Chamber and committees

All Crofting Agricultural Grant applications, regardless of the type of proposal, are made to the applicants local area office in the first instance and there is therefore no need to notify the area offices of the purpose for an application at a later stage.

There are currently two UK-wide payment schemes for those infected with hepatitis C by NHS blood and blood products which the Scottish Government contributes directly to – the Skipton Fund provides lump sum and annual payments on the basis of chronic infection and disease progression. The Caxton Foundation provides discretionary payments to infected people and dependents, primarily on the basis of financial need. Over the last ten years, the Scottish Government has contributed over £32 million to these funds for those who were infected in Scotland and their dependents.

There are also three similar UK-wide payment schemes which pre-date devolution for those infected with HIV by NHS treatment – the MFET, Macfarlane Trust and Eileen Trust. These are currently managed and funded by the UK Department of Health. We intend to take over responsibility for those who were infected with HIV in Scotland.

Following the publication of the Penrose Inquiry report on 25 March 2015, a Scottish financial review group was formed in June 2015, involving those infected and their families. The group reviewed the existing UK-wide financial support arrangements. It reported to Scottish Ministers in December 2015. In response to the group's recommendations, on 18 March 2016 the Scottish Government announced a package of improved financial support arrangements that will be available in the future for those affected in Scotland. I refer the member to the answer to written parliamentary question S4W-30593 on 18 March 2016, which confirms that the key financial recommendations of the review group have been accepted.

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.

Scottish Government officials record meetings in line with civil service custom and practice, and to comply with the Public Records (Scotland) Act 2011.

Funding allocations from the phase 2 budget have not yet been confirmed. We are working closely with key stakeholders, including Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Community Broadband Scotland and local government partners, on the development of a procurement and delivery strategy for phase 2. We expect to be able to announce details of this later in 2016, once state aid issues have been resolved and an intervention area has been finalised.

The majority of Edinburgh to Glasgow trains calling at Croy, Falkirk High, Polmont and Linlithgow will be served by six coaches. All services between Edinburgh and Glasgow via Airdrie and Bathgate will be served by six coaches. ScotRail will, when possible, ensure that the Stirling, Dunblane and Alloa service has the maximum amount of rolling stock allocated.

The ScotRail Alliance has developed a fully coordinated timetable which makes best use of all available rolling stock during the tunnel closure to provide as much additional capacity as possible.

During the tunnel closure the ScotRail Alliance will be using a queuing system at Queen Street station to ensure trains departing from the low level are not full enabling customers at intermediate stations to board.

The information used to update the Digital Scotland website is provided by BT Openreach project teams working on the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme. This information is validated centrally within Openreach before being passed to the Scottish Government where it is validated and assured against contractual address data. It includes weekly updates on newly enabled exchanges and quarterly updates for forecast roll-out plans.

ScotRail are obliged under the terms of the franchise agreement to utilise rolling stock to meet passenger demand. Passenger counts on every service are carried out twice annually, usually in advance of timetable changes.

ScotRail provides Transport Scotland with advice regarding the available versus utilised capacity on all Edinburgh to Glasgow services.

A procurement strategy for phase 2 has not yet been finalised. It is, therefore, too early to determine whether the procurement process will be structured in a way that will allow community broadband groups to tender for projects specific to their area.

Community-led broadband projects will have a role to play in delivering 100% broadband coverage across Scotland. The Scottish Government has committed £16.5 million to Community Broadband Scotland (CBS), which is providing tailored support and funding to communities to enable them to develop sustainable projects. In a number of cases, this has involved the formation of community companies to deliver broadband services. We would encourage any community broadband group interested in this delivery route to make contact with CBS in the first instance.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has the departmental lead within the UK Government for digital connectivity, and the Scottish Government is engaged with DCMS on a number of relevant issues, including mobile coverage. Commercial rollout and existing UK Government policy and regulation is expected to deliver indoor 4G coverage to 95% of premises in Scotland by the end 2017.

To address the coverage gaps that will remain, the Scottish Government is engaging with all UK mobile operators. Also, as confirmed in the answer to question S4W-27311 on 17 September 2015, the Scottish Government is in discussion with the Home Office about the role of the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP). ESMCP’s core aim is to deliver an appropriate communications network to support the vital work of the emergency services when their existing airwave provision comes to an end. However, without prejudice to that core aim and within the limits of state aid and procurement law, on-going discussions seek to enable the programme to capitalise on opportunities for its new 4G emergency services network to contribute collateral benefit in terms of enhanced coverage more generally.

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 Scottish Government is supporting the UK Government’s efforts to secure a new UK-wide state aid scheme for broadband investment. The UK Government published a market engagement document in January 2016 that outlines the approach that has been discussed with the European Commission. This will form the basis of the UK’s notification document. A decision is expected in the coming months.