- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 August 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 7 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to concerns expressed by residents and businesses in the Orkney Islands and other islands in the Highlands and Islands that are currently not participating in the Scottish Government’s Road Equivalent Tariff ferry pilot, that their exclusion from the pilot is unfair and places them at a competitive disadvantage, particularly in respect of attracting tourists.
Answer
The Scottish Government understands the concerns about high ferry fares in Scotland. That is why we are undertaking a study and a pilot exercise into Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) as the basis for future ferry fares in Scotland. The Scottish Government are focussing the RET pilot on the ferry routes to the Western Isles. Pilots are selective by nature and consequently cannot include all areas. Only a real world pilot will tell us how island residents, tourists, businesses, the freight industry and local economies will react to a significant reduction in ferry fares.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 August 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 7 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will carry out an assessment of whether the local economy of the Orkney Islands, and of other islands in the Highlands and Islands that are currently not participating in the Scottish Government’s Road Equivalent Tariff ferry pilot, has been adversely affected by their exclusion from the pilot.
Answer
The consultants undertaking the study are closely monitoring the Road Equivalent Tariff pilot to capture all the information we need to take decisions on future fares levels across the entire Scottish ferries network. That assessment is comprehensive and considers usage and revenue impacts as well as economic and social impacts. The monitoring and evaluation includes Orkney and Shetland and other areas not included in the pilot.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 20 August 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it accepts that efficiencies in the housing association sector might be achieved from the joint procurement of cyclical maintenance activities as well as the joint procurement of new build and how it will encourage such joint procurement.
Answer
Yes. The Scottish Government is working with the social housing sector to better share best practice in order to support the development of more efficient and sustainable procurement of both new build and services.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 20 August 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it accepts that more support for registered social landlords (RSLs) might be available under the model whereby local authorities lend money to RSLs if those local authorities that have not pursued housing stock transfer did so.
Answer
We are aware that a number of local authorities are considering lending to Housing Associations. The Scottish Government sees no distinction between stock transfer authorities and non-stock transfer authorities in this matter.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 20 August 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether developing housing associations will be able to form alliances with private developers that could attract Housing Association Grant, as was envisaged in Firm Foundations, The Future Housing of Scotland.
Answer
We would welcome Housing Associations forming partnerships with private developers if the resulting alliance can demonstrate it will support tenants and provide value for public money by reducing the amounts of subsidy required.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 20 August 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to any concerns that collaboration with private developers in the social housing sector is not a high priority for the Scottish Government.
Answer
Any such concerns would be unfounded. The Scottish Government is working with Homes for Scotland, within the Housing Supply Task Force. Homes for Scotland will also be a member of the collaboration, consortia and procurement working group which is being established following my announcement of 25 June on the way forward for investing in affordable housing.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 18 August 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the existing evidence that suggests that the absence of male teachers and role models in schools can have a detrimental effect on the education of a child.
Answer
There is a range of research on this issue of which Scottish ministers are aware. Some highlights the importance of male role models in schools whereas other research suggests that the focus should be on attracting high quality and motivated people into teaching irrespective of their gender.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 17 August 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the continuing concerns of west coast nephrops fishermen about the impact of effort restrictions on their business and the possibility that they face larger cuts via effort restrictions than vessels that target cod as their main catch, whether it plans to seek a renegotiation of Council Regulation (EC) No 1342/2008.
Answer
The Scottish Government acknowledges the challenges involved in implementing successfully the new EU cod recovery plan (CRP).
The CRP does, however, include “ as a result of proposals made last year by the Scottish Government “ important flexibilities that allow nephrops vessels that catch less than five per cent cod to be allocated more days than the standard allocation of days for vessels affected by the effort regime. In 2009, these vessels were eligible for an allocation of 200 days at sea, and over 90 per cent of west coast nephrops vessels qualified. In 2010, the Scottish Government proposes again to fully utilise the flexibility provided for in the CRP to allow vessels with very low cod catches to access additional days at sea.
The government is also working with the UK Government and the European Commission to assess the economic impact during the current economic downturn of the CRP, as well as the emergency measures imposed at last December''s Fisheries Council on fishing off the west coast of Scotland. We consider that negotiations about fishing opportunities in 2010 should take careful account of the conclusions of this analysis.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 17 August 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the concerns of west coast nephrops fishermen that it is relying on selective fishing gear, which does not guarantee exemption, rather than deploying adequate observers on their vessels that might allow them to gain exemption from effort restrictions.
Answer
The European Commission has been willing to exempt from the effort management regime under the cod recovery plan (CRP), vessels that only use specific fishing gears that allow cod which is present to avoid being caught. Deploying observers to verify low cod abundance is highly unlikely to secure the exemption of nephrops vessels in the absence of such technical measures.
Although not exempt from the CRP regime, the west coast nephrops fleet has benefited from the arrangements we were able to negotiate last November for vessels catching less than five per cent cod. In 2009, these vessels were eligible for an allocation of 200 days at sea, and over 90 per cent of west coast nephrops vessels qualified. We have no evidence to suggest that these arrangements are preventing the uptake of this year''s nephrops quota.
In preparation for 2010, we are currently taking forward a work programme of further innovative conservation measures using selective fishing gears. The Scottish fishing industry, including the Clyde Fishermen''s Association, have been closely involved in identifying technical options designed to enable Scottish fishermen to access additional days at sea in future through the voluntary use of such gears.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 13 August 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it would consider to attract more men into primary and secondary school teaching.
Answer
We have considered whether to launch an advertising campaign with the objective of attracting more males into primary teaching but have no immediate plans to do so.
