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Following the award of the next Northern Isles ferry services contract to Serco Ltd, staff who work on the existing NorthLink service are entitled to transfer to Serco through the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) rules. Pension protection for workers who transfer under TUPE rules is provided for under sections 257 and 258 of the Pensions Act 2004.

The MV AliCat was not purchased by the Scottish Government.

The MV AliCat was purchased by David MacBrayne Ltd (DML) and is chartered by them to Argyll Ferries Ltd (AFL) for use on the Gourock – Dunoon town centre to town centre ferry service. The survey and valuation of the MV AliCat was a matter for DML and the previous owner. Prior to commencing service on the route the MV AliCat was subject to a survey by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in order to secure a valid passenger certificate.

It was the responsibility of all bidders, in the tender to operate this route, to submit documentary evidence to demonstrate that the proposed vessels met the requirements in the Invitation to Tender. AFL did this as part of their bid.

The estimate is based on the Financial Memorandum for the Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Bill which stated that the total cost including start up costs in the first year would be £481,159.

Scottish Government officials have discussed this issue with Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) on a number of occasions, including, most recently on 21 June.

HIE has reviewed a report from Dounreay on the possibility of attracting the production of medical isotopes to the Dounreay site. That report indicates that the production of medical isotopes at Dounreay would require either a new nuclear reactor or a particle accelerator. This would represent a significant financial investment in the region of well over £200 million. HIE’s view – in agreement with the report from Dounreay - is that such an investment is unlikely to be attractive to commercial organisations without significant state intervention.

HIE also notes that Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is currently working on the issue of the supply of medical isotopes and is likely to bring forward solutions that will work for all of Europe.

HIE will continue to focus and prioritise its resources on developing economic and community solutions to Caithness and North Sutherland that offer a better chance of success, such as the development of jobs in the significant renewable projects near to Caithness.

HIE does not plan to undertake further work on developing a case for medical isotope production.

The number of eligible applications in each of the years were (a) 215 and (b) 200.

The budget for the fund was £1 miilion in each of 2010-11 and 2011-12. There is no budget for the Post Office Diversification Fund in 2012-13.

The number of post offices which received funding in each of the years were (a) 47 and (b) 48.

There is no legislative requirement for the use of defibrillators on passenger ferries. No decisions have yet been taken in respect of service requirements in relation to the further tendering of the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services.

Our current focus is on the finalisation of the Scottish Ferries Plan. The key outputs from that plan will define the main features of the future procurement of the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services. An announcement on the timescale of the tendering of these services will be made in due course.