- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 February 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 February 2017
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an outline of the procurement process that it uses when purchasing vessels for Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not purchase vessels for Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd.
Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd procures vessels for use by CalMac Ferries Ltd on the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network. The requirements, and abilities, of the vessels are specified by the operator.
The Scottish Government provides loans to Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd for this purpose which are repaid over a 25 year period.
In Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd’s most recent procurement process they advertised the design and build contract for the 100 metre vessels in the Official Journal of the European Community (OJEC) on 15 October 2014. The contract was awarded to Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd on 16 October 2015.
In this case a 2 stage restricted procurement process was used, the first stage restricting the number of tenderers to 6. The second stage required the tenderers to submit 22 separate documents covering technical, commercial and contractual matters relating to the vessels. These documents were used to assess the shipyard’s tenders using a predetermined scoring matrix that was made available to the shipyards and described in detail in a Tender Instructions document.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 February 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 February 2017
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its statement on Scottish ferry services on 2 February 2017, and in light of its stated preference for an "in-house provider" of these services, whether this also applies to its rail policy.
Answer
In my Statement to Parliament I announced a policy review to identify and consider the legal, policy and financial implications relevant to the procurement of ferry services. I made clear that we could not pre-judge the outcome of that review. If the Teckal exemption applies, if the approach complies with state-aid rules and, crucially, if communities agree, then the Government is minded to make a direct award to an in-house provider in respect of ferry services.
Railway services operate in a different legal context – a specific, largely reserved legal framework, primarily governed by the Railways Act 1993. In 2016, the 1993 Act was amended to lift the prohibition on public sector bodies bidding for rail franchises in Scotland. The Scottish Government has initiated work with relevant stakeholders to consider the potential suitability of various parts of the public sector to bid for a rail franchise. Any such bid would be subject to relevant public procurement requirements and would be in competition with any private sector bids that came forward. The Scottish Ministers, as franchising authority, would evaluate all such bids fairly and properly, in accordance with those requirements. On railway infrastructure, I continue to press the UK Government to provide greater operational devolution of Network Rail functions to Scotland to ensure that our rail industry is better placed to deliver the best possible outcomes for passengers.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 February 2017
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the managing director of CalMac has rescinded his decision to resign, and whether it played a role in him persuading him to reach this conclusion.
Answer
The reasons for Martin Dorchester, the Managing Director of CalMac Ferries Ltd rescinding his decision to resign are outlined in a news release issued by CalMac on 13 February 2017.
The Scottish Government played no role in influencing him to reach this decision.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 February 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 February 2017
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its statement on 2 February 2017 on Scotland's ferry services, whether it will provide further details of its plans relating to "an in-house provider without the need for competitive tendering".
Answer
The ferry services procurement policy review will consider in detail the legal, policy and financial implications relevant to the procurement of ferry services in the future. This will include consideration of whether it is possible to make a direct award to an in-house provider. However, as I made clear during the statement on 2 February, we cannot pre-judge the outcome of the review.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 February 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 February 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the cost of taking ferry services into public ownership.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-06959 on 22 February 2017. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 January 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 February 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what impact using £1.8 million from the SQUIRE Fund to help pay for the so-called "free week" of ScotRail travel will have on the work to improve access to (a) stations and (b) trains, and what its position is on whether using the SQUIRE Fund in this manner is in line with the fund's purpose.
Answer
There will be no impact on work to improve access to (a) stations or (b) trains by applying the financial penalties held within the SQUIRE Investment Funds to the ScotRail fares initiative. £834,000 from the Investment Fund has already been allocated for station and rolling stock improvements. As there are not currently any initiatives or projects at the developmental stage to require funding, the balance of the fund, £2.06million, is currently unallocated.
The Franchise Agreement specifically states that such funds be directed towards "qualitative respects of the Franchise Services". Use of a proportion of these funds to the benefit of Scotrails valued, existing passenger base falls within the remit of the contract.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 31 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government when it was first made aware (a) formally and (b) informally of the decision by NHS Tayside to close the Mulberry Unit at Stracathro Hospital temporarily, and when it was made aware that NHS Tayside was contemplating reducing services provided by the unit.
Answer
Scottish Ministers were made aware on 12 January 2017 that a contingency plan was to be implemented in the near future to ensure that patient safety and safe and effective inpatient and crisis assessment services are in place across Tayside, resulting in the closure of the Mulberry Unit, on a temporary basis.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 31 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent decision to close the Mulberry Unit at Stracathro Hospital temporarily, whether any other units are planning to close or operate at reduced capacity or staffing (a) at the hospital and (b) elsewhere in NHS Tayside in the next two years.
Answer
Across the United Kingdom challenges exist in recruiting junior doctors, specifically within Psychiatry. This has resulted in an increased reliance by NHS Tayside upon locum staff to maintain its current profile of services for mental health. Workforce pressures has resulted in the introduction of a contingency plan to ensure that patient safety and safe and effective inpatient and crisis assessment services are in place across Tayside.
Service delivery in Tayside is the responsibility of NHS Tayside and the three local Health and Social Care Partnerships in Dundee, Perth and Kinross and Angus.
We would expect any proposals that would lead to service redesign to involve the Health Board to take into account of the existing Scottish Government guidance on public engagement as set out in CEL 4 (2010).
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 31 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of assurances given that the closure of the Mulberry Unit at Stracathro Hospital is temporary, when it is expected to reopen for patients, and whether the reopening will be at the same capacity and staffing level as at December 2016.
Answer
On 1 April 2016, mental health services in Tayside became fully devolved and delegated to each of its three Health and Social Care Partnerships for Angus, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross, with the latter being responsible for the delivery of all acute and in-patient mental health services on a hosted basis.
NHS Tayside is working in partnership with its Health and Social Care Partnerships to complete the Tayside Mental Health Service Redesign Transformation Programme to ensure that sustainable mental health services, based upon patient safety and improving quality of care, is in place across Tayside. The plan is expected to be completed shortly and will be subject to full stakeholder consultation. This will include consideration of the future of the Mulberry Unit in the provision of longer term health services within Tayside.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 January 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 31 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish details of the (a) budgetary and (b) other planning it used when developing the so-called "free week" of ScotRail travel, and what discussions it has had with the ScotRail Alliance regarding the proposal.
Answer
In December 2016, the Scottish Government announced a £3 million fares initiative for 2017, which will include a free week of travel for monthly and annual Season ticket holders. Scottish Government officials agreed with ScotRail Alliance representatives the associated operational requirements and financial impacts, prior to its announcement by Derek Mackay MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution) on 15 December 2016. In terms of budget implications, the funding will be provided by both Transport Scotland and ScotRail, with the majority of the costs likely to be met between April 2017 and March 2018.
