Wednesday 26 February 2020

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT

Constitution and External Affairs

Finlay Carson (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government to what extent the cumulative impact of windfarm developments locally is considered in planning appeals, where applications have been refused by a local authority. (S5W-27442) Kevin Stewart: The cumulative impact of a proposed development is one of a number of factors taken into account when determining appeals and also in the examination of proposals over 50 megawatts which are dealt with under the Electricity Act. In relation to planning appeals the Town and Country Planning Scotland Act 1997 sets out that the reporter must make their decision in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The reporter will consider the status of the plan, any emerging policies that may be relevant, any environmental report submitted with the application and views expressed by consultees and other third parties with an interest in the proposal.

Each case is considered on its individual merits.

Finlay Carson (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what the process is for planning appeals to be considered where a large-scale wind turbine has been refused planning permission at a local authority level. (S5W-27443) Kevin Stewart: Any proposal to construct or operate a power generation scheme with a capacity under the threshold of 50 megawatts are made to the relevant local planning authority and require planning permission under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997. Proposed developments over 50 megawatts are dealt with under the Electricity Act and the final decision is made by Scottish Ministers. An examination by a reporter from DPEA will normally take place only when the local planning authority object to the proposed development.

Where an application for a proposal under 50 megawatts has been made to the council but the person who made the application doesn't agree with the decision, or the council hasn't made a decision, an appeal can be made to Scottish Ministers in certain instances.

In keeping with the vast majority of appeals a Scottish Government Reporter is appointed to make a determination on Ministers behalf. The Town and Country Planning Scotland Act 1997 sets out that the appointed reporter must make their decision in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The reporter will consider the status of the plan, any emerging policies that may be relevant, and all the evidence submitted by parties involved in an appeal, and make their decision on the planning merits of the case. The reporter will decide what information they require to decide the appeal and whether this can be obtained by way of written submissions or whether a hearing or inquiry session is necessary. In all cases of this type the reporter will carry out an inspection of the site.

Economy

Colin Smyth (South Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering extending the definition of a protected animal under section 16 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 to include cephalopods and decapod crustaceans. (S5W-27233) Mairi Gougeon: The Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 allows the definition of protected animal to be extended to include invertebrates of any description but only if the Scottish Ministers are satisfied, on the basis of scientific evidence, that creatures of the kind concerned are capable of experiencing pain or suffering.

Should appropriate scientific evidence become available such an extension could therefore be given further consideration. The Scottish Government is considering the need for a review of the currently available scientific evidence.

Claudia Beamish (South Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many individual members of staff at (a) Scottish Natural Heritage, (b) the Crown Estate Scotland, (c) Scottish Water, (d) the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, (e) the Drinking Water Quality Regulator, (f) the Scottish Land Commission and (g) the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency used air travel for official business trips (i) in 2018-19 and (ii) since April 2019, also broken down by overseas flights. (S5W-27334) Kate Forbes: The information requested is not held centrally. I would suggest going to the Public Bodies directly for this information.

Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the links between air pollution and depression and suicide; what plans it has to undertake further research on this, and whether it will provide an update on the action it is taking to reduce air pollution. (S5W-27365) Clare Haughey: The relationship between air pollution and health is extremely complex. It is widely documented that air pollution has a negative impact on health. However, the sorts of illness that air pollution can exacerbate can also be affected by multiple other factors – such as obesity, alcohol, smoking, and genetics.

Whilst the Scottish Government currently has no plans to undertake research on the links between air pollution and depression and suicide; we are firmly committed to improving air quality across the country. That is why we have set stringent air quality targets. For example, we are the first country in Europe to adopt in legislation the WHO guideline value for particulate matter 2-5 – a pollutant of special concern for human health. Funding totalling £2.5 million is available annually to local authorities to support action plan development and implementation on air quality and we are working closely with local authorities to deliver a network of Low Emission Zones across Scotland’s four biggest cities by 2020. The first of these was introduced in Glasgow in December 2018.

Jamie Halcro Johnston (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how much money from the Apprenticeship Levy has been spent in each year since 2017-18, also broken down by programme. (S5W-27367) Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government has no responsibility for the UK Government’s Apprenticeship Levy which is a tax on employers. HMRC hold data on what is raised by the Levy.

Jamie Halcro Johnston (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of funds from the Apprenticeship Levy has been spent on delivering (a) modern, (b) graduate and (c) foundation apprenticeships in each year since 2017-18. (S5W-27368) Jamie Hepburn:

The Scottish Government has no responsibility for the UK Government’s Apprenticeship Levy which is a tax on employers. HMRC hold data on what is raised by the Levy.

