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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: S5W-34670

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 10 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-34126 by Paul Wheelhouse on 19 January 2021, whether it will provide an estimate of when work on each of the R100 lots will be completed.

The build for both the £83 million Central lot contract and the £133 million South lot contract is estimated to be completed by 2024, with the overwhelming majority of work having been completed by the end of 2023. All build in the South of Scotland lot area and around 79% in the Central lot area will be fibre to the premises (FTTP) enabling connection speeds of up to one gigabit per second, and well ahead of the projected roll out of the technology in much of the rest of the UK.

While we know that more than 85% of the build under the £384 million contract for the North lot area will also be full-fibre, we cannot, at this time, provide an estimated completion date for the North lot until BT’s survey and remodelling work has been completed following the contract award in December. However, discussion is taking place to identify premises that can be progressed early in the build programme and to progress deployment of the 16 subsea cables to islands that have been secured as a result of the contract award.

In the meantime, in order to honour our commitment on the roll out of superfast broadband, we are providing support to ensure that all premises can access superfast broadband by the end of 2021 through the three R100 contracts, our interim and main vouchers under the Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS) and through commercial investment in new coverage.

It is important to reiterate that anyone whose home or business broadband speed is less than 30 Megabits per second (Mbps), and where there are no plans, either through R100 or commercial build, to bring superfast broadband to their address by the end of 2021, will be eligible for a voucher.

Question reference: S5O-05002

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any progress being made in developing proposals for remedial action to clean up the Tarbolton Moss Landfill Site.

Question reference: S5W-34358

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 08 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 20 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reinstatement of the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, whether it will suspend the 5p carrier bag charge for deliveries and collections.

Question reference: S5W-34126

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 19 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on by what date it expects 100% of premises to have access to superfast broadband.

Our 100% commitment will be delivered through three strands of activity - the three R100 contracts (North, Central and South), our Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme and commercial coverage. The contracts we have signed with BT will go significantly beyond our superfast commitment by delivering a substantial amount of full-fibre connections, meaning many premises could be capable of accessing download speeds of up to 1 Gigabit (1,000 Megabits) per second.

The fact that much of the technology delivered will go beyond our original commitment means the civil works will take time, with contract build to continue after the end of 2021.

The Scottish Government remains committed to providing support to ensure that everyone can access superfast broadband services by the end of 2021 - delivered through the Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS), which we launched on 14 September. Around 50 suppliers are already registered to deliver services.

Anyone whose home or business broadband speed is less than 30 Megabits per second (Mbps), and where there are no plans under R100 or commercial build to bring superfast broadband to their address by the end of 2021, will be eligible for an SBVS voucher.

Properties that are not expected to receive any connection at all through the three R100 lot contracts or through commercial investment will be eligible for a main voucher, offering a subsidy worth up to £5,000 per property. We have secure a commitment from UK Ministers to top up this SBVS voucher value by up to £1,500 for residential premises and up to £3,500 for business premises through their Rural Gigabit Voucher Scheme product.

Properties where superfast broadband roll-out is planned, but unlikely to be delivered until after 31 December 2021, will be eligible for an interim voucher under SBVS (UK Ministers do not top-up this value), offering a subsidy worth up to £400 to deliver a connection. We will also ensure that those in the most difficult-to-reach locations, such as island and remote rural premises, can secure vital connectivity by providing an additional subsidy of £250.

The interim SBVS voucher can be used to access a range of technologies as the scheme is technology-neutral, and we expect this level of subsidy will be sufficient to deliver a temporary solution through fixed wireless, mobile or satellite to most premises. Crucially, use of an interim voucher will not prevent the deployment of the planned R100 intervention for those premises – for example, where fibre to the premises is ultimately scheduled under the R100 programme – but will allow access to an interim superfast service using alternative technologies, while the build on the longer term solution is undertaken.

Question reference: S5W-34078

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what contingency plans have been put in place to carry out checks on vehicles transporting goods between Northern Ireland and Scotland via Cairnryan Ferry port, including (a) the preferred location of any lorry parks for such checks, (b) whether additional work will be required to make the location of the lorry park accessible, (c) whether planning permission will be needed for any such work, (d) when such a lorry park will be ready for use and (e) what the estimated cost will be of bringing the location of the lorry park up to a usable standard and for its ongoing use.

The Scottish Government is in discussions with the UK government regarding the requirements for border controls on goods moving between Northern Ireland and Great Britain that do not meet the criteria for unfettered access granted to qualifying Northern Ireland goods under the terms of the Northern Ireland Protocol. It is the Scottish Government’s view that non-qualifying goods should be subject to the same entry requirements as EU / Rest of the World goods entering Great Britain at other ports, and we are considering the options for the approach to matters that fall within devolved competence for the routes into Cairnryan. A Scottish Government procurement process is underway for technical advice on the options for infrastructure at Cairnryan to enforce devolved sanitary and phyto-sanitary checks on animals, plants and food products after July 2021.

Question reference: S5W-33721

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 5 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether people providing assistance to someone with sight loss or a disabled person in order for them to be able to (a) exercise outside, such as with walking or tandem cycling, and (b) participate in organised sport are exempt from the COVID-19 rules on social distancing.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 provide that so far as reasonably practical, a person who is providing a service or carrying on a business must take measures to ensure the required distance is maintained by any persons on its premises.

However, where a disabled person requires assistance in order to take part in sport or physical activity, it may not be reasonably practical to ensure physical distancing is maintained. In addition, there are exemptions to these provisions for carers and the person assisted by that carer, whether that care is provided on a paid or voluntary basis.

Please see Scottish Government guidance for those who provide guide support: Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for those providing guide support - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Question reference: S5W-34165

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 18 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, how much money it expects will be required to support the coach and bus sector throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and, further to its announcement on 9 December 2020 of a support fund for operators, whether it will confirm how much has been allocated to this fund; how many operators it estimates will require access to it, and what modelling it used to determine this; when the fund will be open for applications; what the application process will be, and by what date the first payments will be made.

Question reference: S5W-32840

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 17 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-25863 by Paul Wheelhouse on 30 October 2019, what the annual cost is of Marine Manning Guernsey Limited providing crew on the (a) Helliar and (b) Hildasay freight vessel.

Question reference: S5W-33727

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 16 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish a delivery plan setting out detailed proposals for the implementation of the relevant recommendations of the Cumberlege report, and what its anticipated timescales are for the implementation of these recommendations.

As indicated in the 8 September Parliamentary debate on the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, the Scottish Government has accepted all of the recommendations made by Baroness Cumberlege where it has the power to act. It is important to note that the Scottish Government has already taken action in respect of several of those recommendations, including in relation to the establishment of specialist mesh removal services and the mesh fund. Careful consideration is presently being given to the implementation of the remaining recommendations, including timescales, and a delivery plan will be published in due course.

Question reference: S5O-04849

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 December 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the decision to hold jury trials for Dumfries and Stranraer sheriff courts in Ayr.