Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-16009

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 2 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the number of non-UK EU nationals employed in the tourism sector, also broken down by local authority area.

It is estimated from the Annual Population Survey (Jan-Dec 2017), that 23,900 non-UK EU nationals were employed in the Sustainable Tourism sector in Scotland. (Source: Annual Population Survey, Jan 2017 – Dec 2017)

The Annual Population Survey pooled data set for the time period January 2014-December 2016 estimates 18,000 non-EU UK nationals were employed in Sustainable Tourism in Scotland.

The pooled data set provides a larger sample size and allows a more reliable estimate to be produced for smaller groups and therefore has been used in this answer to estimate non-UK EU nationals by local authority area.

The Annual Population Survey pooled data set for the time period January 2014-December 2016 estimates 5,000 (25%) of non-UK EU nationals employed in Sustainable tourism reside in Edinburgh and 4,000 (21%) reside in Glasgow.

It is estimated that 7 local authorities have no non-UK EU nationals living there and working in sustainable tourism including (East Dunbartonshire, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Eilean Siar, North Ayrshire, Orkney islands, Shetland islands).

The remaining local authorities provide estimates of 2,000 or less non-UK EU nationals. Estimates of this size, from this source have a high degree of variation and cannot be used as a reliable estimate. (Source: Annual Population Survey, Jan 2014 – Dec 2017)

The definition of ‘Sustainable Tourism’ is consistent with the Scottish Government Growth Sectors definition based on 2017 Standard Industrial Classification and includes (Standard Industrial Classification

51.1 Hotels and Restaurants ,

55.2 Holiday and other short stay accommodation,

55.3 Camping grounds, recreational vehicle parks and trailer parks,

56.1 Restaurants and mobile food service activities,

56.3 beverage serving activities,

79.12 Tour operator ,

79.9 Other reservation service and related activities

91.02 Museum activities

91.03 Operation of historical sites and building and similar visitor attractions

91.04 Botanical and zoological gerdens and nature reserve activities

93.11 Operation of sports facilities

93.199 Other sports activities (not including activities of racehorse owners) nec

93.21 Activities of amusement parks and theme parks

93.29 Other amusement and recreation activities).

Question reference: S5W-15993

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what investment (a) was made in each of the last five years and (b) is planned for each of the next five years to (i) maintain and (ii) replace CalMac’s fleet.

Vessel Maintenance:

As the vessel owners, Caledonian Maritime assets Ltd (CMAL) undertake statutory upgrades to the CalMac fleet. Details on the levels of recent investment are as follows:-

Year	£m
2014	£1.9
2015	£2.5
2016	£2.0
2017	£3.0
2018	£3.0 ( Estimate)

For future years CMAL have an annual statutory upgrade budget of £3m. From time to time there are changes in legislation which require statutory upgrades to the vessels. In addition, there are also other upgrades that are agreed with the vessel owners which will enhance or benefit the asset.

In addition to monies invested by CMAL, CalMac have confirmed the undernoted levels of investment for maintenance of the CalMac fleet in the past 5 years.

	Financial Year Ending:
	March 2013	March 2014	March 2015	March 2016	March 2017
Maintenance (excl. owner upgrades)	£15.0m	£18.7m	£20.2m	£21.0m	£20.8m

CalMac’s future programme of maintenance work is subject to change according to the vessels maintenance programme. In general terms the level of planned work will be broadly comparable to recent years. The level of work can vary due to planned variations in workscope and there will be an element of reactive maintenance work as a result of inspections and survey. During the course of day to day operations, there will also be unplanned breakdown maintenance which is included in the cost of maintenance of the fleet.

Vessel Replacement

The full list of new vessels introduced from 2014 is set out in the following table:-

*Owned by Lloyds leased by CMAL

Vessel	Financial year	Scottish Government investment	Third Party investment
MV Hallaig	2013-14	£11.75m
MV Lochinvar	2014-15	£11.75m
MV Loch Seaforth*	2014-15		£42.0m
MV Catriona	2016-17	£12.8m
MV Carvoria	2017-18	£0.200m
Total		£36.5m	£42.m

We continue to invest. Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd are currently building two 100 metre dual fuel ferries, worth £97 million. These vessels are to be initially assigned to the Arran and Uig Triangle services.

On 4 April 2018 on a visit to Islay I announced that Islay will be next in line for a new ferry. My officials are investigating potential designs and there will be discussions with the island community at the appropriate point. The Vessel Replacement and Deployment Plan 2016 published on 31 January 2018 gives an overview of how existing, planned and prospective vessels could be deployed across the Clyde and Hebrides network to deliver the commitments set out in the Scottish Ferries Plan and better address forecast demand.

