Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-16149

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an estimate of the cost of any future working capital loans for Ferguson Marine, in 2023, in addition to the working capital loan of £25,000, with interest, to support cash flow, as announced by the Deputy First Minister in a statement to the Parliament on 16 March 2023.

Question reference: S6W-16052

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 5 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by the Deputy First Minister during the ministerial statement on Ferguson Marine on 16 March 2023, whether the planned periods between maintenance for (a) MV Glen Sannox and (b) Hull 802, once they are operational, has changed.

There has been no changes to the maintenance periods following these comments. Every vessel within the CalMac fleet requires regular maintenance work and CalMac are contractually obliged to ensure annual overhauls are completed successfully.

Planned maintenance will be carried out on each vessel on an annual basis in line with other vessels in the CHFS fleet. The timing of these inspections and necessary dry docks is for the operator to manage.

Question reference: S6W-16154

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 5 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15567 by Jenny Gilruth on 21 March 2023, whether it will provide a breakdown of the information in the table showing the name and location of each bridge, and the date that the repair work (a) was first identified as required and (b) is projected to be completed by.

Please find the following table providing the name and location of each bridge on the trunk road network highlighted in our previous answer to S6W-15567. The dates that upgrades were first identified as required and projected to be completed are also contained:

Local Authority Area	Structure Reference	Structure Name	Work Identified	Planned Year of Completion
Highland	A887 80	A887 Lagain Bhain	1998	2024-25
Highland	A830 160	A830 Shlatach	2013	2025-26
Stirling	A85 270	A85 Dalkenneth	2021	2026-27
Stirling	A84 137	A84 Balquidder Station	2019	2026-27
Highland	A82 1180	A82 Lagain	2018	2027-28
Moray	A95 170	A95 Craigellachie Bridge	First identified over 10 years ago	2024-25
Moray	A95 180	A95 Craigellachie Bridge	First identified over 10 years ago	2025-26
Fife-Falkirk	A985 1	Kincardine	1983	2024-25
Highland	A830 130	A830 Finnan River	1998	2027-28
Stirling	A84 35	A84 Cambus	1999	2028-29
Highland	A82 670	A82 Allt Molach	1990	2028-29
Highland	A82 680	A82 Allt Nan Guibhas	1990	2029-30
Highland	A82 690	A82 Creagdubh	1990	2029-30
Highland	A82 770	A82 Alltanrigh	1990	2030-31
Highland	A82 800	A82 Achtriochtan	1990	2030-31
Highland	A87 30	A87 Daingean	2018	2031-32
Highland	A87 40	A87 Bhoira	2018	2031-32
Highland	A87 50	A87 Garbh Dhoire	2018	2032-33
Highland	A87 60	A87 Loyne	2018	2032-33
Highland	A87 70	A87 Moriston	2018	2033-34
Highland	A87 520	A87 Allt A'ghlarsair	2013	2033-34
Highland	A87 540	A87 Lon Chaorach	2013	2034-35
Argyle & Bute	A828 10	Connel	2016	2024-25
Borders	A702 80	A702 Westwater	2018	2023-24
West Dunbartonshire	A82 150	A82 Leven Bridge	1999	2025-26
Dumfries and Galloway	A76 160	A76 Marchburn	1993	2025-26
Dumfries and Galloway	A75 690	A75 Barlae	2016	2025-26
Highland	A82 700	A82 Etive	2018	2034-35
West Dunbartonshire	A82 640	A82 Tulla	2018	2035-36
Stirling	A84 10	A84 Drip	2016	2035-36
Highland	A830 140	A830 Challium	2013	2036-37
Highland	A830 150	A830 Dhuibh	2013	2036-37
Highland	A87 600	A87 Lon Na H'Iolainn	1997	2037-38
Stirling	A84 80	A84 Kilmahog 1	1997	2037-38
Stirling	A84 90	A84 Kilmahog 2	1997	2038-39

All substandard structures on the trunk road network are monitored and managed in accordance with national standards until such time as funds are prioritised for remedial work.

