- Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 18 July 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what urgent action it is taking to ensure the continuation of a bus service between Dumfries and Edinburgh.
Answer
Transport Scotland has corresponded with relevant local transport authorities in respect of the 101/102 bus service between Dumfries and Edinburgh. I am pleased that those authorities have now reached an agreement to continue a service until 31 March 2023 and I welcome the discussions now beginning with local communities to find long term solutions for this route.
Bus service provision in Scotland operates in an open de-regulated market and the provision of local bus services is a matter for bus operators and local transport authorities. The Scottish Government has, however, extended recovery funding for bus services via the Network Support Grant Plus, prioritising essential support for operators to support bus services like this with extra funding while travel patterns and demand adapt following the pandemic.
- Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 25 July 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 5 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken for the legislative process to appoint a Victims’ Commissioner.
Answer
The Scottish Government is consulting on potential legislative reforms to strengthen victims’ rights and improve their experiences of the justice system in the ‘ Improving victims’ experiences of the justice system ’ consultation. This includes proposals for the establishment of a Victims’ Commissioner for Scotland. The consultation is currently live and will close on 19 August 2022.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 25 July 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what long-term discussions it is having with ASLEF (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen) regarding salary settlements.
Answer
Discussions regarding salary settlements are a matter between the Employer, ScotRail Trains Ltd and ASLEF.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 July 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 5 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on hospitality in each year since 2020, broken down by directorate.
Answer
A table showing spend by Scottish Government directorates within hospitality codes in the Scottish Government ledger in the financial years 2020-2021 and 2021-22 is as follows.
| Directorate | 2020-2021 | 2021-2022 |
| £ | £ |
| Advanced Learning and Science Directorate | 85 | 0 |
| Directorate for Agriculture and Rural Economy | 517 | 1,771 |
| Directorate for Budget and Public Spending | 0 | 128 |
| Directorate for Chief Economist | 2 | 1,080 |
| Directorate for Chief Medical Officer | 3 | 0 |
| Directorate for Chief Nursing Officer | 18 | 0 |
| Directorate for Children and Families | 2,699 | 2,256 |
| Directorate for Communications and Ministerial Support | 43,181 | 10,435 |
| Directorate for Constitution and Cabinet | 96 | 896 |
| Directorate for Corporate Transformation and Workplace | 4,016 | 0 |
| Directorate for COVID Business Resilience and Support | 0 | 17 |
| Directorate for COVID Public Health | 9 | 0 |
| Directorate for Culture, Tourism and Major Events | 245 | 22 |
| Directorate for Digital | 2,631 | 340 |
| Directorate for Early Learning and Childcare Programme | 96 | 0 |
| Directorate for Economic Development | 1,602 | 805 |
| Directorate for Energy and Climate Change | 12 | 6,786 |
| Directorate for Environment and Forestry | 0 | 713 |
| Directorate for External Affairs | 371 | 8,283 |
| Directorate for Fair Work, Employability and Skills | 8 | 9 |
| Directorate for Financial Management | 0 | 7 |
| Directorate for Health Workforce | 10,628 | 0 |
| Directorate for International Trade and Investment | 568 | 540 |
| Directorate for Legal Services (Solicitor to the Scottish Government) | 0 | 911 |
| Directorate for Local Government and Housing | 3,485 | 848 |
| Directorate for Marine Scotland | 3,082 | 25,854 |
| Directorate for Mental Health and Social Care | 9 | 3,404 |
| Directorate for People | 10,645 | 29,915 |
| Directorate for Performance and Delivery | 1,879 | 0 |
| Directorate for Population Health | 11 | 22 |
| Directorate for Primary Care | 215 | 0 |
| Directorate for Social Security | 1,405 | 0 |
| Directorate for Sustainable Land Use and Rural Policy | 0 | 337 |
| Directorate for Vaccines Policy and Strategy | 0 | 22 |
| Directorate of Equality Inclusion and Human Rights | 254 | 624 |
| EU Directorate | 115 | 238 |
| HM Inspectorate of Prisons | 75 | 418 |
| Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland | 0 | 102 |
| Justice Directorate | 793 | 541 |
| Organisational Readiness Directorate | 6,687 | 943 |
| Safer Communities | 39 | 56 |
| Scottish National Investment Bank | 0 | 52 |
| Scottish Procurement and Property Directorate | 143 | 0 |
| Tackling Child Poverty and Social Justice | 21 | 0 |
| Grand Total | 95,645 | 98,375 |
- Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 18 July 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government when it last discussed bus services with Dumfries and Galloway Council.
