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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: S5O-01608

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its work to reduce waiting times in NHS Grampian.

Question reference: S5W-12836

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has done of the impact of internal ferry services on delivery charges to (a) residential and (b) business premises in (i) Orkney, (ii) Shetland and (iii) Na h-Eileanan Siar.

Through the “Our Islands Our Future” work and following publication of the Empowering Scotland’s Island Communities prospectus in June 2014, Transport Scotland set up the Orkney & Shetland Internal Ferries Working Group in 2014. The Working Group consists of representatives from Orkney Islands Council, Shetland Islands Council, HITRANS, ZETRANS and Highlands & Islands Enterprise.

Much work has been undertaken by the Working Group, including consideration of the various needs of the islands and communities served by inter-island ferry services, and the role ferry services play in delivering these needs.

The Working Group also commissioned independent transportation consultants to undertake ‘Inter-Island Transport Studies’ for both Orkney and Shetland. The purpose of the studies were to undertake a proportionate Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) based appraisal of revenue and capital options across the internal air and ferry network in both Orkney & Shetland.

Both studies were completed and published in late 2016. The reports and additional information on internal ferry services are available on the Councils’ websites.

The internal ferries in the Western Isles are operated by CalMac under the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service contract. Transport Scotland has recently commissioned a STAG study looking at ferry services to and within the Western Isles.

Delivery charges for freight are a commercial matter between businesses and their contracts with hauliers, and as such no specific analysis has been carried out in the ferries context. While the Scottish Government has worked on a voluntary code to help tackle excessive charging, the regulation of prices for parcels is reserved to Westminster.

Question reference: S5W-12840

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of internal ferries on the delivery of (a) healthcare, (b) social care, (c) justice and policing and (d) education in (i) Orkney, (ii) Shetland and (iii) Na h-Eileanan Siar.

Question reference: S5W-12841

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of internal ferries on commuting to and from (a) Orkney, (b) Shetland and (c) Na h-Eileanan Siar.

Question reference: S5W-12843

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) Orkney Islands Council (b) Shetland Islands Council and (c) Comhairle nan Eilean Siar on future capital investment in inter-island ferry services.

Question reference: S5W-12839

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of internal ferries on access to (a) healthcare, (b) social care, (c) education, (d) retail, (e) justice and policing and (f) tourism and other recreational activities in (i) Orkney, (ii) Shetland and (iii) Na h-Eileanan Siar.

Question reference: S5W-12838

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made of the impact of internal ferry services on the sustainability of communities in (a) Orkney, (b) Shetland and (c) Na h-Eileanan Siar.

Question reference: S5W-12842

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what capital investment it has made in relation to inter-island ferries in (a) Orkney, (b) Shetland and (c) Na h-Eileanan Siar in each of the last five years.

Orkney Islands Council and Shetland Islands Council are wholly responsible for their internal ferry services.

The Scottish Government has set up a Ferries Accessibility Fund which is open to grant applications from any ferry or harbour operator providing a domestic ferry service covered by the Ferries Plan. This includes local authority and private sector ports and ferry services. The table below sets out details of successful Accessibility Fund Grant awards in relation to Orkney, Shetland and Na h-Eileanan Siar internal ferry services.

Applicant	Project	Transport Scotland’s contribution	Grant Award Date
Orkney Ferries Ltd	Houton Terminal – improving access & facilities	£26,250	25 Feb 15 / 22 Oct 15
Orkney Ferries Ltd	Kirkwall Terminal - power assisted doors	£8,360	25 Feb 15
CnES (Western Isles Council)	Improving Terminal waiting rooms & toilets to make them more accessible.	£5,000	27 Jan 17
Shetland Islands Council	Improve accessibility of Shetland Island ferry terminal buildings	£81,780	27 Jan 17

There has been no other Scottish Government capital investment in relation to inter-Island ferries in these areas in the last 5 years.

Question reference: S5W-12837

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what contribution is made by (a) Highland Council, (b) Argyll and Bute Council, (c) Inverclyde Council, (d) North Ayrshire Council, (e) Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, (f) Shetland Islands Council and (g) Orkney Islands Council to the cost of operating local ferry services within their areas.

The money provided by the Scottish Government to local authorities is allocated using a needs-based formula. However, there is no separately identifiable allocation of funding for individual services, such as ferry services.

The vast majority of the funding provided by the Scottish Government to local authorities is in the form of a block grant. It is then the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it, including funding for ferry services, on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectives and manifesto commitments.

It is for the Councils themselves to determine how much they spend on ferry services within their areas.

Question reference: S5O-01521

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 30 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve access to public services in remote and rural areas.

High quality public services, such as the construction of the new £275 million Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, delivered on time and on budget, is a clear indication that The Scottish Government is driving an ambitious programme that provides excellent public services that support our more fragile communities.

As well as investment in 100% broadband provision to include our rural and remote communities and £3billion dualling the A9, £120m of Pupil Equity funding in 2017-18 has provided additional resources to the majority of schools in rural communities.

This despite our block grant for day-to-day spending on public services being cut, in real terms, by more than £500 million over the next two years by the UKG.