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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S5W-27453

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 14 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 5 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to support the Flood Risk Management Plan for Orkney.

The Scottish Government undertakes a range of actions to support the Flood Risk Management Plan for Orkney and help meet the objectives set out within it. These include ensuring that national polices and guidance are in place to help reduce and avoid flooding.

The Scottish Government provides capital and revenue funding to local authorities to fulfil their flood risk management functions. Local authorities receive £42 million annually through the Local Government Capital Settlement. This agreed funding enables local authorities to invest in measures to reduce flood risk set out in Local Flood Risk Management Plans. For example, the Kirkwall Flood Protection Scheme, launched in 2018 and protecting around 750 properties, received 80% of its costs from the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government provides funding to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to support its role as Scotland’s national flood forecasting, flood warning and strategic flood risk management authority. This funding helped deliver the Orkney Flood Warning Scheme in September 2018.

Funding is also provided to the Scottish Flood Forum to provide advice and support to individuals, communities and businesses at risk of flooding.

Progress on the actions and objectives in each Local Flood Risk Management Plan is set out in interim and final reports which must be produced by the 14 Lead Local Authorities by June 2019 and June 2022, respectively.

Question reference: S5W-27454

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 14 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 5 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to meet the objective in the Flood Risk Management Plan for Orkney to (a) reduce the overall flood and (b) avoid an overall increase in flood risk, and how it has measured the effectiveness of any action taken.

Question reference: S5O-04237

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on preparations for a ministerial visit to Orkney to view the impact of resident greylag geese on farmland and crops.

Question reference: S5W-27455

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 14 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 4 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish an updated National Flood Risk Assessment in partnership with SEPA.

Question reference: S5W-27429

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has approved for the rollout of Highlands and Islands Airports Limited's Air Traffic Management Strategy.

Question reference: S5W-27432

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects Highlands and Islands Airports Limited to have commenced infrastructure upgrades for the planned Combined Surveillance Centre.

Question reference: S5W-27568

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 21 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much it would cost to upgrade each control tower in the Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) network.

As set out in the Air Traffic Management 2030 Strategy Programme Business Case, the estimated cost of deploying surveillance equipment at each airport is £19.8 million. This does not, however, include the cost of refurbishment / replacement of the existing towers, all of which are reaching the end of their economic life. It also does not include the cost of the significant increase in staff that would be required if this option had been pursued. These costs were not calculated as this option was, after careful consideration, discounted due to it failing to meet the overall requirements of the ATMS. This option would not address the staff recruitment and retention issue that HIAL is facing, in fact it would exacerbate it.

Question reference: S5W-27431

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the projected (a) annual and (b) total cost is for the infrastructure upgrades required for the Combined Surveillance Centre rollout by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited.

Question reference: S5W-27428

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of recruitment forecasts for air traffic controllers in airports operated by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited, and whether it has received any information and assurances about recruitment and retention under the new Air Traffic Management Strategy.

HIAL continues to find recruitment of air traffic controllers challenging with a number of airports under complement. While HIAL are managing this situation in order to avoid, where possible, any impact on services, the lack of resilience this provides is not sustainable in the longer term. By moving to a Centralised Surveillance Centre under the Air Traffic Management 2030 Strategy, HIAL will be able to improve resilience through having a larger number of controllers to call upon to cover staff absences. A recruitment campaign for a minimum of nine controllers to help staff the first phase will be underway shortly.

Question reference: S5W-27430

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects Highlands and Islands Airports Limited to have (a) commenced and (b) completed the rollout of the Combined Surveillance Centre.

Financial Year	Cost (£m)
2019-20	2.89
2020-21	2.23
2021-22	2.35
2022-23	0.46
Total	7.93