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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: S5W-16969

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-16766 by Humza Yousaf on 29 May 2018, whether it will provide a breakdown of this information by capital and revenue spend.

Capital and revenue subsidy for Sumburgh Airport in each of the last 10 years is:

Year	Revenue Subsidy (£)	Capital Subsidy (£)
2008-09	2,733,281	2,363,073
2009-10	3,380,702	596,736
2010-11	2,857,787	2,407,113
2011-12	2,322,297	549,352
2012-13	2,036,414	1,577,157
2013-14	1,488,868	10,322,508
2014-15	1,090,105	6,197,144
2015-16	1,241,354	6,271,333
2016-17	504,383	4,654,795
2017-18	0	903,276

Source: Highlands and Islands Airports Limited

Question reference: S5W-16668

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 31 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the evidence given by witnesses to the Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Relations Committee on 19 April 2018, including the comment that "[the film] industry is very different from the other things that Creative Scotland does" (Official Report, c. 15), what its position is on whether there should be a dedicated Scottish film unit that is separate from Creative Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to increasing and improving support for the screen sector to help our film and television companies seize new opportunities. This is why we have committed an additional £10 million to screen development, production and growth this year. We want to maximise the effect of our public spending and a dedicated screen unit within Creative Scotland is currently being established by Creative Scotland and our enterprise and skills agencies to better align public sector support and support skills development, investment and business growth.

The new screen unit will have industry expertise at every level and its executive will have the autonomy to act decisively to meet business opportunities. Creative Scotland is recruiting people with established screen sector experience to lead and work within the Screen Unit including a new Executive Director to lead the unit who will have current screen experience. There are also three industry representatives now on the advisory Screen Committee: SSLG Chair John McCormick; David Strachan of Tern; and Gillian Berrie of Sigma Films.

In addition to this, the Scottish Government is recruiting for up to three new members of the Creative Scotland board with screen industry experience. There has been strong industry engagement throughout the development of the screen unit and this continues.

Our focus is on strong immediate support for the screen sector and the establishment of a separate body, particularly when there is a government presumption against creating further public bodies given the cost, time and bureaucracy involved, could delay and disrupt progress achieved to date.

Question reference: S5O-02154

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 31 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how the introduction of car parking charges at some island airports will impact on the economies of those islands.

We are supportive of all efforts to ensure the long term sustainability of aviation in the islands. The introduction of car parking charges at Sumburgh, Kirkwall and Stornoway Airports will improve the economies of the islands by creating a new commercial revenue source which can then be reinvested in improving facilities and services for airport users, including residents and visitors to the islands.

Question reference: S5O-02179

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the promotion of Scotland as a destination for film, television and other productions is best achieved through Creative Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-16673

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 30 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to respond to negative and misleading reports about the impact of immigration on Scotland.

Inward migration is vital to meeting Scotland’s economic, demographic and cultural needs. Population growth is the biggest driver of economic growth in Scotland today and all of our population growth over the next twenty-five years is projected to come from migration.

In our discussion paper on Scotland’s Population Needs and Migration Policy we clearly evidenced why the UK Government’s current migration policy does not meet Scotland’s needs. Economic modelling suggests that the GDP impact for Scotland of the UK reducing net migration in line with the net migration target could be over
‎ £10 billion per year by 2040.

We committed in the Programme for Government that we would seek to build consensus around the need for Scotland to have further powers to develop a tailored approach to migration and to continue to work to address the negative rhetoric around migration. The further powers paper was published in February and I can confirm to you that we will deliver the second part of the commitment before the end of this parliamentary session. We welcome the opportunity to work with partners to address negative and false rhetoric about the impact of migration in Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-16672

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 30 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on running a public information campaign to highlight the economic impact of EU citizens working in Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-16670

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 30 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its potential impact on Scotland's economy, what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the arbitrary immigration cap, and whether it will publish details of these.

The Scottish Government does not agree with the UK Government’s target to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands. Restricting migration arbitrarily in this way takes no account of the need for skilled migrants in particular locations and occupations. It creates uncertainty for applicants and employers, increases costs and ultimately may deter new investment. It is clear that The UK Government’s current migration policy does not meet Scotland’s needs. Economic modelling suggests that the GDP impact for Scotland of the UK reducing net migration in line with the net migration target could be over £10 billion per year by 2040. It is also important to note that the obsession with reducing migration is a key driver behind the creation of a ‘hostile environment’ for migrants which has led to the Windrush scandal.

I have written to the Immigration Minister on more than one occasion requesting a meeting to discuss my concerns about the UK Governments fixation on reducing migration. I highlighted that Scotland is particularly vulnerable to any reduction in inward migration because of our distinct demographics, and that the economic importance of migration to Scotland cannot be overestimated. Frustratingly, the lack of engagement from the UK Government regarding immigration policy continues and I am yet to receive confirmation of a date for our meeting. However, as the Immigration Minister has agreed in principle to meet I expect a date to be forthcoming.

The discussion paper Scotland's Population Needs and Migration Policy can be found at: https://beta.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-population-needs-migration-policy/ .

Question reference: S5W-16674

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 30 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on running a joint campaign with (a) the UK Government and (b) other stakeholders to promote the benefits of immigration.

Question reference: S5W-16721

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 29 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on trialling a ferry service between Lerwick and Bergen that would operate at least once per week.

Question reference: S5W-16766

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 29 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been paid in subsidies to Sumburgh Airport, distinct from the rest of the Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd's (HIAL) operations, in each of the last 10 years.

Year	Subsidy (£)
2008-09	5,096,354
2009-10	3,977,438
2010-11	5,264,900
2011-12	2,871,649
2012-13	3,613,571
2013-14	11,811,376
2014-15	7,287,249
2015-16	7,512,687
2016-17	5,159,178
2017-18	903,276