The following table sets out Scottish Government funding for Apprenticeships in the years 2017-18 and 2018-19. Figures for 2019-20 will be available at the end of the financial year. 2017-18 (£ million) 2018-19 (£ million) (a) Modern Apprenticeships 81.5 81.3 (b) Graduate Apprenticeships 4.7 6.1 (c) Foundation Apprenticeships 6.8 12.5

Jamie Halcro Johnston (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how much money from the Employability Fund has been spent in each year since 2017-18, also broken down by provider. (S5W-27369) Jamie Hepburn:

Employability Fund contract spend is published in the SDS Annual Procurement Reports, linked to below: https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/44806/annual-procurement- report-2017-2018-july-2018.pdf https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/45803/annual-procurement- report-2018-19.pdf

Contract Values are published and are broken down by each employability fund provider: https://www.stf.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/employability-fund-201718-contract- values.pdf https://www.stf.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/ef-contracts-2018-19.pdf

2019/20 contract values are not yet published, but are set out in the table below:

Employability Fund 2019-20 (Feb 2020) Contracted Contract Organisation volumes Value Foyer 127 £130,950 Action for Children 126 £220,650 Angus Council 38 £77,049 Apex Scotland 10 £23,373 Argyll and Bute Council 22 £50,186 Barnardo's 699 £1,440,014 Business Development Advisers Ltd 20 £32,326 CEIS Ayrshire 66 £111,816 Clackmannanshire Council 28 £44,860 Comhairle nan Eilean Siar 40 £86,358 Cornerstone Community Care 0 £3,700 Culture and Sport Glasgow 12 £36,740 Cyrenians 52 £77,800 DEAP Ltd 87 £117,210 Direct Partners Limited 69 £151,150 Doosan Babcock Ltd 8 £34,672 East Ayrshire Council 91 £178,016 ENABLE Scotland (Leading the Way) 489 £826,112 Essentials Plus Ltd 41 £70,326 Falkirk Council 228 £438,617 Fife Council 160 £258,702 First Steps Future Training Limited 30 £90,002 Galloway Training Limited 65 £171,272 GP Strategies Training Limited 87 £184,274 GTG Training Limited 166 £285,112 Helm Training Ltd 169 £374,535 IDTC Limited 208 £423,074 Impact Arts (Projects) Ltd 30 £61,619 Jim Mair Driver Training Ltd 60 £106,750 Jobs & Business Glasgow 0 £25,972 Kingdom Housing Association Limited 205 £320,518 L&G Learning (Scotland) Ltd 189 £361,231 LAMH Recycle Ltd 69 £134,136 Lanarkshire Catering School 171 £282,199 Life Skills Centres Ltd 88 £108,611 Lowland Training Services Ltd 330 £491,186 Midlothian Council - Lifelong Learning and 20 £27,200 Employability Momentum Scotland 169 £262,694 Moray College UHI 51 £62,859 Moray Council (Moray Training) 16 £24,020 Move On 41 £79,234 New College Lanarkshire 246 £529,008 Nigg Skills Academy Ltd 49 £249,621 North Edinburgh Childcare 34 £73,529 Orkney Islands Council (Orkney College) 15 £26,820 P C T Partnership Limited 6 £22,900 PeoplePlus Group Ltd 0 £17,532 Qualitas International Limited 193 £384,969 Rathbone Training 221 £1,162,448 Renfrewshire Council 43 £81,793 Right Track Scotland Ltd 230 £431,371 Routes to Work Limited 97 £182,436 Routes To Work South 249 £372,002 Rural and Urban Training Scheme Ltd 66 £128,171 Scottish Borders Council 50 £99,092 SIBBALD LTD 6 £31,130 South Ayrshire Council 68 £150,049 South Lanarkshire College 75 £161,638 South Lanarkshire Council 15 £30,563 South West Arts and Music Project (SWAMP) 50 £127,707 Station House Media Unit 52 £89,773 Stirling Council 30 £57,413 Street League 1090 £2,004,916 The Larder West Lothian 67 £132,953 The Ridge (Scotland) CIC 0 £400 The Shirlie Project 10 £14,228 The Springboard Charity 56 £88,450 The Tell Organisation Limited 420 £668,283 The Venture Trust 10 £30,572 TIGERS STA Ltd 201 £545,402 Train'd Up Railway Resourcing Limited 116 £212,900 Training for Care 38 £79,495 Training Initiatives Ltd 88 £196,843 Triage Central Ltd 471 £790,547 West Dunbartonshire Council 55 £102,950 West Highland College UHI 32 £63,624 Workers' Educational Association 20 £26,850 Working Rite 55 £107,810 Total 9101 £17,763,312

Jamie Halcro Johnston (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how much money from the Flexible Workforce Development Fund has been spent in each year since 2017-18, also broken down by provider. (S5W-27370) Jamie Hepburn:

The following table provides a breakdown of Flexible Workforce Development Fund for the 2017-18 (£6.1m) and 2018-19 (£9.6m) Academic Years. Full information on the 2019-20 Academic Year, which is still in progress, is not available at this point.

