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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: S5W-23697

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many compensation claims that have been made against (a) Transport Scotland and (b) ScotlandTranserv for damage incurred on the A77 in each of the last 10 years have been (i) approved and (ii) rejected.

a) This information is not held. Under Schedule 4 Part 4 of the contract between the Scottish Ministers and the trunk road Operating Companies, the Operating Companies indemnify Scottish Ministers against claims for damage. The contracts can be accessed at https://www.transport.gov.scot/transport-network/roads/the-trunk-road-network/#45651

b) Scotland TranServ commenced the contract to operate the South West Unit of the Trunk Road Network in April 2013 and since the start of the contract period there have been 336 claims for repair to vehicles arising from potholes and road defects received by Scotland Transerv. The following table provides a breakdown year by year.

A77 Financial Years	Claims Received	Repudiated	Payment issued	Re-directed	Awaiting decision
2013 - 2014	31	21	5	5	0
2014 - 2015	35	28	5	2	0
2015 - 2016	12	8	2	2	0
2016 - 2017	43	29	11	2	1
2017 - 2018	125	112	8	5	0
2018 - 2019	75	68	0	3	4
2019 - to date	15	15	0	0	0

Question reference: S5W-23698

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the A77 meets the acceptable standard set out in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges.

The Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) sets the national standards and guidance for the design of new capital road schemes and maintenance works on the trunk road network. The DMRB is kept under continual review and standards are regularly updated. The age of the A77 varies and improvement and maintenance of the route is always undertaken to the relevant national standards applying at the time. The DMRB does not specifically define any measure of acceptability with respect to road condition.

Question reference: S5W-23703

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on road resurfacing work on the (a) A9 between Stirling and Perth and (b) A77 between Ayr and Stranraer in each of the last 10 years.

In the last 10 years the Scottish Government has invested over £23 million on resurfacing the A77 between Fenwick and Stranraer. Over that time, over £15 million was invested on resurfacing the A9 between Stirling and Perth. This information is stored on a full route basis within the Operating Company unit area.

The following table provides a year by year breakdown over those full financial years;

Year	A77	A9
2009-10	£1,476,299	£2,135,832
2010-11	£2,053,392	£2,199,532
2011-12	£1,733,305	£1,378,546
2012-13	£2,836,732	£2,161,387
2013-14	£2,356,654	£1,913,532
2014-15	£2,067,877	£1,823,956
2015-16	£1,497,955	£1,247,537
2016-17	£2,539,478	£913,323
2017-18	£4,535,230	£753,794
2018-19	£2,234,322	£922,442
Total	£23,331,245	£15,449,881

Question reference: S5W-23704

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many square metres of road have been resurfaced on the (a) A9 between Stirling and Perth and (b) A77 between Ayr and Stranraer in each of the last 10 years.

From the available data recorded since the beginning of the current contract which commenced on 1 April 2013, the total area of resurfacing on the A77 between Fenwick and Stranraer is 433,476 sqm, and the A9 between Stirling and Perth is 216,935 sqm. This information is stored on a full route basis within the Operating Company unit area) The following table provides a year by year breakdown:

Area (m2 )	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20*	Total
A77	78,585	60,479	51,168	63,740	108,253	70,257	994	433,476
A9	25,334	69,052	42,133	31,748	28,313	20,350	5	216,935

*Note – Areas provided are representative of what has been agreed and measured this financial year only

Question reference: S5O-03452

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the value of the third sector is to the economy.

Question reference: S5W-23581

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 18 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in taking forward the proposals in its document, A Manufacturing Future for Scotland, published in 2016, and what the outcomes were of the re-shoring pilot projects detailed in the document.

