To ask the Scottish Government in what circumstances local authorities are allowed to charge for music tuition held in school during the normal school day as an option on the timetable.
Answered by John Swinney
( 06/09/2016):
It is the duty of every education authority to provide adequate and efficient provision of school education without payment of fees. An education authority may charge fees for the provision of an extra-curricular activity that it is not legally obliged to provide.
The Scottish Government considers music tuition in schools that takes place during the course of the school day to constitute 'school education'. Regardless of who is teaching the pupils, such tuition should therefore be provided free of charge.
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 06/09/2016
To ask the Scottish Government in what circumstances local authorities are allowed to charge for music tuition held in school during the normal school day as an option on the timetable.
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To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01335 by Humza Yousaf on 5 August 2016, whether it will ask Cal Mac Ferries to release the information requested on the basis of a non-disclosure agreement with named individuals in communities served by these routes in order to allow research into, and informed development of, policy on present and future ferry needs.
Answered by Humza Yousaf
( 07/09/2016):
The public service contract for the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services was signed on 22 August 2016 and Cal Mac, as the successful bidder, is subject to the terms and conditions of that contract. The contract will be made available in due course, on the Transport Scotland website. Commercially sensitive data will be redacted from the published contract. The Scottish Government has no plans at present to ask Cal Mac to release the commercially sensitive information requested in S5W-01335, or to ask Cal Mac Ferries to provide more detail regarding the precise commercial risks that are anticipated, if the requested information was made available to communities. The Scottish Government will continue to engage with Cal Mac on those issues in pursuance of the delivery of the contract and the formulation of ferries policy. As part of that process, the Scottish Government notes Cal Mac’s intention to improve levels of engagement with the communities served by the company.
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 07/09/2016
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01335 by Humza Yousaf on 5 August 2016, whether it will ask Cal Mac Ferries to release the information requested on the basis of a non-disclosure agreement with named individuals in communities served by these routes in order to allow research into, and informed development of, policy on present and future ferry needs.
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To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01335 by Humza Yousaf on 5 August 2016, whether it will ask Cal Mac Ferries to provide more detail regarding the precise commercial risks that are anticipated if the requested information was made available to communities given that there is a publicly subsidised contract in place for these routes and no competitor on them.
Answered by Humza Yousaf
( 07/09/2016):
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-02076 on 7 September 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 07/09/2016
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01335 by Humza Yousaf on 5 August 2016, whether it will ask Cal Mac Ferries to provide more detail regarding the precise commercial risks that are anticipated if the requested information was made available to communities given that there is a publicly subsidised contract in place for these routes and no competitor on them.
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To ask the Scottish Government whether it will instruct Transport Scotland to collect data from 1 August 2016 for a period of 12 months on (a) unsuccessful attempts to book vehicles on CalMac Ferries to Islay, Coll, Tiree, Colonsay and Mull and the reasons; (b) cancellations of sailings on these routes and the reasons for such cancellations, (c) space on each sailing on these routes pre-booked by hauliers or other regular major users and not taken up and (d) utilisation of such space by unbooked or weight-listed vehicles and any such space left unfilled at the time of sailing.
Answered by Humza Yousaf
( 05/08/2016):
CalMac Ferries Limited, as the current operator of the Clyde & Hebrides Ferry Services collect a range of data to forecast and evaluate demand on all the services they provide. Much of this data is, however, commercially confidential. Evaluation reports of the impact of the Road Equivalent Tariff pilots have been published on the Transport Scotland website. Transport Scotland will continue to monitor the impact of the network-wide roll out of Road Equivalent Tariff in October 2015 and discuss this with the operator.
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 05/08/2016
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will instruct Transport Scotland to collect data from 1 August 2016 for a period of 12 months on (a) unsuccessful attempts to book vehicles on CalMac Ferries to Islay, Coll, Tiree, Colonsay and Mull and the reasons; (b) cancellations of sailings on these routes and the reasons for such cancellations, (c) space on each sailing on these routes pre-booked by hauliers or other regular major users and not taken up and (d) utilisation of such space by unbooked or weight-listed vehicles and any such space left unfilled at the time of sailing.
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To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the restructuring of BBC senior management announced on 6 July 2016 will place the BBC senior manager in Scotland nearer, or further from, significant decision-making structures within the organisation.
