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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: S4W-25388

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 April 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 7 May 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the differences are between the funding formula used to calculate road equivalent tariff fares in Assessment of the Impacts of the Road Equivalent Tariff Pilot: Draft Final Report of March 2011 and in Scottish Ferry Services: Ferries Plan (2013-2022), published in December 2012, and what the reasons are for the changes.

Based on independent contemporary research, the variable element of the road equivalent tariff (RET) car formula, the rate per mile, was updated in 2012 to £0.80 per mile to reflect the higher costs of motoring. A comparable increase was made to the variable element of the RET formula for foot passengers, which was updated to £0.13 per mile. The comparable figures for 2008 were £0.60 per mile and £0.10 per mile respectively. The fixed elements of the RET formula, for both cars and foot passengers, £5.00 and £2.00 respectively, did not change between 2008 and 2012.

Question reference: S4W-25389

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 April 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 7 May 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-25249 by Derek McKay on 24 April 2015, if no increase was assumed in table 11.7 where the road equivalent tariff (RET) would result in a higher fare, for what reason RET was not introduced on the routes where it would result in lower fares.

Question reference: S4W-25318

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 20 April 2015
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 May 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether farmers applying for support under the new common agricultural policy will be required to submit their Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) forms in advance of the publication of the details about the payment regions.

As per the answer to question S4W-25316 on 7 May 2015, farmers have already received details of the provisional allocations of their agricultural land into the three payment regions, however, this information is not necessary for the completion of the single application form (SAF). Farmers should complete their SAFs without delay ensuring that they only declare eligible land and eligible activity for the area they are seeking payments. Once this information is validated final allocation of payment regions can be made. 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-25316

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 20 April 2015
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 May 2015

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will publish details of the payment regions under the new common agricultural policy, and what discussions it has had with NFU Scotland regarding the delays in publication.

Details of the payment regions were announced to Parliament on the 11 June 2014. Since then, in October 2014, we wrote to each individual farmer with details of the provisional allocation of their agricultural land into the three new payment regions. Farmers were given the opportunity to request a review of the provisional allocation and we are currently working through those review requests.

payment regions and payment rates can only be finalised once the 2015 single application Form forms have been submitted and validated and we know how much land has been declared and claimed in each region.

We have regular discussions with NFUS on a number of issues including the CAP.

Question reference: S4W-25286

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 April 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 6 May 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on student debt being included in any future sale of debt.

Question reference: S4W-25348

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 April 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 5 May 2015

To ask the Scottish Government who the membership of the Widening Access Commission are; what its remit is, and whether this will include examining student financial support levels.

<>Further to the appointment of Dame Ruth Silver as Chair, the Scottish Government announced the membership of the Widening Access Commission in a press release on Wednesday 29 April 2015. Members are:

Professor Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, University of Glasgow

Liz McIntyre, Principal, Borders College

Ali Jarvis, Chair of SFC’s Access & Inclusion Committee

Maureen McKenna, Executive Director of Education, Glasgow City Council

Gerry Lyons, Headteacher, St Andrew’s Secondary School, Glasgow

Jean Carwood-Edwards, Chief Executive, Early Years Scotland

Helen Martin, Assistant Secretary, Scottish Trades Union Congress

Russell Gunson, Director, NUS Scotland

Vonnie Sandlan, Women’s Officer & President elect, NUS Scotland

Professor Petra Wend, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Queen Margaret University

Caroline Stuart, Oracle Ltd

One further member, to bring a UK perspective, will be announced shortly.

The commission is in the process of finalising its remit but our expectation is that it will consider: barriers to access; measurement and targets; and the identification and upscaling of existing good practice.

Question reference: S4W-25134

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 27 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government when student support rates for 2015-16 will be published.

The 2015-16 funding guide, which includes details of student support rates, became available on the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) website on 2 April 2015. The SAAS events team has distributed the guide at events since 26 March 2015.

The Scottish Government is committed to free tuition and providing financial support for students’ living costs. Ministers will always take the opportunity (including in-year) to further improve student support when that is affordable.

Question reference: S4W-25249

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 April 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 24 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how it reconciles the statement in the letter to Liam McArthur MSP from the Minister for Transport and Islands dated 5 February 2015 that “The Ferries Plan, published in December 2012, made clear that Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) will form the basis for the fares structure across all sailings ensuring more people benefit from lower fares. For the Northern Isles, introducing RET would actually increase fares on a number of services. The Ferries Plan was clear that RET would be introduced to the Northern Isles over a much longer timeframe, in order that no one would pay more for an RET fare.” with Table 11.7 of the Scottish Government Assessment of the Impacts of the Road Equivalent Tariff Pilot Draft Final Report, March 2011, which shows no increases in fares on any routes and that foot passengers would receive a 19% reduction in fares between Aberdeen and Lerwick and a 65.7% reduction between Scrabster and Stromness.

We have always been clear that while road equivalent tariff RET would reduce some fares on services to the Northern Isles, it would significantly increase a number of fares. Therefore the commitment made in The Ferries Plan, published in December 2012, is to introduce RET to the Northern Isles over a longer timeframe, beyond the term of this Parliament.

In table 11.7 of the report referred to, where RET would have been higher than the existing fare, no increase was assumed. Additionally, the RET formula used in the report is out of date, and does not reflect the current RET formula or the current fare pricing situation on the Northern Isles ferry routes. An updated RET formula was applied in 2012 and showed that introducing RET would continue to increase a number of fares on Northern Isles services. Using the most up to date formula from this year does not change this position.

Consideration of how RET can be applied on the Northern Isles will be given during the course of this year, as part of the wider work required to review the RET formula.

Question reference: S4W-24827

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 25 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) consideration it has given to and (b) representations it has received regarding locating Wave Energy Scotland in Orkney.

Question reference: S4W-24831

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 25 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the debate on motion S4M-12218 on 18 February 2015, where Wave Energy Scotland is to be located in the future.