- Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 July 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 20 July 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the implementation of new legislation that gives effect to water and sewerage charges; how it will support village halls in their application for charitable status so that they are eligible for exemption from such charges, and what discussions it has had on this matter with the (a) Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations and (b) Office for the Scottish Charity Regulator.
Answer
Scottish Ministers’ principles of charging statement sets out the basis for calculating water and sewerage charges. It also sets out the terms upon which the Exemption Scheme is available to charities and Community Amateur Sports Clubs.
The terms of the new Exemption Scheme, which was introduced on 1 April 2015, were the subject of a consultation: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2013/11/9119 at the end of 2013. Over 140 organisations responded including many voluntary organisations and their umbrella organisations. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and the Office for the Charity Regulator (OSCR) were closely involved in the design and implementation of the new scheme and have publicised the consultation and the scheme as agreed by ministers.
My officials have spoken to officials at OSCR and SCVO to discuss how further assistance can be provided where village halls wish to obtain charitable status. In the light of these discussions, I have decided that, provided that these village halls obtain charitable status within the current financial year and meet all of the eligibility criteria, exemption will be back-dated to 1 April 2016.
- Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 June 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Mark McDonald on 19 July 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to assist children under four who have early speech, language and communication difficulties.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises that parents have a key role in supporting their children's speech and language development and we provide support through campaigns such as PlayTalkRead and Bookbug.
We also recognise the important role of the early years workforce in supporting children's early speech and language development. All practitioners working within the early learning and childcare sector are required, as part of their training, to gain knowledge and understanding about speech and language development and are expected to undertake career-long learning to further augment the skills obtained during their initial training.
- Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 June 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 13 July 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how it will seek to prevent delays in ambulances being dispatched when callers are not able to provide postcodes, particularly in rural areas.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to working closely with the Scottish ambulance service to ensure that patients who require an emergency ambulance receive one as quickly as possible.
In cases where a 999 call comes in to the ambulance control centre from a mobile phone the caller is asked to provide location details, including the postcode where possible. They are also prompted to provide as much location information as they are able, including nearby landmarks.
Ambulance control centre staff are trained in map reading and use information provided by the caller to triangulate their location. The current national average time from receipt of call to the dispatch of an emergency ambulance is 58 seconds.
- Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 June 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 8 July 2016
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-00373 by Fergus Ewing on 13 June 2016, what rationale it used in selecting Arran and the Cairngorms for its mobile masts pilot; for what reason the south of Scotland was not included in the pilot, particularly Eskdale and Upper Nithsdale, and how long the pilot will last.
Answer
The areas for the non-domestic rates relief pilot scheme were chosen to align with existing mobile pilot projects in development by the Scottish Futures Trust on behalf of the Scottish Government, which fit the organisational and commercial models the Scottish Government wishes to test. We have considered a number of areas across Scotland for mobile pilots; crucially, all of which have been driven locally by communities and other stakeholders.
This relief is available from 1 April 2016 for a period of five years.
- Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 June 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 8 July 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the implementation of reasonable adjustments for disabled people in public sector organisations.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not assess the way that Scottish public authorities meet their legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010, including their obligations to make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees and service users. It is for Scottish public authorities to ensure that they meet their obligations.
- Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 June 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Mark McDonald on 1 July 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how it will create parity in relation to the calculation of kinship carers allowance.
Answer
In her programme for government statement in September 2015, the First Minister announced additional funding to ensure that eligible kinship carers receive improved allowances to bring them up to the same level as those received by foster carers in their local authority. The Minister for Children and Families confirmed that £10.1 million funding had been agreed with COSLA for this purpose on an annual basis and this funding was put in place from 1 October 2015.
Some kinship carers will be eligible for child-related benefits, which are intended to cover accommodation and maintenance. If a kinship carer is in receipt of any child-related benefits, then the local authority may deduct these (actual amounts) from the amount of allowance that it pays to the kinship carer. In this situation, any additional payment to bring the allowance rate up to that of a foster carer is to be considered a wellbeing payment – the kinship carer is already receiving payment from the state for accommodation and maintenance and the additional money is to ensure that the kinship child is able to benefit from opportunities that many children have but that they would otherwise be unable to access.
- Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 June 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 29 June 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what the reason is for the delay in the publication of its final implementation strategy for the storage of higher activity nuclear waste; what assessment it has made of the effect of this delay on nuclear sites in Scotland, and what contact it had with experts and relevant stakeholders in the industry during the consultation period.
Answer
The draft implementation strategy is being revised following the public consultation. Scottish Government officials have continued contact with the nuclear decommissioning authority, the committee on radioactive waste management, nuclear site managers and stakeholder groups. There is no material effect on radioactive waste management, with Intermediate Level Radioactive Waste arising continuing to be placed into safe storage.
- Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 13 June 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the benefits to consumers of increasing competition in the mobile backhaul market.
Answer
Competition in the mobile backhaul market is a reserved matter and is the responsibility of Ofcom, the UK telecoms regulator.
Wider assessment of enhanced connectivity, its usage, and the socio economic benefits arising - which assumes the availability of sufficient backhaul – has been undertaken by the Scottish Futures Trust on behalf of the Scottish Government. This report, published in July 2015, suggests that a fully digitised Scotland could see GDP growth of £13 billion by 2030: http://www.scottishfuturestrust.org.uk/files/publications/Impact_of_digitalisation_in_Scotland.pdf
We continue to engage with UK Government Ministers and Ofcom to make the case for improved investment in mobile infrastructure in Scotland.
- Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 13 June 2016
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will include the south of Scotland and, in particular, Dumfries and Galloway in any proposed pilot of business rates relief for mobile phone mast sites in areas with poor mobile coverage.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-00373 on 13 June 2016. 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 It is our intention to widen the scheme across Scotland if the pilot is successful and once an intervention area can be accurately defined.
- Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 13 June 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to applying business rates relief for mobile phone mast sites in rural areas with no coverage or where there is a clear developmental need.
Answer
Telecommunications, including mobile telephony, is a reserved matter for which the UK Government has responsibility to ensure adequate coverage and to fund improvements and developments. The Scottish Government is committed to using devolved levers where appropriate such as business rates relief to improve the commercial case for investment.
With effect from 1 April 2016, the Scottish Government launched a scheme offering non-domestic rates relief for new mobile masts in certain non-commercial areas for a period of five years. This initial pilot covers parts of Arran and the Cairngorms, and it is our intention to widen the scheme across Scotland if the pilot is successful and once an intervention area can be accurately defined.
Maps showing the pilot areas eligible for relief can be found at:
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Economy/digital/Publications/NDR-maps