Details are as follows:

College Region Total Spend A/Y 2018-19 Ayrshire £400,019 Borders £140,220 Dumfries & Galloway £158,998 & Angus £473,384 Edinburgh £1,622,273 Fife £636,104 Forth Valley £555,422 Glasgow £1,936,586 Highlands & Islands £764,103 Lanarkshire £755,736 North East Scotland £1,112,197 SRUC £90,000 West £672,000 West Lothian £329,540 Total £9,646,582

College Region Total Spend A/Y 2017-18 Ayrshire College £238,640 Borders £110,750 Dumfries & Galloway £48,255 Dundee & Angus £382,877 Edinburgh £603,923 Fife £653,291 Forth Valley £494,697 Glasgow £1,067,787 Highlands & Islands £576,745 Lanarkshire £412,448 North East Scotland £708,901 SRUC £39,720 West £536,931 West Lothian £272,005 Total £6,146,971

Jamie Halcro Johnston (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how much money from the Rural Supplement, delivered by Skills Development Scotland, has been spent to date, also broken down by (a) council area and (b) frameworks covered. (S5W-27371) Jamie Hepburn:

Skills Development Scotland report that annual spend on the Rural Supplement has been as follows:

• 2017-18: £939,750 • 2018-19: £1,034,750 • 2019-20 (as at 10 February 2020): £533,000

For 2017-18 and 2018-19 SDS paid a lump sum to training providers, based on a list of eligible apprentices. Consequently further breakdown is not available. Following a review with key stakeholders, eligibility criteria has been refined and is now based on the employer postcode. For 2019-20 the breakdown of spend by local authority and framework is provided in the following tables.

Local Authority* Rural Supplement spend 2019-20 as at 10 February 2020** Aberdeen City £1,500 Aberdeenshire £39,750 Angus £1,500 Argyll & Bute £72,250 Dumfries & Galloway £43,750 Dundee City £750 East Ayrshire £4,750 East Lothian £3,750 East Renfrewshire £250 Glasgow City £500 Highland £149,250 Midlothian £750 Moray £15,750 Na h-Eileanan Siar £10,250 North Ayrshire £3,000 North Lanarkshire £500 Orkney Islands £21,750 Perth & Kinross £35,500 Scottish Borders £18,250 Shetland Islands £47,250 South Ayrshire £4,000 South Lanarkshire £2,000 Stirling £2,000 West Dunbartonshire £4,000

Rural Supplement Spend 2019/20 Framework as at 10 February 2020 Accounting £750 Active Leisure, Learning and Wellbeing £4,250 Agriculture £12,750 Aquaculture £23,500 Aquaculture Management Technical £2,750 Apprenticeship Automotive £28,500 Business & Administration £13,250 Construction: Building £49,250 Construction: Civil Engineering £2,000 Construction: Technical £10,250 Construction: Technical Apprenticeship £2,500 Creative £250 Creative and Digital Media £1,000 Customer Service £2,000 Dental Nursing £1,000 Domestic Plumbing and Heating £8,500 Electrical Installation £16,500 Engineering £30,000 Engineering Construction £2,000 Equine £2,250 Facilities Management £500 Fashion & Textile Heritage £250 Food and Drink Operations £32,000 Freight Logistics £18,750 Game & Wildlife Management £1,500 Hairdressing & Barbering £6,750 Healthcare Support £250 Horticulture £4,250 Hospitality £81,750 Hospitality Management Skills Technical £26,250 Apprenticeship Industrial Applications £250 IT and Telecommunications £23,500 Land-based Engineering £3,500 Management £15,000 Maritime Occupations £1,750 Occupational Health & Safety Practice £1,000 Power Distribution £6,500 Procurement £500 Providing Financial Services £1,500 Retail £8,250 Social Services (Children and Young £9,000 People) Social Services (Children and Young £1,250 People) Technical Apprenticeship Social Services and Healthcare £22,000 Social Services and Healthcare Technical £3,500 Apprenticeship

* in some cases Local Authority spend has been attributed to employer HQ locations. However, clarification has been sought to ensure the employer is based within an eligible postcode area.

