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-16332

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 15 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of Lyme disease were (a) reported and (b) treated in each NHS board area in 2017-18.

The following table shows the number of laboratory confirmed cases of Borrelia burgdorferi reported to Health Protection Scotland (HPS). These numbers are likely to underestimate the total number of treated cases of Lyme disease, because current guidance recommends that health care professionals treat patients presenting with the erythma migrans rash immediately with antibiotics, without requiring laboratory testing.

NHS Board	Laboratory reports of Borrelia burgdorferi to HPS April 2017-March 2018
Ayrshire & Arran	2
Borders	1
Dunfries & Galloway	4
Fife	2
Forth Valley	2
Greater Glasgow & Clyde	9
Grampian	27
Highland	67
Lanarkshire	4
Lothian	15
Orkney	1
Shetland	0
Tayside	15
Western Isle	6
Total	155

The data for 2018 is provisional.

Question reference: S5W-16314

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 10 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many antisocial behaviour (a) offences were recorded and (b) orders were given for environmental damage in each year since 2011, also broken down by policing division.

Information on the number of antisocial behaviour offences recorded for environmental damage is not held centrally. The data the Scottish Government receives from Police Scotland is a general count of the number of crimes and offences recorded by the police, split by local authority, and the number cleared up by the police. We don’t receive further details on the specific characteristics of these crimes. This means we are unable to distinguish whether crimes have been associated with antisocial behaviour.

Information on the number of Antisocial Behaviour Orders given for environmental damage is not held centrally. The Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Act 2004 places a statutory requirement on local authorities to keep records of all antisocial behaviour orders and interim orders. You may wish to contact local authorities directly to request the information sought.

Question reference: S5W-16244

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 April 2018
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 4 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will continue to allow the option of a paper Single Application Form after 2018-19 for farmers, crofters and land managers who face exceptional circumstances, such as having no access to the internet or a computer.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that the SAF application process will continue to accommodate all customers, including all those located across the Highlands and Islands and within other rural and remote parts of Scotland.

There are clear advantages to customers in submitting their SAF online, including reducing the risk of making inadvertent application errors, the Scottish Government remains committed to ensuring that as many customers as possible access these benefits. The Scottish Government also remains committed to ensuring that customers, and particularly those experiencing the online application process for the first time, have the opportunity to access appropriate support to help them apply online. That support includes the offer of one-to-one appointments, including over the phone support and / or access to Wi-Fi enabled customer service areas located across the 16 Rural Payments and Inspections Division (RPID) Area Offices. It has also included running regional customer events across Scotland in direct response to customer demand for these (including in Kirkwall, Thurso, Golspie, Portree and Benbecula). These sessions have been focussed on guiding customers who had previously applied on paper (including customers who have limited experience of IT or no access to a computer) through the online application process.

In determining what happens next, the Scottish Government will evaluate the 2018 SAF Get Online campaign programme this summer including analysis of customer feedback. From this evaluation we will determine the future policy on SAF paper applications.

Question reference: S5O-02080

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 May 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve ferry services in the Highlands and Islands.

Question reference: S5W-15839

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 26 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on retaining a Dunoon town centre to Gourock town centre ferry service.

Question reference: S5W-15553

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 17 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-15162 by Humza Yousaf on 16 March 2018, in light of the question being about the Cowal Peninsula, for what reason the response referred to the Corran Narrows, which is in a different area of the Highlands and Islands, and whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding what its position is on the Cowal Fixed Link Working Group’s proposal to "connect South Argyll & Bute to the Scottish Central Belt by either rail and/or road utilising one or more fixed links (tunnels, bridges)".

Due to an administrative error the original answer provided to ‎ S5W-15162 on the 16 March was not the intended response to the question. I wrote to the member on the 21 March apologising and providing him with the correct answer.

The answer to S5W-15162 has now been corrected on the Parliamentary website and I would refer the member to the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Question reference: S5W-15162

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 16 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Cowal Fixed Link Working Group’s proposal to "connect South Argyll & Bute to the Scottish Central Belt by either rail and/or road utilising one or more fixed links (tunnels, bridges)".

The government is keen to explore all aspects of Scotland’s connectivity and that is why the ongoing review of the National transport Strategy is considering the issue of connectivity to the country’s islands and remote communities, such as Argyle & Bute. The NTS review will inform the next Strategic Transport Projects Review which will identify the transport interventions required to provide Scotland with a transport network fit for the 21st century. Both of these reviews will involve extensive engagement and consultation and will provide opportunities to stakeholders to present their views on the issues and opportunities for their local area.

Question reference: S5W-14833

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 8 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the finding by Scottish Natural Heritage in the paper, Index of abundance for Scottish terrestrial breeding birds, 1994-2016, which suggests that there has been a significant decline in more than half of the country's upland bird population.

Wading birds are some of the best studied upland bird species, and also have had the greatest declines. The most important influences affecting upland waders are changes to their habitat, predation pressure and the interactions between these factors. Climate change may also be affecting prey availability for some species, while for other species that also spend time on low ground, changes in agricultural practices may also be a factor.

Further research is required to identify the key factors for different upland breeding bird species. Many organisations including Scottish Natural Heritage, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, British Trust for Ornithology, Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, and the Moorland Association are contributing to the research effort and looking at how to halt and reverse these declines.

One example in Scotland is the Scottish Government (SG) backed Working for Waders project. The Working for Waders Action Groups are focusing on collaborative on-the-ground work, predator control, habitat management and developing best practice with a view to addressing the decline in our waders.

More general action for upland birds comes through the SG’s Scottish Rural Development Programme and work is underway to help tackle these declines through extensive peatland restoration.

Question reference: S5W-14834

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 8 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to research conducted by the University of St Andrews, which suggests that more needs to be done to protect carbon stores in sea lochs.

The Scottish Government welcomes the research of the University of St Andrews. Our new blue carbon research programme, as outlined in the Climate Change Plan, will complement this and provide further understanding of the value of this resource and how to protect it. Many of the key blue carbon habitats and species described in the report are already protected as Priority Marine Features, and several sea lochs are also safeguarded within Scotland’s Marine Protected Area Network .

Question reference: S5W-14807

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 8 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of households served by the telephone exchange in (a) Kilkenzie, (b) Tayinloan, (c) Gigha, (d) Skipness, (e) Glendarvel, (f) Colonsay, (g) Colintraive, (h) Achnamara, (i) Lochavich, (j) Kilninver, (k) Luing, (l) Pennyghael, (m) Tiroran, (n) Lismore, (o) Kinlochspelve, (p) Fionnphort, (q) Ulva Ferry and (r) Bonawe in the Highlands and Islands region are able to connect to fibre broadband.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise has confirmed that none of the exchanges listed are currently able to deliver fibre broadband. They are not part of the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband roll-out or commercial coverage plans.

The Scottish Government has committed to extending superfast access to 100% of premises across Scotland by the end of 2021. All of the premises served by these exchanges are in the intervention area for the Reaching 100% programme, with the exception of Glendaruel and Colintraive. Premises served by these exchanges are included in the intervention area for the Kyles of Bute community project, which is currently in procurement.