- Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 07 October 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 October 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what internal investigations (a) it and (b) its agencies are undertaking into any impropriety by ministers or officials that may have taken place in relation to the allegations featured in the BBC programme, Disclosure: The Great Ferries Scandal.
Answer
The Scottish Government and its agencies are considering what further internal investigations are required. Once completed this work will be shared with Audit Scotland.
All parties will cooperate fully with any further investigation by Audit Scotland.
- Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 07 October 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 October 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) it and (b) any of its agencies or public corporations have discussed the alleged improprieties described in the BBC programme, Disclosure: The Great Ferries Scandal, with Police Scotland.
Answer
No discussions have taken place with Police Scotland.
- Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 07 October 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 October 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it indicated any support to CMAL for Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd’s bid during the tendering process for vessels 801 and 802.
Answer
Scottish Ministers were not party to the procurement process and would not have indicated support for any specific bid.
- Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 07 October 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 October 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the allegations and potential instances of impropriety described in the BBC programme, Disclosure: The Great Ferries Scandal, could constitute criminal offences.
Answer
It is not for Scottish Government to determine whether or not criminality has occurred. This would be a matter for Police Scotland to consider.
- Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 07 October 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 October 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what communication it had with CMAL regarding any changes to the requirement for bidders following the commencement of the tendering process for vessels 801 and 802.
Answer
In October 2014, CMAL initiated procurement of vessel 801 and 802. The Scottish Government was not party to the procurement process, which was managed by CMAL.
- Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 07 October 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 October 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has taken legal advice on the allegations of potential irregularities in CMAL’s procurement process described in the BBC programme, Disclosure: The Great Ferries Scandal.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the seriousness of the allegations and we are carefully considering them.
In line with the Ministerial Code, we cannot comment on whether specific legal advice has been taken on this matter.
- Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 October 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 October 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has taken legal advice on any investigations into GFG Alliance.
Answer
The Scottish Government is supported by both commercial and legal experts in its ongoing management of the Scottish Government Guarantee with the GFG Alliance.
- Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 October 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 25 October 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether each event awarded funding though the Scottish Technology Ecosystem Fund took place as described on its application.
Answer
All funded activity was authorised by the Scottish Government in line with the strategic aims and objectives of the Ecosystem Fund.
- Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 October 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 25 October 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many companies applied for awards from the 2021 round of funding
from the Scottish Technology Ecosystem Fund, broken down by the (a) name of,
(b) amount requested by and (c) amount awarded to each company, and for those
companies that were awarded funding, what payments have been made to date in
each case.
Answer
Name of Organisation | Amount requested | Amount Awarded | For Those Organisations That Were Awarded Funding) Payments Made to Date. |
UX Glasgow | £1,000 | £1,000 | N/A |
Product Forge | £49,750 | £15,000 | N/A |
Digital for Good | £17,600 | £0 | N/A |
Scotland IS | £115,000 | £0 | N/A |
Cloud Cover | £18,300 | £0 | N/A |
DIGIT | £50,000 | £10,000 | £10,000 |
Easthouse | £10,000 | £0 | N/A |
FutureX | £45,000 | £25,020 | £25,020 |
Digital Scotland | £28,000 | £0 | N/A |
University of Glasgow | £20,000 | £5,000 | £3,864 |
First Time Founder Podcast / Gigged.AI | £8,500 | £8,500 | N/A |
Michael Boniface | £3,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 |
I to I Communications | £46,520 | £0 | N/A |
Open Source Glasgow | £2,500 | £0 | N/A |
HALO | £50,000 | £0 | N/A |
