Wednesday 8 November 2017

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT

Constitution and External Affairs Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the , further to the answer to questions S5W-09925 and S5W-09927 by Alasdair Allan on 17 July 2017, whether it will (a) provide an update on its engagement with (i) Home Office, (ii) Police , (iii) City of Edinburgh Council and (iv) the COSLA Migration, Population and Diversity Team and (b) publish its letter to the UK minister, and a copy of any response it has received. Holding answer issued: 27 October 2017 (S5W-11644) Alasdair Allan: I wrote to the UK Immigration Minister in July expressing concern that the Scottish Government was not consulted in advance of these measures being adopted, and seeking assurance from the UK Government that EU Treaty rights, and the dignity of EEA nationals, are being respected. This letter has been placed in the Information Centre and can be accessed using Bib number 59225. The UK Immigration Minister replied in September, and we are waiting for confirmation from the UK Government that they are content for us to publish their response. Scottish Government officials have had no further engagement with Police Scotland. Rather than dealing directly with Edinburgh City Council on this issue, officials have been working with the CoSLA Migration, Population and Diversity Team since June to get more clarity from the Home Office on these operations in Scotland. I have a longstanding request to meet the UK Immigration Minister and intend to raise this issue in person when we meet.

Economy Stuart McMillan (Greenock and Inverclyde) (): To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it offers to dog owners who use farmland to exercise their pets. (S5O-1423) Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Outdoor Access Code requires dogs to be kept on a short lead or under close control in fields where livestock are present. The Code also requires people with dogs to avoid fields containing lambs, calves or other young animals, and fields containing vegetables or fruit. Since spring 2013, Scottish Natural Heritage has participated in a series of campaigns aimed at dog walkers such as the “Sheep Wise” campaign launched last spring. Most recently, the Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime launched a campaign on 1 November to raise awareness among dog owners about the devastating effects of livestock worrying.

Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with transferring responsibility for managing the sea bed to , Shetland and the Western Isles. (S5O-1431) Roseanna Cunningham: We will introduce a Bill to establish a framework for the management of Crown Estate assets and we are aiming to include powers to reform who manages individual assets. Crown Estate Scotland (Interim Management) are continuing positive discussions with Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles councils on the potential for a pilot of local management of some or all of Crown Estate assets in the islands. These discussions are seeking to make progress on a pilot while ensuring the process is robust and transparent. Crown Estate Scotland (Interim Management)’s corporate plan, launched last week, confirms the Board’s commitment to piloting local management. Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what the disability employment gap has been in each year since 1999. (S5W-12186) Jamie Hepburn: The following table provides the estimated Disabled Employment Gap for Jul 2004-Jun 2005 to Jul 2016-Jun 2017, sourced from the Annual Population Survey. There are discontinuities in the disabled employment gap series between Jul 2009-Jun 2010 and Jul 2011-Jun 2012 and again from Jul 2012-Jun 2013 onwards. The main discontinuity from Jul 2013-Jun 2014 was when the definition of disability was changed to reflect the Equality Act 2010 legal definition of disabled, measured according to the Government Statistical Service Harmonised Standard. Further smaller discontinuities exist between Jul 2009-Jun 2010 and Jul 2011-Jun 2012 due to a change to questionnaire format and between Jul 2011-Jun 2012 and Jul 2012-Jun 2013 due to a change in coding of survey non-responders. Disability Employment Gap, Jul 2004-Jun 2005 to Jul 2016-Jun 2017, Scotland Disabled Employment Not Disabled Disability Employment Gap Rate Employment Rate (percentage points) Jul 2004 - Jun 2005 43.1% 80.4% 37.3 Jul 2005 - Jun 2006 44.0% 80.3% 36.3 Jul 2006 - Jun 2007 46.6% 80.7% 34.1 Jul 2007 - Jun 2008 46.1% 81.1% 35.0 Jul 2008 - Jun 2009 45.4% 79.4% 34.0 Jul 2009 - Jun 2010‡ 47.4% 77.4% 30.1 Jul 2010 - Jun 2011 46.4% 77.9% 31.5 Jul 2011 - Jun 2012T 46.2% 78.0% 31.8 Jul 2012 - Jun 2013** - - - Jul 2013 - Jun 2014 40.8% 78.7% 37.9 Jul 2014 - Jun 2015 41.2% 79.7% 38.5 Jul 2015 - Jun 2016 42.9% 80.0% 37.1 Jul 2016 - Jun 2017 43.4% 80.7% 37.3 Source: Annual Population Survey, July-June datasets, ONS Notes: 1. Employment rates cover those aged 16-64. 2. Proportions are calculated on unrounded figures. 3. The disability employment gap is calculated as the Not Equality Act Disabled Employment Rate minus the Equality Act Disabled Employment Rate. 4. The Annual Population Survey data collection started in 2004. ‡ - In January-March 2010 there was a change in the reporting behaviour of survey respondents, mainly reflecting a change in the wording of the survey questionnaire, which is believed to result in more accurate estimates. Consequently data pre and post Jan-Mar 2010 are not directly comparable. T - In January-March 2012 there was a change in the way those who did not respond to the question on disability were recorded, with those who did not respond no longer being automatically coded "not disabled". ** - In Apr-Jun 2013 there were significant changes to the questions relating to disability and long-term limiting health conditions to reflect the Equality Act 2010 legal definition of disabled. This has led to a discontinuity in the series and no data is currently available for Jul 2012 - Jun 2013 due to the change mid-year.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what equity stakes in businesses have been held by (a) (i) Scottish Enterprise and (ii) Scottish Investment Bank in each year since 1999 and (b) the Scottish Investment Bank in each year since it was established. (S5W-12188) Keith Brown: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. I have passed your query to Paul Lewis, the Interim Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise, who will provide an answer to you directly.

