- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 31 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government when the negotiations between Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd and Seatruck Ferries for the bareboat charter agreement for the Helliar and Hildasay vessels commenced, and by what date (a) they will conclude and (b) the agreement will enter into effect.
Answer
The Scottish Government has been seeking to resolve the issue of pay rates for staff on the vessels since 2014 when the matter was first highlighted. Since then both myself, and previously Keith Brown, have written regarding the National Minimum Wage issue to the UK Minister for State at the Department of Transport with responsibility for the maritime sector. In addition Transport Scotland has had a number of meetings and exchanges with Seatruck Ferries Limited over this period to try and satisfactorily resolve this issue.
More recently, on 10 November 2016 I met with the Managing Director of Seatruck Ferries Limited to discuss crew pay rates on the freighters leased to Serco Northlink Ferries to operate the Northern Isles Ferry Service.
Following this constructive meeting Transport Scotland and Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited were tasked with working with Seatruck Ferries Limited to put in place a bareboat charter agreement for the MV Helliar and MV Hildasay in order to facilitate resolution of the issue.
The bareboat charter was signed by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited and Seatruck Ferries Limited on 7 January 2017. It is anticipated that the transfer of the lease will occur in February 2017, once both vessels have been fully surveyed and all financial and regulatory checks have been concluded.
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 31 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government whether the crew of the Helliar and Hildasay vessels will be directly employed by Serco NorthLink under the terms of the revised charter agreement that was announced on 12 January 2017.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-06282 on 31 January 2017. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:
http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 31 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to ensure that the collective bargaining agreement between the RMT and Serco NorthLink for seafarer ratings applies to all staff on chartered vessels on the Northern Isles ferry services.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-06282 on 31 January 2017. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: :http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 31 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will instruct Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd to ensure that, in its negotiations with Seatruck Ferries, seafarers employed on the Helliar and Hildasay vessels under the bareboat charter agreement will not be liable to deductions from their wages for the cost of onboard accommodation.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-06282 on 31 January 2017. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 31 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will publish revised pay scales for seafarers on the Seatruck vessels, the Helliar and Hildasay.
Answer
In line with my announcement on 12 January 2017, Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited will sub-charter the vessels, on a bare boat basis, to Serco Northlink Ferries who will be responsible for the operation of the vessels and for crewing and all associated matters.
As operator, Serco Northlink Ferries are currently taking forward work to identify and implement an appropriate arrangement for crewing, ensuring that the knowledge and experience of the current crew is retained. Crew terms and conditions – for example employment arrangements, pay scales and employer-employee arrangements will form part of these considerations.
I can confirm that the crew on board the MV Hildasay and MV Helliar will be paid at least the National Minimum Wage.
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 31 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government whether the collective bargaining agreements covering (a) rating and (b) officer grades in the ferry industry apply to all vessels (i) owned, (ii) leased and (iii) chartered as part of all public contracts tendered by Transport Scotland.
Answer
Companies who operate our Public Service Ferry Contracts are required to comply with UK employment legislation, such as on collective pay bargaining, in the same way as other employers.
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 24 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Budget statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution on 15 December 2016, in what month it now expects the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) to be completed and open to traffic.
Answer
When announcing the commencement of the project in 2012, the former First Minister announced that “this long awaited project would be underway in 2014 and complete by the Spring of 2018”. We remain committed to that date.
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 11 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on whether it is (a) practically and legally possible and (b) compliant with international obligations, for tax reliefs assigned to oil and gas decommissioning to be invested instead in renewable energy development.
Answer
The fiscal regime for oil & gas is reserved to the UK Parliament and therefore this would be a matter for UK Government to consider and determine.
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 11 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the share of the costs of decommissioning oil and gas platforms in the North Sea that are attributed to (a) capping and plugging wells, (b) removing offshore infrastructure and (c) dismantling of infrastructure and equipment that has been brought onshore.
Answer
Scottish Enterprise published a Decommissioning Action Plan, on behalf of Scottish Government, on 21 December 2016 and this sets out a vision of how the Scottish supply chain can maximise the value that is obtained from the forecast spend of £17.6 billion on decommissioning between 2016 and 2025.
Figures for the costs of decommissioning activities are taken from the Oil & Gas UK Decommissioning Insights Report 2016. The OGUK report states that for ‘all UK continental shelf projects’ the share of costs is, a) Well Plugging and Abandonment – around 47% b) Removals – around 19% c) Onshore Dismantling and Disposal – around 1%.
The OGUK report can be found at http://oilandgasuk.co.uk/decommissioninginsight.cfm.
It is estimated that decommissioning activity in Scotland over the next 10 years could be valued at between £8.3 billion and £11.3 billion. Further detail on the estimated Scottish share of delivery by activity and location can be obtained by accessing the Decommissioning Action Plan at https://www.scottish-enterprise.com/knowledge-hub/articles/publication/oil-gas-decommissioning-action-plan.
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 11 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential decommissioning business for Scottish companies in each of the sub-sectors (a) capping and plugging wells, (b) removing offshore infrastructure, and (c) dismantling of infrastructure and equipment that has been brought onshore.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-05659 on 11 January 2017. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx