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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: S6W-18120

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much the Barra and Vatersay Community Campus project has cost to date, and what future funding provision it has made for its delivery.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on how much the Barra and Vatersay Community Campus project has cost to date - this information is held by Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar.

Initial design and development costs have been incurred on the school and community element of the project, which is being delivered through the Learning Estate Investment Programme.

These upfront project costs have been paid by the local authority and will form part of the total project costs, up to 50% of which will be funded by the Scottish Government through the Learning Estate Investment Programme’s outcome based funding model mechanism.

Question reference: S6W-18122

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government which elements of the Barra and Vatersay Community Campus project it now plans to deliver through the contract with hub North Scotland, and within what timescale.

Question reference: S6T-01426

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported demonstrations in South Uist due to ferry withdrawal.

Question reference: S6W-18124

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 5 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17405 by Shona Robison on 5 May 2023, whether it plans to change the financing arrangements for Scottish Water, currently through customer charges and Scottish Government borrowing, in order to permit (a) private investment via an equity stake being taken in Scottish Water, or any of the Scottish Water group of companies, or in any specific capital investment they may be undertaking and (b) Scottish Water, or any of the Scottish Water group of companies, to borrow private finance beyond, or to replace, its Scottish Government borrowing, either for specific capital investments or to fund capital investment in general.

Question reference: S6W-18135

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 2 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to Forestry and Land Scotland to enable car parking charges to be avoided, in order to allow free access to outdoor spaces.

Although through The Land Reform (Scotland) Act, access is free to most outdoor spaces and the use of public and active transport is encouraged, The Scottish Government appreciates that many of our rural outdoor spaces can only be easily accessed by motorised vehicles.

The Scottish Government is in close discussion with Forestry and Land Scotland to see what further mitigations can be put in place to ensure the correct balance between free access to Scotland's national forests and land both during the current economic climate and beyond and the need to sustainably manage our forests and encourage responsible vehicle use and active transport, mitigate safety and environmental impacts at popular sites and support the net zero challenge.

Blue Badge holders can park for free and money-saving annual passes are available.

Question reference: S6W-18134

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 2 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is in relation to reports that Forestry and Land Scotland is extending parking charges to more forests throughout Scotland.

The Scottish Government is aware of the planned roll out of car park charges at a number of additional Forestry and Land Scotland recreation car parks as part of the agency’s sustainable forest and visitor management strategy. Equality mitigations already planned include keeping tariffs low, money-saving annual parking passes and free parking for Blue Badge holders. However, the Scottish Government is in discussion with Forestry and Land Scotland to see what further mitigations can be put in place to further reduce the impact on families at this time.

Question reference: S6W-18136

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 1 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether access to local outdoor spaces, such as forests, should be free of charge.

The rights of responsible non-motorised access to land established through Part 1 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 mean that access to local outdoor spaces, such as forests, should normally be free of charge.

There is a very limited range of circumstances where charges for access can be applied, for example where specific byelaws have been introduced. However, land managers may raise revenue through service provision such as car parking and toilets.

Question reference: S6W-18042

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-02223 by Gillian Martin on 11 May 2023, how it calculated the figure of £1.3 billion.

The figure of £1.3 billion was included in the 2021 Green Finance Institute (GFI) report on the finance gap for nature related outcomes, and was for estimated woodland creation and maintenance costs up to 2031. Costs are calculated by multiplying the total target area of woodland to be created (as specified by the Climate Change Plan 2018 – 2032) with a unit cost per area for planting and, separately, subsequent maintenance. This figure is in line with estimates by Scottish Forestry, who were also represented on the project board for the GFI report. It should be noted that nature restoration costs can vary significantly between individual sites (the type and size of intervention, location and existing condition all being factors) and that a cost estimate for the whole of Scotland gives only a partial representation of restoration needs. The next Climate Change Plan will set out the costs and benefits of the policies it contains and will include details on financial costs of policies, including those in the forestry sector.

Question reference: S6W-17879

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 23 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many accident-related temporary closures of the A9 Inverness to Perth road have taken place in (a) one and (b) both direction(s) in each of the last five years, broken down by month.

Question reference: S6W-17878

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 23 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how long the A9 Inverness to Scrabster road has been closed due to an accident in (a) one and (b) both direction(s) in each of the last five years, broken down by month.

The information extracted does not provide for the differentiation between a closure of the road in both directions or when the road is only closed in one direction and each incident has been recorded as a ‘road closure.’

The length of closures (in hours / minutes) of the A9 between Inverness and Scrabster due to an accident between 2018 and 2023 (to date), month by month are detailed in the following table:

Year/ Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
2018	02.15	07.00	05.25	0	01.35	07.20	0	0	09.05	0	00.55	0
2019	03.00	0	0	15.20	02.55	01.55	09.45	07.40	07.35	03.50	11.20	14.05
2020	04.00	13.50	07.05	0	0	11.00	00.55	0	0	0	13.25	01.15
2021	10.25	0200	03.10	01.55	03.45	11.40	02.00	0	0	0	10.40	0
2022	0	06.00	04.10	13.05	01.30	02.00	0	0	12.35	0	08.25	01.10
2023	07.00	08.17	0	0	04.16