** The total in the above tables is £483,000 as £50,000 of claims were for an archived assignment, where, as with previous years, no local authority or framework is recorded.

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to make improvements to Sunday services provided by any future rail operators. (S5W-27384) Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that our rail services deliver the best possible connectivity for the people of Scotland. Over the last ten years we have significantly improved both the frequency of weekday and Sunday services. In addition, we have introduced Sunday services on routes which were not served before. We remain committed to further such improvements, subject to affordability and rail industry deliverability constraints. Johann Lamont (Glasgow) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the River Clyde bursting its banks, what impact and risk assessments it has undertaken regarding Glasgow’s flood defences. (S5W-27393) Mairi Gougeon:

A National Flood Risk Assessment (NFRA) is carried out by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to identify where significant flood risk exists in Scotland and to designate Potentially Vulnerable Areas (PVAs). There are 14 Flood Risk Management Strategies that set objectives and measures for the management of flood risk for the PVAs. Local Flood Risk Management Plans set out in more detail how measures in the Strategies will be delivered. Flood Risk Management in Scotland is reviewed every six years and the current Strategies and Plans are valid until 2021 and 2022, respectively.

An interim report on progress on the Clyde and Loch Lomond Flood Risk Management Plan was published in March 2019 and is available on Glasgow City Council’s website.

Locally, Glasgow City Council is in the process of updating the Lower River Clyde tidal model and South Lanarkshire Council are developing the Upper River Clyde fluvial model. These models will be used to inform the Flood Risk Management Strategy and flood defences along the River Clyde.

SEPA and Glasgow City Council are also working in partnership under the umbrella of the Metropolitan Glasgow Strategic Drainage Partnership to bring forward development control / planning principles for the regeneration of brownfield sites along the river corridor.

SEPA is beginning to review and update the 14 Flood Risk Management Strategies This work is taking into account all new evidence and information, including a revised NFRA published in December 2018 and information from modelling and flood studies such as those described above.

The revised Strategies will be published in December 2021, followed by revised Plans in June 2022.

Colin Smyth (South Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-25873 by Roseanna Cunningham on 29 October 2019, what progress it is making with its consideration of whether to proceed with the Whitesands Flood Protection Scheme; by what date it will announce its decision, and what the reason has been for any delay. (S5W-27461) Mairi Gougeon: Ministers very much understand that there is considerable interest in the Whitesands project. They are giving full consideration to the complex issues involved and will notify the local authority of their decision as soon as possible.

Education, Communities and Justice

Ross Greer (West Scotland) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government how many people have come to Scotland under the Erasmus+ programme in each of the last five years. (S5W-27175) Richard Lochhead:

The Erasmus+ UK National Agency reports on the total number of individuals coming to the UK as a whole and does not provide a breakdown of the number of individuals undertaking ERASMUS+ related activities for the devolved nations separately. The available statistics for Scotland in the following table are provided from Higher Education Statistics Agency data and include those reported as being ERASMUS+ incoming students to Scottish Higher Education institutions only. Therefore, these statistics do not include individuals studying on ERASMUS+ programmes at Scottish colleges, nor those who come to Scotland to work or volunteer on ERASMUS+.

ERASMUS+ incoming students to Scottish HEIs Year 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 Number of students 2,035 2,920 3,040 2,935 Source: HESA student data, SG Analysis Excludes dormant and writing-up students Numbers have been rounded to nearest 5 and include students of all domiciles reported as studying in Scotland under an ERASMUS+ placement.

Beatrice Wishart (Shetland Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) early learning and (b) childcare centres there were in 2019, and for what reason this information was not provided in its December 2019 paper, Summary statistics for schools in Scotland. (S5W-27181) Maree Todd: Table 2.1 of the Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland, No. 10, 2019 shows the number of settings who are delivering Early Learning and Childcare. Early Learning and Childcare is a service as defined in section 46 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014.

Table 2.1 shows that 2,576 centres were providing early learning and childcare in September 2019. This figure includes local authority settings and settings in the private and third sector, who are delivering ELC through a partnership agreement.

It is not possible to split the number of centres into separate 'early learning' and 'childcare' categories as the data covers all centres providing funded ELC as defined in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014.

