Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-33827 on 4 June 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

(a) Scottish Government officials were first made aware of the emerging situation in Norway by NorthLink at 10:05 on 18 April 2010 when the company referred to this during its routine service update. The option of deploying a NorthLink vessel on this sailing was first discussed between NorthLink and Scottish Government officials on the afternoon of 18 April 2010. The issue was then discussed with ministers the same afternoon.

(b) The decision to send MV Hamnavoe to Bergen to aid in efforts to repatriate stranded UK nationals was taken by ministers at 14:40 on 20 April 2010 once reliable information on demand, which showed that a sailing was justified, had been gathered.

(c) The decision was announced by the First Minister at around 15:15 on 20 April 2010 during an interview with Sky TV. A press release was issued at 15:53 and was placed on the Scottish Government website by 17:00.

NorthLink''s website first indicated at 14:42 on 20 April 2010 that consideration was being given by government to redeploying MV Hamnavoe. This was confirmed on the website at 16:08 and customers with bookings on the affected services were contacted directly.

(d) NorthLink had been kept informed of discussions on an ongoing basis. Once Ministers'' decision was made, this was conveyed immediately to NorthLink. NorthLink confirmed their agreement to undertake this sailing in time for the announcement referred to above.

Officials were alerted at around 16:50 on 20 April 2010 that the Board of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) was soon to meet to consider reopening portions of UK airspace to enable airlines to resume operations. We first became aware of the CAA''s decision to issue new guidance, which enabled the phased reopening from 22:00 on 20 April 2010 of much of the closed UK airspace, when Dame Deirdre Hutton delivered her statement at around 20:20 that evening. At this time it remained the case that many aircraft, crew and passengers were some time off being able to rendezvous together for resumption of normal services. In addition, and notwithstanding the opening of UK airspace, the CAA correctly forecast at that point that there would continue to be some closures under the new guidance albeit to a lesser extent.

MV Hamnavoe departed Stromness for Bergen at midnight on 20 April 2010.

On 22 April 2010, during the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth on the impacts of the disruption to aviation caused by the volcanic eruption in Iceland, the Cabinet Secretary stated in response to a question from Liam McArthur MSP: As Mr McArthur will know, ferries cannot sail at the drop of a hat and the MV Hamnavoe was dispatched at 9 o''clock on Tuesday evening from Stromness to Bergen for an expected 18-hour crossing.

The Cabinet Secretary misread the timeline available to him as 21:00 was the time when MV Hamnavoe became available for redeployment after the completion of her scheduled daily sailings on the Pentland Firth. Midnight was the earliest time she could actually depart once all preparations had been completed.

The Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters marine spatial plan was started to provide momentum in advance of the implementation of the new statutory marine planning system. The main focus has been assembling information which will be necessary for planning this sensitive area, regardless of the final agreed boundaries for planning. The marine spatial plan may be incorporated into future statutory marine plans but this will depend on decisions in Scottish marine regions and other statutory marine planning processes.

The Marine Energy Spatial Planning Group discussed the proposed approach to developing the framework at its meetings in March and August 2009.

Members of the Marine Strategic Studies Forum were given the opportunity to comment on the proposed approach to developing the framework via email in August 2009.

The Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 sets out the procedure that any plan maker must follow to engage stakeholders in the development of plans. We are developing the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters marine spatial plan as a non statutory pilot but intend to engage stakeholders using the procedure set out in the act.

The Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Spatial Plan Framework sets out the process by which a non-statutory pilot marine spatial plan will be developed.

These groups were primarily focussed on identifying the issues for Government arising from the potential of the marine renewables industry.

The Scottish Government is currently consulting on the Framework and will be considering how to take forward its recommendations on obtaining more detailed information on various sectors'' use of these waters before developing the draft plan. Input is welcome from all interested sectors.