Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-14620

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the interim report of the Ferry Services Procurement Policy Review, what steps it plans to engage with the (a) community and (b) stakeholders to inform the final decision on whether to tender the next contract for Northern Isles Ferry Services; whether this will include hosting public events as part of this engagement and, if so, (i) whether these will include the participation of (A) the RMT and (B) representatives from all political parties and (ii) what the timetable for these will be.

Question reference: S5W-14717

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 28 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment at paragraph 197 of the vessel replacement and deployment plan, which was published in January 2018, for what reason Transport Scotland decided to extend the charter arrangements for the (a) Helliar and (b) Hildasay freight ferry beyond the life of the existing contract for Northern Isles Ferry Services, and how much this will cost.

As I announced in January 2017, the current bareboat charter arrangement ensures that suitable freighters to service the routes to the Northern Isles have been secured beyond the end of the current Public Service Contract and until at least 2022. This ensures continuity of service for communities and businesses on the Northern Isles. All related costs are commercially sensitive and cannot be disclosed.

Question reference: S5W-14715

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 28 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government which external consultant has been commissioned to carry out the Scottish transport appraisal guidance on future ferry services for the Outer Hebrides, and what the value is of the contract.

Question reference: S5W-14716

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 28 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment at paragraph 197 of the vessel replacement and deployment plan, which was published in January 2018, whether the sub-charter arrangement between Serco NorthLink Ferries and Fortress for the (a) Helliar and (b) Hildasay freight ferry does not affect the employment rights of the crew.

Since March 2017, the freight vessels have been chartered on a bareboat basis by CMAL from Fortress. Previously the vessels were chartered on a crewed basis from Seatruck. Since March 2017 CMAL has sub-chartered the vessels to Serco NorthLink Ferries for the duration of the Public Service Contract. At that point of change, the crew members were retained, but are now recruited through a UK-based employment agency. All employees are now paid at least the UK National Minimum Wage.

Question reference: S5W-14746

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 28 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that, because of errors in the safety testing method, the combustible plastic insulation that was used on Grenfell Tower was certified as suitable for high-rise buildings, what consideration it has given to removing the same test as a route to compliance with Scottish building standards.

It is important to stress that the recent reports concerning the insulation material installed within the cladding system of Grenfell Tower are not a criticism of the actual fire test methodology and relate only to discrepancies within the test report of the actual fire test.

However as part of the review of fire safety in building standards the Scottish Government have commissioned research to assess the continued suitability of the reaction to fire tests currently cited in Scottish building regulations. The research is expected to be completed by the end of March 2018 and findings will be considered as part of the on-going review.

Question reference: S5W-14748

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 28 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many (a) hospitals, (b) public and (c) other buildings in Scotland use combustible plastic insulation and cladding materials that are not classified as non-combustible, and what buildings standards allow the use of such materials on these facilities.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information however as part of the work of the Ministerial Working Group, information was requested on the cladding materials used in hospitals, schools and other buildings. The information returned has reassured Scottish Ministers that all appropriate fire safety measures are in place. Minutes of meetings of the Ministerial Working Group (including the information gathering exercise) can be found on the Ministerial Working Group website at https://beta.gov.scot/groups/building-and-fire-safety-working-group/

You may also wish to note that building regulations require insulation material exposed in the external wall cavity of high rise buildings with a floor more than 18m above the ground to meet the non-combustible fire classification or meet full scale fire tests. The requirements for low rise buildings is different and combustible cladding is permitted in controlled circumstances provided fire resisting cavity barriers are provided to inhibit fire spread in the external wall cavity. Detailed information can be found in the non-domestic technical handbook http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Building/Building-standards/techbooks/techhandbooks

Question reference: S5W-14745

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 28 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that, because of errors in the safety testing method, the combustible plastic insulation that was used on Grenfell Tower was certified as suitable for high-rise buildings, what information it has regarding whether any (a) hospitals, (b) public and (c) other buildings in Scotland have this type of insulation; what action it plans to take to deal with this, and whether it will carry out a full-scale inspection of all such buildings.

It is important to stress that the recent reports concerning the insulation material installed within the cladding system of Grenfell Tower are not a criticism of the actual fire test methodology and relate only to discrepancies within the test report of the actual fire test. The insulation manufacturers state they are in the process of re-testing the insulation material in a further full scale fire test to understand the significance of those discrepancies. As a precaution the Scottish Government has written to the manufacturer seeking information on the products use in Scotland. However it would be wrong to pre-judge the outcomes of the full scale fire test.

Detailed information has been issued by the manufacturers of the insulation product and is available on https://www.celotex.co.uk/

Question reference: S5W-14622

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 28 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the additional cost will be in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20 of extending the contract with Serco for Northern Isles Ferry Services.

Question reference: S5W-14353

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 20 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had regarding the amalgamation of the Forestry Commission, the Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate and Scottish Natural Heritage.

The Scottish Government has had no discussions regarding the amalgamation of the Forestry Commission, the Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate and Scottish Natural Heritage. There will be no such amalgamation. The future organisational arrangements for forestry are set out in the "Forestry in Scotland" statement, published on 5 February 2018 and available at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/farmingrural/Forestry/completingdevolution/statement.

Question reference: S5O-01749

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 31 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what support it gives to local authorities and housing organisations in the Highlands and Islands in order to provide affordable homes that take account of demographics, age profile and economic activity.

Local authorities have a statutory requirement to produce a local housing strategy which sets out the priorities and plans for the delivery of housing and housing related services within the local authority’s area, required now and into the future.

The Scottish Government supports the delivery of these priorities through the resources allocated through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme. The allocation method was agreed with Cosla and takes into account affordability, deprivation, rurality and homelessness. In addition, we introduced the Rural and Islands Housing Funds which recognise the particular issues associated with delivering homes in rural areas.

Social rent and mid-market rent grant subsidy benchmarks are in place and are designed to reflect differentials between geographic location, tenures and energy efficiency standards. That means for the Highland and Islands authorities, subsidies can be up to £14,000 per unit higher than those in city and urban areas.

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