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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S4W-30326

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commission an independent inquiry into the IT systems failures with its common agricultural policy payments.

Question reference: S4W-30331

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made provisions in its budget for penalties imposed by the European Union as a result of delays to common agricultural policy payments.

Question reference: S4W-30338

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 17 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comment by Kezia Dugdale at First Minister's Questions on 3 March 2016 regarding the minuting of meetings concerning fracking between "her environment agency and the Department of Energy and Climate Change" (Official Report, c. 12), what other meetings since 2011 involving ministers or civil servants and special advisers have not been minuted.

Question reference: S4W-30377

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £42 million budget for phase 2 of the superfast broadband programme will be allocated to the Highlands and Islands.

Funding allocations from the phase 2 budget have not yet been confirmed. We are working closely with key stakeholders, including Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Community Broadband Scotland and local government partners, on the development of a procurement and delivery strategy for phase 2. We expect to be able to announce details of this later in 2016, once state aid issues have been resolved and an intervention area has been finalised.

Question reference: S4W-30378

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that the information on the Digital Scotland website regarding the upgrading of exchange areas under phase 1 of the superfast broadband programme is accurate.

The information used to update the Digital Scotland website is provided by BT Openreach project teams working on the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme. This information is validated centrally within Openreach before being passed to the Scottish Government where it is validated and assured against contractual address data. It includes weekly updates on newly enabled exchanges and quarterly updates for forecast roll-out plans.

Question reference: S4W-30375

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether phase 2 of the superfast broadband programme will allow community broadband groups to tender for services in their area.

A procurement strategy for phase 2 has not yet been finalised. It is, therefore, too early to determine whether the procurement process will be structured in a way that will allow community broadband groups to tender for projects specific to their area.

Community-led broadband projects will have a role to play in delivering 100% broadband coverage across Scotland. The Scottish Government has committed £16.5 million to Community Broadband Scotland (CBS), which is providing tailored support and funding to communities to enable them to develop sustainable projects. In a number of cases, this has involved the formation of community companies to deliver broadband services. We would encourage any community broadband group interested in this delivery route to make contact with CBS in the first instance.

Question reference: S4W-30376

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it is having with the Home Office to ensure that 4G mobile coverage is available in all areas of Scotland.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has the departmental lead within the UK Government for digital connectivity, and the Scottish Government is engaged with DCMS on a number of relevant issues, including mobile coverage. Commercial rollout and existing UK Government policy and regulation is expected to deliver indoor 4G coverage to 95% of premises in Scotland by the end 2017.

To address the coverage gaps that will remain, the Scottish Government is engaging with all UK mobile operators. Also, as confirmed in the answer to question S4W-27311 on 17 September 2015, the Scottish Government is in discussion with the Home Office about the role of the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP). ESMCP’s core aim is to deliver an appropriate communications network to support the vital work of the emergency services when their existing airwave provision comes to an end. However, without prejudice to that core aim and within the limits of state aid and procurement law, on-going discussions seek to enable the programme to capitalise on opportunities for its new 4G emergency services network to contribute collateral benefit in terms of enhanced coverage more generally.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Question reference: S4W-30374

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making on achieving EU state aid approval for phase 2 of the superfast broadband programme.

The Scottish Government is supporting the UK Government’s efforts to secure a new UK-wide state aid scheme for broadband investment. The UK Government published a market engagement document in January 2016 that outlines the approach that has been discussed with the European Commission. This will form the basis of the UK’s notification document. A decision is expected in the coming months.

Question reference: S4W-30277

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 16 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it formally measures the level of overcrowding on the Glasgow to Edinburgh ScotRail route at peak travel times.

Question reference: S4W-30279

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 16 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether there has been an increase in overcrowding on the Glasgow to Edinburgh ScotRail route at peak travel times over the last six months.