new controls on dredge use within 12 nautical miles. The Scottish Government is also supporting a phased introduction for the landing obligation, where species are added gradually to the list that must be landed. This will give vessels an opportunity to trial and adapt their fishing methods before the full landing obligation is brought into force in 2019. More generally, inshore fishermen around Scotland are able to input directly into fisheries management through our Regional Inshore Fisheries Groups (RIFGs). Mobile gear vessels can also apply for support through the European Marine and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). In addition, the Scottish Government is, through the EMFF, funding the University of St Andrews £1.5million to manage a Scottish inshore fisheries research programme.
Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it will give when drafting the Inshore Fisheries Bill to (a) international evidence from the north-east Atlantic, suggesting that marine spatial management improves the resilience of inshore fisheries and (b) measures to encourage whitefish recovery in order to diversify Scotland's commercial inshore fisheries. (S5W-6481) Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government welcomes and will consider all evidence and representations in developing an Inshore Fisheries Bill. Discussions with a range of key stakeholders will take place ahead of any formal work on a Bill, to help ascertain where improvements to legislation may be considered to ensure healthy, sustainable and profitable fisheries.
Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government what measures ministers plan to take to support creelers and hand-divers operating in inshore waters. (S5W-6483) Fergus Ewing: Marine Scotland has a number of initiatives to support creelers and hand-divers as well as other commercial fishing sectors operating in Scotland’s inshore waters. Those initiatives are in line with Marine Scotland's Inshore Fisheries Strategy, which aims to create a more sustainable, profitable, and well-managed inshore fisheries sector in Scotland. For brown crab, velvet crab and lobster, Marine Scotland recently announced new landing controls to help protect stocks. Those controls, which apply to some of our most important inshore stocks, will come into force later this year. In addition an increased minimum landing size for king scallops is to take effect on 1 June 2017 - a very important species for the dived sector. A key objective of Marine Scotland's Inshore Strategy is to improve data collection. To help deliver this, Marine Scotland initiated a survey of the static gear sector with the aim of better understanding fishing effort around the coast. More generally, inshore fishermen around Scotland are able to input directly into fisheries management through our Regional Inshore Fisheries Groups (RIFGs). Creelers and divers can also apply for support through the European Marine and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). In addition, the Scottish Government is, through the EMFF, funding the University of St Andrews £1.5million to manage a Scottish inshore fisheries research programme.
Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government what measures ministers plan to take to support (a) recreational sea angling and (b) tourism associated with inshore waters. (S5W-6484) Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government works in partnership with the Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network to promote recreational sea angling as a low impact activity and encourages responsible angling through the dissemination of educational material and a range of outreach activity (www.ssacn.org/). The Scottish Government also work closely with a wide range of bodies to develop and grow marine tourism. The Strategic Framework for Scotland’s Marine Tourism Sector is focused on the sustainable growth of Scotland’s marine tourism sector, and seeks to develop and grow the sector in line with the ambitions and targets of the national tourism strategy – Tourism Scotland 2020 (www.hie.co.uk/growth-sectors/tourism/marine-tourism-strategy/deafult.html).
Richard Lochhead (Moray) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what the implications of devolution are for the Crown Estate's coastal communities fund. (S5W-6493) Roseanna Cunningham: The Fiscal Framework Agreement sets out the principle that responsibility for the UK Government's Coastal Communities Fund will be devolved to the Scottish Government. Scottish Ministers have agreed to a further round of funding applications under Round four for 2017- 18. Scottish Ministers are consulting on the long term arrangements for the management of Crown Estate assets in Scotland and will finalise the position on the future of the Coastal Communities Fund in Scotland in due course.
Gillian Martin (Aberdeenshire East) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to support (a) rural communities and (b) vulnerable or older people in light of the proposed closure of Clydesdale Bank branches, including in the Aberdeenshire East constituency. (S5W-6498) Paul Wheelhouse: The regulation of banking remains reserved to Westminster and the Scottish Government cannot directly compel banks to maintain a branch presence where they have taken the commercial decision to close. Clydesdale Bank, and other banks who are closing branches in in Aberdeenshire and across Scotland, must take into account the needs of all customers, particularly those in vulnerable groups who may not be able to access digitally delivered services and who continue to rely on physical branches and face to face provision of banking services. We encourage the banks to engage in genuine consultation with local communities as they consider the future shape and size of their branch networks and to consider any alternative, reasonable solutions put forward by stakeholders where they can do so.
