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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.

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Question reference: S5O-04627

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether community councils have been able to fully contribute to local government during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Question reference: S5W-31547

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 14 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when physical work on delivering Lot 1 of the R100 high-speed broadband programme will (a) begin and (b) be completed.

The award of the North Lot contract of the Reaching 100% (R100) programme has been on hold pending the resolution of a procurement challenge raised by Gigaclear in December 2019.

Now that a settlement has been agreed and the case has been formally dismissed, we are focused on finalising the R100 North Lot contract award with BT as soon as possible to enable us to progress delivery of access to superfast broadband to people, businesses and communities in some of the most remote parts of Scotland.

We anticipate that the contract will be signed by the end of this calendar year. It is only when there is an agreed contract in place that it will be possible to accurately confirm exactly when physical work will begin. Once contract signature is achieved, work will then be undertaken, as in Lots 2 and 3 previously, to update the speed coverage template for Lot 1, to finalise the intervention area, and to enable survey work at a local level to be undertaken.

Our Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS), which will launch later this month, will ensure that everyone who requires a superfast broadband connection by the end of 2021 can have one - including those in the R100 North Lot. In addition, the final build out, under the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme, is underway in Western Isles, Moray and the Highland Council area, ensure continuity of build while R100 moves towards delivery.

Question reference: S5O-04599

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what additional action it is taking to protect apprenticeship schemes in the Highlands and Islands, and how this compares with the rest of Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-31425

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2020
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 8 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-30897 by Fergus Ewing on 20 August 2020, whether the Rural Payments and Services CAP digital platform was able to assess and process all payments without overrides or manual intervention; how many staff were required to process payments in (a) 2017, (b) 2018, (c) 2019 and (d) 2020, and whether the loans are processed via the Rural Payments and Services CAP digital platform, or are processed via a separate digital platform.

The Rural Payments and Services system was designed to require consideration or confirmation from staff under certain conditions. There will always be a proportion of cases that require staff intervention. As with any IT system we continue to make improvements to make Rural Payments and Services more efficient and simple to use and cater for changing circumstances.

The teams that deal with payment processing within Rural Payments and Inspections Division (Area Offices, Scheme Management and Finance) are multi-functional with all team members contributing to payment processing at different times throughout the year as well as carrying out other duties. The total headcount for these teams at April in each of the years were as follows:

2020 - 441

2019 - 454

2018 - 425

2027 - 436

Loans are not processed via the Rural Payments and Services system but are made through a pre-existing payment enabled solution.

Question reference: S5W-30924

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-30426 by Humza Yousaf on 21 July 2020, what the maximum capacity of HMP Inverness is when adhering to the latest advice on social-distancing measures.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Prison capacity is determined through a process of dynamic risk assessment this is to ensure appropriate accommodation is available for those in our care as well as safe methods of working for our staff.

Since the easing of some of the COVID restrictions, it is now possible to transfer from any establishment to other parts of the prison estate.

Question reference: S5W-30897

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 July 2020
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 20 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether its IT system for common agricultural payments is fully operational and able to process payments in accordance with the specifications that were set out when it was purchased and, if so, for what reason loans are being issued for basic payment claims that were submitted in May 2020.

The Rural Payments and Services CAP digital platform is operational with a number of routine enhancements currently being prepared in readiness for the 2020 scheme year. For the 2019 scheme year all payment targets have been met or exceeded with just over £447m (over 99%) for pillar 1 and over £84.7m (over 98%) for pillar 2. We are making the offer of loans this year to help aid business cash flow and maintain vital cash flow within the rural economy through the unprecedented and difficult times caused by COVID19 and the continued uncertainties caused by Brexit.

Question reference: S5O-04464

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 August 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what additional funding the finance secretary has made available to allow schools to return from 11 August.

Question reference: S5W-30721

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 31 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-29800 by Jean Freeman on 10 July 2020, whether construction commenced in June 2020 and, if so, what form this took.

Question reference: S5W-30424

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 31 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when work will resume on developing proposals for a new medical school in Scotland.

The Scottish Government remains committed to fully reviewing each of the proposals received. Pursuant to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, work on the development of proposals for a new medical school has been formally paused. We have not yet set a timetable for recommencing work in respect of this commitment, but we will write to all parties who have submitted formal expressions of interest in respect of the development of a new medical school, as soon as we are in a position to confirm a revised timetable for taking forward this commitment.

Question reference: S5W-30425

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 31 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the key criteria will be for it to assess the proposals for a new medical school in Scotland.

The proposals that were submitted by interested parties in February 2020 were substantively developed prior to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. We invited proposals which would i) meet our goals around widening access, ii) supply future doctors with the appropriate skills and qualifications to ensure the sustainability of the medical workforce, and iii) continue to meet the healthcare needs of Scotland’s population now and in the future.

As part of the process for recommencing work against this commitment, we will actively reconsider those criteria, to ensure that the development of any new medical school in Scotland remains fully attuned to our health priorities as a nation and our service delivery needs. We will continue to work with the institutions who have submitted proposals as part of that process.