- Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14311 by Jenny Gilruth on 7 February 2023, whether it can provide a breakdown of the number of (a) Category 1 and (b) Category 2 potholes that were (i) reported and (ii) repaired, in each of the last five years.
Answer
Transport Scotland, through its Trunk Road Operating Companies and Design Build Finance Operate (DBFO) Concessionaires, is responsible for the management and maintenance of the strategic trunk road network, including motorways. Repair of potholes on all other roads is the responsibility of the local authorities.
Category 1 potholes are defined within the term maintenance contract as those which present, or could present, an immediate hazard to trunk road users. They are typically detected during the twice weekly driven safety related inspections.
The Scottish Government fully funds the inspection and repair of all Category 1 potholes and the term maintenance contract sets out strict timescales for their repair. Following identification of Category 1 pothole defects, the Operating Companies are required to make the defect safe by 6am the following morning, preferably by completing a permanent repair. Where this is not possible then a temporary repair is required within the same timescale with permanent repairs required 28 days.
Category 2 defects are defined as those which do not present an immediate hazard to road users and are typically identified during walked annual inspections. Category 2 defects that deteriorate slowly could be recorded repeatedly over successive years before they are prioritised for maintenance. If defects do worsen more rapidly, a Category 1 defect is recorded and the defect is repaired within the contractual timescales outlined above.
The following table shows the number of Category 1 and Category 2 potholes identified and repaired in each of the last five whole years.
| Number of Cat 1 Potholes Recorded | Number of Cat 1 Potholes Repaired | Number of Cat 2 Potholes Recorded | Number of Cat 2 Potholes Repaired |
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- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how it will support Glasgow City Council's proposal to cover the M8 between junctions 17 and 19 with a "garden cap", in light of the project not receiving funding in the second round of UK Government Levelling Up funding, and whether it will investigate the potential for platform deck structures to be marketed for private investment to develop the air rights over the motorway cutting as an alternative means to deliver the aspiration to cover the M8 in this area of central Glasgow.
Answer
I am aware of Glasgow City Council’s unsuccessful bid for Levelling up Funding for their proposed M8 ‘garden cap’ project. However the Levelling Up Fund is a UK Government initiative which clearly encroaches on devolved areas of transport policy. The Scottish Government has had no input into the development of the fund nor any responsibility for award decisions. Therefore, all the final decisions are solely taken by the UK Government.
The Scottish Government recognises the important role the M8 plays in providing access to key markets, jobs and services in Scotland and beyond. However given that this proposal is about the wider public realm and land-use within the city it is more appropriate that this work is led by the City Council. Transport Scotland, on behalf of Scottish Ministers, has a statutory duty as the Trunk Road Authority to ensure that any potential impacts on the trunk road network are appropriately assessed and any adverse impacts mitigated, where required.
Transport Scotland will continue to engage constructively with local authorities where proposals or projects are considered to have a potential impact on transport assets and services owned and or provided by Scottish Ministers and I trust that Local Authorities will likewise proactively seek the advice and guidance of my officials at Transport Scotland on such matters.
- Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Clare Haughey on 24 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what lessons it has learned from the pilot scheme for deferred entry of children to P1.
Answer
Interim reporting from the pilot local authorities on the number of ELC places needed for children deferring entry to P1 has been used to inform budget settlement decisions for 2023-24. The final evaluation report will be published in May 2023 and will provide information about implementation in pilot areas and explore the impact of the pilot on parental awareness and perceptions of the entitlement.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 24 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many health and social care partnerships have implemented its guidance on the provision of wheelchairs on free, short-term loan.
Answer
We are aware that, currently nine Health and Social Care Partnerships have fully implemented the guidance on the provision of short-term wheelchair loans, with a further three in the early implementation stage.
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of the impact of ScotRail’s current fare freeze on the bus industry.
Answer
As part of the Scottish Government’s response to the ongoing cost of living crisis, ScotRail fares were frozen until the end of March 2023 to support rail users.
The ScotRail fares freeze has been implemented alongside the extended support for the bus industry through the Network Support Grant Plus (NSG+). The recent extension of NSG+ included a fares freeze for participating bus operators until the end of March 2023. This was part of a cross-modal package of support, which includes the freeze on ferry fares on the Northern Isles and Clyde & Hebrides ferry networks until October, to keep public transport fares stable both in level and relative to each other.
Given this and the continuing uncertainty around recovery paths following the pandemic, we have not specifically examined the impact on the bus sector of the ScotRail fares freeze. Transport Scotland has, however, kept regular track of demand across modes. Throughout 2022-23, bus and rail demand have moved closely in step with each other, other than where rail demand was impacted by industrial action.
This situation will change with the introduction of the removal of peak rail fares trial during the next financial year. Transport Scotland is putting steps in place to include the impact of the pilot on the bus system as part of the evaluation of the trial.
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that there is adequate (a) weekend and (b) evening ambulance cover in rural Stirlingshire, in light of recent reports that there has been no cover at two ambulance stations.
Answer
Ensuring the adequate availability of ambulance resources throughout Scotland is an operational matter for the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS).
The Service advise that there is no truth to any report of there being no cover at ambulance stations in Stirlingshire.
We are determined to continue to support the Scottish Ambulance Service to ensure resources are in place across the country to ensure they maintain a fast and effective response to our most seriously ill patients.
Our continued increased investment has seen a record 540 additional staff join the service since 2021, with further recruitment underway.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 24 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what earnings NatureScot estimates Hampden & Co, Lombard Odier Investment Managers and Palladium will make from their involvement in delivering the terms of the recently agreed Memorandum of Understanding, and what returns for investors it estimates any investment opportunities arising will give.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15873 on 24 March 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether the disabled driving assessment centre at Astley Ainslie Hospital in Edinburgh is the only centre in Scotland where disabled driving assessments can take place, and, if this is not the case, where the other assessment centres are located.
Answer
The Scottish Driving Assessment Service is the NHS service which covers Scotland, and all driving assessments are carried out at the SMART Centre at the Astley Ainslie Hospital in Edinburgh, which is where the service’s static assessment rigs and fleet of adapted vehicles are based. The Centre is operated by NHS Lothian on behalf of the other NHS Boards.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether every NHS board has adopted the coeliac disease clinical pathway, and, if this is not the case, which NHS boards are yet to adopt it.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information. This is a matter for Health Boards locally.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 24 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of all formal meetings between the Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work and companies in the offshore energy sector in the North East Scotland region, from 1 October 2022 to 1 March 2023.
Answer
I have engaged with a wide breadth of stakeholders in the offshore energy sector during this period, in the North East of Scotland and across Scotland. Regarding formal meetings with companies in the North East Scotland region I had the following formal meetings:
12 October 2022 - St Fergus Terminal /Segal Terminal Site Tour which included meeting with St Fergus field visit with North Sea Midstream Partners (NSMP), Storegga and Shell attending 26 October 2022 - OEUK UK1 March 2023 - Decom North Sea meeting.
This list is not exhaustive of all the engagement I have with offshore energy companies, I speak with companies and stakeholders at all the events that I attend and take part in. Some of the stakeholder events I attended in this time period include:
2 November 2022 - Speaking at Supporting Scotland's Renewable Energy Supply Chain, Scottish Renewables 22 November 2022 – Speaking at the event International Scotland Report, Fraser of Allander Institute and CMS Partners Event 22 November 2022 – Visit to NESCOL Altens 30 November 2022 – Meeting with the North Sea Transition Forum 10 October 2022 – SEE - Maximising Scotland’s Energy Potential: Achieving a Just Transition Conference 8 December 2022 – OEUK Awards Ceremony