Gillian Martin (Aberdeenshire East) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government how many signatories to the Scottish Business Pledge there are, and what action it is taking to encourage more businesses to do so. (S5W-6513) Paul Wheelhouse: As of 31 January 2017 there are 325 Business Pledge Signatory companies. More information is given in the quarterly "Business Pledge - Statistical Overview" which is placed in the Scottish Parliament's Reference Centre. We encourage companies to commit to the Pledge through events and one to one discussion and ministers actively encourage companies we engage with to consider the benefit this brings in terms of productivity, staff retention, staff recruitment and reputational benefits, among others, such as the positive benefits to the well-being of the workforce and the communities from which they recruit.
Claudia Beamish (South Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what practical measures it will undertake to ensure that all of Scotland's seas and inshore waters achieve good environmental condition by 2020. (S5W-6571) Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government has made considerable progress in its work to protect the marine environment. The National Marine Plan was adopted in March 2015 and provides a framework for consistent decision making that takes account of the marine environment. Work is now progressing to implement marine planning at a regional scale. Marine Protected Areas provide additional protection to important locations in our seas. This network now covers around 20% of our marine area. Work to complete the network and deliver necessary and appropriate management measures will continue over the next couple of years. Since 2012, the Scottish Government together with the UK Government and the other devolved administrations have been working to deliver the Marine Strategy Framework Directive for achieving Good Environmental Status in our seas by 2020. As part of that effort a programme of measures was established in 2015 which includes Scotland’s commitment to improve the state of the marine environment as part of ensuring sustainable development through the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 and those measures already taken as a result of existing EU legislation, such as the Water Framework Directive, the Birds and Habitats Directives and the newly reformed Common Fisheries Policy, which all contribute to improving the state of the marine and coastal environments.
Finance Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Office for National Statistics' (ONS) assessment of ESA10 infrastructure projects, and further to the comment by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy on 18 June 2015 (Official Report, c. 53) that "my officials have engaged substantively with the ONS in the process that is being undertaken”, how many of its officials took part in these and subsequent discussions in each year since 2013; how many documents were produced for the discussions by (a) it, also broken down by how many of these it commissioned from outside bodies and (b) ONS, and whether it will publish these. (S5W-6254) Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government engages routinely with the Office of National Statistics (ONS) on a large number of issues of shared interest, supported by officials from across government. Over the period from 2013, engagement with the ONS on issues related to ESA10 and the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route project has predominantly been led by the Scottish Futures Trust and Scottish Government Finance Directorates and involved a range of different officials over time. As the main focus of engagement has been the classification of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route, discussion has centred on the contract documentation for the project and supporting information, elements of which are considered commercial in confidence.
Health and Social Care John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government how many abortions were performed in Scotland in 2015 under section 37(1)(d) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, also broken down by (a) how many and (b) what percentage of these procedures were carried out at 13 weeks or more of gestation. (S5W-5974) Aileen Campbell: Section 37(1)(d) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 refers to those abortions performed under Ground E of the Abortion Act, that is, there is substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped. There were 186 ground E abortions performed in Scotland in 2015, and of those (a) 162 or (b) 87.1% were carried out at 13 weeks or more gestation.
Donald Cameron (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how many people in Scotland are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Holding answer issued: 26 January 2017 (S5W-6135) Aileen Campbell: This information is not held centrally. Preliminary prevalence figures from Parkinson’s UK for 2015 give an estimate of at least 11,000 people living with a Parkinson’s diagnosis in Scotland, 1,500 of whom are under the age of 65. It is important to note, however, that these preliminary estimates are not adjusted to reflect under/over diagnosis and do not include cases where Parkinson’s is suspected but the diagnosis has not been confirmed (there are many complexities associated with accurately diagnosing the condition).
Annie Wells (Glasgow) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government whether the NHS has a "one-size fits all" approach to patients wishing to gender transition or whether care packages are tailored to individual needs. (S5W-6275) Shona Robison: The Scottish Government issued a Gender Reassignment Protocol to NHSScotland in July 2012. Under this protocol we expect clinicians to take full account of the needs of each individual patient. A copy of this can be obtained at the following link: http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/mels/CEL2012_26.pdf
Annie Wells (Glasgow) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government whether the NHS has targets for the time taken between initial appointment and full transitioning for people who wish to gender transition and, if so, what these are. (S5W-6276) Shona Robison: There are no specific targets from initial referral to treatment for gender transition. This is because patients accessing these services are likely to undertake psychological therapy and significant counselling as part of their treatment. The amount of therapy or counselling required will be based on the needs of each patient. We expect boards to ensure that patients accessing gender reassignment services are seen as quickly as possible.
