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: S5O-01322

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the reported £1.3 million that NHS Shetland is to pay in locum costs in 2017-18 will be used to cover GP vacancies.

Question reference: S5W-11259

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 27 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-10884, what its definition is of "near future", and whether it will confirm by what date the report will be published.

Question reference: S5W-11337

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 26 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many probation teachers have started in each August since 2007, broken down by subject, and how many it expects to start in August 2018.

Information on the number of probationary teachers who started on the Teacher Induction Scheme in each year from 2007 to 2017 is provided in the following table. This information is broken down by primary and secondary school, as a subject breakdown is not available. Figures for 2018 are not yet available.

Year	Total	Primary	Secondary
2007	3581	1894	1687
2008	3167	1822	1345
2009	3060	1873	1187
2010	2884	1764	1120
2011	1985	1013	972
2012	2064	1055	1009
2013	2247	1234	1013
2014	2493	1403	1090
2015	2542	1533	1009
2016	2633	1644	989
2017	2864	1730	1134

Question reference: S5W-11262

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-10920 by Humza Yousaf on 12 September 2017, by what date Transport Scotland will complete its consideration of the legal, financial and policy implications relevant to the ongoing review into the future approach to the procurement of ferry services.

Question reference: S5W-11260

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-10920 by Humza Yousaf on 12 September 2017, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding what its definition is of the "Autumn" period.

Question reference: S5W-10920

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-10412 by Humza Yousaf on 21 August 2017, what its definition of "Autumn" is and whether it will confirm on what date it will publish the emerging findings of the review.

Transport Scotland are currently considering the legal, financial and policy implications relevant to the ongoing review into the future approach to the procurement of lifeline ferry services supported by the Scottish Government. Once this consideration has been completed, an interim report will be published setting out emerging findings, including our plans for the current contracts and the continued delivery of essential lifeline ferry services to the Northern Isles. The interim report will be published in the Autumn period. A definitive date for publication of the report has yet to be finalised.

Question reference: S5W-10884

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the planned lower fares from 2018 will have on (a) passenger and (b) vehicle numbers on the (i) Aberdeen – Lerwick, (ii) Aberdeen – Kirkwall, (iii) Kirkwall – Lerwick and (iv) Scrabster – Stromness NorthLink ferry service routes.

Scottish Ministers and Transport Scotland commissioned Peter Brett Associates to undertake a comprehensive transport appraisal, in line with the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG), which involved exploring and assessing the specification of both the next Northern Isles Ferry Services contract, as well as the new fares structure set to be introduced in the first half of 2018.

The study has now concluded. The report, which contains forecasts of the predicted impact of lower fares for passenger and vehicle numbers and on the different routes, will be published in the near future.

Question reference: S5W-10885

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how it will take account of the impact of any increase in (a) passenger and (b) vehicle numbers arising from the planned lower fares from 2018 when planning future ferry service contracts for routes between the Scottish mainland and (i) Shetland and (ii) Orkney.

Scottish Ministers & Transport Scotland commissioned Peter Brett Associates to undertake a comprehensive transport appraisal, in line with the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG), which involved exploring and assessing the specification of both the next Northern Isles Ferry Services contract, as well as the new fares structure set to be introduced in the first half of 2018.

Question reference: S5W-10886

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how it will take account of the impact of the ending of the streamline shipping lift-on lift-off cargo service to the islands when planning future freight ferry services for routes between the Scottish mainland and (a) Shetland and (b) Orkney.

Transport Scotland and Serco Northlink Ferries (SNF) have confirmed that, at present, there is expected to be sufficient overall capacity to accommodate any increased freight traffic resulting from the ending of the Streamline service. Transport Scotland and SNF will, of course, continue to monitor the overall levels of demand for freight.

Inevitably there may be occasional pinch points in demand, and these will be handled by SNF in line with their current approach to Manage freight demand on the ferry services. Time sensitive freight is given priority for carriage on the Ro-Pax vessels, and so freight customers’ chosen sailings may be restricted if a shipment is not of a time sensitive nature.

Haulage operators should be able to rebook non-sensitive freight on the next available sailings on the Ro-Pax vessels or on the freighters.

Question reference: S5O-01223

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 7 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to assist NHS Shetland in filling GP vacancies across the board's area.

The Scottish Government’s commitment to general practice is clear, with an additional £250m per year is going in direct support of general practice by the end of this Parliament. But we know that GP recruitment and retention can at times be challenging, in our rural, remote and island communities.

That’s why, through our GP Recruitment and Retention Fund, we’re supporting a range of initiatives of direct benefit to Shetland and other island communities, such as the Scottish Rural Medicine Collaborative (which includes NHS Shetland); and bursaries for GP trainees (which include two eligible trainee posts in Shetland). Our new Graduate Entry Medicine Programme will also focus on medical students spending more time in general practice and remote and rural areas.