Question reference: S5W-16004

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the second supplementary to question S5F-01881 by John Swinney on 16 November 2017 (Official Report, c. 20) regarding the ScotRail voluntary leaver scheme, in light of the Deputy First Minister's comment that Abellio ScotRail must fulfil its contractual obligations, whether it considers that the operator has done so by accepting severance applications from 17 of its 22 CCTV specialist staff.

The Franchise contract makes provision for management to pursue efficiency and effectiveness within its operation. It is for ScotRail to resolve this matter with Unions and staff consistent with its franchise obligations and within the commitment for no compulsory redundancies.

In total 9 "specialist CCTV staff" have left the company between the two centres through the Voluntary Leavers Scheme.

For clarity there is the equivalent of 61 full time posts within the CCTV centres at Paisley and Dunfermline.

Question reference: S5W-16006

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14851 by Humza Yousaf on 9 March 2018, whether it has held any further discussions with the UK Government regarding the devolution of the functions of Network Rail.

In his discussion with Jo Johnson MP, Minister of State for Transport on 27 March, the Minister for Transport and the Islands re-iterated the Scottish Government’s long-held position that the Network Rail Scotland route should be fully devolved. Scottish Government officials have also had regular and detailed discussions with UK Government counterparts on the matter.

Changes to Network Rail’s devolved structure should take place well in advance of the start of Control Period 6 in April 2019, and this point has been made to the UK Government on several occasions. Such lead in time is required to ensure that sufficiently robust governance and accountability is in place to manage the change from capital borrowing to capital grant. Also to maximise the efficiency and adaptability of the Network Rail route in Scotland as we enter the new Control Period.

Question reference: S5W-16003

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) ScotRail and (b) the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) in light of the proposed strike action regarding the number of CCTV specialist staff.

Question reference: S5W-16000

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason some train stations charge to use toilet facilities, and what (a) equalities and (b) environmental issues are considered when determining whether to impose these.

Abellio ScotRail maintained the charges for toilets it inherited from the previous franchise. The revenue generated helps with the on-going improvements and staffing of the facilities as well as helping to manage some
‎anti-social behaviour issues.

In addition, charges are in place at Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley which are operated directly by Network Rail. Disabled customers are admitted free.

Question reference: S5W-16068

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14851 by Humza Yousaf on 9 March 2018, whether it considers that the devolution of the functions of Network Rail could be achieved before the end of 2018 and, if so, what its position is on whether sufficient time exists to adequately implement such a change before the new funding mechanism comes into force.

Question reference: S5W-15992

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been carried out of the (a) age and (b) condition of each of CalMac’s ferries.

All ships, including ferries, are subject to a very strict regulatory environment. CalMac’s ferries are owned by and chartered from Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL). Each vessel is maintained within classification rules set by the classification society, Lloyds Register. All vessels are also subject to flag state rules which in the case of the CalMac fleet are enforced by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).

All vessels that are both flagged and operated in UK waters, such as the CalMac fleet, are subject to periodic thorough surveys by the MCA. These statutory surveys are carried out by the MCA to ensure that the operator complies with the MCA’s statutory requirements. Vessel surveys are normally undertaken during the vessel’s annual dry docking.

Information on the age of CalMac’s ferries is available on Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd website at the following link: http://www.cmassets.co.uk/ferries/

Question reference: S5W-16014

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 27 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Police Scotland’s Vulnerable Person Database is operating in compliance with data protection law, and, if so, whether it will remain compliant following the forthcoming changes.

As noted in the response to Parliamentary Question‎ S5W-13355 answered on 10 January 2018 , this is an operational matter for Police Scotland. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

However, the Scottish Government understands that a new weeding and retention policy for the Vulnerable Persons Database was agreed in January 2018, to ensure that personal information is not kept longer than necessary in order to comply with data protection legislation.

Following this agreement, ICT development work associated with the technical solution is underway and expected to be fully implemented before the end of this calendar year. Police Scotland is fully cognisant of the forthcoming introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation from 25 May 2018, with which it will be required to comply.

Question reference: S5W-15990

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 26 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many mechanised or swing bridges there are over canals in Scotland; how many of these are not in working order, and what assessment it has made of the (a) cost of repair and (b) economic impact of each closed bridge.

Scottish Canals have confirmed that there are 31 mechanised and swing bridges over canals in Scotland and 3 are currently out of service to be repaired once resources and individual technical solutions are identified. The Scottish Government has not made an assessment of the cost of repair as this is a matter for Scottish Canals where this forms part of their overall Asset Management Plan. No estimate has been made of the economic impact of each closed bridge.

Chamber and committees