- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many successful applications have been made for the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) in each of the past three financial years, and what the total funding awarded has been for each year.
Answer
There has been no new awards made under Freight Facilities Grant in any of the previous three financial years but funding for the Freight Facilities Grant is contained in the 2025-26 Scottish budget
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what the most common types of transport projects
funded through the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) have been since 2016, and how
these projects align with its transport and sustainability goals.
Answer
The most common type of schemes funded under Freight Facilities Grant since 2016 has been for the creation and expansion of rail terminals.
Heavy goods vehicles are a major contributor to emissions within the Scottish economy. Emissions from rail are considerably lower. Scottish Government policy to encourage the shift of freight from road to rail and other, more sustainable forms of transport aligns with the priority to “take climate action” in the National Transport Strategy 2 and supports the legislative target for Scotland to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.
The Scottish Government has set regulatory targets for rail freight growth. The target for the period 2024 to 2029 is 8.7% and, if achieved, is forecast to result in an additional 2,200 annual trains by 2029.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs have been created or supported by projects funded through the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG), and what sectors have seen the most job growth as a result.
Answer
The information on potential job creation as a result of an award is unavailable to the Scottish Government as it does not form part of the criteria for an applicant to receive a grant under the scheme.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to expand the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) programme to include new types of projects or industries, and, if so, what these new areas of focus would be.
Answer
There are currently no plans for the Scottish Government to include new types of projects or industries within the criteria for the Freight Facilities Grant scheme.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what the total amount of funding allocated for the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) has been in each year since 2021.
Answer
The Freight Facilities Grant funding allocated in each year since 2021 was:
- 2021-22 - £1,350,000;
- 2022-23 - £1,400,000;
- 2023-24 - £1,400,000; and
- 2024-25 - £0.00.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 20 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many properties in the North Lot area have been connected to superfast broadband through the R100 build scheme since it was established, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
The following table sets out the total number of premises currently contracted to receive connections through the R100 North contract by 2028, the number of premises connected as of 13 January 2025 and the number of premises yet to be connected as of the same date.
Openreach are also delivering a number of additional connections to premises that were not in the contracts, but have been connected as a result of nearby R100 contract build. This is known as overspill. The number of such connections delivered are also provided in the following table.
It should also be noted that our demand-led R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS) remains available for those not expected to benefit from superfast broadband through R100 contract or commercial build plans.
Local Authority | R100 Contractual Premises | Premises Delivered | Premises Remaining | Overspill Premises Delivered |
Aberdeen City | 622 | 170 | 452 | 61 |
Aberdeenshire | 16,049 | 5,856 | 10,193 | 1,211 |
Angus | 6,635 | 708 | 5,927 | 100 |
Argyll and Bute* | 7,191 | 2,408 | 4,783 | 573 |
Dundee City | 124 | 0 | 124 | 0 |
Highland | 12,768 | 2,852 | 9,916 | 1,038 |
Moray | 4,888 | 1,446 | 3,442 | 361 |
Na h-Eileanan an Iar | 2,206 | 0 | 2,206 | 0 |
North Ayrshire* | 232 | 0 | 232 | 269 |
Orkney Islands | 3,320 | 1,563 | 1,757 | 539 |
Perth and Kinross* | 4,031 | 1,164 | 2,867 | 722 |
Shetland Islands | 2,424 | 1,181 | 1,243 | 79 |
Stirling* | 274 | 0 | 274 | 486 |
Total | 60,764 | 17,348 | 43,416 | 5,439 |
*Please note that the figures for Argyll & Bute, North Ayrshire, Perth & Kinross and Stirling only represent connections delivered through the R100 North contract. These Local Authorities are also receiving connections through the R100 Central contract.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 20 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many properties in the North Lot area are yet to be connected to superfast broadband through the R100 build scheme, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
The following table sets out the total number of premises currently contracted to receive connections through the R100 North contract by 2028, the number of premises connected as of 13 January 2025 and the number of premises yet to be connected as of the same date.
