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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-04482

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 11 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to stop the spread of amoebic gill disease from farmed salmon to wild fish.

Scottish Government, through Marine Scotland’s Fish Health Inspectorate, encourages best practice and ensures regulatory conformity with respect to biosecurity measures within aquaculture in order to prevent or minimise the spread of any diseases and to reduce any potential impacts.

Amoebic Gill Disease (AGD) is caused by Neoparamoeba perurans - a free living parasite which is ubiquitous within the marine environment. Understanding of the factors which influence the development and spread of AGD are currently limited. Until the modes of transfer of the disease are better understood then specific actions to prevent spread or potential spread are difficult to define.

Question reference: S5O-00308

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 9 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to protect employment in the agricultural sector.

We are acting decisively to protect employment in the agricultural sector. We have put in place the 2016 CAP Basic Payment loan scheme to pump up to £300 million into farm businesses and indirectly, the wider rural economy this winter. When I launched this scheme I made clear my desire to see businesses use this funding to settle accounts, buy essential resources and plan investments, all of which will help to keep people in work right across the farming and food sectors.

We have announced that we will pass on in full to Scottish farmers and crofters and also Scottish stakeholders all of the funding guaranteed by the UK Government for projects and investment entered into before the UK leaves the EU.

This is on top of significant existing investment in excess of £16 million this year to develop agricultural businesses through a diverse range of support measures including advice, start-up, skills, training and innovation.

We are doing everything we can in this Government to provide clarity and certainty to protect jobs not just in the agricultural sector, but right across the rural economy. Work that has been made necessary and urgent by the UK Government planning in proposing to drag Scotland out of the EU against the democratic will of the Scottish people, out of the single market, putting at risk tens of thousands of livelihoods and jobs in the rural economy, including those of EU nationals who fulfil essential roles right across this country on farms and in food processing.

Question reference: S5W-04015

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 4 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the Scottish Ambulance Service’s position is on supporting the development of additional first response teams in communities.

The Scottish Ambulance Service, in partnership with communities across the country and the wider NHS, continuously reviews opportunities to develop new Community First Responder (CFR) schemes to help improve community resilience across Scotland.

The SAS Community Resilience Team are in the process of finalising the delivery of their CFR course, which takes a consistent approach in the training of CFRs across Scotland’s remote, rural, island and urban communities. There are now 134 CFR schemes across Scotland made up of around 1,500 volunteers.

Question reference: S5W-03450

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many claims Transport Scotland has received in each of the last three years for damage to cars arising from potholes on each trunk road, broken down by how many claims (a) were approved and the annual amount of compensation paid, (b) were rejected and (c) are to be resolved.

No such claims have been approved or rejected by Transport Scotland. Under the terms of the contracts between Transport Scotland and the Trunk Road Operating Companies, the relevant Operating Company is required to indemnify the Scottish Ministers’ against all third party claims on the network within their area. This is set out in the Operating Company Contracts which can be accessed on the Transport Scotland website via the following link: http://www.transport.gov.scot/road/maintenance/operating-companies .

Question reference: S5W-03451

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 1 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS locum consultants (a) have and (b) have not passed their consultant exams, also broken down by NHS board.

There is no such thing as a consultant exam, or any exam specifically linked to Locums. The end point for all UK medical specialty training in the UK is called the Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT), and all training programme are approved by the GMC as regulator of the profession. While the specialty training pathway varies in length depending on the medical specialty chosen, successful completion of the full programme must be demonstrated by accumulated evidence of achieving required standards and passing of relevant College exams before the award of a CCT. Achievement of a CCT formally recognises the individual as a Specialist in whatever specialty they’ve chosen, and permits a doctor to request their name be entered onto the relevant GMC specialty register, and apply for posts, including Consultant posts where the individual meets the specified criterion of the post advertised.

Question reference: S5W-03584

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 26 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many residential properties in the (a) Dumfries and Galloway Council area and (b) Galloway and West Dumfries parliamentary constituency have the broadband infrastructure capacity to receive speeds in excess of 24mbps.

The following table lists the numbers and percentages of superfast (24Mbps+) coverage in (a) the Dumfries and Galloway Council area and (b) Galloway and West Dumfries parliamentary constituency, in relation to the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband roll-out, as of the end of Q1 2016-17. The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of premises connected through commercial deployment of superfast broadband and, as such, cannot provide those figures. The percentage coverage figures provided in the tables below assume that commercial rollout is completed on time and in line with plans submitted to the Scottish Government through the Open Market Review conducted in 2012. It also assumes that all commercial coverage will be capable of delivering superfast speeds.

The Scottish Government plans to launch an Open Market Review, ahead of new procurement activity next year, to determine (a) what has been delivered commercially and (b) what will be delivered commercially over the next 3 years. This will require suppliers to provide speed information at individual premises level. We will use this information to define a new intervention area for future public investment in broadband.

Local Authority	Current number of premises connected to fibre broadband by DSSB	Current number capable of delivering 24Mbps+	%
Dumfries and Galloway	41,630	34,294	82.4

Parliamentary Constituency	Current number of premises connected to fibre broadband by DSSB	Current number capable of delivering 24Mbps+	%
Galloway and West Dumfries	18,121	14,998	82.8

Question reference: S5O-00254

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how it empowers communities to have more of a say in matters that affect them.

Question reference: S5W-03023

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 28 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of the Stranraer taskforce, including when it will next meet.

Scottish Government established the Stranraer Taskforce to work with Dumfries and Galloway Council and a number of other local partners, to explore the potential for the future of the Stranraer Waterfront, following the relocation of ferry services from the town.

The Taskforce was intended to be a short-life group. It met on four occasions between February 2012 and April 2013. It was agreed at the last meeting that the partners would continue to work together to deliver the Taskforce's aims.

Dumfries and Galloway Council has the primary responsibility for and lead role in implementing plans in relation to the regeneration of Stranraer Waterfront. Officials are kept informed of progress as necessary.

Question reference: S5W-02355

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 20 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what suitable sites it has identified for new hydro-electric schemes.

It is the role of developers, rather than the Scottish Government, to identify suitable sites for new hydro-electric schemes in Scotland.

However, the Scottish Government is committed to encouraging and promoting hydro-electric power and creating a supportive environment. At present, over 70% of the small scale hydro projects in operation in the UK are in Scotland. This includes a number of community hydro projects and the recently consented, 600MW, Coire Glas project.

Question reference: S5W-02327

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 15 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a scheme similar to the UK Government initiative, Flood Re, and, if so, whether this will offer support to businesses.

Flood Re already covers the whole of the UK, including Scotland. It was designed for home insurance purposes as the UK Government felt that there was insufficient evidence to justify government intervention in the provision of insurance cover for small businesses. However, the Scottish Government recognises the challenges that some small businesses in flood risk areas may face, and was pleased to note the commitment given by the UK Government to monitor the insurance market for small businesses and consider the issue with the insurance industry if the situation were to change significantly. The Scottish Government will, of course, continue to work with the ABI, the UK Government and the other devolved administrations on this issue. However, as insurance is a reserved matter, it is for the UK Government to decide whether the scope of Flood Re should be widened to include support to businesses.