Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S5W-19743

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 02 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government which minister (a) was responsible for producing and (b) signed-off the original contract for the construction of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR).

Subject to the resolution of the legal challenges to the statutory processes for the scheme, Ministers indicated that the AWPR/B-T project would be progressed as a “non-profit distributing” (NPD) contract in the 2011 Infrastructure Investment Plan,.

Following the procurement process the contract was awarded to Aberdeen Roads Limited (ARL) in 2014 .

The contract is a standard form NPD model, developed under the governance of Scottish Futures Trust. Consequently, no further Ministerial approval of the documents was required.

Question reference: S5W-19601

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 8 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether the bridge carrying the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) over the River Don is presently in need of repair.

As I outlined in my statement to Parliament on 1 November 2018, during the rigorous quality control processes used on this project minor defects were identified on the River Don Bridge while post-tensioning a small number of concrete panels. These have subsequently proved to be more extensive than originally anticipated, albeit in a localised area of the structure.

Due to the Design Build Finance and Operate procurement model for the project, the contractor will only receive payment for sections of the road when opened to traffic. Our primary focus is on ensuring the works are completed safely and to the required standards. We will not ignore issues of public safety and traffic will only be introduced to the road once the contractor indicates that it is safe and appropriate to do so.

Question reference: S5W-19565

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 2 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-19038 by Christina McKelvie on 15 October 2018, what funding programmes are available to Abused Men in Scotland to support its work.

Our main fund for services supporting victims of domestic abuse, Equally Safe Violence Against Women and Girls, is fully committed up until 2020. Abused Men In Scotland (AMIS) did not make an application to Equally Safe Violence Against Women and Girls fund in 2017, the last funding round since this fund adopted three year funding to provide greater security for its funded organisations.

The Scottish Government appreciates that funding remains a concern for Third Sector organisations. AMIS may wish to contact their local Third Sector Interface (TSI) for assistance in identifying sources of funding to support their work or look at other potential sources of funding through the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) website.

Question reference: S5W-19566

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 2 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-19038 by Christina McKelvie on 15 October 2018, what its position is on providing financial support to charities that support male victims of domestic violence or abuse.

Charities providing support to male victims of domestic violence or abuse are welcome to apply to the next round of funding for Equally Safe Violence Against Women and Girls Fund in 2020.

By including domestic abuse in its definition of violence against women and girls, Equally Safe does not say that domestic abuse, or any other form of gender based violence, does not happen to men or that women cannot be perpetrators. It recognises that these forms of violence disproportionately affect women and girls because they are women and girls, as borne out in the evidence sections in Equally Safe and the Equally Safe delivery plan.

It also recognises that all victims of gender based violence, including male victims of domestic abuse, deserve support.

Question reference: S5W-19563

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 2 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-19038 by Christina McKelvie on 15 October 2018, what funding it has allocated in each of the last two years to organisations that support (a) male and (b) female victims of domestic violence or abuse.

The Scottish Government recognises that all victims and survivors of domestic abuse deserve access to support.

Funding for domestic abuse services includes support for services who work with male victims. Over 2017 to 2020, these include nearly £85,000 to run the Respect Helpline which signposts male survivors of domestic abuse to support services, over £3 million to ASSIST who, as part of their work, provide advocacy support to male survivors of domestic abuse in the Lothians and over £180,000 to Committed to Ending Abuse which supports all victims and survivors of domestic abuse in the Falkirk area, which includes those who identify as male.

Of funding for support services of domestic abuse, 17.9% goes to services who offer support to adult victims who identify as male. The remaining 82.1% goes to services supporting women and children.

Question reference: S5W-19564

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 2 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-19038 by Christina McKelvie on 15 October 2018, whether Abused Men in Scotland has requested or applied for funding from it in each of the last two years and, if so, whether it will confirm how it responded and the reason for doing so.

Abused Men In Scotland (AMIS) applied to the Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund for 2016-2017. Their application was received outwith the deadline for receipt and so it was not considered, which is standard practice for all late applications. This was communicated to them at the time. AMIS subsequently applied to the Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund for 2017-20, which was declined as it asked for funds for expansion of their service provision, which was not possible for this fund, and duplicated services from other providers.

Officials have met with AMIS earlier this year to discuss their financial situation, and will meet with AMIS again next week.

Meantime, Scottish Government Justice officials are in discussions with AMIS regarding their potential involvement in raising awareness of the new Domestic Abuse Act including how the new offence may operate in the specific circumstances and dynamics of male victims of domestic abuse. It was agreed that AMIS are to provide a formal request for one-off funding based on this remit. This has now been received and is under consideration.

Question reference: S5W-19149

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 30 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to continue the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme beyond 2019 and, if so, for what period, and whether grants under the scheme will be of similar financial value to those currently available to eligible farm businesses.

LFASS is vital for our rural economy and remote communities throughout Scotland, providing support to over 11,000 farmers and crofters, which is why I have decided to continue with the scheme in 2019 even though the UK Government has stopped its support. With 85% of Scotland’s agricultural area classed as less favoured, clarity on future support for farmers and crofters is crucial to ensure the economic viability and sustainability of these remote areas.

As set out in the recent Stability and Simplicity Consultation, my priority in the short-term is to provide people in rural businesses with as much certainty as possible. I have taken this approach with LFASS and as soon as I could, in December, I announced that we will continue with a 100% LFASS payment for 2018. EU rules do not allow us to continue with LFASS unchanged from next year so, after considering all options, I announced in June that LFASS will continue next year, with the payments at the maximum that EU rules allow, which is 80% in 2019. This has given farming and crofting businesses advance notice to provide as much financial stability as possible during these uncertain times.

No decisions have been made regarding LFASS 2020, my officials are exploring all possible options to maintain vital support to the industry in 2020, including a series of meetings with key stakeholders to consider the options and impacts. However, as the UK Government is taking us out of the EU we don’t even know what rules will apply in 2020 and fundamentally we don’t know the details of any replacement funding from the UK Government.

It is vital that devolved agriculture powers are returned to Scotland so we have the ability to provide support tailored to Scotland’s unique needs and give much needed certainty.

Question reference: S5F-02732

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 29 October 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 November 2018

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking in light of ScotRail's performance falling to its lowest level since the current franchise began.

Question reference: S5W-18254

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 17 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 16 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports in the Press and Journal on 16 August 2018 that 4G coverage is poor for many households in the Highlands and Islands, what information it has on the technological innovations that have been made to improve 4G signals inside homes.

The legal and regulatory responsibility for ensuring 4G coverage are powers 'reserved' to the UK Parliament and UK Ministers under the Scotland Act 1998. Scottish Ministers are not able to intervene when commercial operators have proposals to deliver a commercial service, but do intervene, though our economic development powers, where no commercial solution is proposed, e.g. through our 4G infill programme, in recognition of its importance to our economy. There are a number of technological innovations which can improve in-building 4G coverage.

In April this year, Ofcom enacted new regulations permitting use of certain signal boosters to amplify signals between a mobile phone and a network operator’s base station. These devices can also enhance coverage in situations where the signal is weak.

Some mobile network operators offer their customers indoor femtocells which can provide localised 4G access by using a home broadband connection.

In addition, some new smartphones enable Wi-Fi calling, where the handset uses a Wi-Fi connection as if it were the mobile network.

Question reference: S5W-19038

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 15 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has allocated to (a) Scottish Women’s Aid and (b) Abused Men in Scotland since April 2018.