Seòmar agus comataidhean

As part of the Planning Review, we established a pilot programme of Simplified Planning Zones, funding 3 housing pilot projects which will support innovative housing delivery, including self and custom build. The pilots include projects on an island context, and in rural locations, including looking at how a plot passport approach can simplify planning for those wanting to build a new home in rural areas.

Our investment through the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme has been a major success, extending fibre broadband access to over 800,000 premises across Scotland. This includes 25,000 premises in the constituency of Dumfriesshire, with over 22,000 of these capable of accessing speeds of 24Mbps and above.

The programme was never intended to deliver 100% coverage or to upgrade every BT exchange, but to maximise coverage with the funding available. As a result, some areas will miss out and, unfortunately, the Marrburn exchange is within one of those areas.

The Scottish Government is committed to building on the success of the DSSB programme by extending superfast access to 100% of premises by 2021. The Marrburn exchange will be included in the intervention area for the R100 programme.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-12455 on
16 November 2017. 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

This is an operational matter for Police Scotland. Information about Police Scotland's Gaelic Language Plan is available on the Police Scotland website: http://www.scotland.police.uk/about-us/police-scotland/strategic-planning/gaelic-language-plan

£206k has been spent on Ground Investigation work on the A76 at Enterkinfoot. This figures includes:

• Geotechnical Statement of Intent including Desk Study

• Design of Ground Investigation

• Compilation of tender documents

• Ground Investigation, laboratory tests and factual reporting

• Geotechnical Interpretative Report

We have just concluded a consultation on proposals to replace the current guarantee period of 2 years for shallow excavations, and 3 years for deep excavations, with a single guarantee period of 6 years regardless of the depth of excavation. The consultation closed on 12 November 2017. We are currently analysing responses to the consultation and will carefully consider the views given. We will publish that analysis and our response outlining next steps as soon as we can.

16,877 pupils in publicly funded primary, secondary and special schools were educated in a different local authority to their home local authority. This data has been published in the pupil census supplementary data 2016:

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/dspupcensus/dspupcensus16

The 2011 census produced by the National Records Office Scotland provides detail of the number of users of the language by area and can be found at:

There are two locations on the trunk road and motorway network where temporary lights have been in continuous operation for more than 24 months. These are A76 at Enterkinfoot and the A77 at Cairnryan.

The main route into the Borders for anyone coming from the south is via the A7, which is currently signed from junction 44 on the M6 at Carlisle. The approach to this junction also includes a brown tourist sign for ‘Borders Tourist Route to Edinburgh follow A7. This junction is south of the border and therefore comes under the control of Highways England.

As Langholm is some distance from and not directly linked to the M74, it would not be appropriate to provide signs on the southbound carriageway.