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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: S6W-18412

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 12 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether any discussions took place with Ferguson Marine in relation to (a) restarting construction on vessel 802 from the beginning and (b) constructing a replacement for vessel 802 at a different shipyard, and what the outcome was of any such discussions.

Question reference: S6W-18421

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 12 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether any island communities groups or representatives were consulted as part of the process to determine whether vessel 802 should continue to be constructed at Ferguson Marine or whether it should be retendered and built at another shipyard, and, if so, what the outcomes were of any discussions.

Question reference: S6W-18418

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 12 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether any shipyard stated that it could deliver a vessel before the May 2027 date stated by the Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy during his ministerial statement on Ferguson Marine on 16 May 2023.

Question reference: S6W-18414

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 12 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what the anticipated final cost is of vessel (a) 801 and (b) 802.

Question reference: S6O-02382

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement the rural affairs secretary has had with the fishing industry in communities that may be impacted by its proposals for Highly Protected Marine Areas.

Question reference: S6O-02340

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what support it is providing for modern apprenticeships.

Question reference: S6O-02310

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it is tackling depopulation in rural and island communities.

Question reference: S6W-17382

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 11 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been provided to support work or initiatives regarding diversity on Scotland's islands in each of the last 10 years, broken down by (a) island group and (b) government body providing the funding.

Question reference: S6W-16987

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 11 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the Minister for Transport will meet with communities in Shetland to discuss their transport needs.

Question reference: S6W-16986

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 11 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the Minister for Transport will meet with communities in Orkney to discuss their transport needs.

Collaboration and engagement is a cornerstone of all transport activity and there is community engagement at all levels of transport decision making. My predecessors and I, and Transport Scotland officials, have engaged with communities in developing and implementing strategies and on specific projects such as the Islands Connectivity Plan and Project Neptune, and will, of course, continue to do so in the future.

The previous Minister for Transport and the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands met with the Islands Strategic Group (ISG) on 9 March 2023. The ISG was established in 2016 to consider issues affecting our inhabited island communities, and to ensure greater involvement of the relevant councils in helping identify and design solutions to the unique needs and challenges we know these communities face. The next ISG, which includes the Islands Transport Forum, that I chair, is scheduled to meet next month.

In addition, in May I met with the leader of Orkney Islands Council, Councillor James Stockan, following the grounding of the MV Pentalina. In our discussion, I informed Councillor Stockan that I, and the Government, will continue to monitor the situation. Following discussions, I am pleased to confirm that NorthLink will be increasing sailings across the Pentland Firth to 4 sailings initially for three nights a week, with a review to assess on-going demand as we move further into the summer season.

Furthermore, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands launched the Young Islanders Network (YIN) on Orkney on the 31 August 2022 on behalf of the Scottish Government, providing children and young people with a platform to support meaningful contributions to National Islands Plan (NIP) delivery and to their current and future life on islands.

YIN members are empowered to set their own agenda – based on how they want to address the local and national priorities that matter to them the most.