Gigged.AI (separate application to above) | £3,800 | £0 | N/A |
Proximity | £50,000 | £0 | N/A |
Vivolution | £30,000 | £30,000 | £30,000 |
Direct Partners | £46,000 | £0 | N/A |
Egg | £39,900 | £0 | N/A |
Startup Grind | £45,000 | £45,000 | £44,942.97 |
Startup Grind (Separate application to above) | £6,900 | £6,900 | £5,707.49 |
Pawprint | £15,000 | £0 | N/A |
RookieOven | £40,400 | £0 | N/A |
SCDI | £41,490 | £0 | N/A |
Creative Edinburgh | £30,500 | £30,500 | £30,500 |
Metta | £44,500 | £0 | N/A |
Equity Gap | £4,000 | £4,000 | £4,000 |
Actionable Business | £35,000 | £0 | N/A |
Digital Skills Education | £12,800 | £0 | N/A |
CrowdX | £43,000 | £0 | N/A |
Digital for Good / Crisis | £24,000 | £0 | N/A |
EMEC / Islands Centre for Net Zero (ICNZ) | £46,000 | £0 | N/A |
SIS Ventures | £48,190 | £0 | N/A |
Women's Enterprise Scotland | £43,466 | £43,466 | £43,466 |
Scottish Business Network | £49,346 | £49,346 | £47,089.79 |
Scottish Summit | £50,000 | £0 | N/A |
Codebase | £239,512 | £0 | N/A |
NoCode Scotland | £14,245 | £14,245 | £13,496.91 |
Solstice Digital | £26,100 | £0 | N/A |
Community Lab | £42,000 | £42,000 | £42,000 |
CENSIS | £3,764 | £0 | N/A |
EdinburghJS | £3,250 | £3,250 | £2,979.48 |
Codebase (Second Application) | £42,800 | £42,800 | £39,836.69 |
Make It Happen | £36,980 | £0 | N/A |
The Data Lab | £70,000 | £50,000 | £50,000 |
Goddess Gaia Ventures | £50,000 | £50,500 | £50,500 |
Codebase (Third Application) | £49,000 | £49,000 | £47,500 |
Traveltech for Scotland | £22,800 | £0 | N/A |
Founder.Scot | £7,598 | £0 | N/A |
ScotApps | £39,090 | £0 | N/A |
Glasgow City Innovation District | £24,900 | £24,900 | £23,689.15 |
Heriot-Watt University | £47,982 | £0 | N/A |
Robert Gordon University | £14,000 | £0 | N/A |
Scottish Games Network | £49,425 | £49,425 | £49,425 |
Code The City | £10,500 | £0 | N/A |
Tech Meetup Stirling | £1,000 | £1,000 | N/A |
Exolta Capital Partners | £41,650 | £41,650 | £41,650 |
Scottish Business Network and FutureX | £29,700 | £29,700 | £28,091.80 |
University of Edinburgh - Accelerating Climate Tech Adoption | £12,600 | £0 | N/A |
University of Edinburgh - EI Student Services: Breaking Barriers Events | £18,000 | £0 | N/A |
University of Edinburgh - EIE | £70,000 | £70,000 | £69,125.75 |
University of Edinburgh - Fife Tech Meet up – DDE | £19,650 | £0 | N/A |
University of Edinburgh - Health and Social Care Data Driven Innovation Community (HSCDDI) | £18,000 | £0 | N/A |
Altra | £28,470 | £0 | N/A |
Scotland's International Environment Centre (SIEC) | £40,000 | £0 | N/A |
Games Jobs Live | £9,750 | £9,750 | £9,750 |
eteaket | £5,990 | £0 | N/A |
Female Founder Squad | £38,350 | £38,350 | £26,428 |
New Norm | £3,750 | £3,750 | N/A |
Renfrewshire Council | £5,000 | £0 | N/A |
Ping Creates | £29,500 | £0 | N/A |
Raising Partners | £49,875 | £49,875 | £49,874.52 |
DTLX | £33,500 | £0 | N/A |
One HealthTech Aberdeen | £10,900 | £0 | N/A |
Construction Scotland Innovation Centre | £49,175 | £0 | N/A |
Turing Fest | £46,000 | £46,000 | £46,000 |
CodeCraft | £5,000 | £5,000 | £143.88 |
STAC | £48,400 | £0 | N/A |
Eureka!Europe | £50,000 | £0 | N/A |
AAI | £48,440 | £0 | N/A |
Prewired | £11,918 | £0 | N/A |
Korero Studios | £20,800 | £0 | N/A |
DataKirk | £50,000 | £0 | N/A |
Mint Ventures | £34,350 | £34,350 | £34,348.71 |
STEM Leaders Meetup | £6,636 | £0 | N/A |
British Esports | £25,000 | £0 | N/A |
Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance | £39,240 | £0 | N/A |
Heriot-Watt University and Filament PD | £48,000 | £0 | N/A |
Master the Curriculum | £22,000 | £0 | N/A |
Macresco | £9,000 | £0 | N/A |
DNA Coach | £30,000 | £0 | N/A |
Ewa Grabowiecka | £11,000 | £0 | N/A |
The Startup Race | £50,000 | £50,000 | £50,000 |
Niki Hutchison | £45,000 | £0 | N/A |
Drupal Scotland | £8,600 | £0 | N/A |
MoneyMatiX | £50,000 | £0 | N/A |
Urban Foresight | £42,350 | £0 | N/A |
University of Edinburgh - City Region Deal DDI Programme Office | £13,500 | £0 | N/A |
University of Stratclyde Business School | £16,400 | £16,400 | £11,863.08 |
Scottish AI Alliance | £45,000 | £0 | N/A |
Glasgow City of Science and Innovation | £48,600 | £0 | N/A |
Venus and Mars Dating | £20,000 | £0 | N/A |
A Wild Haggis | £40,000 | £0 | N/A |
- Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Submitting member has a registered interest.
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 4 October 2022
To ask the Scottish Government for what reasons its Rural Entrepreneur Fund (a) has not yet been introduced, in light of its inclusion in the Programme for Government 2021-22 and (b) is not included in its Programme for Government 2022-23.
Answer
The Rural Entrepreneur Fund was a 2021-22 Programme for Government (PfG) commitment to invest £20 million over the lifetime of the current parliament.
In light of the challenging financial environment, we need to prioritise our investments to ensure that they are deliverable, impactful and affordable. Consequently, there has been no money made available for Rural Entrepreneur Fund to date.
Our PfG 2022-23 prioritises support for households, businesses and public services. Following the UK Government’s Emergency Budget we will carry out a budget review to assess opportunities to redirect additional resources to those most in need.