Colin Beattie (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) membership and (b) remit will be of its working group to consider the legislation regarding the registration of electricians. (S5W-12204) Keith Brown: An Electricians Working Group has been established to explore how best to respond to the challenge of ensuring the safety of electrical installations in Scotland. The membership reflects industry, safety and consumer interests. It includes representatives from SELECT, Scottish Joint Industry Board, Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust, Electrical Safety First, NICEIC, Unite the union, RoSPA, Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland, Citizens Advice Scotland and Scottish Government. To ensure an open and transparent process, papers and minutes will be published shortly on the Scottish Government website. The first meeting took place on 2 November 2017.

Education, Communities and Justice Alexander Burnett (Aberdeenshire West) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government whether national guidelines are in place for supporting university students with autism. (S5W-12070) Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government produces an online guide for students ‘Supporting You at University: A guide for people with additional support needs in Scotland’s universities’. This contains contact details for the National Autistic Society Scotland who can advise and support both students, and those staff working with them in universities. While the Scottish Government does not publish specific national guidelines on supporting students with autism at university, universities are able to access specialist support and advice from the National Autistic Society Scotland to assist them in supporting students. Universities receive additional funding from the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), in the form of the Disabled Students Premium, which enables them to make their institution and course provision more inclusive through reasonable adjustments for students with additional needs. A total of £2.8m funding was allocated to universities in academic year 2017-18. In addition students with autism are eligible to apply for the Disabled Student Allowance (DSA). DSA is a non-income assessed allowance to cover any extra costs or expenses a student might have while studying, which arise because of their disability or learning difficulty. In 2016-17, £7.85m of support was provided to students through DSA. The Scottish Strategy for Autism (published 2011) outlined recommendations to ensure that progress is made across Scotland in delivering quality services for people with autism and their families and since the publication of the strategy, we have invested over £13.4 million to support and deliver quality services for people with autism and their families. Work is underway to refresh the strategy for the period 2018-2021, and the refreshed outcomes will be published in early 2018.

John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the financial implications of extending the legislative presumption against short periods of imprisonment from three to 12 months. (S5W-12088) Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of ensuring criminal justice services have the resources they need, and I am committed to ensuring that available funding for criminal justice social work and support services is released as it becomes available. Funding for community justice services across Scotland remains at record levels. We have allocated around £100m funding to local authorities who work with a range of organisations and partners to help deliver community sentences, support the rehabilitation of people with convictions and reduce re-offending. This includes an extra £4m investment in community sentences which was introduced in 2016-17 and was continued in 2017-18, helping to support local authorities to deliver robust community sentences.

