- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 8 October 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether the "14 days notice" to the occupier, as required by paragraph 10(2) of Schedule 4 of The Electricity Act 1989 to permit a person "authorised to enter upon any land" to do so "as of right", is a (a) general notice, (b) notice published or posted locally or (c) specific notice issued directly to each individual occupier.
Answer
The Electricity Act 1989 is legislation enacted by the UK Parliament. Interpretation of the requirements of paragraph 10(2) of Schedule 4 of The Electricity Act 1989 would be dependent on legal advice based on the circumstances of the individual case.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 October 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 10 October 2024
To ask the First Minister what support the Scottish Government is providing to NHS boards in order to reduce waiting times for breast reconstruction surgery.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 10 October 2024
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 2 October 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Aberdeenshire Council withdrawing its technical objection to the plans in February 2024, whether it will provide an update on the most recent timetable for the delivery of the A90/A937 Laurencekirk Junction Improvement Scheme.
Answer
Following the publication of draft Orders, Transport Scotland received four objections to the proposed A90/A937 Laurencekirk Junction Improvement scheme, including one from Aberdeenshire Council following its decision to close the existing Oatyhill Bridge to vehicular traffic.
Transport Scotland has been undertaking comprehensive engagement with all those who objected to the scheme proposals including that of Aberdeenshire Council and this work has successfully resulted in all objections now being removed.
Whilst resolution of the final objection represents a significant milestone for the scheme, it is necessary to publish supplementary Orders for a new bridge at Oatyhill. This is required to address the decision of Aberdeenshire Council to close the existing Oatyhill Bridge to vehicular traffic. Work is being progressed by Transport Scotland to prepare and publish these supplementary draft Orders as a priority.
It is important to note that whilst all objections to the scheme have been removed the supplementary draft Orders will carry their own statutory consultation period and should further objections be received then these would have to resolved before proceeding.
Delivery of the scheme itself can only commence when the scheme is approved under the relevant statutory authorisation procedures and thereafter a timetable for construction can be determined in line with available budgets.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 2 October 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how much has been budgeted by Transport Scotland for the delivery of the A90/A937 Laurencekirk Junction Improvement Scheme, and what impact the "current funding restraints", which the Cabinet Secretary for Transport made reference to on 10 April 2024 in a letter to a representative of Aberdeen City Council, has had on (a) this budget and (b) the delivery of the scheme.
Answer
The Scottish Government is facing significant pressures on its capital budget, with an expected real terms reduction from the UK Government to capital funding in Scotland of nearly 9% over five years. This equates to a cumulative loss of over £1.3 billion between 2023-24 and 2027-28 which will significantly affect the Scottish Government’s ability to maintain investment in transport infrastructure across Scotland.
However, the Scottish Government remains committed to the delivery of the proposed A90/A937 Laurencekirk Junction Improvement scheme as part of a package of additional investment alongside the Aberdeen City Region Deal.
The current estimated cost for the scheme is approximately £24.7m at 2019 prices (excluding non-recoverable VAT). This estimate will continue to be refined and updated as the scheme design becomes more developed.
The necessary on-going design preparatory work in 2024-25 is being funded through the Scottish Government’s Roads Improvement budget line.
Delivery of the scheme itself can only commence when the scheme is approved under the statutory procedures and thereafter a timetable for construction can be determined in line with available budgets.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 September 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how funding to local authorities for flood defences will change as a result of the in-year spending reductions outlined in its fiscal statement on 3 September 2024.
Answer
Within an extremely challenging financial context, the Scottish Government has made difficult funding decisions. Local authorities have received all the funding they have requested for flood protection in 2024-25 and, as such, £26 million from the Flood Risk Management Programme is being repurposed this financial year to support local government pay and avoid impactful industrial action. We have sought assurances from local authorities through COSLA that redirection of this portion of the funding will not impact on councils progressing with their flood protection schemes as planned.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 18 September 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of police service strength, in light of the decrease in Police Scotland's officer numbers.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 18 September 2024
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 August 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 2 September 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any financial support that it is providing to tackle coastal erosion in Montrose.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the serious erosion issues to the sand dunes in Montrose and the impact this could have on flood risk for residents.
