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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 2683 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S4W-26094

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 June 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 23 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £146 million superfast broadband budget it has spent on upgrading broadband in Shetland.

The Highlands and Islands Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband contract is geared towards maximising coverage across the region, rather than having specific amounts allocated to each local authority area. There is therefore no budget allocation for Shetland and the budget is not broken down by local authority area.

By the end of June 2015 BT will have claimed, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) will have paid, £56 million of the project’s total £146 million costs. Much of this relates to the major subsea and land-based fibre optic cable installation which was required to provide fibre broadband to the west coast and islands of the region. This backhaul upgrade is now complete.

The project will reach at least 84% of premises in the HIE region by the end of 2016. This includes at least 76% of premises in Shetland.

Question reference: S4W-25935

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2015
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 16 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what funding source it plans to use to pay for the disposal of unmarketable fish landed under the discard ban.

The Scottish Government is not responsible for funding the costs of the disposal of unmarketable fish landed under the landing obligation. Marine Scotland is facilitating the offshore and onshore sectors to increase selectivity and spatial avoidance to avoid catching unmarketable fish in the first instance. Marine Scotland is also supporting those sectors to identify and develop options for disposing of unmarketable or undersized fish which is landed. Such measures are eligible for support from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.

Question reference: S4W-25936

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2015
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 16 June 2015

Marine Scotland is working with the fishing industry to minimise the catch of unmarketable fish and to provide support to identify and develop options for disposing of unmarketable fish. The costs of such disposal are difficult to quantify with precision at this stage given that we have no prior experience of a landing obligation affecting demersal fish and Nephrops. However, we have been working strenuously to agree a phased approach to the landing obligation which has been submitted for approval by Member States to the European Commission. This approach envisages a gradual phasing in of the landing obligation affecting only a few species at the outset, meaning that the impact on onshore disposal is not expected to be great in 2016. Member States have also agreed to propose to the commission de minimis exemptions from the landing obligation in 2016 for a proportion of Nephrops catches in order to minimise the costs of onshore disposal of unmarketable Nephrops.

Question reference: S4W-25942

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 15 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the average weekly cost is of running the passenger, vehicle and freight service between Stornoway and Ullapool.

Question reference: S4W-25938

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 15 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) original estimated cost, (b) tender cost and (c) estimated final cost was of the harbour improvement works at (i) Stornoway and (ii) Ullapool to allow the introduction of the MV Loch Seaforth on the Ullapool to Stornoway ferry service.

The following table details the costs requested to allow the introduction of the MV Loch Seaforth on the Ullapool to Stornoway ferry service.

Project	(a)Original estimate	(b)Tender cost (	(c) Estimated final outturn figure
Stornoway Improvements	£7,000,000*	£9,439,566*	£10,803,740**
Ullapool Improvements	£12,000,000	£10,900,000***	£11,900,000****
Ullapool Linkspan	£5,200,000***	£6,500,000*****	£6,000,000

* excludes design development, management fees, contingency costs.

** includes design development, management fees, contingency costs plus claims and additional costs.

*** includes consultant fees and supervision.

**** includes additional works that were not included in the tender.

***** includes contingency costs.

Question reference: S4W-25940

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 15 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the weekly cost was of running the (a) temporary passenger, vehicle and freight ferry service between Stornoway and Uig and (b) passenger-only service between Stornoway and Ullapool during the period when vehicles could not be handled at Ullapool.

Question reference: S4W-25941

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 15 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government for how long vehicles travelling from Stornoway could not be handled at Ullapool.

Question reference: S4W-25937

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 15 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government on which ferry routes the MV Isle of Lewis is to be used in (a) 2015, following its replacement by the MV Loch Seaforth and (b) future years.

Question reference: S4W-25934

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2015
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 11 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it issues to NHS boards regarding the mileage rates paid to people who travel long-distance by car to attend hospital appointments, and how the rates are calculated.

The Patients Travelling Expenses Scheme provides for the reimbursement of travelling expenses for patients on certain qualifying benefits or those residing in the Highlands and Islands who have to travel long distance to attend a hospital appointment.

Those patients who travel to hospital by car and qualify for reimbursement may claim the lesser of the estimated cost of petrol actually used or the equivalent public transport cost. It is for individual NHS boards to calculate the appropriate mileage rates based on local circumstances.

Question reference: S4W-25622

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 May 2015
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government when ministers (a) last met and (b) will next meet the US authorities to discuss Police Scotland’s investigation into the alleged use of airports in Scotland by the CIA for rendition flights and what other representations it has made to the US on this matter.

The Scottish Government strongly opposes so-called rendition flights. Scotland has always been a country that respects the rights and responsibilities of all its citizens and the rule of law. The Scottish Government has not and will not approve a policy of facilitating the transfer of individuals through Scottish territory or air space to places where there are substantial grounds to believe that they would face a real risk of torture.

Scottish Ministers have not met with US officials to discuss the Police Scotland investigation and do not currently plan to do so. This is an ongoing criminal investigation and therefore is a matter for independent prosecutors; it would be inappropriate for Scottish Ministers to be involved.