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what guidance there is (a) generally and (b) for Police Scotland on the application of laws regarding carrying open containers of alcohol in public. (S5W-12246) Michael Matheson: Enforcement of the criminal law is an operational matter for Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. The Scottish Government issued an updated circular on byelaws concerning the consumption of alcohol in public places on 4 August 2014. The circular, Byelaws Prohibiting the Consumption of Alcohol in Designated Public Places, was sent to the Chief Constable of Police Scotland as well as local authorities and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. The circular provides advice to local authorities on applying to the Scottish Ministers for confirmation of byelaws prohibiting the consumption of alcohol in public places and also contains details of four ‘model’ offences which include an ‘open container’ offence. As part of the application process the local authority must consult Police Scotland to ensure that they are content with the proposed byelaws. The circular is available for downloading from the Scottish Government's website at http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0045/00457061.pdf.

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what legislation covers the carrying of open containers of alcohol in public. (S5W-12247) Michael Matheson: There is no specific legislation that covers the carrying of open containers of alcohol in public. However, powers for local authorities to create and amend byelaws are contained in section 201 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. Local authorities can and do use these powers to create byelaws that make it an offence to carry open containers of alcohol in designated public places. Where such byelaws are proposed, they are subject to confirmation by the Scottish Ministers.

Kezia Dugdale (Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what funding and support it provides to initiatives that deliver financial education to young people. (S5W-12263) John Swinney: The Scottish Government is funding and supporting financial education for young people in a range of ways and is committed to doing so as part of its drive to ensure a fairer Scotland that educates and supports our young people to be responsible citizens, effective contributors and confident individuals. The Scottish Government provided £142,000 in 2016-17, and is providing a further £132,000 in 2017- 18, to Credit Unions to develop and run Junior Savers Schemes across Scotland. These schemes support financial education and encourage a savings ethos in children at an early age. Financial education and capability initiatives at local level are funded through our Aspiring Communities Fund and our People and Communities Fund. An example of the activity supported by the Aspiring Communities Fund is a project in Auchenback and Dunterlie that provides financial education as part of a holistic package of support to young people from workless families. Our People and Communities Fund focuses on the delivery of a wide range of projects and services that promote a holistic community-led approach to social inclusion and tackling poverty in our most disadvantaged communities, including financial education for young people. Examples of this are the FARE project, Connecting Wellpark, which is offering budgeting advice for the whole community (including young people) and Paths for Employment, a local work experience programme which provides a range of services including help with IT skills, literacy and numeracy classes, assistance with benefits advice and practical help with financial and debt management. Within our Curriculum for Excellence, financial education is a core aspect of learning and Education Scotland offers a range of activities and teaching resources aimed at stimulating classroom discussion about ‘real life’ issues such as debt and money management. Resources include Money Talks which uses a bank statement as a hook to help develop financial capability and On the Money which comprises a collection of short stories for primary pupils designed to influence and change attitudes and behaviours from an early age. Financial education is a feature of numeracy and enterprise and employability education. Schools have partnerships with a range of financial organisations providing support and guidance to classrooms such as the RBS MoneySense programme, HMRC sessions on money, work and taxation and a range of other excellent initiatives. Money Week is a themed week where classrooms work on issues related to money. An example of the sort of activity that takes place in Money Week is the involvement of young people working with parents, employees of banks and credit unions or setting up a "fair trade" tuck shop. The initiative started in primary schools but has been adapted by a number of secondary schools across Scotland.

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Legal Aid Board has a provision to cover fees in relation to obtaining a welfare guardianship. (S5W-12274) Annabelle Ewing: Civil legal aid is available without a means test or any requirement to pay a contribution for proceedings in relation to an order under sections 53, 57, 60, 62 or 63 of The Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 where the order relates: · only to the adult’s welfare (“welfare-only orders”); or · to the adult’s welfare, property and finances (“combined orders”).

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government how many applications to register a power of attorney to the Office of the Public Guardian have been made in each of the last 24 months, and for each month what the (a) average and (b) longest length of time for a response was. (S5W-12350) Annabelle Ewing: This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who reply in writing within 20 days.

