- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 March 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 22 April 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what relief provisions will be included in the invitation to tender for the Gourock to Dunoon ferry route when the service is disrupted due to adverse weather conditions.
Answer
This information will be included in the Gourock to Dunoon invitation to tender documents.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 March 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 17 April 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what investment in new vessels will be required to cope with any anticipated increased demand as a result of the network-wide extension of the road equivalent tariff scheme on west coast ferry services and what the cost implications will be.
Answer
The Scottish Government, on 19 December 2012, published the Scottish Ferries Plan. This plan sets out short, medium and long term improvements over the next decade and included outline costed proposals for vessel investment.
Discussions between CalMac Ferries Ltd, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd and Transport Scotland on the detail of the vessel replacement and deployment plans are currently ongoing and once finalised, will be published. These plans take account of forecast demand including that created by the success of Road Equivalent Tariff fares on the Clyde and Hebrides ferry service network.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 March 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 17 April 2015
To ask the Scottish Government how many scheduled sailings there were on the MV (a) Ali Cat and (b) Argyll Flyer on the Dunoon to Gourock route between (i) December 2013 and March 2014 and (ii) December 2014 and March 2015 and how many were (A) completed and (B) cancelled and the reasons for these cancellations, and how many passengers were carried.
Answer
Operational statistics on the MV Coruisk are given in the following table:
| | 1 December 2013 to 31 March 2014 | 1 December 2014 to 31 March 2015 |
| MV Ali Cat | | |
| Scheduled sailings | 2,316 | 2,236 |
| Completed sailings | 2,041 | 1,995 |
| Cancelled sailings | 275 (273 weather, 2 others) | 241 (weather) |
| Passengers carried | 22,449 | 24,883 |
| MV Argyll Flyer | | |
| Scheduled sailings | 3,539 | 3,272 |
| Completed sailings | 3,219 | 3,019 |
| Cancelled sailings | 320 (302 weather, 18 technical) | 253 (245 weather, 6 technical, 2 others) |
| Passengers carried | 49,873 | 47,544 |
*MV Coruisk covered the MV Argyll Flyer’s timetable when off due to technical reasons. The service was operating to timetable and as such, no cancellations were recorded against the MV Argyll Flyer. They are included as additional sailings for MV Coruisk, as per information given in the answer to S4W-25064 on 17 April 2015. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 March 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 17 April 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what the cost to Argyll Ferries was of operating the MV Coruisk on the Gourock to Dunoon route between (a) December 2013 and March 2014 and (b) December 2014 and March 2015; how many scheduled sailings there were and how many were (i) completed and (ii) cancelled and the reasons for these cancellations; how many additional sailings were undertaken to cover for the MV Ali Cat or Argyll Flyer, and how many passengers were carried on the (A) scheduled and (B) additional sailings.
Answer
The cost to Argyll Ferries Ltd of deploying the MV Coruisk on the Gourock-Dunoon service this winter was £812,000. The net cost to Transport Scotland was £110,000.
I also refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20485 on 22 April 2014 in regard to 2013-14 costs of the deployment of the MV Coruisk. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx
Operational statistics on the MV Coruisk are provided in the following table:
| | 21 December 2013 to 31 March 2014 | 16 December 2014 to 1 April 2015 |
| Scheduled sailings | 479 | 696 |
| Completed sailings | 444 | 916* |
| Cancelled sailings | 35 (32 weather, 3 others) | 86 (56 weather, 8 technical, 2 linkspan, 20 hours of rest) |
| Additional sailings | 133 | 306** |
| Passengers carried (total) | 9,514 | 14,885 |
| Passengers carried on additional sailings | 1,685 | 3,269 |
*MV Coruisk covered the MV Argyll Flyer’s timetable when off due to technical reasons. The service was operating to timetable and as such, no cancellations were recorded against the MV Argyll Flyer. They are included as additional sailings for MV Coruisk.
**Majority due to above reasons.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 5 March 2015
To ask the Scottish Government how much the NHS will spend on heating oil in 2015-16 and has spent in each of the last four years.
Answer
| Year | Gas Oil (£) | Heavy Fuel Oil (£) | Kerosene (£) | Diesel (£) |
| 2010-11 | 5,273,731 | 2,530,119 | 50,189 | 324,978 |
| 2011-12 | 4,275,537 | 3,040,750 | 116,725 | 309,196 |
| 2012-13 | 4,088,057 | 2,819,835 | 522,234 | 318,854 |
| 2013-14 | 3,483,326 | 2,394,648 | 721,210 | 265,255 |
| 2014-15 (April to January only) | 2,472,070 | 1,727,075 | 537,172 | 155,301 |
NHSScotland does not know how much it will spend on heating oil in 2015-16 as this will be dependent on a number of factors, such as external winter temperatures, generator use, run-time of combined heat and power units, etc.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 5 March 2015
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that road transport and the road haulage sector are of critical importance to all other sectors of the economy.
Answer
The Scottish Government values freight transport as a key enabler for enhancing productivity and delivering sustainable growth.
We recognise that road is the predominant mode for moving goods in Scotland and that the road haulage sector have a key role in helping us achieve our vision – that is for Scotland to be a place where the movement of freight through the entire supply chain is efficient and sustainable, thus allowing Scotland’s businesses to compete and grow in a global economy.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 5 March 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what decisions it has made regarding the need for new ferries for the public service obligation Gourock-Dunoon ferry service to begin in summer 2017; whether any new tonnage will be passenger only, and whether there is a need for one or two new vessels.
Answer
In line with European procurement law all publicly subsidised ferry routes need to go through regular, fair and open tendering competitions to provide ferry services.
It is anticipated a contract notice will be published in 2015, seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified operators to run the service from 2017. We are continuing to work with stakeholders, including the local communities, to confirm the number and type of vessels to be procured for the route.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 5 March 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) annual payment and (b) total cost to Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd will be of financing the MV Seaforth.
Answer
The MV Loch Seaforth was purchased and financed by Lloyds Banking Group whose financial arrangements with the shipyard are commercially confidential.
The MV Loch Seaforth is leased to Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd, who, in turn, charters the vessel to CalMac Ferries Ltd. The subsequent financial arrangements between Lloyds Banking Group, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd and CalMac Ferries Ltd are also commercially confidential.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2015
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 11 March 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to alter speed limits on trunk roads in the Highlands and Islands.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 11 March 2015
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 4 March 2015
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to increase funding support for training for people aged 25 and older who wish to work in the road haulage sector.
Answer
The Scottish Government, through Skills Development Scotland, provides a contribution towards to the cost of training and assessment for Modern Apprenticeships (MAs). We prioritise this funding towards young people, however in recognition that there are industry areas in the economy that contribute significantly towards economic growth, we also provide a contribution for MAs aged over 25 in key and enabling sectors. This includes the specific framework for Freight Logistics where over half of the 1,281 MA starts on this framework up to the end of December 2014 have been for those aged 25 and over.
Additionally we support training for small businesses through our Flexible Training Opportunities, where businesses with up to 100 employees can apply for up to £5,000 towards employee training costs and there is no age limit for eligibility. Funding is available for up to 10 employees per business and the money is not a loan so the employer does not have to pay it back. Managed on our behalf by Skills Development Scotland, the programme will refund up to 50% of each episode of employee training up to a maximum of £500 for each training episode.
Support may also be available for individuals of all ages on low incomes through Individual Learning Accounts to contribute toward the cost of approved employability training.
I am aware that Skills Development Scotland met with the Road Haulage Association in February 2015 to discuss their current and future skills needs of the industry. This included highlighting the variety of support available, including MAs, and there is an agreement to meet again later in the year to discuss progress.