Answered by Fiona Hyslop
( 02/08/2016):
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-01298 on 2 August 2016. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 02/08/2016
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the restructuring of BBC senior management announced on 6 July 2016 will place the BBC senior manager in Scotland nearer, or further from, significant decision-making structures within the organisation.
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To ask the Scottish Government when it was informed that the senior BBC manager in Scotland would no longer sit on the BBC's executive board and what its reaction was.
Answered by Fiona Hyslop
( 02/08/2016):
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-01298 on 2 August 2016. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 02/08/2016
To ask the Scottish Government when it was informed that the senior BBC manager in Scotland would no longer sit on the BBC's executive board and what its reaction was.
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To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it expects to have with the BBC director of nations and regions and what guarantees about such consultation the BBC's director general has given.
Answered by Fiona Hyslop
( 02/08/2016):
BBC Scotland informed Scottish Government Officials on the day of the announcement. The Scottish Government have subsequently sought a meeting with the Director in Scotland to address our immediate and clear concerns on this issue.
We believe that it is a backwards step that will place the Director for Scotland further from significant decision–making structures at a critically important time for the BBC. We are disappointed that the BBC has made this decision and would argue that a loss of a distinct and representative voice from Scotland on the Executive Team is an unhelpful response to the political and social realities of devolution across the U.K. and one which so clearly counters the consensus that has emerged in Scotland around the requirement for greater and fairer representation across the operations of the BBC.
Nonetheless, we would expect to have substantive consultation with the new Director of Nations but have yet to receive any guarantees about such consultation from the Director General. This is especially disappointing given his assertion before the Scottish Parliament Culture and Education Committee, earlier in January, that he wanted the Director of Scotland to have a ‘powerful voice in determining what the BBC does as a whole’. This decision appears to undermine that ambition.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 02/08/2016
To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it expects to have with the BBC director of nations and regions and what guarantees about such consultation the BBC's director general has given.
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To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) SNH, (b) Islay Goose Management Scheme local members, (c) farmers and crofters on Islay and (d) the European Commission with regard to state aid issues that may arise in any new or developed scheme for goose management on Islay.
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham
( 27/07/2016):
The Scottish Government has worked closely with Scottish Natural Heritage to prepare the state aid submission. No detailed discussions have taken place with farmers and crofters on Islay, though they are aware of the process that is taking place. While the submission seeks approval to roll forward the existing scheme, which we don’t anticipate needing to change, potentially the European Commission could seek amendments to the scheme. As the focus of recent activity has been to finalise the background materials and prepare the state aid application, no discussions have taken place with the European Commission at this stage.
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 27/07/2016
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) SNH, (b) Islay Goose Management Scheme local members, (c) farmers and crofters on Islay and (d) the European Commission with regard to state aid issues that may arise in any new or developed scheme for goose management on Islay.
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To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with regard to (a) establishing a new scheme to assist farmers and crofters on Islay with goose management and (b) compensating them for damage caused by geese to grasslands and crops.
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham
( 02/08/2016):
The Scottish Government does not have any plans to establish a new scheme to assist farmers and crofters on Islay with goose management. The Islay Goose Management Strategy was developed with the full participation of farming representatives on Islay and implementation of the Strategy was started last year, through adaption of the current local goose scheme. The Strategy aims to reduce agricultural damage in the long term through a process of controlled population reduction alongside a range of other management actions to ensure the conservation status of populations of goose are not put at risk. The Scottish Government remains committed to the Management Strategy and believes it provides the best long-term solution for maintaining a balance between protecting internationally important populations of geese which support an important economic sector for the island, alongside a productive agricultural sector.
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 02/08/2016
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with regard to (a) establishing a new scheme to assist farmers and crofters on Islay with goose management and (b) compensating them for damage caused by geese to grasslands and crops.
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To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to ensure that any plans for a new or developed scheme for goose management on Islay is state aid compliant.
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham
( 27/07/2016):
The preparation of an application for new state aid cover for the goose scheme on Islay and elsewhere is well advanced. We expect to enter into informal discussions with the European Commission in the coming months, ahead of a formal submission for state aid approval.
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 27/07/2016
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to ensure that any plans for a new or developed scheme for goose management on Islay is state aid compliant.
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