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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-21387

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 04 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 26 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20407 by Paul Wheelhouse on 14 December 2018, whether any eligible notspots identified will have parity with those identified previously, and whether there is extra funding to reach these.

In Autumn 2018, we consulted on a long-list of 100 candidate sites for potential addition to the Scottish 4G Infill programme. These sites, alongside others identified during the consultation process, were assessed for their potential impact on population and geographic coverage, and improved coverage at tourism sites and along transport routes.

This process has now concluded and on 18 February 2019 we announced the inclusion of further sites to the programme via our website. However, this does not guarantee the delivery of new masts in all locations. The delivery of new masts will be primarily dependent on the commitment of at least one mobile network operator to provide a 4G service from the site. We continue to work with WHP – our delivery partner – to secure these commitments for as many sites as possible.

No extra funding is being added to the programme. It is anticipated that up to 50-60 sites in total could be delivered by the overall £25 million funding envelope of the programme.

Question reference: S5W-21226

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 15 February 2019

Agri Environment Climate Scheme (AECS)

Claim Year	Eligible HA
2016	3706.98
2017	5035.88
2018	9987.66

AECS contracts were not issued in 2016, therefore no land was claimed in 2015.

Rural Priorities (RP)

Claim Year	Eligible HA
2015	10815.09
2016	7169.66
2017	3610.62
2018	1144.67

The fact that the area for RP has reduced over the claim years is a reflection of the transition from the previous SRDP. The area under management reduces as the contract commitments reduce.

Land Management Options (LMO)

Claim Year	Eligible HA
2015	923.40
2016	3.09
2017	3.09

The reduction for LMO is down to the exact same reason as RP and the transition from the previous SRDP. No 2018 figures are available as the last claim year for this scheme was 2017.

Basic Payment Scheme (BPS)

Claim Year	Eligible HA
2015	109860.83
2016	108950.98
2017	110168.26
2018	109839.43

Greening

Claim Year	Eligible HA
2015	109860.83
2016	108950.98
2017	110168.26
2018	109839.43

The claimed hectarage for both BPS/GREENING has remained broadly static over the 2015-2016-2017-2018 claim years, as applicants choose to adjust their claims by small amounts each year.

Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS)

Claim Year	Eligible HA
2015	108341.39
2016	108489.57
2017	109000.93
2018	Not available *

* Processing for all the eligible LFASS 2018 claims is still to complete, therefore the final/total figure is not available at this time.

Question reference: S5W-21121

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 8 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many units in Shetland received payment in 2018 from (a) the Basic Payment Scheme, (b) the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS), (c) greening measures and (d) other agri-environmental schemes, also broken down by the amount allocated.

The number of businesses in Shetland to receive payment for the schemes listed is shown in the following table with the total amount paid under each scheme.

Scheme	Total Paid (1k)	Total Paid (£1k)	Number of Businesses
Basic Payment Scheme (BPS)	3,877	3,468	825
Greening	2,354	2,106	833
Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme Island (SSBSSI)	232	208	105
Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme (SUSSS)	164	146	39
Financial Discipline Reimbursement (FDRI)	71	64	561
Less Favourable Area Support Scheme (LFASS)	2,440	2,179	792
Young Farmer Payment (YFP)	26	23	46
Rural Priorities (RP)	63	55	32
Land Mangers Options (LMO)	8	7	20
Agri-Environment Climate Scheme Capital Items (AECS CAP)	44	39	20
Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS)	300	268	32
Beef Efficiency Scheme (BES)	5	4	9
Other smaller schemes	90	80	58

Total Paid	9,674	£8,647	868 *

* Businesses may have claims in more than one of the schemes listed

Question reference: S5W-21215

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 1 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the £45.9 million funding for Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) for 2019-20 in its draft Budget, and what accounts for the increase from the £36.5 million allocated in 2018-19.

The £45.9 million funding for HIAL for 2019-20 is broken down as £20.3 million for revenue, £16.1 million for capital and £9.5 million for depreciation. HIAL’s budget allocation for capital has significantly increased compared to the £8.4 million budget in 2018-19. This increase is so that HIAL can continue to maintain its infrastructure in order to facilitate the operation of the essential air services in the Highlands and Islands that support our remote communities.

Question reference: S5W-20990

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 29 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-02681 by Jeane Freeman on 12 December 2018 (Official Report, c.15), whether the meeting between NHS Shetland and NHS Grampian has taken place and, if so, what the outcome was.

A meeting is scheduled to take place on 31 January 2019 to discuss the provision and sustainability of several sub-specialties in ophthalmology, and the necessary workforce and infrastructure required to deliver services on Shetland. This remains a challenge. The key issue will be to determine the most appropriate means to deliver services on Shetland, enabling patients to be treated closer to their homes and in a timely manner.

Scottish Government officials from the National Eyecare Workstream will keep abreast of the situation and can give regular updates if required.

Question reference: S5O-02840

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 January 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made on tendering the Northern Isles Ferry Services contract.

Question reference: S5W-20772

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 11 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what support it has offered to each local authority that has pledged to resettle refugees.

The Scottish Government is proud that all 32 Scottish local authorities have engaged with the UK’s Syrian Resettlement Programme. Asylum and refugee resettlement are matters reserved to the UK Government, and the Home Office provides funding to local authorities receiving refugees under the Syrian Resettlement Programme.

The Scottish Government’s Refugee Taskforce, which met from 2015-16, brought together key stakeholders, including local government, to coordinate the initial response to the humanitarian crisis and ensure a warm welcome to Scotland. It also identified areas for funding, including English language learning, employability and mental health, which were used in the allocation of £1 million provided by the Scottish Government to support refugee resettlement and integration.

The Scottish Government has also worked with COSLA, Scottish Refugee Council and other partners, including local authorities, to develop the second New Scots refugee integration strategy, which runs from 2018-22. The strategy provides a clear framework for all those working to support refugees to settle in Scotland.

Question reference: S5O-02762

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 January 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress towards its 90% carbon reduction target, and how district heating schemes can help achieve this.

Question reference: S5W-20578

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 8 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many STEM bursaries will be available for courses starting in August 2019, and what the target intake will be.

Question reference: S5W-20694

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 8 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on allowing district heating schemes to have the appropriate Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) rating to facilitate their eligibility as a heating source in new-build public sector housing contracts.

The treatment of heat supplied to new homes from district heating networks as it relates to emissions targets for new homes will be investigated as part of the current review of energy standards within building regulations. We intend to consult on these and other changes in late 2019.

To address specific concerns raised earlier this year, the Scottish Government have worked with Shetland Island Council and representatives of the Lerwick district heating scheme to establish an alternative approach to compliance with current building regulations. This was recently agreed in principle and will enable connection of new homes to the district heating network as a viable alternative to other heating solutions.