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government, in light of comments by the Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs in The Scotsman on 28 October 2017 that the Office of the Public Guardian had seen a "40 per cent increase in submissions for registration over the last two years", what analysis has been undertaken of the causes of this increase, and what steps it is taking to tackle the additional workload. (S5W-12351) Annabelle Ewing: This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who reply in writing within 20 days.

Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how it will implement the code of practice for equipment interference and computer hacking by Police Scotland, and what oversight of these powers by (a) the Parliament and (b) other institutions it proposes. (S5W-12385) Michael Matheson: The equipment interference code of practice will be issued pursuant to section 24 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act 2000, which provides that the Scottish Ministers shall issue one or more codes of practice relating to the exercise and performance of powers and duties conferred or imposed by or under a number of Acts, including Part 5 of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016. A 12-week public consultation ended on 29 September and responses are being analysed. The Orders which bring the codes into effect will be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny. Oversight will be provided by the Investigatory Powers Commissioner's Office as per Part 8 of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016.

Health and Social Care Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Scottish Conservatives and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made of the research on whether vitamin B3 should be offered in pregnancy. Holding answer issued: 27 October 2017 (S5W-11651) Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government is aware of the study which considered the effect that increasing vitamin B3 in the diet had on preventing malformations in the growing foetus. We understand the long term positive effects that good nutrition can have for pregnant women that is why we have introduced the universal offer of Healthy Start vitamins to pregnant women throughout their pregnancy. These vitamins contain the recommended daily dose, which contains vitamins C and D and folic acid to support a healthy pregnancy.

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) live births of children and (b) terminations of fetuses with Down's syndrome there have been in each year since 1999, and what information it has on records in previous years. Holding answer issued: 1 November 2017 (S5W-11803) Aileen Campbell: The number of (a) live births and (b) terminations of pregnancy with Down’s syndrome since 1999 are provided in Table 1a and Table 1b. For (a) live births, the data has been sourced from the Scottish Perinatal Infant Mortality and Morbidity Reports (SPIMMR), using data collated from the Scottish Stillbirth and Infant Death Survey. The last SPIMMR report published by ISD was in March 2014 for stillbirths and infant deaths registered in 2012. Since all infants were followed up for one year after birth to allow detection from hospital inpatient records and NRS death registrations, the latest available data is for 2011. In January 2013, the Scottish Stillbirth and Infant Death Survey was replaced by a revised UK survey, MBRRACE-UK (Mothers and Babies Reducing Risk through Audit and Confidential Enquiries across the UK). Table 1a Down's syndrome1 in live singleton births (ICD10 code: Q90 Down's syndrome)

Year Number 1999 62 2000 59 2001 51 Year Number 2002 35 2003 49 2004 63 2005 56 2006 44 2007 67 2008 59 2009 71 2010 48 2011 58 Notes i) These data are derived from the congenital anomaly data published in the Scottish Perinatal and Infant Mortality and Morbidity Report (SPIMMR) collected via the Scottish Stillbirth and Infant Death Survey (SSBID). ii) In order to determine the number of live births, the number of stillbirths with Down's syndrome (reported to SSBID) have been removed form the table above. iii) The last SPIMMR report published by ISD was in March 2014 for stillbirths and infant deaths registered in 2012. iv) Since all infants were followed up for one year after birth to allow detection from hospital inpatient records and NRS death registrations, the latest available data is for 2011. Table 1b Termination of pregnancy with Down's syndrome (ICD10 code: Q90 Down's syndrome)

Year Number 1999 37 2000 32 2001 35 2002 32 2003 36 2004 35 2005 30 2006 41 2007 37 2008 29 2009 27 2010 23 2011 33 2012 30 2013 30 2014 48 2015 47 2016 46 Clare Haughey (Rutherglen) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what (a) emotional, (b) psychological and (c) other support it provides to women during menopause. (S5W-12268) Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government recognises the impact the menopause has on women’s lives and the pivotal role of general practice in promoting high-quality menopause care to all and specialist referral if needed. The Scottish Government provides policies, frameworks and resources to NHS Boards to allow them to deliver services that meet the needs of their local populations. All healthcare professionals receive high quality training and education on women’s health needs, as part of their respective curriculums, which are developed and informed by professional organisations, and approved and overseen by the respective regulators of each profession.