Answer
Transport Scotland officials have regular engagement with local transport authorities regarding bus services. These have included discussions with SWestrans officials in October 2021 and June 2022 regarding bus services and concessionary bus schemes as well as more recent correspondence with relevant local transport authorities (SPT, SWestrans and Scottish Borders Council) regarding the 101/102 bus service from Dumfries to Edinburgh.
- Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 18 July 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 5 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Primary One Literacy Assessment and Action Resource (POLAAR) was validated by international experts in early literacy acquisition.
Answer
The content of the resource was developed based on a survey of research conducted by Professor of Educational and Social Research at the University of Dundee, Professor Keith Topping.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 08 July 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce sexual violence against women and girls on trains and at railway stations, in light of reports that British Transport Police data shows that 46 sexual assaults were reported by women on Scotland’s railways in 2021, which is reportedly the highest number in more than a decade.
Answer
British Transport Police (BTP) is a reserved matter and as such the Scottish Government has no locus in their operations. I have recently had meetings with BTPs Chief Constable and the Chief Superintendent of D Division (Scotland) and discussed this very matter with them.
In addition officials are undertaking research on women and girls’ personal safety across and around public transport. This includes engagement with national and local organisations representing the interests of a cross-section of women, as well as Trade Union groups who represent female staff working on the public transport network.
This engagement work with women and girls, which is currently underway, is expected to capture views and experiences of accessing and using public transport. The outcomes of this engagement work, alongside our evidence review, will be used to inform our understanding and any future policy development.
- Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 July 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many pupils in (a) Stirling, (b) Clackmannanshire, (c) Perth and Kinross and (d) Fife have received a free laptop, Chromebook or tablet to date to use at school and at home.
Answer
The following table shows how many devices have been distributed by councils to school aged children using the £25m digital inclusion funding made available by Scottish Government in 2020/21.
Local Authority | Devices Distributed |
Stirling | 1794 |
Clackmannanshire | 828 |
Perth and Kinross | 1507 |
Fife | 5465 |
Local authorities across Scotland have a range of approaches to the provision of technology in schools, including some councils who have undertaken to provide cohorts of their school population with devices using their own budgets.
The latest information we have from councils indicates that almost 280,000 devices have been, or are in the process of being, rolled out to learners across Scotland. This includes 72,000 provided as a result of Scottish Government funding.
The Scottish Government are committed to ensuring every school-aged child has access to a device to support their learning by the end of this Parliament.
- Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 July 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 4 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many properties in (a) Stirling and (b) Clackmannanshire are eligible for the main voucher portion of the Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme for properties that will not receive broadband services under the R100 programme.
Answer
The R100 programme is a combination of the following three strands of activity – the £600 million R100 contracts, the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme and continued commercial coverage.
As of 21 July 2022, 1,472 properties in Stirling and 280 properties in Clackmannanshire are eligible for a main voucher worth up to £5,000 through the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme.
- Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 22 July 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 4 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated to support the work of Scotland’s Makar in each year since the position was created in 2004.
Answer
The Scottish Government has allocated funding to support the work of Scotland’s Makar in each year since the position was created in 2004, as follows:
Year | SG Funding Allocation for Makar/National Poet for Scotland |
2004 - 2010 | £5,000 per annum |
2011 - 2015 | £10,000 per annum |
2016 | £11,000 per annum |
2017 | £12,000 per annum |
2018 - 2020 | £13,000 per annum |
2021 - 2022 | £18,000 per annum |