Ross Thomson (North East Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £5 million, which has been announced to help mitigate the delay in delivery of trauma centres, will be given to the Aberdeen Trauma Centre. (S5W-6326) Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-06325 on 31 January 2017. 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 Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent report by the Be Real Campaign and the YMCA, Somebody Like Me, on the impact of body-image anxiety on young people. (S5W-6358) Shona Robison: We welcome the YMCA latest research - ‘Somebody like me’ as part of Dove’s ‘Be Real' campaign on body image. Teachers must ensure children and young people understand the importance of mental wellbeing and that this can be fostered and strengthened through personal coping skills and positive relationships. This government is clear that children and young people should have an understanding that there is support available to them if they need it. A mental health link person is available to every school, this has been achieved in a variety of ways using various models working to meet local needs.
Learning and Justice Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government how many members of staff each of the locations for the second round of the programme of trials for the expansion of early learning and childcare expansion require, and how many have been recruited. Holding answer issued: 19 January 2017 (S5W-5923) Mark McDonald: Trial area Projected additional staff, including childminders (FTE) Number recruited to date 1,3 Angus 2.0 0.0 1,3 Argyll and Bute 10.0 0.0 1,3 Dumfries and Galloway 4.0 0.0 2 Dundee - - 2 East Ayrshire - - 1, 3 Eilean Siar 1.9 0.0 Glasgow 6.1 5.6 3 Midlothian 1.0 0.0 North Ayrshire 2.0 2.0 1 Shetland TBC 0.0 3 South Lanarkshire 3.0 0.0 Notes Local consultation is underway on the design of these trial services, including desired patterns of delivery, which will determine the final staffing model. Recruitment will commence following this period of consultation. These trials are currently on track to admit children on time. These trials focus on redesigning existing services with registered childminders. These trials are seeking to recruit new registered childminders. Additional staff include local authority employed staff and registered childminders. More information on each of the approved trials can be found at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/People/Young-People/early-years/ELCTrials/ELCTrials
Douglas Ross (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government which Police Scotland divisions pay the NHS to provide medical services in custody centres. (S5W-5946) Michael Matheson: On 1 April 2014, the delivery of healthcare to people in police custody became the responsibility of NHS boards. Police Scotland does not pay the NHS to deliver healthcare services. Rather the Scottish Government allocates funding directly to NHS boards as part of their overall funding allocations.
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many admissions there have been for a (a) BA in Childhood Practice and (b) Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (Primary) and, of those, how many people (i) completed, (ii) are still to complete and (iii) are no longer studying without completing the course in each of the last 10 years, also broken down by institution. (S5W-6386) Mark McDonald: This information is not held centrally. The Scottish Funding Council are the Public Body responsible for this information. They can be contacted at: Scottish Funding Council, Apex 2, 97 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh EH12 5HD.
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government, further to its recent announcement on funding for additional graduates for early learning and childcare, which nurseries will receive support, broken down by local authority. (S5W-6391) Mark McDonald: Allocations of the additional graduates to local authorities were determined by their share of the nurseries located in the 20% most deprived postcode areas. Using the Care Inspectorate data on Early Learning and Childcare settings, and the latest Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), 432 nurseries were identified as being located in the 20% most deprived postcode areas. Each of the three local authorities (Orkney, Shetland, and Western Isles) without a nursery in the 20% most deprived postcode areas will also receive 1 additional graduate. To ensure that this commitment benefits as many children as possible local authorities will be given flexibility to draw on their local data to prioritise how they allocate these additional places. We are currently working closely with local authorities on progressing this commitment, and will ask them to provide plans setting out how they propose to allocate the additional places in their area.
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government, further to its recent announcement on funding for additional graduates for early learning and childcare, how many (a) graduates and (b) teachers it expects to (i) begin and (ii) complete courses in 2017-18, and, of those who complete courses in 2017-18, how many it expects to go on to work in nurseries in the most deprived areas. (S5W-6392) Mark McDonald: In order to support delivery of the commitment the Scottish Government will invest nearly £1.5 million in 2017-18 to fund additional places for teacher training and on the BA Childhood Practice. As a result of this investment we expect an additional 126 students to start their teacher training and an additional 270 students to commence BA Childhood Practice in 2017-18. We are currently working closely with local authorities to progress this commitment, and will ask them to provide plans setting out how they propose to allocate, and fill, the additional places in their area.
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many graduates of a BA in Childhood Practice in each of the last 10 years were employed in nurseries, broken down by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation quintile of the location of the nurseries. (S5W-6394) Mark McDonald: Currently the Scottish Government does not collect information on the number of graduates of the BA in Childhood Practice working in nurseries. We are looking to capture this information in the future for all Early Learning and Childcare settings that provide the funded entitlement.
