- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-33168 by Fiona Hyslop on 22 January 2025, whether Transport Scotland or its operating companies have identified any of the A90 overbridges and overpasses as requiring significant structural upgrades or replacement.
Answer
Refurbishment and upgrades to the A90 Kingsway, Dundee Strathmartine and Old Glamis footbridges are planned for the 2025-26 financial year.
These works are currently at the tendering stage so a detailed construction programme is unavailable. Preparatory works have commenced on site with temporary pedestrian crossings being installed prior to the footbridges being removed from site for refurbishment/upgrade.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-33168 by Fiona Hyslop on 22 January 2025, what funding has been allocated for maintenance and repair work on the A90 overbridges and overpasses over the last five years.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-33160 on 22 January 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-33168 by Fiona Hyslop on 22 January 2025, whether Transport Scotland has conducted any assessments on the potential impact of severe weather events, such as those experienced during Storm Babet, on the structural integrity of the A90 overbridges and overpasses.
Answer
Transport Scotland has developed an Approach to Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience (ACCAR), which provides a strategic overview of our approach primarily on infrastructure and services directly under Transport Scotland control. A key deliverable of this work is the development of a Trunk Road Adaptation Plan, based on a climate vulnerability and risk assessment using the latest UK climate projections. The Trunk Road Adaptation Plan will be published in 2025. It includes key interventions and recommendations for further adapting the Trunk Road Network. There will be a focus on risks associated with increased surface water flooding, river flooding, river scour and landslides.
The Trunk Road Adaptation Plan will complement the work of our roads Vulnerable Locations Operational Group (VLOG), which was established in 2021 in line with the commitments set out in the National Transport Strategy Delivery Plan 2020 – 2022 with an initial focus on delivering short-term cost-effective actions, whilst developing a move to a long-term proactive approach, including a dedicated budget for climate change adaptation.
The VLOG has targeted resource on early flood level warning systems around A90 river crossings and undertaken specific bridge scour assessments and inspections to national standards to enable resources to be focused on potential future risk areas
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what guidelines it has regarding the provision of media training to (a) ministers and (b) civil servants, including how costs are approved and monitored.
Answer
On appointment, all Ministers are offered media training options as part of their induction. Civil servants who may carry out media interviews in the course of their duties can request media training through the Scottish Government’s Communications Division. Courses are provided by Communications Division staff at no additional cost. Executive Agencies are responsible for their own training provision and information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what most recent assessment it has made of the value for money of media training provided to (a) ministers and (b) civil servants.
Answer
Media training offers Ministers and civil servants skills to represent the Scottish Government professionally and effectively in media appearances. Since 2016, all media training for Ministers or civil servants has been provided by Scottish Government Communications Division staff at no additional cost. Executive Agencies are responsible for their own training provision and information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what the average cost of media training sessions for (a) ministers and (b) civil servants has been in each year since 2018.
Answer
Since 2016, all media training for Ministers or civil servants has been provided by Scottish Government Communications Division staff at no additional cost. Executive Agencies are responsible for their own training provision and information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what providers have been contracted to deliver media training for (a) ministers and (b) civil servants since 2018, and how much has been paid to each provider.
Answer
Since 2016, all media training for Ministers or civil servants has been provided by Scottish Government Communications Division staff at no additional cost. Executive Agencies are responsible for their own training provision and information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the national flags that it owns have (a) gone missing and (b) been wilfully damaged in each of the last 15 years.
Answer
There are no recorded instances of national flags being stolen or wilfully damaged in the last 15 years.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many flagpoles it has, broken down by height, and what the maintenance costs have been in each of the last 15 years.
Answer
The Scottish Government has 8 flag poles of the following lengths:
59 ft (18m) x 2; 56 ft (17m) x 2; and 48 ft (14.6m) x 4
We do not hold any information on specific maintenance costs associated with these poles.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government which national flags it has purchased in each of the last 10 years.
Answer
A breakdown of flags purchased since 2017 is shown in the table below. The Scottish Government does not hold information on flag purchases prior to 2017.
Year of Purchase | National Flag |
2017 | Scotland |
2018 | Scotland |
2019 | Scotland |
2019 | United Kingdom Iceland |
2020 | Scotland United Kingdom |
2021 | Scotland United Kingdom |
2022 | Scotland Ukraine |
2023 | Scotland Denmark Ireland France Germany Iceland Italy Netherlands Norway Poland Spain Sweden Ukraine |
2024 | Ukraine |