- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 22 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many properties have been removed from the R100 build scope since 2017, broken down by (a) lot and (b) year.
Answer
Our Reaching 100% (R100) commitment is delivered through three strands of activity – the R100 contracts, the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (R100 SBVS) and continued commercial build.
While a property may move between these strands, for example properties can move from being eligible for R100 SBVS to being delivered commercially, no properties are removed from the overall scope of the programme.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 22 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many properties have been provided with new connections of superfast broadband by the R100 build scheme since 2017, broken down by (a) lot and (b) year.
Answer
As outlined in response to S6W-18910, the R100 commitment comprises of three strands of activity - the R100 contracts, the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (R100 SBVS) and continued commercial build.
The R100 Central and South contracts were awarded in December 2020 with the R100 North contract awarded in December 2021. As a result, build did not commence through the R100 contracts until 2021. The table below provides the number of connections built in each year since 2020 through the R100 contracts.
R100 Contracts | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
| | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023* | Total |
North Lot + | 0 | 151 | 4238 | 2032 | 6421 |
Central Lot | 0 | 2174 | 3895 | 2294 | 8363 |
South Lot | 56 | 3007 | 3126 | 1448 | 7637 |
*Figures up to 30th April 2023 | | | | | |
+ North Lot deployment was delayed by 12 months due to a legal challenge | | | |
The R100 SBVS is a demand-led initiative and it is ultimately a decision for residents and property owners whether to pursue a connection through this route. The R100 SBVS launched in September 2020 and an annual breakdown of connections delivered in each lot since that date is provided in the following table.
R100 SBVS - Vouchers Delivered | | | | |
| | | | | | |
| | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023* | Total |
North Lot | 0 | 372 | 374 | 64 | 810 |
Central Lot | 0 | 680 | 970 | 209 | 1859 |
South Lot | 0 | 312 | 166 | 25 | 503 |
*Figures up to 1st June 2023 | | | | | |
It is not possible to provide a breakdown of commercial build by year or by lot as we do not collect this level of detail from suppliers.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 22 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many properties are expected to receive new connections of superfast broadband through the R100 build scheme by its completion.
Answer
The R100 contracts are expected to connect over 114,000 premises upon completion. Around 99% of those connections will be fibre to the premises (FTTP) which is capable of delivering gigabit download speeds, over 30 times faster than our original superfast commitment.
For those who live or work in premises that are outwith the reach of commercial and R100 contract build plans, the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS) remains available and offers up to £5,000 to secure a superfast broadband connection. As this is a demand-led scheme it is not possible to provide dates by which people might be connected.
There is also on-going delivery of commercial superfast broadband networks and we continue to engage with the industry to understand their future plans.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 22 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact of delays to the R100 programme on access to digital healthcare services for remote and rural patients.
Answer
Our investment through the R100 programme will be transformational for many of Scotland’s most rural communities and is providing a full fibre backbone that will enable reliable connectivity services to be delivered.
An individual’s ability to access digital healthcare can be impacted by a number of factors, not just their rurality and the availability of digital infrastructure in their area.
That is why, while recognising the importance of access to digital healthcare, it should be promoted as one choice for patients but not the only available option. Digital healthcare programmes are subject to Equality Impact Assessments (EQIAs) to assess the impact of accessibility.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 June 2023
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 28 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to "support the constitutional protection of the specific interests and needs of island communities", as outlined in its latest Building a New Scotland paper.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 28 June 2023
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 21 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on whether the University of Strathclyde is involved in any fishing trials or surveys, or computer modelling work regarding fish stocks in the River Clyde.
Answer
The University of Strathclyde, through a PhD project co-supervised with Marine Directorate staff, is involved in data collation and stock assessment modelling for demersal fish stocks in the Clyde. The project uses fisheries-dependent data (from logbooks for landings), routine Marine Directorate on-board observer sampling data (for fish not officially landed), and fisheries-independent data from the Scottish West Coast groundfish survey. The PhD project is in the writing-up phase, aiming to submit at the end of the summer 2023.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 21 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government which universities and research establishments are currently working with Marine Scotland in relation to fishing issues on the River Clyde.
Answer
The University of Strathclyde, through a PhD project co-supervised with Marine Directorate staff, is involved in data collation and stock assessment modelling for demersal fish stocks in the Clyde. The project uses fisheries-dependent data (from logbooks for landings), routine Marine Directorate on-board observer sampling data (for fish not officially landed), and fisheries-independent data from the Scottish West Coast groundfish survey. The PhD project is in the writing-up phase, aiming to submit at the end of the summer 2023.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 21 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of any River Clyde fishery surveys that have taken place in the last 24 months.
Answer
The following table summarises the survey work conducted by the Marine Directorate in the Firth of Clyde, between June 2021 and June 2023.
Year | Month | Survey | Vessel | Days in Clyde |
2021 | June | Nephrops underwater TV survey | Scotia | 2 |
2021 | August | NatureScot benthic habitat survey | Alba na Mara | 16 |
2021 | October | Clyde Scallop dredge survey | Alba na Mara | 13 |
2021 | December | Scottish West Coast Groundfish Survey Q4 | Scotia | 1.5 |
2022 | May-June | Licensing | Alba na Mara | 5 |
2022 | June | Nephrops underwater TV survey | Scotia | 1.5 |
2022 | October | Clyde Scallop dredge survey | Alba na Mara | 15 |
2022 | October | OSPAR | Alba na Mara | 5 |
2022 | November | Scottish West Coast Groundfish Survey Q4 | Scotia | 1 |
2023 | January | OSPAR/MFSD | Scotia | 1 |
2023 | February | Scottish West Coast Groundfish Survey Q1 | Scotia | 1 |
2023 | June | Nephrops underwater TV survey | Scotia | 1.5 |
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 21 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that NHS dental patients with chronic dental problems or ongoing dental treatment can continue to access non-emergency NHS dental care when it is clinically required.
Answer
The new Policy Prospectus, set out by this Government on 18 April, further commits us to sustained and improved equitable national access to NHS dentistry by 2026. This reaffirms our commitment to the sector and to patients in all parts of Scotland.
Official statistics published in May this year by Public Health Scotland show a significant recovery in NHS dental service provision, with over 3.8 million courses of treatment completed in 2022-23, an increase of more than 40% compared with 2021-22, when IPC restrictions were in force
Through a combination of payment reform and working closely with NHS Boards on local solutions, the intention of Scottish Government is to continue to build on this positive trend.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 21 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that there is equal access to women's health services across all parts of Scotland.
Answer
The Women’s Health Plan sets out actions which aim to address women’s health inequalities by raising awareness around women’s health, improving access to health care for women across their lives, and reducing inequalities in health outcomes for women and girls.
NHS Boards are responsible for determining and delivering the services required by their local populations. For NHS Boards that cover remote and rural settings, local planning is expected to take account of the particular needs of these populations. Integration Authorities also engage and consult with a range of stakeholders, and work with local communities and professionals to improve outcomes and sustainability of provision through service redesign.
