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 MSPs 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-32159

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S5O-04661

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what impact it expects on Scotland’s rural economy and Scottish producers’ ability to export their goods of the proposed Kent Access Permit scheme.

Question reference: S5W-31843

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 30 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Member's letter of 4 August and its reply of 3 September 2020, whether it will provide an answer to the request for it to commission independent research into the social and environmental impact of tourism.

The Scottish Government remains focused on understanding the impact that COVID-19 has had on the sector and what steps will be required to ensure its long term recovery.

Although at this point we will not be commissioning a specific piece of research, we are committed to ensuring that any growth is sustainable growth for the industry and our communities and sustainability is a key a consideration of Scotland Outlook 2030, Scotland’s national tourism strategy.

As we look towards recovery and towards stimulating tourism once again when the time is right, it is important that we consider the impact of our visitors and our potential to manager them better. I therefore organised a summit with key public sector stakeholders on 14 September to discuss a national and collaborated public sector approach to visitor management in rural communities. Stakeholders will report recommendations to Ministers in due course with an aim to realising material solutions and building on the success of Scottish Government’s £9m Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund.

Question reference: S5W-31905

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 29 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it has seen regarding whether Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) will be able to monetise the expertise gained as part of the Air Traffic Management System (ATMS) project.

Question reference: S5W-31908

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 29 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what oversight it has of the costs of the Air Traffic Management System (ATMS) project, in light of reported concerns about the increase in these.

Question reference: S5W-31907

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what mechanisms are available to employees, experts and ministers to challenge the islands impact assessment that Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) is carrying out on the proposal for remote air traffic control if they have concerns regarding its accuracy.

Question reference: S5W-31906

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the islands impact assessment that Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) is carrying out on the proposal for remote air traffic control will be impartial.

The ATMS strategy was approved in January 2018 and precedes the Islands (Scotland) Act. Accordingly, HIAL is not required to undertake an impact assessment but in the spirit of transparency agreed to do so. HIAL commissioned an independent consultant - who has experience of working with islands local authorities - to carry out the role and the process includes community engagement and consultation phase, due to be completed by 30 September.

Question reference: S5W-31705

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 17 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Highlands and Islands Enterprise business case for the repair of the funicular on Cairn Gorm will be published in full to allow the Parliament and the public to scrutinise the plans prior to the Scottish Government’s decision on the matter.

Question reference: S5W-31706

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 17 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to receive the business case for the repair of the funicular on Cairn Gorm from Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and how long it estimates it will take for a decision to be reached.

Question reference: S5W-31473

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what role it has in monitoring Trust Ports to ensure that they operate in the public, rather than exclusively commercial, interest.

Trust ports are independent statutory bodies, governed by their own local legislation and run by independent boards. Board composition is best served when there is expertise covering the working components of the port and where there is knowledge and consideration of local issues and impacts. It is the duty of the boards, at all times, to strike a balance that respects the interests of all stakeholders, not just one group, in the light of the objectives of the port, including commercial considerations, and what constitutes the 'common good' for all stakeholders (current and future) and the port itself.

Scottish Ministers do not have a role in the operational matters which boards take forward. The issue of whether any statutory undertaker is operating outwith its powers would be a matter for the courts. Any party which feels that a trust port is operating outside their powers as set out in the relevant legislation should raise this with the port in the first instance, but ultimately has the option to consider the potential for legal remedy.

The Scottish Government expects trust ports to follow “Modern Trust Ports for Scotland: Guidance for Good Governance” as a benchmark. The port should be considered a valuable asset, presently safeguarded by the existing board, and whose duty it is to hand it on in a similar or better position to succeeding generations. This remains the ultimate responsibility of the board, with future generations remaining the ultimate stakeholder.

The Modern Trust Ports for Scotland: Guidance for Good Governance can be found on the Transport Scotland website:

https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/modern-trust-ports-for-scotland-guidance-for-good-governance/ .