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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: S6F-01434

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 October 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 October 2022

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-10481

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost each year has been of consultancy fees relating to Transport Scotland’s work on developing long- and medium-term resilient routes to replace the existing A83 Rest and Be Thankful corridor.

Since the announcement in August 2020 to develop a resilient long term solution to the landslide issues at the A83 Rest and Be Thankful, Transport Scotland has spent approximately £5 million in consultancy fees for both the medium term and long term solutions.

Financial Year	Spend (inc. VAT)
2020-21	£1,157,851.95
2021-22	£2,804,916.38
2022-23*	£1,013,000.99

* up to and including July 2022.

This has allowed the environmental and engineering assessment work on eleven different corridor options to be concluded with the preferred route corridor being announced in March 2021.

Design and assessment work has subsequently progressed on five long term solution options within the preferred corridor comparing the relative merits in terms of engineering, environmental and economic criteria. All options are technically complex ranging from traditional roads with structural rock shelters, to tunnels through the hillside and viaducts options crossing through the Glen Croe valley.

At the same time, consultants have been undertaking design and assessment work on a number of medium term options to improve resilience of the route while the long term measure is being developed.

To inform the design, consultants have undertaken a wide range of activities including the development of 3D road models for each option, rock and channel mapping of the hillside, landslide hazard assessments, constructability reviews as well as flood risk and flood mapping. They have also prepared contract documents and supervised the £1.8 million ground investigation and undertaken a range of environmental and topographical surveys.

All consultation, design and environmental assessment reports completed to date, and further details of the data gathering and design activities are available on Transport Scotland’s website: Access to Argyll and Bute (A83) (transport.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-10291

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated through the Bus Partnership Fund, broken down by local authority to which funding has been allocated.

Question reference: S6W-10290

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many bids have been received for the Bus Partnership Fund, and what the value of each was.

Transport Scotland received 14 bids for the Bus Partnership Fund. As of the end of August 2022 the Scottish Government allocated £25,801,453 to Partnerships from the Bus Partnership Fund. Funding was issued to a lead Local Authority to manage on behalf of Partnerships which cover more than one Local Authority area, therefore it is not possible to break down the funding awarded by Local Authority. The following table shows the value of each bid.

Table 1: Bus Partnership Fund awards:

Applications from Partnerships (Lead Local Authority in brackets)	Amount awarded through Grant Letters and subsequent Change Requests received in relation to Grant Letters as of end August 2022.
Argyll and Bute (Argyll and Bute Council)	£282,000
Ayrshire (East Ayrshire Council)	£385,000
Edinburgh and South East City Region Deal (City of Edinburgh Council)	£3,030,000
Fife West (Fife Council)	£734,167
Fife Central, North and East (Fife Council)	£1,065,800
Forth Valley (Falkirk Council)	£567,000
Glasgow (Glasgow City Council)	£3,655,000
Highland Fort William (Highland Council)	£617,000
Highland Inverness (Highland Council)	£2,355,340
Highland Skye and Cairngorms (Highland Council)	£0
Midlothian (Midlothian Council)	£302,000
North East (Aberdeen City Council)	£11,995,596
Tayside (Dundee City Council)	£586,800
West Lothian (West Lothian Council)	£225,750

Question reference: S6W-11228

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 24 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when ministers were first made aware of problems at Arjowiggins.

The Scottish Government, through Scottish Enterprise, has worked closely with Arjowiggins and its partners since the successful management buyout in 2019. Arjowiggins has received Scottish Enterprise loans totalling £12m, equity investment of £100,000 and grant funding totalling £141,000.

Ministers have been routinely updated on the challenging trading conditions faced by the company since 2020, which included the negative impact of the pandemic and more recently the significant increases in energy costs and the price of raw materials. In relation to Arjowiggins entering into administration, Ministers were advised on 20 th September 2022 that a potential sale of the business would not be proceeding, which resulted in the company entering into administration on 22 September 2022.

Question reference: S6W-11227

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 24 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what options ministers considered for supporting Arjowiggins and the reported 360 affected jobs in Aberdeen.

The Scottish Government, through Scottish Enterprise, had been working extensively with Arjowiggins and its partners to explore all possible options to support the business, including the pursuit of a buyer for the business. Scottish Enterprise continues to work with the administrators and partners to understand the potential options for the business going forward and explore all possibilities to rescue the jobs.

The Scottish Government will continue to help those affected through our initiative for responding to redundancy situations, Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE).

Question reference: S6W-11226

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 24 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken to date to support Arjowiggins and the reported 360 affected jobs in Aberdeen.

The Scottish Government is doing everything in our power to help those affected through our initiative for responding to redundancy situations, Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE). A PACE Partner event took place on 29 th September 2022, which was attended by around 150 individuals, followed by a Jobs Fair on 10 th October which was attended by around 500 individuals. We are continuing to provide any further PACE support that may be required by the affected employees.

Scottish Enterprise has worked with Arjowiggins for many years, providing grant support as well as expert advice. In 2019, when Stoneywood Mill was a solvent part of the overall group that was in administration, a concerted effort by the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise was made to secure the company’s future and protect the jobs of its employees. Since then Scottish Enterprise has provided advice, further loan funding and assistance in leveraging private sector investment. Arjowiggins has received Scottish Enterprise loans totalling £12m, equity investment of £100,000 and grant funding totalling £141,000. Most recently, Scottish Enterprise assisted with detailed options analysis and the pursuit of a buyer for the business. Scottish Enterprise continues to work with the joint administrators to explore all possible options.

Question reference: S6W-11225

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 24 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when Scottish Enterprise was first made aware of problems at Arjowiggins.

Scottish Enterprise has worked closely with Arjowiggins and its partners since the successful management buyout in 2019. Scottish Enterprise were aware of the challenging trading conditions faced by the company since 2020, which included the negative impact of the pandemic and more recently the significant increases in energy costs and the price of raw materials.

Most recently, Scottish Enterprise helped with detailed options analysis and the pursuit of a buyer for the business, and an initial non-binding offer was received for Arjowiggins in 2022. Scottish Enterprise were advised on 20 th September 2022 that the preferred bidder had decided not to proceed with the acquisition citing the risks associated with the current economic environment, which resulted in the company entering into administration on 22 nd September 2022.

Question reference: S6W-11309

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the full membership of the new Island Transport Forum.

Question reference: S6W-11308

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline the remit of the new Island Transport Forum.