Bill Bowman (North East Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of health problems among homeless people, and what change in outcomes has been observed in the last five years. (S5W-12281) Aileen Campbell: There is a large body of evidence on the negative impacts on health and wellbeing of homelessness. NHS Health Scotland hosts the National Health and Homelessness Group, which includes representation from national and local government; the health sector, including public health, primary care, oral health and psychology; housing; welfare; academia; and homelessness charities. This group was established to support implementation of the opportunities identified in the Scottish Public Health Network (ScotPHN) report, Restoring the public health response to homelessness in Scotland (2015), and continues to identify new opportunities for homelessness prevention as well as its mitigation.

Organisational Development and Operations Ben Macpherson (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve connectivity in the Edinburgh Northern and Leith constituency. (S5O-1422) Fergus Ewing: In addition to the coverage provided by commercial suppliers, the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme has now provided fibre broadband access to 2,435 premises in the Edinburgh and Northern and Leith constituency, that would not otherwise have been covered. The vast majority of these premises are capable of accessing speeds of 24 megabits per second and above. The Scottish Government has also made a commitment, unique within the UK, to deliver 100% superfast broadband access across Scotland by 2021. Any home or business that will not have superfast broadband delivered commercially or through programmes such as DSSB will be eligible for investment.

Transport Scotland Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what work Transport Scotland is undertaking regarding the Levenmouth rail link. (S5O-1424) Humza Yousaf: Now that I have received agreement from Fife Council to do so, I have instructed Transport Scotland to progress the transport appraisal work undertaken to date for the Levenmouth Sustainable Transport Study, in line with Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance, and in close collaboration with Fife Council. The Levenmouth rail link is one of the options considered as part of this study.

Donald Cameron (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what it anticipates the impact will be on its environmental and climate change targets of its plan to make the A9 Scotland’s first fully electric-enabled highway. (S5O-1432) Humza Yousaf: Encouraging a move away from petrol and diesel vehicles can offer significant emissions savings as a large portion of transport emissions come from the car. The A9 electric highway will expand the available charging infrastructure along the route, building confidence in EVs and showing they are viable for trips in both urban and rural areas.

Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform has had with the transport minister regarding support for ultra low emission vehicles and reductions in vehicle emissions. (S5O-1433) Roseanna Cunningham: I have regular discussions with my ministerial colleague. Ultra Low Emission Vehicles have a key role to play in tackling climate change as set out in the draft Climate Change Plan.

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to tackle air pollution through the implementation of a low emission zone in Glasgow. (S5O-1434) Humza Yousaf: A Glasgow Low Emission Zone (LEZ) Delivery Group has now been established. Glasgow City Council are meeting with Transport Scotland, SEPA and SPT on a monthly basis to ensure that Glasgow's LEZ is put in place by the end of 2018. We will also be engaging with Cllr. Richardson from Glasgow via a new 4-Cities LEZ Leadership Group, which will be chaired by Ministers.

Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what preparations it has made to be ready for heavy snowfall on roads over winter 2017- 18, including what resources it has allocated to deal with this. Holding answer issued: 7 November 2017 (S5W-12138) Humza Yousaf: We know heavy snowfall causes disruption and Transport Scotland continue to recognise the importance of a reliable and resilient transport network to people and the economy. Transport Scotland is responsible for preventing snow and ice endangering the safe passage of pedestrians and vehicles on trunk roads in Scotland. Significant planning is undertaken in advance of winter to ensure that the trunk road operating companies are prepared and to share lessons learned from previous years. The operating companies each have a Winter Service Plan, which is available online at: https://www.transport.gov.scot/our-approach/keep-scotland-moving/winter-service/#42965. New contract specifications, specialist plant trials and innovations, greater use of technology and getting information to people ‘on the move’ are just a few of the ways we have strengthened the winter treatments, decision making and communication with road users on our trunk roads. With a fully mobilised winter fleet of 208 spreaders with snow ploughing capability, our winter service capability has never been higher; and our pre-winter preparations, audits, scenario workshops and weekly winter calls will ensure that there is no room for complacency in our winter service despite the recent mild winters. Total salt in stock in Scotland on 7 November 2017 was 580,245 tonnes (including 83,750 tonnes of strategic salt). This represents 173% of total used in winter 2016-17. Transport Scotland continues to recognise the importance of a reliable and resilient transport network to people and the economy. To sustain this improvement, an ambitious programme of actions is being taken forward for the coming winter. These actions include hiring an all-terrain 4x4 (Unimog) to trial as a patrol vehicle on the M80 to mitigate accessibility issues should another snow event occur on a strategic corridor. Working closely with its Operating Companies’ supply chain partners, Transport Scotland has identified the opportunity to review operating practices and use of specialist ploughs during snow events; particularly at vulnerable locations such as gradients. We work with our partners, including Police Scotland and the Met Office, in our state of the art control centre to keep Scotland moving across the winter months and we continue to use the best available technology to give road users the most up to date information about the roads when they require it.

Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on road grit each winter since 2006-07, and how much it plans to spend in winter 2017-18. Holding answer issued: 7 November 2017 (S5W-12139) Humza Yousaf: Salt stocks are fundamental to a successful winter on our roads and we currently have more salt in stock than was used for the whole of last winter. National salt figures are published on Transport Scotland’s website: https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/salt-group-situation-report/ The payment mechanism for the provision of winter service through our Operating Company contracts is a fixed ‘monthly sum’. This includes the procurement of salt, winter fleet and equipment for use on our trunk roads. For this winter season, we have further invested in specialist plant. This includes an all-terrain 4x4 (Unimog) for use as a winter patrol vehicle on the M80, a Relief Vehicle for use during severe flooding events and a state of the art combi spreader for development of our liquid treatment trials. The Scottish Salt Group monitored the restocking process throughout the summer and met with suppliers to confirm there is adequate salt production to meet the demand and that restocking targets for Scotland are being met. Following the salt shortage of 2010-11, strategic salt was purchased (in addition to operational salt) and costs incurred to date are £11.9 million; inclusive of the purchase, haulage and storage. We have a strategic salt supply managed by the Scottish Salt Group of approx. 83,750 tonnes and requests from local roads authorities to use our strategic salt will be considered during emergencies.

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure adequate signage is in place between the new dualled sections of the A9 and the single carriageways to alert drivers to the changed road layout, and whether it plans to install temporary signage. (S5W-12208) Keith Brown: The Scottish Government has procedures in place to ensure that the signage on all new sections of road must meet the required design and road safety standards and be independently certified as compliant. Prior to opening to traffic, any new section of road, including those on the A9, must undergo a safety audit which includes a thorough review of signage. The audit team, led by a competent road safety auditor, includes representatives from Police Scotland, Transport Scotland and the contractor.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether the chief executive of Prestwick airport, Ron Smith, will receive a severance payment. (S5W-12249) Keith Brown: Glasgow Prestwick Airport is operated at arm's length from the Scottish Government. The former Chief Executive received a severance payment in line with contractual obligations.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether the chief executive of Prestwick airport, Ron Smith, will be asked to repay any relocation expenses from when he started in the post, and what factors it has taken into account to reach its position on this matter. (S5W-12250) Keith Brown: Glasgow Prestwick Airport is operated at arm's length from the Scottish Government. It is a matter for the Chairman and the Board to comply with contractual terms.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether it will be involved in the recruitment process for the new chief executive of Prestwick airport. (S5W-12251) Keith Brown: Glasgow Prestwick Airport is operated at arm's length from the Scottish Government. Recruitment of a new Chief Executive is a matter for the Chairman and the Board.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to appoint a new chief executive of Prestwick airport. (S5W-12252) Keith Brown: Glasgow Prestwick Airport is operates at arm's length from the Scottish Government. An interim Chief Executive was appointed on 17 October 2017. The timing and process for recruitment of a permanent Chief Executive is a matter for the Chairman and the Board. The following questions received holding answers: S5W-11943 S5W-11944 S5W-11945 S5W-11946 S5W-12192