There has been significant progress made since the Manufacturing Action Plan – A Manufacturing Future for Scotland – was published in February 2016 including:

The Scottish Government has committed £48 million towards the development of the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) and we are establishing an £8.9 million Lightweight Manufacturing Centre which will be a significant first step in NMIS delivery.
Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) launched a Circular Economy Investment Fund which has funded projects to a value in excess of £1.3 million. In addition, ZWS have also launched an enhanced Circular Economy Support Service to provide SME businesses across all sectors in Scotland with a tailored consultancy service to help them explore more circular ways of doing business.
The first call of the Advancing Manufacturing Challenge Fund (AMCF), which will utilise £14 million of European Regional Development Funding (ERDF), was launched on 29 May 2019. AMCF aims to have a significant impact on advancing the manufacturing capabilities of SMEs leading to long-term transformational change.
Scottish Enterprise (SE) launched a Capital Asset Review service delivered by the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service (SMAS). To date, over 600 reviews have been carried out to support manufacturers to develop future-proofing investment plans. This total figure includes 64 Manufacturing 4.0 Reviews which help businesses identify and evaluate the opportunities for them around digital technologies.
Skills Development Scotland has reviewed sectoral Skills Investment Plans with significant manufacturing components and is developing a skills plan as part of NMIS
Over 300 leaders have participated in manufacturing best practice visits as a part of the Smart Excellence Programme to develop and promote knowledge and experience sharing.
The re-shoring pilot projects identified did not proceed for commercial reasons but wider work, managed by SE and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), is being carried out to support more Scottish companies to achieve supply chain excellence as outlined in the Manufacturing Action Plan (MAP). SMAS is working closely with a portfolio of 10-15 Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) tier 1 companies across aerospace, energy, space and pharmaceuticals on local supply chain development challenges, analysis and intervention strategies.

Outcomes expected include: helping SE and HIE to identify how to support wider participation in global manufacturing supply chains, using supply to Scottish-based tier 1 manufacturers as a launch-pad to international success, through innovations in processes, materials and products; and informing a new SE/HIE supply chain development product which can be rolled out across all manufacturing sectors.

Question reference: S5W-23582

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 18 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to develop a re-shoring programme within the (a) life sciences, (b) chemicals, (c) aerospace and (d) any other sector of the economy.

Scottish Enterprise is working closely with a range of businesses to explore the potential for reshoring projects in Scotland.

The life sciences industry has worked with SDI to develop an international sales prospectus, and SDI has worked closely with account-managed inward investors to attract investment with over 700 new or safeguarded jobs created in more than 20 projects from new and existing life and chemical science manufacturing companies since 2016.

Within the aerospace sector, an example is the Spirit AeroSystems A320 Spoiler project, announced by the First Minister in August 2017 and supported by £2.1m from Scottish Enterprise.

In the chemicals sector, Scottish Enterprise alongside Scottish Development International and Falkirk Council, is working with industrial chemical sciences landowners in Grangemouth to promote colocation to attract Foreign Direct Investment.

The Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service (SMAS) works closely with a portfolio of prime manufacturers across aerospace, energy, space and pharmaceuticals on local supply chain development challenges, analysis and intervention strategies. Whilst this activity is not limited to re-shoring it seeks to identify how the Enterprise Agencies support the wider participation of companies based in Scotland in global manufacturing supply chains.

Question reference: S5F-03459

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 June 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 June 2019

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that cases of Lyme disease are diagnosed and treated as early as possible.

Question reference: S5W-23652

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 14 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made towards a national database/audit for fracture liaison services in Scotland similar to the Fracture Liaison Service Database (FLS-DB) in England and Wales.

Question reference: S5W-23548

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 7 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-22800 by Joe FitzPatrick on 14 May 2019, what opportunities for Scotland to contribute to the evidence base it is exploring with the UK screening committee, and whether this includes a population-based screening pilot.

The Scottish Government is currently exploring what opportunities exist for Scotland to contribute to the emerging evidence base. Officials have recently met with academics, the Chair of the UK National Screening Committee, and the Scottish Screening Committee to discuss ongoing studies and trials to identify where Scotland can best add value. These discussions are ongoing and any recommendations regarding potential pilot programmes in Scotland will be carefully considered.