Questions and answers

Question reference: S4W-28246

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 16 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to reform the crofting (a) compensation arrangements and (b) hardship funds, and what its response is to reports suggesting that people find these insufficient.

The Scottish Government is firmly committed to the future of crofting and the role crofting has to play in helping to make rural communities socially, economically and environmentally sustainable. While there are no compensation arrangements or hardship funds available specifically for crofters, the Scottish Government provides a package of measures of support targeted at crofters. This includes:

The Crofting Agricultural Grant Scheme;

The Croft House Grant Scheme;

The Crofting Cattle Improvement Scheme.

In addition, crofters may also be able to apply to a number of other schemes under the Scottish Rural Development Programme, including the Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme and the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme, subject to meeting the relevant conditions. Crofters may also be eligible to apply for support under pillar 1 of the new Common Agricultural Policy.

The Scottish Government reviews support available for crofting on a regular basis. For example, at the request of stakeholders, a review of the Croft House Grant Scheme is currently underway with revised arrangements expected to be in place in spring 2016. This is expected to include an uplift in the level of individual grant payments.

Question reference: S4O-04776

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 November 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available through the justice system for the protection of children in families experiencing domestic abuse.

Question reference: S4W-27733

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 7 October 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to complete major capacity and speed improvements to the Highland Main Line with electrification before 2030.

The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to delivering journey time improvements and greater connectivity for both passenger and freight services operating between Inverness and the Central Belt. That commitment is being delivered in phases. From December 2011 two extra services were introduced each way per day, and journey time improvements of up to 18 minutes were delivered on some services from December 2012.

Phase two of the project will deliver further journey time improvements averaging around 10 minutes, an hourly service between Perth and Inverness, extended to either Glasgow or Edinburgh, and increased opportunities for freight by March 2019. In addition, the introduction of high speed trains on the route in December 2018 will provide more seating capacity and better on board passenger facilities. Future phases will aim to deliver further journey time savings by 2025 to ensure that rail is competitive with road travel.

With regard to electrification, we recognise the key benefits electrification can bring in terms of improved journey times and connectivity, as well as environmental benefits and reduced industry costs – particularly on the intercity network, including north of Perth to Inverness. We are developing an electrification strategy that will set out our priorities for a continuation of the rolling programme of electrification, from 2019 and beyond. The outcome of this work will be announced in due course.

Question reference: S4W-27732

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 7 October 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to complete major capacity and speed improvements to the Highland Main Line before 2025.

The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to delivering journey time improvements and greater connectivity for both passenger and freight services operating between Inverness and the Central Belt. That commitment is being delivered in phases. From December 2011 two extra services were introduced each way per day, and journey time improvements of up to 18 minutes were delivered on some services from December 2012.

Phase two of the project will deliver further journey time improvements averaging around 10 minutes, an hourly service between Perth and Inverness, extended to either Glasgow or Edinburgh, and increased opportunities for freight by March 2019. In addition, the introduction of high speed trains on the route in December 2018 will provide more seating capacity and better on board passenger facilities.

Future phases will aim to deliver further journey time savings by 2025 to ensure that rail is competitive with road travel.

Question reference: S4W-27539

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 30 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government who has been awarded funding from the extra £20 million announced to help tackle violence against women.

Awards from the additional £20 million resource have been made to Police Scotland (in connection with the Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse); Rape Crisis Scotland, Women’s Aid through the Edinburgh Domestic Abuse Courts Service, to ASSIST, to the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service and to the Violence Reduction Unit.

Working with the courts and Crown Office, the additional funds are ensuring that cases involving domestic abuse and sexual offences are being heard more quickly, reducing inconvenience and distress for victims. The funds are also supporting specialist advocacy and support services for victims, including in rural and island locations, as well as training professionals to help identify the signs of abuse and initiatives in schools to address the attitudes and behaviours in our society that give rise to abuse.

The work of the justice expert group will inform further funding decisions in line with the violence against women and girls work stream priorities, within the context of the Equally Safe Strategy.

Question reference: S4W-27538

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 29 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what changes it has made to the funding arrangements from 2016 for the (a) Equality Fund, (b) Violence Against Women and Girls Fund, (c) Children's Services Women's Aid Fund and (d) Rape Crisis Specific Fund.

Question reference: S4W-27536

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 29 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on creating the four violence against women strategy working groups; when each of these groups has met; who chairs each group; who the members are; when they will report on progress, and when they will report their recommendations to the violence against women joint strategic board.

Question reference: S4W-27535

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 24 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government when the violence against women joint strategic board has met; who chairs the board; who the members are, and when it will report its recommendations.

The Violence against Women and Girls Joint Strategic Board will hold its first meeting in November 2015. The board will be co-chaired by myself and Councillor Harry McGuigan in his capacity as Convention of Scottish Local Authorities lead for Health and Wellbeing. The membership is in the process of being finalised, and we will announce this soon. The role of the board is to oversee progress, approve work stream membership and terms of reference, identify emerging issues and ratify the action plans developed through the work streams.

Question reference: S4W-27534

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 24 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what developments there have been regarding Equally Safe: Scotland's Strategy for Preventing and Eradicating Violence against Women and Girls since March 2015.

Since March 2015, we have been taking forward a range of commitments in Equally Safe. These include record levels of investment to prevent and eradicate all forms of violence against women and girls: £11.8 million in 2015-16, and a further £20 million from the Justice portfolio over 2015-18. As announced in the recent Programme for Government, we are developing legislative proposals to tackle abusive behaviour and sexual harm, and plan to consult on a specific offence around coercive control in November 2015. With Police Scotland, we have completed a pilot Domestic Abuse Disclosure Scheme and taken the decision to roll the scheme out nationally later in 2015. We are consulting on a draft National Action Plan to end female genital mutilation. These, and a number of other measures, will continue to be progressed as part of the government’s strong commitment to preventing and eradicating all forms of violence against women and girls.

Question reference: S4O-04642

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Futures Trust about the completion of the new Elgin High School.

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