Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-32438

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 26 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what employment protection will be offered to women on a placement on its proposed Job Guarantee Scheme who become pregnant.

We remain committed to tackling pregnancy and maternity discrimination in the workplace and encourage all employers to comply with relevant employment and equalities legislation as well as the Scottish Government’s Fair Work policies. We will be continuing to promote Fair Work policies and advice, prepared by organisations represented on the Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination Working Group, to employers, including those who are supporting the delivery of the Young Person’s Guarantee, to ensure best practice on the recruitment, retention, and support of pregnant employees and working mothers.

Maternity benefits (Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance) remain a reserved matter for the UK Government. For as long as employment law remains reserved, we will continue to press the UK Government for the devolution of full employment powers.

Question reference: S5W-32106

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 26 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what actions were agreed as a result of the meeting convened by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism on 14 September 2020 with public agencies to discuss issues associated with camping, pressure on rural communities and the local environment, particularly in relation to the Highlands and Islands.

The group agreed to identify how public bodies, communities and national park and local authorities might work closer to identify long term solutions to visitor management at rural pinch points and scenic areas.

The group agreed to consult with wider interests, including the private sector, and to identify solutions and make recommendations to Ministers along 2 workstreams – one aimed at addressing education, engagement and enforcement and one to examine a national visitor management plan and an overview of collective visitor facilities provision. This group will report back in November.

While the responsibility for adequate service provision is ultimately for the local authority or national park authority involved, we recognise that many areas of rural Scotland have seen an uplift of visitors in recent years. This group will therefore build on the work of the successful £9m Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund which has helped realise material solutions at rural pinch points through the installation of infrastructure such as car parks, toilets and motorhome waste disposal points.

The group agreed to identify how public bodies, communities and national park and local authorities might work closer to identify long term solutions to visitor management at rural pinch points and scenic areas.

The group agreed to consult with wider interests, including the private sector, and to identify solutions and make recommendations to Ministers along 2 workstreams – one aimed at addressing education, engagement and enforcement and one to examine a national visitor management plan and an overview of collective visitor facilities provision. This group will report back in November.

While the responsibility for adequate service provision is ultimately for the local authority or national park authority involved, we recognise that many areas of rural Scotland have seen an uplift of visitors in recent years. This group will therefore build on the work of the successful £9m Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund which has helped realise material solutions at rural pinch points through the installation of infrastructure such as car parks, toilets and motorhome waste disposal points.

Question reference: S5W-32206

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 14 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the qualification criteria will be to apply for the Self-Isolation Support Grant.

Applications for the new Self Isolation Support Grant (SISG) opened on 12 October. The Self-Isolation Support Grant is a new grant of £500. It will be offered through the existing Scottish Welfare Fund, administered by local authorities in Scotland.

In order to be eligible for the Grant, you must:

Have been told by the Test and Protect Service to self-isolate as a result of COVID-19, either because you have tested positive for coronavirus or have recently been in close contact with someone who has tested positive
Be employed or self-employed
Be unable to work from home and face a reduced income as a result of self-isolating
Currently receive, or have been awarded but not yet received a payment of Universal Credit or legacy benefits.

People who are not eligible for the Support Grant may still apply to their local authority for a crisis grant through the existing Scottish Welfare Fund.

Question reference: S5W-32403

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 October 2020
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the vacancy level is for environmental health officers in each local authority area, and how this compares with each the last three years.

Question reference: S5W-32402

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 October 2020
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how the various changes in regulations and restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are being met by environmental health officers, including what additional training has been required.

Question reference: S5W-32400

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 October 2020
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of the environmental health officers in each local authority are female, also broken down by the proportion of those recruited as a result of the additional resources it announced on 22 September 2020.

Question reference: S5W-32404

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 October 2020
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) sickness and (b) absence level is for environmental health officers in each local authority area, and how this compares with each the last three years.

Question reference: S5W-31940

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it will determine the membership of the working group to consider a standalone offence of misogynistic harassment.

Question reference: S5O-04676

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting victims of crime during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Question reference: S5W-31888

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5T-02387 by Michael Matheson on 15 September 2020 (Official Report, c.7), how much it has spent on repairs and other associated costs on the Rest and Be Thankful (a) in each of the last 10 calendar years and (b) since January 2020, broken down by (i) actual repair and clean-up costs for the A83, (ii) rental, lease or similar access costs for the use of the Old Military Road, (iii) upgrading, maintenance and traffic management and associated costs required for the Old Military Road, (iv) assistance to ferry companies for the provision of additional services, by company and (v) remediation engineering works, including for catch nets, catch pits, wig-wam warning signs, slope erosion protection measures, culverts and similar hydrological control measures.

The following table contains the amount spent on the A83 Rest and Be Thankful by calendar year from 2013-14 to date.

A legal agreement with the land owner at Glen Croe is in place for use of the Old Military Road. As this is a private legal agreement, the details cannot be disclosed.

No additional funding has been given to ferry companies in relation to the Rest and Be Thankful.

Financial Year	Actual repair and clean-up costs for the A83	Upgrading, maintenance and traffic management and associated costs required for the Old Military Road	Remediation Engineering Works
2013-14	£1,293.60	£108,648.22	£2,700,977.25
2014-15	£351,020.91	£337,296.35	£610,859.94
2015-16	£527,656.21	£161,862.68	£29,549.97
2016-17	£39,129.12	£389,926.36	£128,610.12
2017-18	£1,708.38	£84,065.51	£770,631.19
2018-19	£1,604,040.86	£43,357.00	£1,824,670.09
2019-20	£453,046.48	£19,778.70	£516,036.49
2020-21	£0.00	£0.00	£139,253.74
Total	£2,977,895.56	£1,144,934.82	£6,720,588.79

Notes:

1. The requested information can only be provided by financial year from 2013-14 onwards (i.e. the current 4G term maintenance contract) due to how these records are stored. From 2010 to April 2013, during the previous 3G term maintenance contract, that data was not stored in that format and as such, annual breakdowns cannot be provided.

2. Costs for financial year 2020-21 are up to the end of July 2020.

3. Repair and clean-up costs: the current landslips from 3 August and 13 September 2020 have not yet been added, as costs are still being calculated.

4. The total investment spent on remediation engineering works at the Rest and Be Thankful includes catch nets, pits, Wig Wag signs, slope erosion protection measures, culverts, hydrological control measures.

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