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: S5W-05499

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 10 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the money allocated to support the roll-out of fibre cable broadband has been future-proofed to deal with any increase in demand or speed.

The Scottish Government and our partners are investing over £400 million in the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband Programme, which is delivering new fibre-enabled infrastructure that can be built upon as technology advances.

The predominant technology used in the programme is Fibre to the Cabinet. The programme is also delivering more full Fibre to the Premises connections to harder to reach communities, capable of delivering 10 times the speed of standard superfast connections.

Question reference: S5W-05500

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 10 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that all (a) households and (b) commercial premises that currently do not have the opportunity to access high-speed broadband will be included in its plans for 100% coverage.

Question reference: S5W-05504

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 22 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to support the video games industry.

Scottish Enterprise have worked extensively with the games industry for a long period. In the last 4 years (to the end of 2015-2016) Scottish Enterprise has invested nearly £10 million (£9.8 million) in 38 video games companies of which more than half (£5.5 million) was through the Scottish Investment Bank and the remainder largely split between innovation grants and regional selective assistance.

Question reference: S5W-05502

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out or plans on the effect would of driverless cars being allowed on roads.

The Scottish Government supports and encourages research, testing and development of autonomous vehicles in Scotland, subject to ensuring the safety of road users.

Most of the relevant legislation is reserved to the UK Government and Transport Scotland is working closely with the Department for Transport and the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles in this area.

Transport Scotland is also liaising with other roads authorities across Europe on the introduction of driverless vehicles, in order to ensure that road authorities and operators are in a position to make informed decisions on facilitating automated driving as and when the technology develops.

Question reference: S5W-05404

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 21 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to work with the UK Government to with regard to the recently announced investment in 5G technology to ensure that Scotland benefits from this.

Regulation of mobile telephony is reserved to the UK Government. Nevertheless, the Scottish Government is seeking to engage with the UK Government at the earliest opportunity to ensure that the investment announced in the Autumn Statement supports early 5G trials and deployment in Scotland. On 25 October 2016, I wrote to Matt Hancock MP, Minister for State at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, on 25 October seeking a meeting to progress a range of digital issues, including 5G.

A key aim of our digital infrastructure programmes is to ensure that Scotland has the underlying connectivity infrastructure that can support the future evolution of digital technologies such as 5G. We are already collaborating with other key partners, including the 5G Innovation Centre at the University of Surrey and Ofcom, who will help create the regulatory environment governing 5G. Our aim is to ensure that Scotland is at the forefront of 5G development and deployment.

Question reference: S5W-05501

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to encourage more job opportunities in the digital sector.

Scotland has a thriving tech community with home grown digital technology companies like Skyscanner and Rockstar North achieving global success – we want more of them to do so. We are trialling new methods of supporting business innovation, including a digital sector pilot project in Edinburgh, which is being developed by members of the Scotland CAN DO Innovation Forum.

We also know that right now in Scotland we need several thousand new entrants a year into digital professions to meet both replacement and growth demand – a need that our labour market cannot currently meet. We are therefore working with partners to deliver the ICT & Digital Technologies Skills Investment Plan – a range of projects that aims to meet the immediate needs of industry and broaden the future talent pool.

We believe that the adoption and use of digital technologies by business will assist growth across all sectors. We want to ensure that all of our businesses have access to the skills and connectivity which will enable them to reach new customers and markets, to innovate and grow and importantly create more highly paid, highly skilled, job opportunities.

Question reference: S5W-05408

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 19 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to address the roll-out of high speed broadband to the last 5% of homes and businesses, including how it will manage the tender for public funds to provide this, and whether it will consider the widest possible range of technologies in reaching remainder households and premises.

We expect delivery of our 100% superfast broadband commitment to involve a number of different interventions, utilising a range of technologies and commercial solutions. Further details will be provided during 2017 once we have analysed the results of the recently launched Open Market Review – a consultation with broadband suppliers to determine their commercial investment plans over the next 3 years, and undertaken further market engagement.

Question reference: S5W-05406

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 19 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the UK Government’s announcement in the Autumn Statement of a £1 billion digital infrastructure investment.

While further investment in digital infrastructure is to be welcomed, it is important that Scotland benefits from this new funding to reflect the greater challenges associated with delivering telecoms here.

The Scottish Government is engaging with UK Government to obtain more information on the Autumn Budget statement announcements and to highlight opportunities for collaboration, particularly around 5G trials and delivery of our 100% superfast broadband commitment.

Question reference: S5W-05405

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 19 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Government’s announcement to assist start-up broadband providers through funding and tax reductions, how it plans to ensure that these incentives are offered to companies in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is engaging with UK Government to obtain more detailed information on the Autumn Budget statement announcements and to seek opportunities for collaboration. We will work closely with the UK Government to ensure that Scotland benefits from this new funding, given the unique challenges that we face in deploying telecoms networks.

As business rates are devolved to the Scottish Government, we will examine the UK Government’s announcement regarding 100% Business Rates Relief for new
full-fibre infrastructure and consider Scotland’s position.

Question reference: S5W-05076

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 15 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will work with the UK Government to ensure that the rollout of UK-wide 5G technology compliments its ambitions for greater mobile coverage and faster connections.

The Scottish Government is keen to work with UKG to ensure that the investment announced in last week’s Autumn Statement supports 5G trials and deployment in Scotland. On 25 October 2016 I wrote to Matt Hancock MP, Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, seeking a meeting to progress a range of digital issues, including 5G, to ensure UKG’s plans align with our ambitious digital agenda. I am awaiting a response from the Minister.

We are already working to ensure that Scotland possesses the underlying infrastructure needed to support the future evolution of digital technologies such as 5G. With our partners Scottish Futures Trust, we are already engaged with the 5G Innovation Centre at the University of Surrey and are working with Ofcom on a range of issues relating to mobile coverage to ensure Scotland's needs are recognised and addressed by the regulator. This is a platform to build greater collaboration in future to ensure that Scotland is at the forefront of 5G development and deployment.