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-13740

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 15 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take in light of the reported decrease in the number of visitors to Dunoon via the passenger-only ferry service.

The Scottish Government are encouraging Argyll Ferries Limited to continue to engage with local tourism and marketing groups on destination marketing for Dunoon and Cowal to improve visitor numbers to the region.

The Scottish Government announced on 3 April 2013 a new arrangement whereby dedicated replacement buses will now run between Argyll Ferries’ terminals at each town centre, when both its ships are off for prolonged periods, using Western Ferries’ service. This ensures that visitors are transported to their destination as smoothly as possible, in all but the most severe of weathers, to and from the Cowal peninsula. A copy of the press release can be found at:

http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/news/New-ticketing-agreement-for-Gourock-Dunoon-ferry-services

Ministers are committed to finding long-term solutions to ensure that Cowal has the ferry services that it needs. We are working with Argyll and Bute Council, Inverclyde Council and the Dunoon Gourock Ferry Action Group on a study into the feasibility of a future passenger and vehicle service, with a subsidy for passengers but not vehicles, on the route between Gourock railway station and Dunoon town centre. The results are due in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we are continuing to search for alternative vessels that can be deployed on the route, under the terms of the current contract, pending the implementation of these long-term solutions.

Question reference: S4W-13749

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 15 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is setting aside finance to allow local authorities and roads authorities to repair potholes in the country's roads.

As part of the 2013-14 Local Government finance settlement, Scottish Government is providing local government in Scotland with over £10.3 billion. The vast majority of the funding, including that for roads maintenance, is being provided by means of a block grant. It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectives.

Furthermore, a National Road Maintenance Review was delivered in July 2012. This involved all 33 roads authorities in Scotland. The review set out how road authorities can work in collaboration to make road maintenance more efficient, ensuring Scotland’s roads remain a key facilitator of economic growth. Further information is available at:

http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/road/maintenance/roads-maintenance-review

Question reference: S4W-13651

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 15 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether the new police and fire and rescue services will finance road safety partnerships.

The Northern Constabulary and the Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service have supported a number of road safety initiatives over the years with a view to raising awareness and improving safety for road users. They are both part of the Northern Safety Camera Partnership and play a key role in service delivery and this is set to continue when the new force and service are created. They do not currently contribute financially to the running of the partnership, which will continue to be fully funded by the Scottish Government through the Scottish Safety Camera Programme.

Question reference: S4W-13741

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 15 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that vehicle ferry prices across the Firth of Clyde are not at a level detrimental to the Cowal economy.

Western Ferries, who provide a vehicle ferry service between McInroy’s Point (Gourock) and Hunter’s Quay (Dunoon), operate an unsubsidised, commercial service and therefore the Scottish Government has no current role in regulating their fares. Existing competition legislation, which is currently a reserved matter, exists to protect users from any potential abuse of a monopoly market position. Western Ferries have been the sole provider of vehicle ferry services between Gourock and the Cowal peninsula since 30 June 2011. During that time, the company has increased its fares broadly in line with inflation. Western Ferries recently announced that its fares increases for 2013-14 are again in line with the general level of inflation.

It is the stated preference of the Scottish Ministers that the ferry service on the route between Gourock railway station and Dunoon town centre should carry both vehicles and passengers. Under the rules set for this route by the European Commission in its 2009 Decision on State aid for Scottish ferry services, any public subsidy can only be paid in respect of passengers. It would therefore be for the operator of a vehicle ferry service on this route to determine the fares to be charged.

Question reference: S4W-13625

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 27 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-12525 by Michael Matheson on 1 February 2013, how many of the 558 insulin pumps have been distributed to NHS boards, also broken down by board, and how many are still held by NHS National Procurement.

We expect all NHS Boards allocation of insulin pumps to be distributed by 31 March 2013. NHS National Procurement will have no insulin pumps.

The following table details the allocation of insulin pumps per NHS Board.

NHS Board	Total Number of Pumps Required
NHS Ayrshire and Arran	65
NHS Borders	24
NHS Dumfries and Galloway	33
NHS Fife	20
NHS Forth Valley	35
NHS Grampian	56
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde	149
NHS Highland	30
NHS Lanarkshire	48
NHS Lothian	52
NHS Orkney*	2
NHS Shetland	6
NHS Tayside	38
NHS Western Isles**	0
Scotland	558

*NHS Orkney and NHS Shetland have figures estimated by NHS Grampian as NHS Grampian delivers the insulin pump service.

**NHS Western Isles have their insulin pump service delivered through NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Their pump figures are therefore contained in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde figures.

Question reference: S4W-13628

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 27 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-12525 by Michael Matheson on 1 February 2013, what information it has on how many of the 558 insulin pumps are in use.

Question reference: S4W-13630

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 27 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-12525 by Michael Matheson on 1 February 2013, whether the 558 insulin pumps are available through the procurement framework provided by NHS National Procurement.

Question reference: S4W-13629

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 27 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-12525 by Michael Matheson on 1 February 2013, what the (a) criteria are and (b) protocol is for NHS boards seeking to access the 558 insulin pumps.

All boards were allocated insulin pumps and associated consumables, based on their individual board requests.

The National Procurement Insulin Pump and Consumables framework has three suppliers from which insulin pumps and consumables can be purchased. The suppliers were advised of the allocation of insulin pumps and consumables for each board and these became available for use on receipt of a bulk purchase order from boards via National Procurement, independently of Scottish Government.

Question reference: S4O-01949

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for the future of air services from Skye.

Question reference: S4W-13341

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 8 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has made to the (a) UK Government and (b) European Commission regarding the proposed European Regional Aid Guidelines for 2014 to 2020 with reference to the Shetland Isles.

The Scottish Government has presented a case for eligibility of the entire Highlands and Islands region to the UK Government. This was a detailed argument detailed the difficulties faced by remote and sparsely populated regions and their ongoing need to be able to support business development; and was compiled with the assistance of Highlands and Islands Enterprise and input from Shetland Islands Council.

The UK Government have presented this argument as an integral part of the formal UK response to the Commission’s proposals. The Scottish Government will be replying separately to the Commission, again highlighting the potential impact on remote and island communities.