Chamber and committees

Scotland’s Future: Your Guide to an Independent Scotland was informed by a range of research and discussions. The Scottish Government engaged with a number of stakeholders about the media in an independent Scotland and continues to do so.

Scotland’s Future: Your Guide to an Independent Scotland was informed by a range of research and discussions. The Scottish Government engaged with a number of stakeholders about the media in an independent Scotland and continues to do so.

No.

The Scottish Government has regular engagement with industry stakeholders, at both ministerial and official level, which informed the approach to telecommunications in an independent Scotland that was set out in Scotland’s Future: Your Guide to an Independent Scotland. This engagement included general discussions on coverage obligations.

Specific coverage obligations would be a matter for the government of an independent Scotland and industry stakeholders would be consulted on the development of such proposals at the appropriate time. Independence would allow us to deliver a more coherent approach to extending mobile and broadband coverage across Scotland than is currently possible by aligning policy, taxation, funding and regulation.

Scotland’s international dialling code will be set by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) when Scotland is formally recognised as an independent country by the United Nations. As set out in Scotland’s Future: Your Guide to an Independent Scotland, we will seek to ensure that Scotland continues to use the 0044 international dialling code, through the ITU. This would be similar to the current shared use of the 001 international dialling code by a number of North American countries including Canada and the USA.

On the basis that telecoms markets currently operate on a Great Britain-wide basis and will continue to do so following independence, and given the existing practice of countries sharing international dialling codes, the Scottish Government has assessed that the continued use of the 0044 code is achievable and that there will therefore be no legal and cost implications of maintaining this code in an independent Scotland.

Royal Mail was used to distribute the postcard as part of public information activity in support of Scotland’s Future: Your Guide to an Independent Scotland.

I refer the member to the Official Report of the Meeting of the Parliament on Tuesday 26 November 2013 at column 24856. The official report is available at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/OfficialReport.aspx

I also refer the member to the answer to question S4W-18194 on 18 December 2013. 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.

The Fife ITS scheme was completed in November 2012.

The M9 Junction 1a scheme was completed six weeks ahead of schedule in February 2013.

The Contact and Education Centre was completed in December 2012.

The principal contract for the Queensferry Crossing is programmed for completion by the end of 2016.

Following the on-schedule completion of the Fife ITS and Contact and Education Centre contracts, and the early completion of the M9 Junction 1a contract, the principal contract remains on schedule to complete by the end of 2016.

The Code of Construction Practice allows for 24 hour working on marine works, which has and continues to take place other than planned shut downs at holiday periods and as a result of adverse weather. No applications have been made for working hours extensions for exceptional works.