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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-16065

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 27 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce a social responsibility levy under sections 14 and 15 of the Alcohol etc. (Scotland) Act 2010.

The Scottish Government position has always been that we would not introduce the social responsibility levy during the lifetime of the public health supplement and until the economic circumstances are right. Although the public health supplement has ended, the Scottish Government does not believe that the current economic circumstances in the sector are suitable for the introduction of a social responsibility levy on licensed premises, with pubs in particular reporting severe difficulties.

Question reference: S5W-15367

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 17 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it will address the reported shortfall in meeting the targets in the Road Safety 2020 framework for fatal and serious injury collisions.

In 2016 there were 191 fatalities on Scotland’s roads.While this represents a disappointing increase on 2015, it also represents a 35% reduction from the 2020 framework baseline in 2004-08.

We reported in 2015 that three out of four of the milestone targets have been met, but 2016’s worsening picture underlines that there is no room for complacency. One death on Scotland’s roads is always one too many and, while Police Scotland figures illustrate a slight improvement for the first half of 2017, all partners remain committed to securing our challenging and ambitious casualty reduction targets.

It is encouraging that, overall, casualties fell by 1% between 2015 and 2016 from 10,973 to 10,901, the lowest number since records began, and the clear longer term downward trends should be acknowledged. Through continued education, enforcement and engineering, we are well placed to progress in the right direction towards our Road Safety Framework to 2020 targets.

To build on the work carried out to date, we have started to look beyond 2020 to ensure continued commitment and progress towards our ultimate vision of no deaths on Scotland's roads.

Question reference: S5W-15479

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 4 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many meetings it has had with aquaculture sector businesses in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018 at which the tendering of Northern Isles Ferry Service contracts was discussed.

Question reference: S5W-15480

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 4 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many meetings it has had with aquaculture sector businesses in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018, at which maritime freight services for the Northern Isles was discussed.

Transport Scotland, has formally met with aquaculture sector businesses on nine occasions since 2015, as per the following table. Discussions included operational issues associated with the current contract and implications for the tendering of future contracts. In addition to these meetings and as part of the Procurement Policy Review, Transport Scotland officials met with representatives from the aquaculture business sector during stakeholder events held in the Northern Isles in 2017. Details of these events were outlined in the Procurement Policy Review Interim Report, published on 20 December 2017 on the Transport Scotland website, as per the attached link;

https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/41273/ferry-services-procurement-interim-report_2nd-go.pdf

Year	Title of Meeting	Date
2015	Stewart Building Group	23 September
2016	Meeting with So Much to Sea	8 September
	Stewart Building Group	7 October
	Stewart Building Group	12 December
2017	Stewart Building Group	2 March
	Stewart Building Group	5 July
	Stewart Building Group	28 September
	Stewart Building Group	11 December
2018	Stewart Building Group	21 March

Question reference: S5W-15280

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 March 2018

Question reference: S5W-15319

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 27 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) NHS boards and (b) the Scottish Health Technologies Group regarding the roll-out of the FreeStyle Libre glucose monitoring system.

The Scottish Government advisory group on diabetes, Scottish Diabetes Group (SDG), has engaged with NHS Boards to provide as much assistance as possible to overcome the lack of evidence-based, safety and cost-effectiveness of FreeStyle Libre ^®.

The SDG has provided advice to help identify people who should be considered for NHS funded FreeStyle Libre ^®across Scotland. The advice is broadly in line with Diabetes UK consensus guideline.

Furthermore, to support a more consistent approach across the NHS Boards in Scotland, the SDG has referred FreeStyle Libre ^®to the Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG), which has the remit to provide independent and unbiased advice on evidence about the clinical and cost effectiveness of technologies that are considered likely to have significant implications for patient care in Scotland.

Question reference: S5O-01924

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 21 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether the cold-spell heating assistance process will rely on postcode to weather station mapping or localised forecasts to determine eligibility.

I understand that the current agreement between the Department of Work and Pensions and the Met Office provides for each postcode area to be allocated to one of 94 weather stations, which together cover all parts of Scotland, England and Wales.

I am aware of calls for more localised forecasts and additional weather stations to determine Cold Weather Payment thresholds made during the consultation on Social Security in Scotland and will take these into account as we ensure that the new powers operate in Scotland’s best interests.

Question reference: S5W-14619

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the combined annual leasing cost for the Hamnavoe, Hjaltland and Hrossey ferries has been in each year since 2002, also broken down by what proportion of this has been met by the (a) operator and (b) public purse.

Question reference: S5W-14620

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the interim report of the Ferry Services Procurement Policy Review, what steps it plans to engage with the (a) community and (b) stakeholders to inform the final decision on whether to tender the next contract for Northern Isles Ferry Services; whether this will include hosting public events as part of this engagement and, if so, (i) whether these will include the participation of (A) the RMT and (B) representatives from all political parties and (ii) what the timetable for these will be.

Question reference: S5W-14623

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on mandating the purchase of the Hamnavoe, Hjaltland and Hrossey ferries by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited from Northern Isles Ferries Limited, and how much this would cost.

The Scottish Government and Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited are currently negotiating the terms for the purchase of the MV Hamnavoe, the MV Hjaltland and the MV Hrossey with the Royal Bank of Scotland.

The terms for purchasing the MV Hamnavoe, the MV Hjaltland and the MV Hrossey are commercially sensitive and release of this information would be in breach of the confidentiality agreements with the Royal Bank of Scotland.