Alison Harris (Central Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there was a reduction of 1,007 in estimated FTE additional local authority staff required by April 2021 for the expansion to 1,140 hours of funded childcare between the June 2019 and December 2019 delivery progress reports. (S5W-27186) Maree Todd: Original early learning and childcare workforce expansion figures, as reported in June 2019, were based on forecasts local authorities first prepared in March 2018. Local authorities have been continually revising their expansion plans and forecasts since then, learning from early examples of phased in expanded entitlement across local communities. Following the June 2019 Delivery Progress Report, Local Authorities have had an opportunity to formally revise their forecasts of FTE additional staff, in August 2019. The latest estimates captured in the Improvement Service data provided directly from local authorities in September 2019 (published in December 2019) indicate a reduction in overall anticipated staffing required. The main reasons cited for this are that local authorities are now planning to make greater use of nurseries in the private and third sectors, and further developing their operating and service models to maximise use of existing as well as new capacity.

Sandra White (Glasgow Kelvin) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the board of the Glasgow School of Art to discuss the progress being made in dealing with the impact of the fire on 15 June 2018; how often the board provides it with updates, and what the latest position is. (S5W-27193) Richard Lochhead: As you will be aware, Higher Education Institutions are autonomous institutions, with responsibility for strategic and operational matters. As such they are accountable to their own Court and are not required to report to the Scottish Government. I did, however, meet with the Chair and Principal of the Glasgow School of Art (GSA) on 29 October 2019.

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has a role in providing assurance that there is suitable provision in relation to the governance and management of Higher Education Institutions. The SFC last met with GSA’s senior management team on 10 December 2019. At my meeting on 29 October I was pleased to note GSA’s clear focus on planning for the future, in particular teaching provision and student and staff well-being. There was a recognition that building a stronger, more consultative relationship with the local community would be a key factor in their success.

Sandra White (Glasgow Kelvin) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has provided to the Glasgow School of Art in each of the last three years, and for what purpose. (S5W-27195) Richard Lochhead:

The following table shows a breakdown of Scottish Government funding provided by the Scottish Funding Council to the Glasgow School of Art :

AY AY AY Description 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 Disabled Student Premium 52,000 52,000 52,000 Main Teaching Grant 7,232,863 7,578,142 7,793,748 Specialist Institution Grant 2,820,000 2,820,000 2,871,000 Small Specialist Institutions Protection 255,875 Upskilling/Skills shortages Main Teaching Grant 10,360,738 10,450,142 10,716,748 Fee Anomalies 9,100 1,820 Fee Waiver Grant 9,100 1,820 Research Excellence Grant 1,395,000 1,165,000 1,224,000 Newton Fund 2,200 Research Excellence 1,397,200 1,165,000 1,224,000 Research Postgraduate Grant 73,000 108,000 172,000 Research Postgraduate 73,000 108,000 172,000 University Innovation Fund 293,000 293,000 447,000 Knowledge Exchange (General) 293,000 293,000 447,000 Access to the High Demand Professions 105,031 105,031 105,031 Access 105,031 105,031 105,031 Innovation Vouchers 19,791 14,900 19,850 Knowledge Exchange (Strategic) 19,791 14,900 19,850 GSA Mackintosh Restoration - Project 224,416 215,141 199,539 Managers Museums and Galleries 198,000 198,000 198,000 Diversity and Specialism 422,416 413,141 397,539 Access to Free Sanitary Products 18,225 Scottish Teachers Superann Change to Emp Cont Rate Additional Funding for Counsellors Scottish Government Projects 18,225 Linking HE & the Creative Economy in Scotland 6,000 Support for Industry/Academia Links & KTP 6,000 HE Formula Capital Maintenance 403,048 186,372 224,068 University Capital Maintenance 403,048 186,372 224,068 GSA. Scottish Government Pledge 5,000,000 Project Based Funding 0 5,000,000 0 TOTAL 13,083,324 17,743,406 13,324,461

Finlay Carson (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what complaints procedures can be used against the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission when an ombudsman finds in favour of the complainant. (S5W-27390) Ash Denham: The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission ( SLCC) is a non- departmental public body responsible for providing the single point of contact with unresolved complaints against lawyers operating in Scotland. It was established under the Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 2007 and came into operation on 1 October 2008, replacing the Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman.

The complaints handling process is set out in the SLCC website and can be accessed at the following link https://www.scottishlegalcomplaints.org.uk/ .