Through our Dynamic Coast project, we have worked closely with local authorities to help them plan for coastal adaptation and in our Programme for Government 2020 we announced a new £11.7 million capital budget over four years for coastal change adaptation, starting in 2022-23.
In 2024-25, funding of £2.7m will be distributed to local authorities in two ways. £1.65m in direct allocation to coastal local authorities and £1.05m will be made available for local authorities to bit for to undertake case studies. Angus Council, where Montrose sits in, will receive £56,375 for coastal change adaptation in 2024-25.
In addition, Angus Council submitted a proposal to fund a case study and an additional £440k will be distributed for this, which is the largest allocation for any local authority to undertake a case study.
Local authorities can choose to additionally fund coastal protection work from their general capital grant allocation.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 August 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 28 August 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking with Police Scotland to tackle rural crime, in light of new figures from insurance company, NFU Mutual, which show that rural crime in Scotland was up 34.9% in 2023 compared with the previous year.
Answer
Police Scotland have confirmed that the increase in claims received by NFU Mutual from Scotland for the 2022/23 period can largely be attributed to a particular 'spike' during that period including the theft of farm machinery, GPS units and an increase in quad bike thefts. A significant proportion of the machinery that was taken with investigations ongoing.
The Scottish Government continues to work with partners across the Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime (SPARC) and through the continued expansion of the local partnerships against Crime (LPARCS) across Scotland.
These partnerships share intelligence on organised crime groups operating across borders, providing specific ‘target hardening’ information to the rural and farming community on how to best secure and prevent theft of equipment. They also demonstrate crime prevention measures in relation to the marking, tracking and securing of farm machinery and tools, including in the highest impacted areas.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 July 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Natalie Don on 27 August 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the childcare sector, in light of reported figures showing that the net number of childminders registered with the Care Inspectorate fell from 5,344 in June 2017 to 3,043 in 2024, including a reduction of childminders in Aberdeenshire by 36.2%.
Answer
Childminders are an essential part of the childcare sector, offering a high-quality, nurturing experience to children of all ages, and the Scottish Government is committed to supporting and growing the sector.
We have seen declines in the childminding workforce over recent years – a trend that is mirrored elsewhere in the UK – and we have worked with the Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA) and other partners to understand the reasons behind the decline, and to identify priorities and further steps we can take to better support, recruit and retain childminders.
Backed by over £1m of Scottish Government funding, together with the SCMA we launched the Programme for Scotland’s Childminding Future in June 2024. The Programme will support the recruitment of new professional childminders across Scotland, offering a package of funded support and training in addition to a £750 start-up grant, providing everything needed to establish a new childminding business from home. Aberdeenshire Council are actively involved in the childminder recruitment strand this year, and we are seeing positive engagement and progression from candidates across the local authority area.
The programme also includes a range of measures to address the retention of the childminding workforce, delivering more practical support to ensure our existing professionals are supported with their workloads and professional development.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 August 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Natalie Don on 27 August 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its planned investment of £60 million for the modernisation and restoration of play parks over the course of the current parliamentary term, whether it will provide an update on play park renovation across the country, including how much has been allocated each year since 2021.
Answer
The Scottish Government is investing £60 million to renew play parks in Scotland, so children have access to free, high-quality outdoor play in their own communities. Since funding began in 2021, a total of 887 play parks have been renewed or are in the process of being renewed by local authority partners. To support the delivery of the programme we agreed with CoSLA and our local authority partners a suite of national principles to guide and inform the renewal programme. The national principles set out how local authorities should review their existing estate, prioritise renewal work and design play parks that offer improved play opportunities for children and families. At the heart of the national principles is the recommendation for local authorities to engage with children and families within the local communities to inform delivery of a renewal that meets the needs of local people.
Funding to support the Play Parks renewal programme has been allocated as follows:
2021-22 - £5 million
2022-23 - £5 million
2023-24 - £10 million
2024-25 - £15 million
