- Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 June 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government when Transport Scotland first considered chartering the MV Pentalina for service on routes set out in the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services contract.
Answer
The chartering of the MV Pentalina was considered in late 2019 when it became surplus to Pentland Ferries requirements with the introduction of their new vessel. At that point however the proposed charter terms would not allow the vessel to be meaningfully deployed to support the network .
- Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 June 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what additional costs (a) it and (b) the operator will incur if additional vessels are chartered to cover prolonged periods of service disruption as set out in the current contract for Clyde and Hebrides ferry services.
Answer
The cost incurred due to disruptions, including potential charter of any additional tonnage, if available, would depend on the time over which vessels were chartered for and under which conditions. We are actively exploring opportunities for chartering additional tonnage, including consideration of the suitability of MV Pentalina to increase resilience across the network. In addition, we have also confirmed new investment of £580 million in ports and vessels to support and improve Scotland’s ferry services over the next five years, as part of our wider infrastructure investment plan.
- Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 June 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 9 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what its assessment is of the impact of the Ferries Plan 2013-22 on the resilience of publicly subsidised ferry services.
Answer
The Ferries Plan (2013-2022) published in 2012, following a 4-year review, set out the Scottish Government’s strategic approach for the provision and support of ferry services to 2022. It has led to increased frequencies and capacities on numerous routes, reduced fares and introduced new services. The Scottish Government has not specifically assessed the impact of these measures on resilience and intends to produce a progress report on the implementation and outcomes of the Ferries Plan as part of its work on the Islands Connectivity Plan.
- Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 May 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 7 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a list of all publicly-owned companies in Scotland.
Answer
The National Public Bodies Directory provides information on all Scottish Government public bodies, including those bodies constituted as limited companies. The directory was last updated on 26 January 2021.
The Scottish Government Consolidated Accounts also include a complete list of all nationalised companies where Scottish Ministers are the sole shareholder as well as providing information on other organisations and companies where the Scottish Ministers have an interest. The accounts are published on an annual basis with the most recent accounts published on 17 December 2020.
- Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 May 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by George Adam on 4 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on all care homes, including those in the charitable and third sectors that are currently exempt, being subject to and required to comply with freedom of information requests.
Answer
The Scottish Government carried out a public consultation in late 2019 to gather views on the future use of Scottish Ministers' powers under section 5 of FOISA to extend coverage of the Act. We published our analysis of consultation responses in March 2020 and undertook to further develop and set out the Scottish Government's proposed approach to the future use of these powers. That work was suspended following the coronavirus outbreak but is now resuming, and we hope to set out proposals on the use of the section 5 powers later this year. Our work on extension of FOISA will consider the areas highlighted in the consultation analysis, which include health and social care services provided under contract to Scottish public authorities.
- Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 June 2021
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 9 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what cross-government action it is taking to ensure that island communities are protected from the effects of disruption to lifeline services.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 9 June 2021