Questions and answers

Question reference: S4W-28279

Asked by: Cara Hilton, MSP for Dunfermline, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 14 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how much money it has allocated to shovel-ready projects that have completed the (a) planning and (b) procurement process stage in (i) Dunfermline, (ii) Fife and (iii) Scotland in each of the last three years.

The Scottish Government initially provided the UK Government with a list of projects totalling £302 million on 2 March 2012. A further detailed list of projects totalling £820.8 million was subsequently provided on 23 November 2012. The majority of the projects within these lists have been taken forward despite significant cuts to our capital budgets. Some projects were subsequently taken forward which did not receive ‘shovel ready’ funding. Information relating to the projects provided to the UK Government is detailed in the following two tables.

List of projects provided to the UK Prime Minister on 2 March 2012:

Project name	‘Shovel ready’ project funding requested (£ million)	Status	Funding allocated (£ million)	Funding allocated in Dunfermline (£ million)	Funding allocated in Fife (£ million)
Ullapool Pier – Passenger access system, traffic management, new berthing dolphin and replacement linkspan	4	Completed	4	-	-
Gourock-Dunoon Pontoons	2	Cancelled	0	-	-
Kennacraig Phase 2	4	Completed	4	-	-
A75 Hardgrove to Kinmount	10	Completed	9	-	-
A96 Threapland	6	Statutory procedures complete	0	-	-
A68 Pathhead to Tynehead Junction	6	Statutory procedures complete	0	-	-
A95 Lackgie	4	Statutory procedures complete	0	-	-
A702 Candymill Bend and Edmonstone Brae	4	Statutory procedures complete	0	-	-
A737 Head Street Roundabout	1.5	Superseded by A737 Improvements at Beith project which is currently in preparation.	0	-	-
A876 Kincardine Bridge Refurbishment	14	Currently being progressed as a number of smaller schemes over a period of 8 to 10 years	1.2	-	1.2
M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements: Advance Public Utilities	37.8	In construction	37.8	-	-
Transport

Health maintenance to ensure assets are safe, effective and patient centred	50	Projects which formed this inclusion are all completed.	15.0	-	-
Health

Accelerating Schools for the Future	30.8	Five projects formed this inclusion. One secondary school, three primary schools and one additional special needs school. All schools now complete and open to pupils.	30.8	-	-
Schools

University of Glasgow – Centre for Virology Research	13	Completed	0	-	-
University of Dundee – Phases 2 and 3 – refurbishment of Duncan of Jordanstone	8	Completed	0	-	-
University of Abertay / Dundee College – Dundee Academy of Sport	6	In Preparation	0	-	-
University of Edinburgh – Centre for Humanities and Social Sciences	8	Completed	0	-	-
Further and Higher Education

Dundee Central Waterfront	4.5	In construction	0.0	-	-
Fife Energy Park - Site Development	3.5	In construction	0.0	-	-
ITREZ Technology Innovation Centre	4	Completed	2.4	-	-
ATOS Building – Forres Enterprise Park	3	Completed	3	-	-
Inverness Campus	6	Completed	6	-	-
Forres Enterprise Park – Extension of Roads	2	Completed	2	-	-
Forres Enterprise Park – Provide 2 Units	3	Completed	3	-	-
European Marine Science Park – Ground works	3.5	Completed	3.5	-	-
Creative Clyde	1.7	Nearing Completion	0.0	-	-
National Renewable Infrastructure Plan – Hunterston Quay Upgrade	2	Cancelled	0.0	-	-
Enterprise

Priority investments within local authority Strategic Housing Investment Plans	15	Majority of projects which formed this inclusion are completed.	15	Funding allocated to Local authorities across Scotland not to specific projects, all of which contribute to the overall supply of affordable housing.	Funding allocated to Local authorities across Scotland not to specific projects, all of which contribute to the overall supply of affordable housing.
Housing

Clyde Gateway developments at Bridgeton Cross, Dalmarnock Cross, Rutherglen and Shawfield	37	Five projects formed this inclusion. Four are completed, and one is on hold.	21.6	-	-
Ayr Gaiety regeneration	1	In preparation	0	-	-
Regeneration

