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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-22975

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2019
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 3 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that superfast broadband speeds will be available to every address by the end of 2021.

Despite the constraints of all regulatory and legislative powers over telecommunications being reserved to the UK Parliament and UK Ministers, the Scottish Government recognises the importance of broadband services for economic development and has stepped in to address the failings of the UK-wide market to deliver services to many premises across Scotland. Through our Reaching 100% programme (R100), the Scottish Government is determined to ensure that all premises have access to services at superfast speeds of 30 Megabits per second or better.

By maintaining a competitive dialogue throughout the £600 million R100 procurement for, we are maximising competition and driving value, innovation and coverage. This programme is 96.5% funded by the Scottish Government, despite the UK Government having responsibility for investing in broadband across the UK. The competitive nature of the procurement process has given us the best chance of optimising the cost effectiveness of public funding to deliver the greatest possible outcome for the people of Scotland.

We are seeking to work with UK Ministers to ensure alignment with existing UK Government voucher schemes, maximising opportunities for collective investment to deliver further benefits. This will help to ensure that premises in remote, rural and islands areas are not disadvantaged, due to their higher cost of installation.

Commercial coverage will play a vital role too, particularly in Scotland’s urban areas. I am greatly encouraged by existing, significant investment programmes as well as commitments and further emerging plans from commercial suppliers such as CityFibre and Virgin Media, in addition to investment being made by Openreach.

Question reference: S5W-22977

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2019
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 29 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve trust in access to broadband services.

Question reference: S5W-22972

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether its funding is being used to subsidise any HGV training facilities.

Question reference: S5W-22976

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2019
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 15 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to boost the digital skills that will required for businesses in the forthcoming years.

This is a critically important time for Scotland’s skills system. We know the nature of work is changing, as is the make-up of Scotland’s workforce, and our labour market faces potential disruption through a range of factors, including Brexit and technological advances.

We want to harness the opportunities this disruption will create, whilst ensuring we have the right skills in place to support individuals, employers and our economy and support governments overarching strategic ambitions of improving productivity and Inclusive Growth.

Digital skills development remains a key priority for the Scottish Government. In addition to the extensive training offered to individuals through our school, college and university systems and apprenticeship programme, we also offer additional support to business through CodeClan, DigitalBoost and the Digital Development Loan.

We continue to support Skills Development Scotland with funding to tackle tongoing sectoral challenges as set out in the Digital Skills Investment Plan, including attracting more women into the sector and increasing the number and variety of apprenticeships available.

Finally, our 2018 Programme for Government includes a commitment to develop a Future Skills Action Plan in 2019, and to establish a National Retraining Partnership.

Question reference: S5W-22971

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 14 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what funding is available to individuals to train as HGV operators.

Scottish Government policy is to provide a contribution towards Modern Apprenticeship training administered by Skills Development Scotland, with employers expected to make a contribution to additional costs of training.

The contribution rates for the Freight Logistics (Driving Goods Vehicle) Modern Apprenticeship framework for the current year 2019/20 are;

Individuals Aged 16-19: SCQF Level 5 £2,700, Level 6 £4,500
Individuals Aged 20-24: SCQF Level 5 £1,550, Level 6 £2,500
Individuals Aged 25+: SCQF Level 5 £1,000, Level 6 £2,000

Skills Development Scotland contract annually with training providers, colleges, universities and employers to deliver Modern Apprenticeship training. They have recently awarded the Road Haulage Association their first Modern Apprenticeship contract for Freight Logistics Apprenticeships. The Freight Logistics framework applies to both Long Goods Vehicles and Heavy Good Vehicles.

Question reference: S5O-03240

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 May 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that community payback orders are fully completed.

Question reference: S5W-22623

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 1 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to make charging data from ChargePlace Scotland publicly available, and what smart charging data is already being collected and used from the network.

Question reference: S5W-22622

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 1 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to share charging data from ChargePlace Scotland with (a) National Grid, (b) distribution network operators and (c) commercial providers of electric vehicle charging points.

Through the ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) network, Scotland benefits from one of the most comprehensive electric vehicle charging networks in Europe. The Scottish Government is committed to expanding our electric vehicle charging infrastructure between now and 2022, whether in rural, urban or domestic settings.

We are working with the electricity network companies and other partners and providers to ensure that Scotland’s charging infrastructure develops in a way that continues to support electric vehicle uptake, minimises disruption to the energy network and creates opportunities for innovation in network operation.

To that end, the Scottish Government routinely monitors data from the CPS network, which includes details of charging events, utilisation of charge points and energy consumption. This data is used by Scottish Government and Charge Your Car, the current operators of the back-office function, to monitor the state of the public charging infrastructure and assess trends in electric vehicle use in Scotland.

In addition, the distributed network operators have access to live and historical data from the CPS network. Organisations that host charge points on the CPS network, including local authorities, businesses, public bodies and others, have access to similar data relating to their own charge points.

The Scottish Government is assessing the most appropriate mechanism for making data from the CPS back-office publicly available, with a view to publication later this year.

Question reference: S5W-22681

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 1 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the average time is for repairs to be competed on trunk roads when a tar hot box is required.

The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The general response timescale for a full repair to a Category 1 carriageway defect is 28 days. This is monitored by Transport Scotland and the independent Performance Audit Group. The use of a tar hot box for road repairs is one of a suite of repair options available to our maintenance contractors. The choice of repair type depends on a range of matters including the size and depth of the defect and whether a hot box is available for use.

Question reference: S5W-22624

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 1 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to make trend analysis and usage data from government-funded (a) ULEV purchase schemes and (b) electric vehicle charging points publicly available.