Question reference: S6W-16056

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 3 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost of running repairs of CalMac vessels has been in each year since 2007, or the earliest year for which data is available, also broken down by ferry.

Question reference: S6W-15885

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to update the user interface of The Scottish Register of Tartans website.

Question reference: S6W-15166

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14311 by Jenny Gilruth on 7 February 2023, whether it can provide a breakdown of the number of (a) Category 1 and (b) Category 2 potholes that were (i) reported and (ii) repaired, in each of the last five years.

Transport Scotland, through its Trunk Road Operating Companies and Design Build Finance Operate (DBFO) Concessionaires, is responsible for the management and maintenance of the strategic trunk road network, including motorways. Repair of potholes on all other roads is the responsibility of the local authorities.

Category 1 potholes are defined within the term maintenance contract as those which present, or could present, an immediate hazard to trunk road users. They are typically detected during the twice weekly driven safety related inspections.

The Scottish Government fully funds the inspection and repair of all Category 1 potholes and the term maintenance contract sets out strict timescales for their repair. Following identification of Category 1 pothole defects, the Operating Companies are required to make the defect safe by 6am the following morning, preferably by completing a permanent repair. Where this is not possible then a temporary repair is required within the same timescale with permanent repairs required 28 days.

Category 2 defects are defined as those which do not present an immediate hazard to road users and are typically identified during walked annual inspections. Category 2 defects that deteriorate slowly could be recorded repeatedly over successive years before they are prioritised for maintenance. If defects do worsen more rapidly, a Category 1 defect is recorded and the defect is repaired within the contractual timescales outlined above.

The following table shows the number of Category 1 and Category 2 potholes identified and repaired in each of the last five whole years.

Financial Year	Number of Cat 1 Potholes Recorded	Number of Cat 1 Potholes Repaired	Number of Cat 2 Potholes Recorded	Number of Cat 2 Potholes Repaired
2017-2018	13,354	13,354	2,791	188
2018-2019	11,989	11,989	2,784	332
2019-2020	12,660	12,660	3,152	768
2020-2021	12,949	12,949	3,469	418
2021-2022	9,679	9,679	2,577	357

Question reference: S6W-15884

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 23 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions a Litter Abatement Order has been issued in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S6W-15746

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) people and (b) businesses have used the Low Carbon Transport Loan scheme to purchase electric vehicles in the Highlands and Islands region in each year since the scheme was introduced.

The Scottish Government provide annual funding to Energy Saving Trust to administer the Low Carbon Transport Loan on behalf of Scottish Ministers. Details of the number of individuals and businesses in the Highlands and Islands region (Including Argyll and Bute, Highland, Na h-Eileanan Siar, Orkney and Shetland Islands) paid the loan can be found in the following table.

Financial Year	EV New Domestic Loan	EV Used Domestic Loan	EV New Business Loan	EV Used Business Loan	Switched on Taxi Loan	Total
2011-2012	0	0	1	0	0	1
2012-2013	0	0	2	0	0	2
2013-2014	0	0	1	0	0	1
2014-2015	0	0	1	0	0	1
2015-2016	2	0	5	0	0	7
2016-2017	5	0	1	0	0	6
2017-2018	27	0	5	0	0	32
2018-2019	48	0	13	0	0	61
2019-2020	76	0	19	0	0	95
2020-2021	90	4	18	2	0	114
2021-2022	96	13	24	2	1	136
2022-2023 (Feb 23)	18	30	14	5	0	67
Grand Total	362	47	104	9	1	523

Question reference: S6W-15949

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding each local authority received for the provision of free music tuition in schools in the 2022-23 academic year, and how much each local authority will receive for the 2023-24 academic year.

With respect to the following tables please note:

The final term of the 2023-24 academic year allocation will fall in 2024-25 financial year.
This commitment began between academic years and funding has so far been agreed on this basis. From 2024-25 the Scottish Government has agreed with COSLA that funding will be provided onto a financial year basis model which is consistent with other funds being provided to local authorities.