Decisions made by the SLCC about service complaints are subject to appeal to the Court of Session on certain grounds. These include:

• Where a complainant believes that the SLCC decision was based on an error of law • Where a complainant believes that SLCC did something wrong in the way they conducted the complaints procedure • Where a complainant believes that SLCC exercised their discretion irrationally • Where a complainant believes that SLCC’s decision was not supported by the facts. There is a time limit in which appeals are to be made. Appeals must be made within 28 days of a decision by the SLCC unless the Court considers otherwise.

Complaints about the quality of the service provided by SLCC as an organisation are handled separately. These are detailed on the SLCC website at the following link https://www.scottishlegalcomplaints.org.uk/contact- us/complain-about-our-service/ .

These may include:

• Where the complainer believes that the SLCC has treated the complainer unfairly or rudely. • Where the complainer believes that the SLCC failed to explain things clearly or listened to their concerns properly. • Where the complainer believes that the SLCC caused unreasonable delays.

Health and Social Care

Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on installing sleeping pods in hospitals to allow staff to have a rest on their breaks; what feedback it has received or plans to seek from NHS employees regarding such an initiative, and whether it will introduce a pilot scheme or carry out a feasibility study into this. (S5W-27374) Jeane Freeman: Each NHS Board is responsible under the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) and its subsequent regulations, to provide appropriate rest facilities for their staff. They are best placed locally to determine the particular requirements for sleeping pods in hospitals to allow staff to have a rest on their breaks.

The Scottish Government is working with the Royal College of Anaesthetists on the fight-fatigue campaign which aims to raise awareness of the impact of fatigue and shift work on our NHS workforce. The Scottish Partnership Forum (SPF) is actively considering the evidence base for the use of sleep-pods and the Scottish Government will consider the position once the SPF have completed their review, however NHS Boards are currently able to install sleeping pods if they consider it to be a local priority.

Organisational Development and Operations

Mark Griffin (Central Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14632 by Jamie Hepburn on 6 March 2018, who the current (a) first delivery partners and (b) supporting contractors are for each Fair Start Scotland lot, broken down by the percentage of the contract value awarded to (i) the private sector, (ii) the voluntary sector, (iii) supported businesses and (iv) local authorities. (S5W-27237) Jamie Hepburn:

The following table contains the current prime service providers, delivery chain partners and share of delivery broken down by Lot.

PeoplePlus – Supplier Private 50% Glasgow Momentum – Partner Third 25% ‎ PeoplePlus The Lennox Partnership – Partner Third 25% Remploy – Supplier * Private 70% Lanarkshire Enable Scotland – Partner Third 15% ‎ Remploy Routes to Work South – Partner Third 15% Tayside Remploy – Supplier * Private 100% ‎ Remploy Falkirk Council – Supplier Public 50% Forth Valley Clackmannanshire Council – Partner Public 30% ‎ Falkirk Council Stirling Council - Partner Public 20% Fedcap – Supplier Third Sector 77% East Triage – Partner Private 8% ‎ Start Scotland Momentum – Partner Third 15% South West Fedcap – Supplier Third Sector 82% ‎ Start Scotland The Lennox Partnership – Supplier Third 18% Momentum – Supplier Third 65% North East Enable Scotland – Partner Third 15% ‎ Momentum Aberdeen Foyer – Partner Third 15% Enterprise Mentoring – Partner Private 5% PeoplePlus – Supplier Private 41% Third Sector Hebrides – Partner Third 6% Highlands Argyll and Bute Council – Partner Public 18% ‎ PeoplePlus Lochaber Hope – Partner Third 6% Momentum – Partner Third 20% 2020 Clearview – Partner Private 9% The Wise Group – Supplier * Third 56.4% The Lennox Partnership – Partner Third 25.1% West Enable Scotland – Partner Third 12.0% ‎ The Wise Group Enterprise Mentoring – Partner Third 5.8% Street League – Partner Third 0.7% *Supported Business

The following table outlines the breakdown of percentage of contract value awarded to each sector in 2017.

Sector % Share Private and Third Sector Partnerships 33 Supported Businesses 30 Private Sector (excluding supported businesses) 26 Third Sector (excluding supported businesses) 6 Public Sector 5

Scottish Exchequer

Gordon MacDonald (Edinburgh Pentlands) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government whether it has reached agreement with a political party to the support the Budget (Scotland) (No.4) Bill. (S5W-27621) Kate Forbes: I am pleased to confirm that the Scottish Government has reached an agreement with the Scottish Green Party to deliver a Scottish Budget. This will support the wellbeing of the people of Scotland and enable crucial action to respond to the global climate emergency, including investment of £1.8 billion in low-carbon infrastructure.