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government, further to its recent announcement on funding for additional graduates for early learning and childcare, what funding will be provided to local authorities to meet the costs of employing additional graduates. (S5W-6395) Mark McDonald: The Scottish Government will invest nearly £1.5 million in 2017-18 to fund additional places for teacher training and on the BA Childhood Practice degree. The Scottish Government will also provide funding to support delivery of the commitment from 2018- 19 onwards. The full costs of delivery will mainly reflect additional staffing costs, which will be determined by the mixture of additional teachers and graduates that local authorities and partner providers recruit.
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what the impact would be on the number of (a) graduates of a BA in Childhood Practice and (b) teachers who are employed in nurseries of a reduction of £327 million to local government funding. (S5W-6396) Mark McDonald: Taking next year's local government finance settlement plus the other sources of income available through potential increases in council tax, and Health and Social Care Integration, the overall increase in spending power to support local authority services amounts to £241 million (2.3 per cent in cash terms) or over £91 million (0.9 per cent in real terms). In addition the Scottish Draft Budget 2017-18 has allocated over £60 million in new investment to support the expansion to 1,140 hours of Early Learning and Childcare entitlement. This includes investment in the training and employment of new staff as well as the upskilling of some of the existing ELC workforce to ensure those currently within the sector have an opportunity to progress their careers. For example in order to support delivery of the Additional Graduate commitment the Scottish Government will invest nearly £1.5 million in 2017-18 to fund additional places for teacher training and on the BA Childhood Practice.
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government, further to its recent announcement on funding for additional graduates for early learning and childcare, how it will ensure that 100 of the 126 additional teacher training graduates choose to work in nurseries. (S5W-6398) Mark McDonald: We are currently working closely with local authorities on the implementation of this commitment, including bringing additional teachers with early years expertise into nurseries in deprived areas. Local authorities will be asked to provide plans setting out how they propose to allocate, and fill, the additional places in their area.
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government, further to its recent announcement on funding for additional graduates for early learning and childcare, when the commitment to have 435 additional graduates in nurseries will be met. (S5W-6399) Mark McDonald: We expect the 435 additional graduates to be in place for the start of the 2018-19 academic year (which commences in August 2018). Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government, further to its recent announcement on funding for additional graduates for early learning and childcare, how it will allow local government flexibility on allocation of additional places and ensure that each identified nursery receives a full-time equivalent graduate at the same time. (S5W-6400) Mark McDonald: Allocations of the additional graduates to local authorities were determined by their share of the nurseries located in the 20% most deprived postcode areas. Using the Care Inspectorate data on Early Learning and Childcare settings, and the latest Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), 432 nurseries were identified as being located in the 20% most deprived postcode areas. Each of the three local authorities (Orkney, Shetland, and Western Isles) without a nursery in the 20% most deprived postcode areas will also receive one additional full-time equivalent graduate. However, to ensure that this commitment benefits as many children as possible local authorities will be given flexibility to draw on their local data to prioritise how they allocate these additional places. We are currently working closely with local authorities on progressing this commitment, and will ask them provide plans setting out how they propose to allocate the additional places in their area.
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government, further to its recent announcement on funding for additional graduates for early learning and childcare, what (a) funding and (b) other measures there will be to increase awareness of routes into childcare. (S5W-6401) Mark McDonald: The Scottish Government will invest around £1 million in 2017-18 to increase awareness of routes into Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) and to attract new recruits in to the sector. This campaign will be informed by the research that we are currently undertaking with target audiences. We are also currently working with stakeholders to develop a Skills Investment Plan (SIP). The SIP will set out an action plan on how we will address issues such as raising the profile of a career in ELC and promoting routes into the sector.
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government, further to its recent announcement on funding for additional graduates for early learning and childcare, how many existing qualified teachers or graduates will be encouraged to work in nurseries in the most deprived areas, and what action it will take to ensure that this does not have a detrimental effect on schools or other nurseries where they are currently working. (S5W-6402) Mark McDonald: We are currently working closely with local authorities on the implementation of this commitment. Local authorities will be asked to provide plans setting out how they propose to allocate, and fill, the additional places in their area.
Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what it expects the impact of its additional graduate policy will be on (a) the number and proportion of children attending high-quality nursery settings, (b) the number and proportion of children meeting expected developmental milestones at school entry and (c) attainment gaps at school entry points. (S5W-6404) Mark McDonald: By providing more children who face the greatest disadvantages with access to highly qualified staff with expertise in early childhood learning and development our Additional Graduate commitment will help support our ambition to close the attainment gap. We are working closely with local authorities to progress the delivery of this commitment, and will monitor the impact on child outcomes as part of the wider evaluation of the early learning and childcare expansion to 1140 hours.
Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter from the Minister for Childcare and Early Years to the Education and Skills Committee on 18 January 2017 on the additional graduate commitment, of the 432 nurseries identified, how many directly employ (a) qualified early years teachers, (b) qualified graduates, (c) staff working towards a graduate-level teaching qualification and (d) staff working towards a Childhood Practice qualification, broken down by (i) headcount and (ii) full-time equivalent. (S5W-6405) Mark McDonald: Allocations of the additional graduates to local authorities were determined by their share of the nurseries located in the 20% most deprived postcode areas. Using the Care Inspectorate data on Early Learning and Childcare settings, and the latest Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), 432 nurseries were identified as being located in the 20% most deprived postcode areas. Each of the three local authorities (Orkney, Shetland, and Western Isles) without a nursery in the 20% most deprived postcode areas will also receive one additional graduate. However, to ensure that this commitment benefits as many children as possible local authorities will be given flexibility to draw on their local data to prioritise how they allocate these additional places. We are currently working closely with local authorities on progressing this commitment, and will ask them provide plans setting out how they propose to allocate the additional places in their area, including how many of the additional training places they wish to access.
Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter by the Minister for Childcare and Early Years to the Education and Skills Committee of 18 January 2017 on the additional graduate commitment, for each local authority area, what proportion of allocations of additional graduate places will be for (a) teachers with early years expertise and (b) graduate practitioners with the BA Childhood Practice award. (S5W-6406) Mark McDonald: The balance between the contribution of teachers with early years expertise and graduates with the BA Childhood Practice towards delivering the commitment will reflect a number of factors including the supply of suitably skilled professionals with early years expertise within local areas. We are currently working closely with local authorities on progressing this commitment, and will ask them to provide plans setting out how they propose to allocate, and fill, the additional places in their area. In order to support delivery of the commitment the Scottish Government will invest nearly £1.5 million in 2017-18 to fund additional places for teacher training and the BA Childhood Practice.
Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what planning and reporting requirements will be placed on local authorities to (a) assess how they allocate nursery places and (b) monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of additional graduates to nurseries within the authority areas, and when it will report on these findings. (S5W-6407) Mark McDonald: Local authorities will be asked to provide plans setting out how they propose to allocate the additional places in their area. We are working closely with local authorities to progress the delivery of this commitment, and will monitor the impact on child outcomes as part of the wider evaluation of the early learning and childcare expansion to 1140 hours.
Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what criteria, guidance or support local authorities will receive to help them make decisions about the deployment of additional graduates to nurseries. (S5W-6408) Mark McDonald: As part of the announcement on the Additional Graduate commitment on 18 January 2017 the Scottish Government set out more details and guidance as to how this commitment would be delivered. This can be found at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/People/Young-People/early- years/ELCTrials/AdditionalGraduateCommitment. In order to support delivery of the commitment the Scottish Government will invest nearly £1.5 million in 2017-18 to fund additional places for teacher training and the BA Childhood Practise. We are currently working closely with local authorities on the implementation of this commitment.
Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government how many offenders under the age of 18 have been placed in a secure unit in each year since 2010. (S5W-6414) Michael Matheson: Children can be placed in secure care through the courts (on remand or sentence) or following authorisation through the Children’s Hearings System. Statistics on numbers of children in secure care in Scotland are published annually by the Scottish Government. These are available at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Children/PubChildrenSocialWork The statistics for young people placed through the Children’s Hearings System do not differentiate between secure authorisations on care and protection or offence grounds reflecting the systems integrated approach. The number of sentenced young people placed in secure care in each year since 2010 is shown in the following table: 2010 - 11 13 2011 - 12 13 2012 - 13 10 2013 - 14 9 2014 - 15 9
Gillian Martin (Aberdeenshire East) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the level of youth employment. (S5W-6514) Jamie Hepburn: Scotland's youth unemployment rate (9.4%) is the lowest youth unemployment rate since records began, and is the 2nd lowest youth unemployment rate in the EU. However we will continue to build on this progress through the implementation of our youth employment strategy, Developing the Young Workforce, which aims to protect our young people from any future recessions while also supporting those who would always find it harder to move into employment even in more positive economic climates. In December 2016 I published the second Developing the Young Workforce Programme annual report which highlighted the progress we are making towards the headline target of reducing 2014 levels of youth unemployment by 40% by 2021. The report highlighted development in growing vocational provision for young people in the senior phase, including: Growth in our Modern Apprenticeship programme; A significant expansion of Foundation Apprenticeships; Establishing 17 Developing the Young Workforce Regional Groups; Investing in the earlier introduction of Career Advice; and Refocusing activity across our youth employment programmes on young people who need the most support.