Openreach are also delivering a number of additional connections to premises that were not in the contracts, but have been connected as a result of nearby R100 contract build. This is known as overspill. The number of such connections delivered are also provided in the following table.
It should also be noted that our demand-led R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS) remains available for those not expected to benefit from superfast broadband through R100 contract or commercial build plans.
Local Authority | R100 Contractual Premises | Premises Delivered | Premises Remaining | Overspill Premises Delivered |
Aberdeen City | 622 | 170 | 452 | 61 |
Aberdeenshire | 16,049 | 5,856 | 10,193 | 1,211 |
Angus | 6,635 | 708 | 5,927 | 100 |
Argyll and Bute* | 7,191 | 2,408 | 4,783 | 573 |
Dundee City | 124 | 0 | 124 | 0 |
Highland | 12,768 | 2,852 | 9,916 | 1,038 |
Moray | 4,888 | 1,446 | 3,442 | 361 |
Na h-Eileanan an Iar | 2,206 | 0 | 2,206 | 0 |
North Ayrshire* | 232 | 0 | 232 | 269 |
Orkney Islands | 3,320 | 1,563 | 1,757 | 539 |
Perth and Kinross* | 4,031 | 1,164 | 2,867 | 722 |
Shetland Islands | 2,424 | 1,181 | 1,243 | 79 |
Stirling* | 274 | 0 | 274 | 486 |
Total | 60,764 | 17,348 | 43,416 | 5,439 |
*Please note that the figures for Argyll & Bute, North Ayrshire, Perth & Kinross and Stirling only represent connections delivered through the R100 North contract. These Local Authorities are also receiving connections through the R100 Central contract.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 20 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many properties in the North Lot area are scheduled to be connected to superfast broadband through the R100 build scheme in 2025, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
The latest data, as provided on our address checker at www.scotlandsuperfast.com, shows that a total of 7,924 connections are expected to be delivered through the R100 North contract in 2025. This information is broken down by Local Authority in the following table.
Please note that these figures are subject to change, as connection plans can change, based on a number of factors such as adverse weather or issues with securing access to land or property, etc.
Local Authority | Expected connections to be delivered in 2025 |
Aberdeen City | 0 |
Aberdeenshire | 1,536 |
Angus | 293 |
Argyll and Bute | 592 |
Dundee City | 0 |
Highland | 1,333 |
Moray | 1,818 |
Na h-Eileanan an Iar | 0 |
North Ayrshire | 0 |
Orkney Islands | 557 |
Perth and Kinross | 1,121 |
Shetland Islands | 674 |
Stirling | 0 |
Total | 7,924 |
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 19 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many GlobalScot representatives are located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and what events are planned there for 2025.
Answer
Scottish Enterprise confirmed there are 60 GlobalScots located in the UAE.
There are currently 4 events coming up within the year with one specific to GlobalScots. The 4 events that are planned for this year within UAE are:
- Gulfood - the world's largest annual food and hospitality show (17-21 February 2025);
- GlobalScot Middle East AGM (end of March 2025);
- Scotland Week, which will include an Energy Trade Mission, Scottish Food and Drink showcase and some Capital Investment and Science & Tech related activity (planned for April 2025);
- ADIPEC - Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference (3-6 November 2025; focus on energy transition).
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 19 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason its partial island communities impact assessment (ICIA) for the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill did not recommend carrying out a full ICIA on the basis that the measures in the Bill were "not likely to have an effect on an island community which is significantly different from its effect on other communities", in light of the assessment also noting that "the geographical remoteness of islands can generate a number of particular challenges".
Answer
The Visitor Levy is a discretionary power for local authorities to use. In doing so, a local authority will have to comply with its duties under the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018. Additionally, Local authorities have the power to charge different rates and exemptions for different geographical areas .Each local authority has a responsibility to publish assessment of the impacts of introducing a Visitor Levy, and they have a statutory requirement to consult with local communities, businesses, and the public, prior to the introduction of a Visitor Levy.
