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: S4W-29883

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment in the research note, CAP Payment Scheme, circulated to all SNP members and all parliamentary researchers on 9 February 2016, that the “old IT system was not capable of implementing new CAP", what steps it has taken to ensure that the replacement system does have such capability.

Question reference: S4W-29880

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment in the research note, CAP Payment Scheme, circulated to all SNP members and all parliamentary researchers on 9 February 2016, that "NFU Scotland insisted we have three payment regions", whether it considers that the union's position is the reason for delays in making common agricultural policy settlement payments.

The new policy is highly complex with two old schemes replaced by six new schemes in Pillar One. The decision to move to three payment regions was a decision that was taken jointly with industry. Following a consultation exercise, in which Scottish Government originally proposed a two region approach, government and industry both felt it important to focus on meeting Scotland’s needs in full knowledge that it would make delivery more challenging, including moving to three payment regions and initiating new rules to prevent paying inactive farmers.

Question reference: S4W-29885

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the new common agricultural policy settlement (a) illustration entitlement letters and (b) final notification of entitlement has been issued.

Question reference: S4W-29884

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the average value has been of the new common agricultural policy settlement (a) illustration entitlement letters and (b) final notification of entitlement.

Question reference: S4W-30110

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by John Swinney on 9 February 2016 (Official Report, c.100), how it will spend the £18 million generated as a result of its superfast broadband programme; what matters were discussed and what the outcome was of its most recent meeting with (a) the four mobile network operators and (b) BT, and when Uyeasound in Unst will have access to superfast broadband.

The £18 million generated as a result of the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme (DSSB) will be used to extend superfast broadband coverage across Scotland.

I met (a) the four UK mobile network operators on 4 December 2015, to discuss collaboration between Government and industry aimed at improving mobile coverage in Scotland; and (b) BT on 10 February 2016, to discuss broadband coverage issues and overall progress of the DSSB programme.

As part of the first phase of the DSSB project a core fibre network has been built which stretches across the Shetland mainland, and also includes a wireless links to Bressay and Whalsay. In order to reach the North Isles, including Uyeasound, alternative technology or additional subsea cabling will be required. Due to these technical challenges the DSSB and Community Broadband Scotland teams are currently exploring the most effective solution of deploying superfast broadband to Uyeasound and to similar communities in the North Isles of Orkney and Shetland.

Question reference: S4W-30087

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 7 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to implement the recommendations in the European Union’s strategy paper on heating and cooling of 16 February 2016, in light of the possible impacts on carbon emissions, electricity consumption and job creation.

The proposals set out in the European Commission’s Strategy on Heating and Cooling are already a strong match for the Scottish Government's own ambitions. These are contained in the Scottish Government’s Heat Policy Statement, which sets clear ambitions to develop new forms of low carbon heat and district heating.

Reducing Scotland’s heating requirement is a priority to address a range of social and economic outcomes – and to reduce Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions. The second report on proposals and policies sets out the actions the Scottish Government is taking to meet the obligations of the Climate Change Act (Scotland) 2009. It outlines plans to improve energy and resource efficiency and to expand renewable heat provision to meet a target of a 42% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. The draft third report on proposals and policies, updating the Scottish Government’s plans, will be lodged with Parliament later in 2016.

The Scottish Government made energy efficiency a National Infrastructure Priority in 2015 – and is currently developing a new Scottish Energy Efficiency Programme in line with this requirement. A pilot programme was launched earlier in 2016 http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0049/00492710.pdf.

Question reference: S4O-05650

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 March 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government when crofters and farmers will receive their less favoured area support scheme payments.

Question reference: S4W-29412

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 1 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many inspections it has carried out under the common agricultural policy Basic Payment Scheme: revised provisional payment region scheme, broken down by Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate office area.

The following is the breakdown of Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) inspections selected for the 2015 scheme year, by business, by office.

Office	BPS inspections
Ayr	109
Benbecula	39
Dumfries	86
Elgin	39
Galashiels	132
Golspie	29
Hamilton	46
Inverness	81
Inverurie	196
Kirkwall	38
Lerwick	46
Oban	55
Perth	198
Portree	30
Stornoway	51
Thurso	41
Grand Total	1,216

Note these inspections have no bearing on the allocation of BPS payment regions which is a separate desk based process.

Question reference: S4W-29647

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 29 February 2016

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it introduced means testing for the revised croft house grant scheme that it announced on 1 February 2016.

<>In response to the Scottish Government’s consultation exercise to review the croft house grant scheme, a number of stakeholders and individual crofters suggested that it might be helpful to introduce additional targeting of grant support through the scheme. In the Scottish Government’s further engagement exercise in November 2015, key stakeholders were asked if they agreed that a more targeted selection method should be introduced for the new croft house grant arrangements. This proposal was supported by over 85% of stakeholders.

Accordingly, in order to target the new arrangements at those most in need of assistance, a selection mechanism will be introduced which will take into account the individual circumstances of each applicant. Alongside household income, other factors will be taken into account such as activity levels on the croft, value of saleable assets and current accommodation.

Question reference: S4W-29672

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 26 February 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how much VisitScotland has spent on promoting Shetland in each year since 2011.

Whilst Shetland Islands Council ended their marketing memorandum of agreement with VisitScotland in April 2010, instead channelling their funding through the promote Scotland destination marketing organisation Promote Shetland, Shetland nevertheless continues to benefit from a range of VisitScotland promotional activity.

Shetland is also promoted as part of national campaigns, such as the £3.5 million national TV “Surprise Yourself” campaign (featuring the Aurora Borealis over Eshaness cliffs) and the “Brilliant Island Moments” campaign, run in partnership with CalMac and Northlink Ferries, which included 3,000 free tickets to Shetland and reached over 10.5 million people.

Shetland is also promoted through online presence (via the VisitScotland website www.visitscotland.com), marketing emails and VisitScotland information centres, both in Shetland and elsewhere.

Since April 2010 VisitScotland has fully funded the Lerwick Visitor Information Centre, with annual operating costs of £128k per annum (which includes related VisitScotland staffing costs) and also runs the Sumburgh Airport Visitor Information Centre, with part funding of £22k per annum from Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd.

Investment through EventScotland funding programmes is set out in the following table (where an event occurred across two or more local authorities, the total sum awarded is apportioned accordingly):

Year	Sum
2011-12	£65,672
2012-13	£10,000
2013-14	£10,200
2014-15	£18,587
2015-16	£2,375
2016-17	£3,125
Total	£109,959