Maree Todd (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what consideration is being given to specific circumstances in Orkney and Shetland as part of NHS Scotland’s review of forensic examination services, and how services there compare to services in other rural and island communities. (S5W-6543) Michael Matheson: We accept there are real challenges in helping deliver the minimum standards across Scotland and these challenges can often be more difficult in island and rural locations. However someone who has been the victim of rape in an island community has the same rights to access to justice as a victim of rape anywhere else. This is why we are working with NHS partners and others to help identify a solution to ensure that forensic examinations are carried out appropriately and sensitively as part of the patient’s overall care whilst guarding against undue delays which could compromise evidence. Work has already been taken forward by the Co-ordinating Network for HealthCare and Forensic Medical Services for people in Police Care to assess all Boards against the Minimum Standards for forensic examinations for victims of this type of crime. In addition, we have funded a specific post within the National Specialist and Screening Services Directorate in NHS Scotland to work with NHS colleagues and accelerate the pace of work in implementing Minimum Standards. This includes looking at specific issues that areas may face and reporting to the Scottish Government where improvements and changes need to be made.
Fulton MacGregor (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of pupils has achieved at least one qualification at Higher level or equivalent in each year since 1999. (S5W-6551) John Swinney: The percentage of school leavers attaining at least one qualification at SCQF 6 (Higher and equivalents) or better from 1998-99 to 2014-15 is shown in the following table. Percentage of school leavers with one or more qualification at SCQF level six or better 1998-99 44.7 1999-00 44.8 2000-01 43.4 2001-02 43.5 2002-03 42.8 2003-04 43.1 2004-05 43.1 2005-06 43.5 2006-07 41.6 2007-08 45.7 2008-09 47.9 2009-10 50.4 2010-11 52.3 2011-12 55.8 2012-13 55.8 2013-14 58.1 2014-15 60.2 Strategy and Operations Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the UK Government regarding the impact of HMRC tax office closures/mergers in Scotland; what was discussed, and what plans it has to meet again. (S5W-6456) Paul Wheelhouse: When HMRC announced the next stage of their Building our Future transformation programme on 12 November 2015, the First Minister personally spoke to the second Permanent Secretary at HMRC to relay her grave concerns over job losses. Keith Brown, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, wrote to David Gauke MP, Financial Secretary to HM Treasury, on 5 July 2016, to relay the Scottish Governments concerns over HMRC office closures and to request a meeting to discuss the plans in detail and to establish what might be done to mitigate the programmes impact on Scotland. David Gauke's successor as Financial Secretary to HM Treasury, Jane Ellison MP, replied on 20 December 2016 and it was agreed that Mr Brown and Ms Ellison would meet on 24 January 2017. Unfortunately, events conspired against both parties and the meeting was delayed. A new date, convenient to both parties, is actively being pursued during which time concerns raised by stakeholders with Scottish Ministers will be raised with the UK Government.
Transport Scotland Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what assessments it has made of the case for the proposed Glasgow Crossrail development. (S5W-5952) Humza Yousaf: The Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR), which outlined Scottish Ministers’ future strategic transport priorities, considered the “Glasgow CrossRail” proposal and concluded that it would not make best use of the rail network or integrate well with the menu of schemes required to satisfy the objectives of the STPR. The STPR did however recommend the West of Scotland Strategic Rail Enhancements (Intervention 24), a £430 million investment project which provides better opportunities to enhance connectivity in and around Glasgow. Although the Glasgow CrossRail proposal does not feature in the Scottish Government’s current £5 billion investment programme to 2019, we are committed to on-going improvements to rail services and connectivity. Projects will be considered subject to the Scottish Government’s investment priorities for the strategic transport network, a robust business case, affordability and other competing proposals.
Liam Kerr (North East Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what impact using £1.8 million from the SQUIRE Fund to help pay for the so- called "free week" of ScotRail travel will have on the work to improve access to (a) stations and (b) trains, and what its position is on whether using the SQUIRE Fund in this manner is in line with the fund's purpose. (S5W-6333) Humza Yousaf: There will be no impact on work to improve access to (a) stations or (b) trains by applying the financial penalties held within the SQUIRE Investment Funds to the ScotRail fares initiative. £834,000 from the Investment Fund has already been allocated for station and rolling stock improvements. As there are not currently any initiatives or projects at the developmental stage to require funding, the balance of the fund, £2.06million, is currently unallocated. The Franchise Agreement specifically states that such funds be directed towards "qualitative respects of the Franchise Services". Use of a proportion of these funds to the benefit of Scotrails valued, existing passenger base falls within the remit of the contract.