Academic Year 2022/23 Funding Breakdown

Local Authority	Total Funding Academic Year 2022-23
Aberdeen City	£556,000
Aberdeenshire	£686,000
Angus	£227,000
Argyll & Bute	£132,000
City of Edinburgh	£598,000
Clackmannanshire	£146,000
Dumfries & Galloway	£213,000
Dundee City	£209,000
East Ayrshire	£183,000
East Dunbartonshire	£289,000
East Lothian	£305,000
East Renfrewshire	£415,000
Falkirk	£246,000
Fife	£767,000
Glasgow City	£804,000
Highland	£1,229,000
Inverclyde	£111,000
Midlothian	£226,000
Moray	£162,000
Na h-Eileanan Siar	£37,000
North Ayrshire	£220,000
North Lanarkshire	£555,000
Orkney Islands	£32,000
Perth & Kinross	£410,000
Renfrewshire	£272,000
Scottish Borders	£176,000
Shetland Islands	£91,000
South Ayrshire	£162,000
South Lanarkshire	£516,000
Stirling	£216,000
West Dunbartonshire	£141,000
West Lothian	£576,000

Financial Year 2022/23 & 2023-24 Funding Breakdown

Local Authority	Total Funding Financial Year 2022-23	Total Funding Financial Year 2023-24
Aberdeen City	£520,000	£482,000
Aberdeenshire	£633,000	£663,000
Angus	£206,000	£253,000
Argyll & Bute	£118,000	£162,000
City of Edinburgh	£522,000	£831,000
Clackmannanshire	£136,000	£128,000
Dumfries & Galloway	£186,000	£290,000
Dundee City	£183,000	£288,000
East Ayrshire	£161,000	£251,000
East Dunbartonshire	£264,000	£301,000
East Lothian	£283,000	£280,000
East Renfrewshire	£390,000	£347,000
Falkirk	£216,000	£338,000
Fife	£696,000	£842,000
Glasgow City	£703,000	£1,109,000
Highland	£1,185,000	£771,000
Inverclyde	£97,000	£151,000
Midlothian	£206,000	£240,000
Moray	£145,000	£198,000
Na h-Eileanan Siar	£33,000	£51,000
North Ayrshire	£195,000	£283,000
North Lanarkshire	£487,000	£760,000
Orkney Islands	£28,000	£44,000
Perth & Kinross	£384,000	£350,000
Renfrewshire	£238,000	£375,000
Scottish Borders	£156,000	£228,000
Shetland Islands	£86,000	£70,000
South Ayrshire	£142,000	£222,000
South Lanarkshire	£451,000	£713,000
Stirling	£198,000	£223,000
West Dunbartonshire	£124,000	£191,000
West Lothian	£537,000	£519,000

Question reference: S6W-15966

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) minimum and (b) maximum slurry storage grant amount is that farmers and crofters can apply for from the Agriculture Transformation Fund.

Support for slurry storage in 2023 is available through Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS), funded by the Agriculture Transformation Fund (ATF). No minimum level of grant has been set for the scheme. The maximum grant available for slurry storage specifically is £30,000, based on a standard cost of £15m3 of storage to maximum of 2000m3. In addition to the grant for the slurry storage, applicants can apply for the following slurry ancillaries:

• Associated equipment for above-ground storage tanks:

- base drainage sealed pipe assembly to external discharge including double lockable sluice valves: £1250

- galvanised ladder and platform: £1100

- fixed over-rim riser pipe with jetting nozzle and terminal connection: £1900

• Tractor-driven slurry pump and associated pipe, assemblies and connections with shaft and mountings: £4000

• Below-ground reception tank with cover lid: £235 per cubic metre (restricted to a maximum size of 36m3)

A calculator which can help applicants identify the additional storage capacity that is required in order to provide six months slurry storage has been provided with the full guidance on the rural payments website .

Chamber and committees