This Budget delivers a record £15 billion for health and care services, provides over £3 billion of social security payments, delivers £201 million to secure the full roll-out of increased early learning and child care provision, invests over £180 million to address the poverty related attainment gap in schools, provides £20 million for the Scottish Child Payment to support our wider action to address child poverty, and supports the vital delivery of local services.

This agreement will deliver an additional £123 million of resource and £50 million of capital investment, including:

• an increase of £95 million of resource to support local government; • an additional £13 million resource and £5 million capital to support our police services and enhance community policing taking the total uplift next year to £60m; • £15 million to support preparations to introduce new concessionary free bus travel for young people aged 18 and under, with the aim if possible to begin in January 2021; • a further £45 million capital to support our net-zero ambitions, including £15 million for local government to support further investment in cycling, walking and safer routes, taking the total investment in active travel to £100 million, £25m for investment in local energy efficiency projects and £5m to explore rail enhancements.

This is a Budget which will deliver for all of Scotland and I encourage its support by all Members.

Transport Scotland

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to provide funding for additional ferry services in the Northern Isles, in light of reports that additional services are to operate on CalMac ferry routes to Skye and between North Uist and Harris. (S5W-27188) Paul Wheelhouse: Ministers have of course taken full account of the need for Orkney and the wider Northern Isles as islands communities to prosper and grow when considering the provision of supported ferry services under the Northern Isles Ferry Services (NIFS) contract. This was set out clearly in the recent Judicial Review which concluded in favour of Scottish Ministers continuing to support ferry services across the Pentland Firth.

The NIFS contract has been developed in such a way as to allow flexibility to meet changing demands for services over time, subject to value for money considerations and resources being available. Transport Scotland have well established means by which we engage with stakeholders regarding communities’ proposals for timetable changes. Recent announcements of a pilot of timetable changes in respect of routes to Skye and between North Uist and Harris have flowed from this process.

It is clear that lifeline ferry services are fundamental to sustainable and inclusive economic growth in Scotland’s islands, including services to the Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands. That is why work will be taken forward as part of the next Ferries Plan to consider and re-evaluate routes service levels for ferry services to and from the Northern Isles, and I look forward to the member and other stakeholders playing a full part in that process in this future piece of work.

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government when it will consult with community groups and councils in the Northern Isles on how to support efforts to extend the tourist season and increase ferry capacity for sailings on Northern Isles ferry routes. (S5W-27189) Paul Wheelhouse: I recognise the importance of tourism to the economies of the Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands and acknowledge efforts locally to extend the tourism season.

Transport Scotland officials, on behalf of the Scottish Government, regularly attend meetings in Orkney and Shetland in connection with the Northern Isles Ferry Services (NIFS). Engagement also occurs with the Caithness Transport Forum on NIFS interests.

All regular NIFS meetings and their membership are detailed on Transport Scotland’s website at the attached link: https://www.transport.gov.scot/public-transport/ferries/ferry-services/#51170

Following the recent publication of the National Transport Strategy and the National Islands Plan, initial work is underway on the successor to the Ferries Plan, which will be concluded by December 2022. Discussions regarding the scope of the Plan have taken place with the Islands Transport Forum, which includes the Leaders of Orkney and Shetland Islands Councils, which I chair. Plans for further consultation and engagement will be confirmed in due course and it is intended that these will include engagement with stakeholders representing the needs of communities and businesses in the Northern Isles.

Jamie Halcro Johnston (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how much Transport Scotland has spent on the installation of brown tourist information signs in each year since 2007-08, also broken down by local authority area. (S5W-27263) Michael Matheson: Under the Transport Scotland “Trunk Road and Motorway Tourist Signing Guidance (2016)”, applicants are expected to meet the costs associated with the provision (design and installation) and replacement of tourist signs. General maintenance of erected signs is managed by Transport Scotland at no cost to the applicant.

The brown tourist information signs that are installed as part of our major trunk road improvement projects (e.g. Aberdeen Western Peripheral route) are included within the construction contract and the cost cannot be disaggregated from the overall cost of each project. This is commercial information as part of the contractors’ overall tender for each project.

Jamie Halcro Johnston (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on legal action in relation to disputes with (a) Pentland Ferries and (b) David MacBrayne Ltd in each year since 2007-08. (S5W-27275) Paul Wheelhouse: The following table details the legal costs in relation to the disputes with (a) Pentland Ferries Ltd and (b) CalMac Ferries Ltd as at 30 January 2020.