Mike Rumbles (North East Scotland) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release of 18 January 2017, where it stated in relation to Network Rail that “further devolution will bring substantial savings of around £100m every year”, whether it will provide an explanation of those savings. (S5W-6411) Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-06329 on 31 January 2017. 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
Mike Rumbles (North East Scotland) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release of 18 January 2017, where it stated in relation to Network Rail that “further devolution will bring substantial savings of around £100m every year”, whether it will provide a list of services provided by Network Rail that are covered by this expenditure. (S5W-6412) Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-06329 on 31 January 2017. 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
Mike Rumbles (North East Scotland) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release of 18 January 2017, where it stated in relation to Network Rail that “further devolution will bring substantial savings of around £100m every year”, which functions currently performed by Network Rail it proposes (a) should continue with a new devolved organisation and (b) should cease. (S5W-6413) Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-06329 on 31 January 2017. 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
Mike Rumbles (North East Scotland) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Cancellations and Significant Lateness is a regulated measure of rail performance everywhere in the UK apart from Scotland, and how those figures would differ from public performance measures. (S5W-6432) Humza Yousaf: The regulated measure of rail performance for Scotland for this railway control period is the Public Performance Measure “PPM”. Network Rail has a regulatory target of a Moving Annual Average of PPM by the end of this Control Period in April 2019 of 92.5%. The ScotRail Franchise Agreement contains a PPM benchmark regime which likewise tracks to 92.5% by 2019. This approach, with a challenging but achievable PPM Target Performance Level in both the HLOS and Franchise Agreement, incentives the franchisee and Network Rail to work in partnership to deliver service reliability to passengers. The key elements of the Cancellations and Significant Lateness (CaSL) measure are captured within PPM.
Mike Rumbles (North East Scotland) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government Government whether it will provide public performance measure and other key figures for train delays and cancellations on the Milngavie to Westerton and Dalmuir route, for the last year. (S5W-6435) Humza Yousaf: The trains which run to Milngavie and Westerton, as well as Dalmuir, also run to Balloch and Helensburgh Central in the west of their route. At the other end of their routes, they serve Springburn, Cumbernauld, Airdrie and Edinburgh. The service is collectively designated as the ‘North Electrics’ route. Since the start of the current financial year, that is, from 1 April 2016-7 January 2017, about 85.6 percent of the ‘North Electrics’ trains met the ‘public performance measure’ (that is, arrivals within five minutes of the timetabled time, excluding trains which failed to stop at any point in the journey at which they should have stopped). This can be compared with PPM over the same period for the franchise as a whole, sitting at about 89.7 percent. Transport Scotland does not hold data on delays and cancellations for the specific routes and trains in the question itself. The trains referenced in this query run within the Suburban West sector, and the number of gross cancellations and part-cancellations on this sector over the current financial year has been as follows: Number of cancellations: (full) (part) Cancellations 3,951 4,120 To 10 Dec 2016 – most up-to-date data held This is 8,071 full- and part-cancellations in total, or 2.2 percent of the 367,223 trains planned to run in the Suburban West sector during this time. [Data as-reported by ScotRail to Transport Scotland]
Mairi Evans (Angus North and Mearns) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government how much it has invested in transport infrastructure and services in each year since 2007. (S5W-6591) Humza Yousaf: The following table details the amount that the Scottish Government has allocated for transport infrastructure and services in each year since 2007, analysed by level three budgets. 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 £m £m £m £m £m
Rail Services in Scotland 675.3 700.8 660.7 667.5 762.4
Ferry Services in Scotland 84.1 91.8 103.1 184.8 109
Air Services in Scotland 47.4 41.3 41.1 158.9 37.5
Concessionary Fares 173.3 187.5 205.3 529.9
Concessionary Fares and Bus Services 255.3
Other Transport 358.6 180.9 193.1 102.7 73.2
Motorways and Trunk Roads 407.3 445.9 565.5 34.4 502
Bus Services in Scotland 68 61.2 66 63.2
Other Transport Directorate Programmes 64.7 46.2 54.4
Other Transport Grants to Local Authorities 73.2
