Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-06089

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 1 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-03100 by Graeme Dey on 30 September 2021, for what reasons its Strategic Transport Projects Review 2 did not recommend a fixed link from South Ronaldsay (Orkney Islands) to Gills Bay (Scottish mainland).

STPR2 did not recommend further work on the business case development of this proposed fixed link after being considered at the detailed appraisal stage.

An engineering assessment of the shortest possible road tunnel and alternate bridge option, which measured 15kms and 12kms respectively, concluded that both options were currently impractical to construct. The tunnel on the grounds of fire safety and the bridge due to the potential length of span required over the deepest section of water.

Furthermore, while the STPR2 Case for Change for the Highlands and Islands Region highlighted issues relating to the resilience of island connections, no analysis undertaken through the STPR2 process supported a conclusion that a fixed link connection between the Orkney Islands and Scottish mainland would address this strategic problem. Instead, STPR2 recommendation 24, recommends the renewal and replacement of the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services and Northern Isles Ferry Services vessels including progressive decarbonisation by 2045.

Question reference: S6O-00815

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that Historic Environment Scotland is considering criteria that could be used to identify sites that could be left to managed decline.

Question reference: S6W-06093

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 22 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many children living in (a) Argyll and Bute, (b) Highland, (c) Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, (d) Orkney Islands, (e) Shetland Islands, and (f) Moray council areas are eligible to receive a free bicycle and, of those, how many (i) have received a free bicycle, and (ii) are yet to receive a free bicycle.

We do not have the information requested as we are still in the test phase of this programme. In this government’s first 100 days, we established ten pilot schemes to test how best to provide free bikes for school age children who cannot afford one. These pilots will run for up to 12 months, testing different approaches and delivery models, which will then be independently evaluated, to help inform a national rollout. Of the mentioned council areas, Shetland is currently covered by one of the ten pilots. They have recently received a stock of 25 bikes and are waiting on a delivery of adaptive bikes. The pilot team are currently working to identify any eligible children in the council area and begin issuing bikes to them as soon as possible.

Question reference: S6W-06086

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 21 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it estimates that every eligible child living in (a) Argyll and Bute, (b) Highland, (c) Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, (d) Orkney Islands, (e) Shetland Islands, and (f) Moray council areas, will have a free bicycle in their possession.

We do not have the information requested as we are still in the test phase of this programme. In this government’s first 100 days, we established ten pilot schemes to test how best to provide free bikes for school age children who cannot afford one. These pilots will run for up to 12 months, testing different approaches and delivery models which will then be independently evaluated to help inform a national rollout. Of the mentioned council areas, Shetland is currently covered by one of the ten pilots. The pilot team in Shetland have procured their first 25 bikes, and are now preparing their distribution.

Question reference: S6W-06092

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it estimates that every eligible child living in (a) Argyll and Bute, (b) Highland, (c) Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, (d) Orkney Islands, (e) Shetland Islands, and (f) Moray council areas, will have a free laptop or tablet in their possession.

Question reference: S6W-06091

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many children living in (a) Argyll and Bute, (b) Highland, (c) Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, (d) Orkney Islands, (e) Shetland Islands and (f) Moray council areas are eligible to receive a free laptop or tablet and, of those, how many (i) have received a free laptop or tablet and (ii) are yet to receive a free laptop or tablet.

The following table shows how many school-aged children are in each local authority (as at September 2020) and how many devices have been distributed by councils using the £25m digital inclusion funding made available by Scottish Government in 2020-21.

Local authorities across Scotland have a range of approaches to provision of technology in schools, including some councils who have undertaken to provide cohorts of their school population with devices using their own budgets. We do not hold information centrally on those approaches, therefore, the table below only shows devices distributed through the funding made available by Scottish Government in 2020-21.

Local Authority	Pupils (as at September 2020)	Devices Distributed
Argyll and Bute	10,167	1,317
Highland	30,826	4.499
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar	3,328	357
Orkney	2,804	275
Shetland Islands	3,289	475
Moray	12,114	1,315

Question reference: S6O-00750

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the provision of new ferries in light of the publication of the Strategic Transport Projects Review 2.

Question reference: S6W-05711

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 27 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when the Inner Sound Management Group will next meet, in light of the judgment of the Inner House of the Court of Session in relation to the Inner Sound Pilot Scheme.

Establishing an Inner Sound Management Advisory Group was one of the recommendations from a report of 26 February 2020 regarding a pilot scheme proposal for the Inner Sound of Skye.

The landscape surrounding inshore fisheries management has however changed significantly over this two year period, with the publication of a new fisheries management strategy and the marine elements of the Bute House agreement.

Development of inshore fisheries management in Scotland will continue to be channelled through our Regional Inshore Fisheries Groups (RIFGs), including for the waters around Skye. The RIFG network brings fishers together to work with Government, and in partnership, help deliver management that protects the marine environment and supports a strong, sustainable, and resilient fishing industry.

Question reference: S6O-00637

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it will support local authorities to make decisions on local services based on local priorities.

Question reference: S6W-04984

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the current average waiting time is for orthopaedic (a) outpatient appointments, (b) inpatient/day-case appointments and (c) treatment in (i) NHS Highland and (ii) Scotland.

The Scottish Government does not hold average data for ongoing waits, however the latest distribution of waiting times data with regards to ongoing waits for orthopaedic inpatient/day-case and new outpatient appointments is published on the Public Health Scotland website: Stage of treatment waiting times - Inpatients, day cases and new outpatients 30 November 2021 - NHS waiting times - stage of treatment - Publications - Public Health Scotland .

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