National Records of Scotland – Thomas Thomson House – urgent roof repairs	1.5	Completed	1.5	-	-
Historic Scotland – Abbotsford House - restoration to bring into public use	0.7	Completed	0.7	-	-
Historic Scotland - Lews Castle development	1	The elements which formed this inclusion are completed.	1	-	-
Culture and heritage

Forestry Commission Scotland –upgrade of visitor facilities at David Marshall Lodge, Aberfoyle and Queen's View, Perthshire	1	Completed	1	-	-
National Parks – visitor facility improvements within the National Parks	1	Completed	1.8	-	-
Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh – commence replacement of the garden's ageing glasshouses	1.5	Completed	1.5	-	-
Rural and environment
Total	302

List of projects provided to the UK Chancellor on 23 November 2012:

Project name	‘Shovel ready’ project funding requested (£ million)	Status	Funding allocated (£ million)	Funding allocated in Dunfermline (£ million)	Funding allocated in Fife (£ million)
A96 Threapland	6.0	Statutory procedures complete	0.0	-	-
A68 Pathhead to Tynehead Junction	11.0	Statutory procedures complete	0.0	-	-
A95 Lackgie	4.0	Statutory procedures complete	0.0	-	-
A702 Candymill Bend and Edmonstone Brae	4.0	Statutory procedures complete	0.0	-	-
Trunk road maintenance	34.0	Completed	22.05	All Scottish trunk roads	All Scottish trunk roads
Cycling infrastructure projects	3.9	Completed	3.9	-	Cycle parking at St Andrews RC High School, Kirkcaldy (£500)
Ferry port infrastructure	5.7	Five projects formed this inclusion. Three are completed, one is currently in construction and one has been cancelled.	3.5	-	-
Canal infrastructure projects: regeneration and tourism	6.3	Projects which formed this inclusion have been completed.	4.6	-	-
Transport total (8)	74.9

Highlands and Islands Enterprise: economic development projects	9.8	Completed	7.1	-	-
Scottish Enterprise: economic development projects	40.4	Eight projects formed this inclusion. Five are completed, one is currently in construction and two have been cancelled.	4.4	-	Rosyth Site Investigations (£0.5 million)
Port of Leith masterplanning	119.0	On hold	0.0	-	-
VisitScotland: investment in Visitor Centre infrastructure, including Glasgow Visitor Information Centre	1.3	In construction	1.49	-	-
Roslin International Centre for Livestock Improvement	10.0	In construction	10.0	-	-
Enterprise total (5)	180.5

Forestry projects: access, road infrastructure and buildings refurbishment	6.2	Majority of projects which formed this inclusion are completed.	3.15	-	-
National Parks: developing the rural economy	12.4	The elements which formed this inclusion are completed.	2.89	-	-
Scottish Natural Heritage: co-location Fort William	0.2	Completed	0.0	-	-
Rural and environment total (3)	18.8

Scottish Court Service: estate improvement, essential maintenance and statutory compliance	8.4	Completed	8.4	£0.54 million	£1.06 million
Upgrading the Safety Camera Network	2.4	Completed	2.4	-	-
Justice total (2)	10.8

Affordable Housing Supply Programme: additional grant funding	40.0	Majority of projects which formed this inclusion are completed.	40.0	Funding allocated to local authorities across Scotland not to specific projects, all of which contribute to the overall supply of affordable housing.	Funding allocated to local authorities across Scotland not to specific projects, all of which contribute to the overall supply of affordable housing.
Housing total (1)	40.0

Clyde Gateway: Office and industrial developments for economic growth	63.4	Seven projects formed this inclusion. Three are completed, and four are on hold.	21.6	-	-
Irvine Enterprise Area: Infrastructure and Innovation Campus, and Irvine Ailsa Road Industrial Units	5.9	Three projects formed this inclusion. Two are completed and one is in preparation.	2.7	-	-
Ardrossan Quayside and Medical Centre	4.7	Two projects formed this inclusion. Both are completed.	2.5	-	-
Regeneration total (3)	74.0

National Theatre of Scotland: Glasgow regeneration project	2.0	In construction	2.0	-	-
Works to Historic Scotland’s estate	1.4	Completed	1.4	Estate conservation work throughout Scotland.	Estate conservation work throughout Scotland.
National Museums of Scotland: maintenance	3.6	Completed	3.6	Estate conservation work throughout Scotland.	Estate conservation work throughout Scotland.
Creative Scotland: grants programme	1.5	The elements which formed this inclusion are completed.	1.5	Part of a Scotland-wide funding scheme.	Part of a Scotland-wide funding scheme.
Culture and heritage total (4)	8.5

