Questions and answers

Question reference: S5F-01828

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 December 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 December 2017

To ask the First Minister what contingencies the Scottish Government has put in place to deal with the effects of extreme winter weather on rural and remote areas.

Question reference: S5O-01548

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the situation with people affected by the Salvesen v Riddell case.

Question reference: S5O-01491

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support the economy of the Highlands and Islands.

Question reference: S5W-12294

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 9 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported distress that can be caused to animals from fireworks, what its position is on reducing their noise levels to a maximum of 95 decibels, and whether it has discussed this matter with animal charities.

The Scottish Government recognises concerns about the noise of fireworks and the distress this can cause animals. A comprehensive package of measures has been introduced under the Fireworks Act 2003. These include The Fireworks (Scotland) Regulations 2004 which restrict when fireworks can be set off. However, the responsibility for regulating the noise of fireworks lies with the UK Government. We have no plans at present to review existing regulations.

Question reference: S5F-01699

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 November 2017

To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had with the UK Government regarding reports that the UK could leave the common agricultural policy and common fisheries policy in March 2019 with no transition period.

Question reference: S5O-01377

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 October 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the proposed cost increase for ferry freight from 1 January 2018 will have on the Northern Isles, in light of reports that it was believed that prices would remain frozen.

Question reference: S5W-11764

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many Scottish Ambulance Service (a) emergency ambulances and (b) patient transport vehicles there are in operation, also broken down by the number based at or attached to each ambulance station.

The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) has a total of 1,455 vehicles in operation across Scotland. This includes 483 accident and emergency vehicles and 486 patient transport vehicles.

The Scottish Government does not hold details of how these vehicles are stationed throughout the country. However the SAS will be able to provide this information if requested.

Over the next five years the ambulance service plans to invest £77.8 million in its fleet with approximately 1000 replacement vehicles scheduled for introduction. This investment will help ensure that the Service continues to provide a high quality level of emergency care to the people of Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-11860

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 25 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it will put in place to ensure that buildings are wind and watertight before it introduces measures to address energy efficiency, such as a Warm Homes Bill and the Scottish Energy Efficiency Programme.

All housing in Scotland must be substantially free from water penetration in order to comply with the Tolerable Standard. Local authorities are required to have a strategy for ensuring that houses which do not meet the Tolerable Standard are closed, demolished or brought up to standard in a reasonable period, and they have broad discretionary powers to assist home owners with work needed to meet the standard. Landlords of both private and social rented housing are required to carry out any work needed to ensure that homes they let are wind and watertight.

As part of the development of Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme we will develop quality assurance standards to help ensure that installed energy efficiency measures are carried effectively and with appropriate consumer address across all sectors. Under our current Scottish Government funded programmes measures should only be fitted where they are technically appropriate for the buildings.

Question reference: S5W-11861

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 25 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has or will put in place to sufficiently rural- and island-proof energy efficiency legislation where skills, labour and materials are likely to be more expensive and scarce.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the energy efficiency of all types of buildings across Scotland as part of the long term Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP). A key element of SEEP will be to ensure that we have a workforce with the right skills, in the right places and numbers, including in rural and island locations, to deliver the programme’s aims. We will publish a routemap on the future direction of the programme next year.

Energy Saving Trust (EST) work with key partners to provide skills training to help businesses, particularly those in remote rural and island areas where the supply chain is relatively sparse, gain the necessary skills and certifications to operate in the energy efficiency and renewables market.

Further, through the HEEPS: Area-Based Schemes we have distributed funding based on an assessment of need, which means that remote areas, including all island communities, receive more per head of population to tackle fuel poverty than those on the mainland.

We continue to work with the six local authorities who are represented on the Islands Strategic Group, to ensure any proposals for change are sufficiently flexible to respond to their unique but varied local circumstances. We will also look at opportunities for innovation, including using digital technology to overcome travel and distance barriers.

Question reference: S5W-11862

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 25 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has in place to ensure that the supply chain for appropriate insulation and other retrofit energy efficiency materials for traditional buildings is robust to support the likely demand once energy efficiency legislation is enacted.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the energy efficiency of all types of buildings across Scotland as part of Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP). A key element of SEEP will be to ensure that we have a workforce with the right skills, including those for traditional buildings, in the right places and numbers to deliver the programme aims. We will publish a routemap on the future direction of the programme next year.

As an early action, the Scottish Government has commissioned the Climate Exchange to provide independent expertise on which materials and technologies could be suitable across a range of house and building types in the near future.

Energy Saving Trust (EST) work with key partners to provide skills training to help businesses, particularly those in remote rural and island areas where the supply chain is relatively sparse, gain the necessary skills and certifications to operate in the energy efficiency and renewables market.

Further, Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is undertaking research commissioned under the SG Energy Efficiency Action Plan to progress research and publish guidance on the appropriate thermal refurbishment of traditionally built and historic properties (dating from pre 1919). This work is still continuing.

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Chamber and committees