- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 June 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) most recent and (b) forecast passenger numbers are on the Borders Railway at (i) Edinburgh Waverley, (ii) Newcraighall, (iii) Shawfair, (iv) Eskbank, (v) Newtongrange, (vi) Gorebridge, (vii) Stow, (viii) Galashiels and (ix) Tweedbank station.
Answer
The most recent and forecast passenger numbers by station for the first six months of operation on borders railway are as follows.
Borders Railway six months in - Single trips
|
|
Stations
|
Forecast single trips for first six months of operation
|
ScotRail actual single trips for first six months of operation
|
|
Tweedbank
|
18,978
|
183,918
|
|
Galashiels
|
20,567
|
104,593
|
|
Stow
|
5,129
|
24,365
|
|
Gorebridge
|
79,014
|
39,400
|
|
Newtongrange
|
46,449
|
50,480
|
|
Eskbank
|
114,568
|
65,672
|
|
Shawfair
|
54,298
|
9,398
|
|
Brunstane/Newcraighall
|
865
|
11,344
|
|
Edinburgh Waverley
|
228,156
|
205,203
|
|
Totals
|
568,023
|
694,373
|
+22%
|
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 June 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 21 June 2016
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will list those circumstances in which grants paid to grazing committees from public funds for agricultural and environmental schemes should be distributed in the first instance to individual shareholders, and what safeguards there are to ensure that public funds allocated in this way are used for the intended purposes.
Answer
Common grazings regulations, which are individual to a specific common grazing, may include provisions on the disbursement of funds. Generally, common grazings regulations are made by the grazings committees themselves and are confirmed, with or without modifications, by the crofting commission.
The crofters (Scotland) Act 1993 does not require the immediate disbursement of funds by a grazings committee.
As regards to the specific safeguards in place, this would depend on the type of funding involved. For Scottish Government administered schemes such as the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme, there are a number of safeguards in place in terms of administrative and inspection checks.
The Scottish Government carries out a range of administrative checks that funding from our support schemes is being used correctly. These checks are in addition to those that are made when an application is submitted and assessed. Some cases may also be subject to further detailed inspection checks.
More information on administrative and inspection checks is available on the rural payments website: https://www.ruralpayments.org
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 June 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 June 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how many times in each of the past 12 months services on the Far North Line have not stopped at (a) Beauly and (b) Conon Bridge station because they were subject to delay, broken down by the reason for the delay.
Answer
In each of the past 12 months services on the Far North Line have not stopped at (a) Beauly and (b) Conon Bridge station, because they were subject to delay, for the following reasons:
MONTH | REPORTED CAUSE | BEAULY | CONON BRIDGE |
June-2015 | Cause not reported | 8 | 6 |
| Conductor issues | 2 | 2 |
| Level crossing failure | | 2 |
| Other mechanical issue | 2 | 2 |
July-2015 | Cause not reported | 2 | 2 |
| Diesel traction failure | 2 | 2 |
| Telephone failure | 2 | |
Aug-2015 | Cause not reported | 2 | 2 |
Sept-2015 | Diesel loco failure (so reported) | 2 | 2 |
| Fire external to railway infrastructure | 2 | 2 |
Nov-2015 | Adhesion issues | 2 | 2 |
| Cause not reported | 8 | 6 |
| Diesel traction failure | 2 | 2 |
| Door fault | 2 | 2 |
| Driver issues | 2 | 2 |
| Level crossing failure | 2 | 2 |
| Token equipment failure | | 2 |
Dec-2015 | Cause not reported | 4 | 4 |
| Driver issues | 2 | 2 |
Jan-2016 | Diesel traction failure | 2 | 2 |
| Telecom equipment failure | 2 | 2 |
Feb-2016 | Diesel traction failure | 2 | 2 |
| Telecom equipment failure | 4 | 4 |
April-2016 | High winds (so reported) | 2 | 2 |
| Other mechanical issues | 4 | 4 |
May-2016 | Diesel traction failure | 2 | 2 |
| External object encroaching onto infrastructure | 2 | 2 |
| Telecom equipment failure | 6 | 6 |
| | | |
| 12-MONTH TOTAL | 74 | 72 |
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2016
-
Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 15 June 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support families accessing children's services.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 15 June 2016
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 March 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how many Basic Payment Scheme applications for amounts (a) up to £5,000, (b) from £5,000 to £10,000, (c) from £10,001 to £15,000, (d) from £15,001 to £20,000, (e) from £20,001 to £30,000, (f) from £30,001 to £40,000, (g) from £40,001 to £50,000, (h) £50,001 to £60,000, (i) from £60,001 to £70,000, (j) from £70,001 to £80,000, (k) from £80,001 to £90,000, (l) from £90,001 to £100,000 and (m) in excess of £100,000 were settled by 29 February 2016 and how many were awaiting processing on that date.
