Questions and answers

Chamber and committees

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 ��˿�� 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-10163

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 July 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 19 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the Rural Scotland Key Facts publication.

The next edition of the Rural Scotland Key Facts is due to be published in July 2018. Rural Scotland Key Facts follows the publication of the updated Scottish Government Urban Rural Classification. The Scottish Government Urban Rural classification is based on NRS Settlements and Localities data which is due to be published in December 2017. Following this, the 2016-17 Scottish Government Urban Rural Classification will be due in February 2018.

When the exact publication date for Rural Scotland Key Facts is confirmed it will be added to the Forthcoming Publications section of the Scottish Government website:

Question reference: S5W-09476

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 28 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the substantive CAP payments for (a) 2015, (b) 2016 and (c) 2017 remains unpaid, also broken down by how much (i) has been subject to loans being paid out and (ii) is not covered by loans.

2015 - Basic Payment Scheme (including Greening and Young Farmers Payment) –£95,798 (0.28%) is unpaid (£38,300 of this has been covered by loans, £57,498 has not been the subject of a loan)

Rural Development - £0.59 million (1.98%) is unpaid – no loans made for these schemes

LFASS – £14.19 million (21.6%) is unpaid - of this £11.19 m are covered by loans - £3 m not covered by loans.

Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme - £47,314 (0.15%) is unpaid – no loans made for this scheme.

Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme - £50,678 (0.86%) is unpaid – no loans made for this scheme

2016 - not all claims are validated so it is not currently possible to calculate the total amount which is unpaid. Loans to the value of £372.36 million have been issued to provide support to farmers and crofters

2017 – no payments have been made for scheme year 2017 – applications for these payments have just been received via the Single Application Form 2017 and the payments cannot be made until the payment window opens on 1 December 2017.

Question reference: S5W-09477

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 28 June 2017

2015 - 96.8% of total CAP payments paid - £457.18 million

2016 - total CAP payments paid - £251.29 million. As claims are still being validated it is not possible to provide the percentage of eligible claims which this represents at this time.

2017 – no payments have been made for scheme year 2017 – applications for these payments have just been received via the Single Application Form 2017 and payments cannot be made until the payment window opens on 1 December 2017.

Question reference: S5O-01136

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 June 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported shortage of dentists in rural and island communities.

Question reference: S5O-01120

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S5W-09322

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 31 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question to S5W-06697 by Shona Robison on 24 February 2017, what data on osteoarthritis prevalence (a) NHS and (b) integrated joint boards collect, and what its position is on centralising this.

The information requested is not held centrally and we have no plans to do so.

The Scottish Public Health Observatory website advises that Oesteoarthritis is not found only in older people, but prevalence increases with age. Practice Team Information (PTI) data, recorded from a sample of Scottish general practices, suggests that osteoarthritis rates in Scotland reduced between 2003-04 to 2008-09 but have stabilised in recent years. Rates remain highest in people aged 75 years and over:

The Information Service Division (ISD) website shows the estimated number of patients in Scotland (per 1,000 registered with a practice) who consulted either a GP or practice-employed nurse for osteoarthritis at least once in the year ending 31 March 2013, by gender and age group:

These data were collected for Practise Team Information programme which ended in 2013. A new national GP information system known as the Scottish Primary Care Information Resource (SPIRE) is in development which will supersede and build on the PTI programme.

SPIRE aims to include richer data from a greater number of practices and will help to inform public health surveillance, research and data linkage. Further benefits will see the creation of a mechanism to feedback data analysis to practices and an improved data extraction process

Question reference: S5W-08959

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 9 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in light of Marine Scotland seafarers' recent vote in favour of industrial action over pay.

The Scottish Government have committed to undertake a comparison of Marine Scotland seafarer terms and conditions, including pay, with that of other employers of relevant seafarer staff. This review is being undertaken as part of current pay negotiations in partnership with the recognised trade unions. We would encourage Unite to continue to engage positively with management as part of these discussions, the outcome of which will also help inform decisions in relation to the pay supplement allowance currently paid to Marine Scotland seafarer employees.

Question reference: S5O-00921

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 April 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to ensure that schools can fill teacher vacancies.

Question reference: S5W-08531

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 18 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on the Calmac Ferries Wi-Fi and broadband project, including the amount spent on each (a) ferry and (b) port.

Question reference: S5W-08539

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 18 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what infrastructure has been installed (a) on each ferry and (b) at each port as part of the Calmac Ferries Wi-Fi and broadband project.

CalMac Ferries Ltd has supplied the following details of the equipment installed on each ferry, with the exception of the MV Eigg and the MV Raasay, and at each port to support the CalMac Ferries Wi-Fi and broadband project. The details are as follows:-

Ferries:

Combination of microwave radio and mobile aggregation devices (these aggregate multiple mobile signals to provide coverage when out of microwave radio range). This provides the connection to and from the ferry - the wide area network.

Standard routing, switching, and wireless equipment to provide local network (including wireless) on each ferry.

Ports:

Combination of microwave radio and "standard BT" connections to provide wide area network;

Standard routing, switching, and wireless equipment to provide local network (including wireless) at each port.