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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: S5O-05095

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 March 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the recommendation by the Chief Executive of the Committee on Climate Change that policies for the agricultural sector must be created rapidly to protect the environment and meet emissions targets.

Question reference: S5O-05078

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action the Minister for Older People and Equalities takes to ensure that its policies do not contribute to loneliness and isolation.

Question reference: S5O-05045

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the projected impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is on the economy of the Highlands for the current financial year.

Question reference: S5O-05031

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when the new HMP Inverness will be completed.

Question reference: S5O-04981

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 January 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when the Communities Secretary last met the Chief Executive of The Highland Council.

Question reference: S5O-04965

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 January 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether all children with learning disabilities in early years education are being identified and diagnosed to ensure that they are receiving targeted support.

Question reference: S5W-33218

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 7 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding Lot 1 of the R100 high-speed broadband programme, whether it is on track to finalise the contract award to BT by the end of 2020; when the contract award with BT will be finalised, and when it will announce the revised delivery schedule for Lot 1.

We are in the final stages of finalising the R100 North Lot (Lot 1) contract award and remain on track to sign the contract by the end of this calendar year. The contract will ensure delivery of future-proofed broadband infrastructure to homes and businesses across the North of Scotland, including in some of our most remote parts and all of our islands communities.

Once the contract is signed, we will work with BT to finalise planned coverage, taking into account the latest information on commercial coverage, and immediately start site surveys and build. Parliament will be kept informed and the online checker, available to the public, will be updated in a timely manner as premises level detail flows through.

Our Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS), which has now launched, will ensure that everyone who requires a superfast broadband connection by the end of 2021 can have one - including those in the R100 North Lot.

Question reference: S5W-33217

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 3 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding Lot 1 of the R100 high-speed broadband programme, how many properties (a) are eligible and (b) have applied for each level of the Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme, and, in the event that applications are made to the Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme prior to its link-up with the UK Government’s Rural Gigabit Connectivity Programme, whether applicants can benefit from the top-up retrospectively.

At present, any premises in the North of Scotland (Lot 1) of our £600m R100 Superfast Broadband programme that are not able to access a superfast speed of 30 Megabits per second (Mbps) or above is eligible for a ‘main’ voucher – worth up to £5,000 – through the Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS). As of 18 November 2020, the SBVS team has received 53 requests for vouchers in the Lot 1 area.

Suppliers have also now been made aware of the link-up we have secured between the UK Government’s Rural Gigabit Connectivity Programme vouchers (RGVS) and the SBVS vouchers since the launch of the SBVS on 14th September 2020, so there is no requirement for retrospective SBVS applications to be made. This enables these benefits from our £5,000 per premises voucher, under SBVS, to receive a top-up under RGVS of a further £3,500 for an SME business or £1,500 for a residential address.

Question reference: S5W-33353

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the further funding to support additional COVID-19 spending across health and social care services, how much (a) has already been transferred and (b) will be made available in the current financial year to each NHS board; how many tranches of payments this will include; on what dates each tranche of payments will be delivered, and whether the additional funding is limited to COVID-19 spending activities, or can be used to cover additional costs where savings were unable to be made as a result of the pandemic’s impact.

The Scottish Government has confirmed additional funding of £1.1 billion to support the health and social care sector in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding announcement provides support for the additional costs reported by Boards in responding to COVID-19, including additional staffing and equipment costs included in Local Mobilisation Plans.

It is for individual Boards and Integration Authorities to determine how best to use these resources to recognise local pressures and priorities. Detail on funding for each NHS Board area is set out in response to question S5W-32107 on 29 September 2020.

Further funding will be made available in the coming months to ensure that our frontline services continue to have the funding that they require. This will include provision of support for additional costs where savings were unable to be made as a consequence of the pandemic.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

Question reference: S5W-33216

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 26 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the construction of the proposed HMP Highland, which company was awarded the public contract published on 26 August 2020 to provide specialist professional advisory services relating to the development of the new prison facility; how much this cost; what actions were required to address specific planning conditions in the planning consents; what the budgeted cost was for these additional works; what the cost has been to date; what the current projected final cost is; whether the additional works required in the planning permission to open the site have been completed; if so, on what date they were completed; if not, (i) when they will be completed and (ii) on completion of these works, on what date funding will be made available to begin construction of HMP Highland, and what negotiations have taken place for additional public transport availability to and from the new site.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Baker Hicks Ltd. were awarded the public contract published on 26 August 2020 to provide specialist advisory services relating to the new HMP Highland. The total cost of the services to be provided by Baker Hicks is £50,904.

Planning Permission in Principle (PPIP) for the development of HMP Highland at Inverness Retail and Business park was obtained in December 2017. The permission was granted subject to various Matters Specified in Conditions (MSCs) which must be addressed by the applicant and discharged by the planning authority prior to development commencement Baker Hicks Ltd. were commissioned to carry out preparatory work in support of the discharge of the MSCs and submit the applications to the Highland Council.

The cost of the physical works which are covered by the MSCs, for example landscaping, lighting and drainage will be included in the design and build contract, which has still to reach the invitation to tender stage. None of the physical construction work has therefore commenced.

The total cost to date in progressing the HMP Highland project is £5,516,864, which includes costs associated with the purchase of the land. The current overall project budget estimate is £92m, subject to confirmation of requirements and any changes in inflation projections.

The additional works that are required by the planning permission before opening the site have not been completed. The MSCs require to be agreed through formal application prior to the commencement of the development of the site. This is the work that is currently being progressed by Baker Hicks Ltd. The original deadline for submission of the application(s) to discharge the MSCs was 20 December 2020. This has been extended to 30 September 2021 under the emergency provisions within the Coronavirus legislation. It is our intention to progress the application as soon as practicably possible.

We anticipate that HMP Highland will feature within the Scottish Government’s Infrastructure and Investment plan and funding may form part of budget considerations before the end of this financial year.

Condition 11 of the PPIP requires the Scottish Prison Service to provide a Travel Plan to ensure that there is management and monitoring of traffic generated by staff and visitors travelling to and from the new establishment once it is operational. Traffic impacts were originally modelled within the Transport Assessment which was submitted as part of the PPIP application. The PPIP consent did not include any requirement for the Scottish Prison Service to provide or negotiate any additional public transport services to the site. However, a section 75 agreement was concluded with Highland Council which required the payment of an infrastructure contribution for active travel and road improvements. The S75 agreement also included the transfer of land and the granting of rights over SPS land for road construction/improvement. The latter includes land which has been used for the formation of the new active travel link over the railway line between the University of the Highland and Islands and the Retail Park. This is now in operation and is being utilised by local bus services, pedestrians and cyclists.