Answer
I can confirm the following is a breakdown of the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme first instalment payments made by 29 February 2016:
Amount | Number of producers |
Up to £5,000 | 4,069 |
£5001 to £10,000 | 1,383 |
£10,001 to £15,000 | 894 |
£15,000 to £20,000 | 653 |
£20,001 to £30,000 | 707 |
£30,001 to £40,000 | 306 |
£40,001 to £50,000 | 127 |
£51,000 to £60,000 | 77 |
£61,000 to £70,000 | 36 |
£70,001 to £80,000 | 15 |
£80,0001 to £90,000 | 5 |
£90,0001 to £100,000 | 7 |
over £100,001 | 12 |
Total | 8,291 |
As at 29 February 2016, 50% of business were still to receive a first instalment payment.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) budget and (b) actual spend was for the Crofting Agricultural Grant Scheme in (i) 2014-15 and (ii) 2015-16.
Answer
The Crofting Agricultural Grant Scheme budget for both 2014-2015 was £2 million. The Crofting Agricultural Grant Scheme budget for both 2015-2016 is £2 million.
The actual spend for 2014-2015 was £1.436 million. As the 2015-2016 funding round is not yet complete and spend for this period will not be known until April 2016 at the earliest.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications it has received under the Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme, and what the predicted payment is per head.
Answer
We have received 1396 applications for support from the Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme. Our modelling suggests that the payment rate will be the equivalent of approximately 100 per ewe hogg.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 March 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Aileen McLeod on 15 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-29286 by Aileen McLeod on 26 January 2016, how much was awarded to Voluntary Action Barra and Vetersay in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15 to develop options for a community-led approach to managing the Sound of Barra Special Area of Conservation; how much of each grant remains available for use, and when the report is due to be published.
Answer
A grant of up to £40,000, payable over financial years 2013-14 and 2014-15 was awarded to Voluntary Action Barra and Vatersay in December 2013. The grant expired at the end of financial year 2014-15, and at that point a total of £3,392.50 had been claimed. The report will be published as soon as possible after the final version is received by Marine Scotland.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 14 March 2016
-
Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 15 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that every household in Scotland will have access to high speed broadband.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 15 March 2016
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 29 February 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 10 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-27538 by Alex Neil on 29 September 2015, what changes it has made to the funding arrangements for 2016-17 for the (a) Equality Fund, (b) Violence Against Women and Girls Fund, (c) Children’s Services Women’s Aid Fund and (d) Rape Crisis Specific Fund.
Answer
In the main, the funding process for the (a) Equality Fund, (b) Violence Against Women and Girls Fund, (c) Children’s Services Women's Aid Fund and (d) the Rape Crisis Specific Fund in 2016-17 has remained largely the same as that in 2015-16, and the criteria under which organisations can apply for funding have only been slightly amended. More information on funding under the Equality Budget 2016-17 can be found here:
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/People/Equality/Funding/263536.