Central Grants to Local Government 34 39 34.1 28
Total 1887.2 1808.1 1920 1829.9 1767.4
2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 £m £m £m £m
Rail Services in Scotland 784.4 828.2 757.4 794.2
Ferry Services in Scotland 111.4 111.1 169.8 187.1
Air Services in Scotland 38.5 29.6 50.7 52.9
Concessionary Fares
Concessionary Fares and Bus Services 248.6 248.1 253.6 260.6
Other Transport 68.7 78.6 80.6 68.3
Motorways and Trunk Roads 638.7 613.2 583.1 656.8
Bus Services in Scotland
Other Transport Directorate Programmes
Other Transport Grants to Local Authorities
Central Grants to Local Government 22.8 20.9 30.7 29.9
Total 1913.1 1929.7 1925.9 2049.8
Mairi Evans (Angus North and Mearns) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government how much it has invested in rail networks in each year since 2007. (S5W-6592) Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government has allocated the following funding for investment in rail networks in each year since 2007 as part of the overall transport budget, broken down by level three budget lines. 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 £m £m £m £m £m
Rail Services in Scotland 675.3 700.8 660.7 667.5 762.4
Ferry Services in Scotland 84.1 91.8 103.1 184.8 109
Air Services in Scotland 47.4 41.3 41.1 158.9 37.5
Concessionary Fares 173.3 187.5 205.3 529.9
Concessionary Fares and Bus Services 255.3
Other Transport 358.6 180.9 193.1 102.7 73.2
Motorways and Trunk Roads 407.3 445.9 565.5 34.4 502 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 £m £m £m £m £m
Bus Services in Scotland 68 61.2 66 63.2
Other Transport Directorate Programmes 64.7 46.2 54.4
Other Transport Grants to Local Authorities 73.2
Central Grants to Local Government 34 39 34.1 28
Total 1887.2 1808.1 1920 1829.9 1767.4
2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 £m £m £m £m
Rail Services in Scotland 784.4 828.2 757.4 794.2
Ferry Services in Scotland 111.4 111.1 169.8 187.1
Air Services in Scotland 38.5 29.6 50.7 52.9
Concessionary Fares
Concessionary Fares and Bus Services 248.6 248.1 253.6 260.6
Other Transport 68.7 78.6 80.6 68.3
Motorways and Trunk Roads 638.7 613.2 583.1 656.8
Bus Services in Scotland
Other Transport Directorate Programmes
Other Transport Grants to Local Authorities
Central Grants to Local Government 22.8 20.9 30.7 29.9
Total 1913.1 1929.7 1925.9 2049.8
Mairi Evans (Angus North and Mearns) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government how much it has invested in (a) buses, (b) ferries, (c) aviation, (d) active travel, (e) canals and (f) freight in each year since 2007. (S5W-6594) Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government has allocated the funding shown in the following tables for buses, ferries, aviation, active travel, canals and freight in each year since 2007. The first two tables are broken down by level two budget lines and the following two show level three information requested. 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 £m £m £m £m £m
Rail Services in Scotland 675.3 700.8 660.7 667.5 762.4
Ferry Services in Scotland 84.1 91.8 103.1 184.8 109
Air Services in Scotland 47.4 41.3 41.1 158.9 37.5
Concessionary Fares 173.3 187.5 205.3 529.9
Concessionary Fares and Bus Services 255.3
Other Transport 358.6 180.9 193.1 102.7 73.2
Motorways and Trunk Roads 407.3 445.9 565.5 34.4 502
Bus Services in Scotland 68 61.2 66 63.2
Other Transport Directorate Programmes 64.7 46.2 54.4
Other Transport Grants to Local Authorities 73.2
Central Grants to Local Government 34 39 34.1 28
2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 £m £m £m £m
Rail Services in Scotland 784.4 828.2 757.4 794.2
Ferry Services in Scotland 111.4 111.1 169.8 187.1
Air Services in Scotland 38.5 29.6 50.7 52.9
Concessionary Fares
Concessionary Fares and Bus Services 248.6 248.1 253.6 260.6
Other Transport 68.7 78.6 80.6 68.3
Motorways and Trunk Roads 638.7 613.2 583.1 656.8
Bus Services in Scotland 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 £m £m £m £m
Other Transport Directorate Programmes
Other Transport Grants to Local Authorities
Central Grants to Local Government 22.8 20.9 30.7 29.9
Total 1913.1 1929.7 1925.9 2049.8
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 £m £m £m £m £m £m
Road Haulage Modernisation Fund 1.6
Freight Facilities Grants 5.2
Support for the Freight Industry 14.4 15.4 10.3 4.9 1.1
British Waterways 9 11.6 11.8 11.5 10 11.3
Cycling, Walking and Safer Routes 15.5
Modal Shift and Strategy 8.6
SUSTRANS 4
Support for Sustainable and Active Travel 12 11.7 24 26.4 26.5
2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 £m £m £m
Road Haulage Modernisation Fund
Freight Facilities Grants
Support for the Freight Industry 1.1 1.1 1.1
British Waterways 13.2 10.2 10
Cycling, Walking and Safer Routes
Modal Shift and Strategy
SUSTRANS 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 £m £m £m
Support for Sustainable and Active Travel 34.9 39.5 29.2
The following questions received holding answers: S5W-06294 S5W-06296 S5W-06299 S5W-06300 S5W-06304 S5W-06310 S5W-06311 S5W-06312 S5W-06313