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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: S6W-13027

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 23 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12031 by Mairi Gougeon on 17 November 2022, which 16 organisations that applied to the Ayrshire Rural and Islands Ambition (ARIA) Fund progressed from the technical check stage to the assessment stage; which organisation failed the technical check process, and what the technical check was that it failed.

The outcome of the technical checks is detailed in the following table:

Project/Organisation	Decision
Carbon Reduction – Adventure Centre for Education	Approved
Dunlop Dairy Cheese Shop & Tasting Room	Deferred
Disabled access plus Disabled Toilet and Additional Toilet – Hareshaw Community Hall SCIO	Approved
Renewable Energy Infrastructure to New Tourist Accommodation Development – Millport, Jack Alt Stays	Approved
Little Peru Green Start, Little Peru Ltd	Deferred
The Community Regeneration of Millport Town Hall Ltd	Rejected
Arran Green Funding for Future – Arran Pioneer CIC	Rejected
Gaiety on Tour – Ayr Gaiety Partnership	Approved
The Geisland Project – Beith CDT	Approved
Access to Community for All – Crossroads Community Hubs Ltd	Approved
Ailsa Craig Visitor Centre for Feasibility Study – Girvan Town Team (on behalf of Girvan Community Led Tourism)	Approved
Brand Ambassador/Distillery Production Assistant – Isle of Cumbrae Distiller	Approved
Paths Network Feasibility Study – Kirkimichael Village Renaissance	Deferred
Newmilns Regeneration Feasibility Study – Newmilns Regeneration Association	Deferred
Business Sustainability and Resilience Advisor – Visit Arran Ltd	Approved
Opportunities for All – Crossroads Community Hub Ltd	Approved

Where a project is noted as ‘deferred’ this means that a final decision by the LAG is pending.

The application for The Community Regeneration of Millport Town Hall Ltd was rejected due to:

The lack of fit with the project itself (not completion of the town hall) and ARIA fund priorities. The Local Action Group considered the application did not make a strong enough link between the project and completion of the town hall to validate the priorities selected.
There was concern over the fire safety aspects at such a late stage in the overall project.

The application for the Arran Green Funding for Future (Arran Pioneer CIC) was rejected due to:

A lack of project outcomes being fully determined or specified.
The Local Action Group questioned the eligibility of the project under the guidance requirement for technical/feasibility studies to fully determine the project outcome.

Question reference: S6W-13002

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many active working groups there are that fall under the remit of transport, and whether it will provide a list of these groups.

The Scottish Government lead a number of working groups that fall under the remit of transport. The groups are appointed to study and report on a particular question or make recommendations based on its findings hence the longevity of each group will vary. The following non-exhaustive list includes currently active transport groups managed by the Scottish Government, but it does not include all of the transport groups that we engage with.

National Transport Strategy Delivery Board

National Transport Strategy Business Group

Analysis of Demand Management Options Steering Group

Transport Governance and Collaboration Working Group

Forth Bridges Forum

LEZ Leadership Group

LEZ Communications Group

LEZ Consistency Group

LEZ Enforcement Group

Queensferry Crossing Ice Accretion Working Group

Queensferry Crossing Ice Accretion Peer Review Group

A83 Taskforce Group

A9 Road Safety Group

Road Safety Strategic Partnership Board

Road Safety Operational Partnership Group

Motorcycle safety group

Three Local Partnership Forums for Road Safety across Scotland (east, west and north)

Road Safety Scotland Learning Advisory Group

Road Safety Scotland Publicity Advisory Group

The Parking Standards Advisory Group

The Traffic Regulation Order Review Group

Scottish Road Research Board

National strategy for 20mph Working Group

Road Traffic Fatality Working Group

Transport Scotland Pavement Forum

Scottish Traffic Signs Working Group

Roads for All forum

Vulnerable Locations Operations Group

Zero Emission Truck Taskforce

Bus Taskforce:

Driver Shortage subgroup
Patronage Growth subgroup
Community Engagement subgroup

Mobility as a Service Working Group

Operator Smart Steering Group

Active Travel Delivery Partners’ Data, Monitoring and Evaluation Group

Accessible Travel Steering Group

Accessible Travel Framework Impact Evaluation Project Working Group

Scottish Freight and Logistics Advisory Group (ScotFLAG)

Ardrossan Task Force

Edinburgh Waverley Station Masterplan Steering Group

Edinburgh Waverley Station Masterplan Working Group

Perth Station Masterplan Steering Group

Perth Station Masterplan Working Group

Inverness Station Masterplan Steering Group

Inverness Station Masterplan Working Group

Sustainable Travel to Station Steering Group

Sustainable Travel to Station Working Group

The Aberdeen to Central Belt Key Stakeholder Group

Question reference: S6O-01654

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports parents who are required for jury service with childcare.