College projects: targeted investment in priority estates	65.0	Three projects formed this inclusion. One is in preparation, one is on hold and one has been cancelled.	0	-	-
Further and higher education total (1)	65.0

Health: backlog maintenance / equipment replacement	75.0	Projects which formed this inclusion are all completed.	10.00	-	-
Health: bring forward projects through capital funding projects currently earmarked for revenue funding	188.9	Twenty one projects formed this inclusion. Nine are completed, four are currently in construction and eight are in hub development.	0.0	Lynebank Hospital, Dunfermline (£0.3 million) which formed part of the NHS Fife – low secure mental health inclusion	NHS Fife – Glenwood Health Centre (£5 million) NHS Fife – Low secure mental health (£2.5million) NHS Fife – mental health West Fife (£3.1 million)
NHS Highland Renal and Endoscopy	2.0	Completed	2.0	-	-
NHS Highland Day Services	15.0	Completed	15.0	-	-
NHS Grampian Inverurie Health Centre and Community Maternity Unit	7.0	In hub development	7.0	-	-
NHS Grampian: Aboyne Health Centre	2.0	Smaller scale project completed	2.0	-	-
NHS Grampian: Stonehaven Health Centre	2.0	Cancelled	0.0	-	-
NHS Grampian: additional theatre capacity	3.0	Completed	3.0	-	-
NHS Lanarkshire: Monklands – additional backlog investment	10.0	Completed	10.0	-	-
NHS Tayside: additional theatre capacity – Ninewells	3.0	Completed	3.0	-	-
NHS Tayside: intensive care unit upgrade	1.0	Completed	1.0	-	-
Health total (11)	308.9

20 x 3G pitches	6.0	Some elements which formed this inclusion are completed	0.0	-	-
National sporting facilities	2.0	Two projects formed this inclusion, one is in preparation and one has since been cancelled.	0.0	-	-
School investment	5.0	Elements within this inclusion are complete.	0.0	-	-
Community Hub investment	3.0	Elements within this inclusion are ongoing.	0.0	-	-
Sports legacy projects	23.6	Some elements within this inclusion are completed or ongoing.	9.3	St Columba’s High School, Dunfermline (£0.15 million)	St Columba’s High School, Dunfermline (£0.15 million) 3G pitch at Burntisland (£0.11 million) Ice plant replacement, Kirkcaldy (£0.1 million)
Sport total (5)	39.6

Total capital investment (43)	820.8

Question reference: S4W-28278

Asked by: Cara Hilton, MSP for Dunfermline, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 14 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many shovel-ready projects have completed the (a) planning and (b) procurement process stage in (i) Dunfermline, (ii) Fife and (iii) Scotland in each of the last three years.

Question reference: S4W-28394

Asked by: Cara Hilton, MSP for Dunfermline, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 24 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the effectiveness of nurture groups in schools in deprived areas as a means of raising attainment, and what plans it has to (a) maintain funding for and (b) increase the number of such groups.

The Scottish Government and many local authorities across Scotland recognise the strong evidence base for nurture groups at the primary level and as such have promoted and supported this way of working. However, we also increasingly recognise that there is a growing need for the approaches used in nurture groups to be used in secondary schools and as an approach to support whole schools.

Education Scotland has developed a new national resource to support the development and practice of nurturing approaches for secondary schools and has recently completed a nurture pilot across five local authorities. All local authorities now have the opportunity to attend Education Scotland events on nurturing approaches.

The government does not routinely provide funding for the maintenance of nurture groups – that is a matter for individual local authorities. However, 38 applications (a number of individual schools and cluster groups) received funding to support the implementation or extension of nurturing approaches through the Access to Education Fund in 2015 and 2014. In addition, all of the seven challenge authorities receiving support from the Attainment Scotland Fund have included the development of nurturing approaches as part of their improvement plans to close the attainment gap.

Education Scotland presented at the Raising Attainment for All national learning event at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow earlier in November 2015, to encourage schools and local authorities who are participating in the improvement programme to consider nurturing approaches as a means of raising attainment.