Year Company Legal Costs Total 2018 Pentland Ferries Ltd £1,750.00 2019 Pentland Ferries Ltd £58,385.00 £60,135.00 2019 CalMac Ferries Ltd £2,450.00 2020 CalMac Ferries Ltd £1,560.00 £4,010.00 £64,145.00*

*These are net figures exclusive of VAT.

Pentland Ferries Ltd

Scottish Ministers were awarded costs, and we are currently in the process of recovering judicial expenses (i.e. costs) from Pentland Ferries.

CalMac legal proceedings

CalMac raised legal proceedings in the Court of Session on 25 November 2019 against the decision to award the Northern Isles Ferry Services (NIFS) contract to Serco Northlink.

CalMac offered to abandon their case on 31 January 2020, on a no expenses basis, which Scottish Ministers accepted. This means that both parties will bear their own costs.

It should be noted that not all invoices in relation to the dispute with CalMac Ferries Ltd have been received.

Jamie Halcro Johnston (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government whether work to dual the (a) A9 and (b) A96 road is progressing on target. (S5W-27276) Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government intends to dual the A9 between Perth and by 2025. Construction of the second section to be dualled between Luncarty and Birnam is progressing well and at the same time, design work continues at pace with eight of the remaining nine dualling schemes now subject to the statutory process. We are currently reviewing procurement options to bring forward the remainder of the programme following completion of the statutory process.

Design work is also well underway on the A96 Dualling Inverness to Aberdeen programme. The Scottish Government intends to dual the A96 by 2030, subject to the satisfactory completion of the statutory process for each section of the dualling programme.

Elaine Smith (Central Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of customer-facing ScotRail staff have been trained in awareness of the sunflower lanyard, hidden disability assistance scheme. (S5W-27326) Michael Matheson: This is an operational matter for ScotRail. However my officials have requested that ScotRail write to you in respect of your question.

Elaine Smith (Central Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to promote the use of sunflower lanyards to help identify passengers with hidden disabilities on public transport. (S5W-27327) Michael Matheson: Alongside providing funding and support to refresh and expand Scotland’s own Thistle Assistance Card scheme, we continue to promote the Sunflower Lanyard, and associated staff training, with disabled people, disabled people’s organisations, and transport providers, as an excellent customer service tool.

We have been very pleased to see the lanyard adopted in many more places, including the Highlands and Islands Airports, which we were proud to promote through the Scottish Government-funded national Accessible Travel Hub [1] .

[1] http://accessibletravel.scot/hidden-disabilities-lanyard-scheme-launched- at-inverness-airport/ .

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government in the last three years regarding HS2. (S5W-27377) Michael Matheson: Over the last three years, Transport Scotland and Department for Transport officials have been working in partnership with HS2 Ltd and Network Rail to deliver a joint UK and Scottish Government commitment to identify options that could improve capacity and reduce journey time on the rail routes between Scotland and England.

Officials last met their UK Government counterparts on 18 December 2019 as part of a regular set of meetings at which they discussed infrastructure options for high speed rail to improve speed, capacity, connectivity and resilience on rail routes between England and Scotland. The next scheduled meeting is due to be held on 5 March 2020.

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to increase the frequency of rail services in areas that currently have an hourly service. (S5W-27385) Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-27384 on 26 February 2020. 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 assessment it has made of the rail network's capacity to increase the number of passengers using it, and whether it will publish the findings of any such assessment. (S5W-27386) Michael Matheson: As a result of the significant investment made in Scotland’s Railway infrastructure, stations and services, we have seen patronage grow by 35% in the last ten years.

Our National Transport Strategy, which was published on 5 February, sets out the future direction for transport and reflects the declaration of the global climate emergency with climate change action identified as a priority. https://www.transport.gov.scot/our-approach/national-transport-strategy/

We are fully committed to increasing public and sustainable transport options across the country. The second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2), due to report Spring 2021, is underway and is currently identifying the transport interventions required to provide Scotland with a network fit for the 21st Century, which will inform Scottish Ministers’ investment decisions for the next 20 years. Any decisions on future funding of transport infrastructure in Scotland will be informed by the outputs of STPR2 and through the normal cycle of government spending reviews.

In terms of rail capacity assessment I would refer the member to Network Rail’s Scotland Route Study publication:- https://cdn.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Scotland-Route- Study.pdf

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the introduction of a suicide deterrent net system on the Forth Road Bridge, similar to that being constructed on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. (S5W-27462) Michael Matheson: During the development and implementation of the netting system on the Golden Gate Bridge, this perceived method of preventing self-harming on the Forth Road Bridge was reviewed. However, a similar system was not considered to be suitable or effective in the case of the Forth Road Bridge.