Question reference: S6O-01625

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure NHS staffing levels are maintained at appropriate levels.

Question reference: S6W-11937

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason ScotRail staff are reportedly subject to the public sector pay policy whereas CalMac staff are not.

The default position for new public bodies is that they will be subject to the Scottish Government’s Public Sector Pay Policy (PSPP). However, the decision was taken that David MacBrayne Ltd (DML), the public body which owns CalMac Ferries Limited (CFL), be excluded from the Policy. This was to enable CFL to operate in a similar commercial environment and on a level basis with other operators in tendering for future ferry service contracts.

Question reference: S6O-01611

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how it will support any Members’ staff who are dealing with added financial challenges and pressures after the homeworking allowance payment was discontinued in October.

Question reference: S6W-11897

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 17 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in allocating the Ayrshire Rural and Islands Ambition (ARIA) Fund, and (a) how much and (b) what percentage of the available funding has been allocated to the Ayrshire Local Action Group to cover staffing and resourcing costs in connection with the distribution of the Fund.

Question reference: S6W-11901

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 17 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the Ayrshire LEADER programme (2014-2020), whether any analysis, by local authority area, has been carried out of the distribution of funding; what organisations were successful in securing funding, and what impact analysis has been carried out of the outcomes secured by each successful project, such as in reducing inequalities and supporting community wealth-building.

Within the Ayrshire LEADER 2014-2020 Programme there were 90 projects (61 organisations) supported over the funding period. Project awards were as follows:

34 projects funded in East Ayrshire with £1,836,762;
14 projects funded in North Ayrshire with £808,123;
40 projects funded in South Ayrshire with £1,205,832; and
2 pan-Ayrshire projects funded in North Ayrshire with £227,919.

Just over half were Community projects (56%), with the remainder split between Farm Diversification (20%) and Small and Medium sized enterprises.

The Scottish Government commissioned an independent evaluation by the James Hutton Institute. Additionally, outcome evaluations by each of the 21 Local Development Strategies were required as part of closure of the 2014-2020 LEADER Programme.

Question reference: S6W-11900

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 17 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the Ayrshire Rural and Islands Ambition (ARIA) Fund 2022-23, what the process was for selecting members of the Ayrshire Local Action Group (LAG); whether any Ayrshire LAG members and the organisations that they represent are eligible to apply to the Fund, and what potential conflict of interest procedures are in place, and what percentage of the overall Fund was available at the outset for distribution to Ayrshire LAG members.

Local Action Group (LAG) Membership has continued with the LEADER membership that was based on a skills matrix. Plans to recruit new LAG members through a procurement process are planned. Representation will be drawn from the public sector, businesses/third sector and community interests.

LAG members may be representatives of wider rural bodies or applying on behalf of organisations they represent. LAG members are not permitted to participate in any decision making process where they have a conflict of interest. This is a standing item on the agenda for the LAG.

There is no allocation of funding to individual LAG members since decisions are taken as a collective LAG.

Question reference: S6W-12031

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 17 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of reports that Ayrshire Local Action Group is carrying out unspecified "technical checks" in relation to applications to the Ayrshire Rural and Islands Ambition (ARIA) Fund 2022-23 that are separate to determining whether organisations are eligible to apply to the Fund, and, if this is the case, what information it holds on any such "technical checks", including what (a) they involved and (b) the outcomes were, including whether they resulted in an otherwise eligible organisation being excluded from applying to the Fund.

The Ayrshire LAG and South Ayrshire Council Internal Audit have approved and undertaken technical checks on all projects applying for funding. Guidance on these checks is in the public domain.

https://www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/media/5979/ARIA-Fund-Applicant-Guidance/pdf/ARIA_Fund_22

Only those projects that meet the technical checks progress for consideration by the Local Action Group. Of the twenty seven organisation that applied, seventeen of those progressed to the technical check stage, sixteen of which proceeded to assessment stage.