Question reference: S4W-28393

Asked by: Cara Hilton, MSP for Dunfermline, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 24 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing the so-called Boxall Profile, which aims to provide an understanding of children’s social, emotional and other behaviour, in the national improvement framework for education.

The Scottish Government recognises the value of the Boxall Profile as a useful tool for the targeted support of children and young people who have a range of needs and may require additional support through a nurture group and/or in the classroom. The Boxall Profile is a detailed and fairly intensive assessment and any staff who would be involved in administering and planning from it would be expected to require support and training.

There are already a range of contextual assessments of wellbeing used at national level, mainly the National Practice Model which is a dynamic and evolving process of assessment, analysis, action and review, and a way to identify outcomes and solutions for individual children or young people. It allows practitioners to meet the Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) core values and principles in an appropriate, proportionate and timely way. Any other assessments should be in line with the GIRFEC wellbeing indicators.

The Scottish Government is in the process of considering the health and wellbeing implications of the National Improvement Framework, and a further draft is to be published in December 2015.

Question reference: S4W-28397

Asked by: Cara Hilton, MSP for Dunfermline, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 24 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has at a national level to assist children at school who have social, emotional or behavioural difficulties.

Education authorities and other agencies have duties under the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004 (as amended) to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils. An additional support need can arise for any reason and be of short or long term duration. Additional support may be required to overcome needs arising from learning environment, health or disability, family circumstances or social and emotional factors. Children and young people's individual needs are met through planning for their learning and support, usually through an individualised educational programme.

In addition, Scottish Government policy guidance, better relationships, better learning, better behaviour (http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0041/00416217.pdf), contains priority actions that support local authorities and schools to further improve relationships and behaviour in their learning communities, focusing on social and emotional wellbeing and creating a positive school ethos based on mutual respect and trust. This is central to the delivery of Curriculum for Excellence and the implementation of Getting it right for every child.

Question reference: S4W-28396

Asked by: Cara Hilton, MSP for Dunfermline, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 24 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on teachers being made aware of the area of psychology, attachment theory.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of attachment in the development of children and young people.

Scottish Government policy guidance, better relationships, better learning, better behaviour (http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0041/00416217.pdf), contains priority actions that support local authorities and schools to further improve relationships and behaviour in their learning communities, which is central to the delivery of Curriculum for Excellence and the implementation of Getting it right for every child.

All training that is delivered to schools and local authorities by Education Scotland's Rights, Support and Wellbeing team references the importance of relationships and many of their training materials focus on attachment theory, specifically their nurturing approaches training.

Additionally, many local authorities recognise the value of attachment theory and work closely with their own psychological service, Nurture Group Network or Education Scotland to ensure that education professionals understand its importance. Educational psychology services support local authorities and schools and often provide training and support on attachment theory and its relevance, where it is felt to be appropriate.

Question reference: S4W-28301

Asked by: Cara Hilton, MSP for Dunfermline, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 19 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it was able to announce a moratorium on underground coal gasification on 8 October 2015 when it had previously stated that it did not have the power to do so.

The Scottish Government has never stated that it could not use planning powers to introduce a moratorium on the onshore elements of any underground coal gasification development.

I also refer the member to the answer to S4W-26231 on 17 July 2015, which set out the Scottish Government's position regarding planning decisions for onshore aspects of underground coal gasification developments.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Question reference: S4W-28274

Asked by: Cara Hilton, MSP for Dunfermline, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 17 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how much money it has given to Fife Council as part of its immediate support to local authorities for new and refurbished buildings in each of the last three years.

The following table shows the amount of capital funding Fife Council has received as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. It is a matter for each council how best it maximises the use of the resources and assets at its disposal including how much to allocate on new and refurbished buildings.

General Capital Grant

2013-14

£ Million

2014-15

£ Million

2015-16

£ Million

Fife Council

23.330

37.750

40.212

Question reference: S4W-28277

Asked by: Cara Hilton, MSP for Dunfermline, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 17 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how much money it has given to Fife Council for infrastructure investment in each of the last three years.

Question reference: S4W-28276

Asked by: Cara Hilton, MSP for Dunfermline, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has borrowed under its capital borrowing powers in each of the last three years.

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