Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-21938

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the island's increased tourism and a need to accommodate more travellers, what assessment it has made of the need to redevelop Barra Airport.

Question reference: S5W-21817

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the status of endoscopy and colonoscopy services at NHS Western Isles.

The new decontamination equipment has been installed and tested in NHS Western Isles and endoscopy services, including colonoscopy, will resume in Stornoway from March. The equipment which allows the sterile transfer of instruments between the Decontamination unit in Stornoway and other hospitals still requires testing and validation and this will be completed to allow full restoration of services from April.

Question reference: S5O-02986

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports people in island and remote areas in accessing legal assistance.

Question reference: S5W-21735

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what opportunities it considers augmented reality technology may bring in allowing visitors a better understanding of the archaeological heritage of Western Isles.

Digital technology can greatly enhance everybody’s experience of, and understanding of, Scotland’s rich heritage including that of the Western Isles.

Scotland is recognised as a global leader in digital innovation in the heritage sector. Indeed, Scotland’s contribution to this field was the focus of an international 2-day conference on the subject which was hosted by Historic Environment Scotland in October 2018. The event looked at developments in areas such as 3D modelling, augmented reality, virtual reality and animation.

New online platforms and developments in digital technologies are enabling people to inspect historic sites and artefacts from anywhere in the world, while a combination of digital documentation and animation allows for accurate recreation of historic environments which can be explored through gaming. Virtual reality can further bring such environments to life, creating immersive and illuminating experiences that transport the user into the past.

New technologies are being developed and applied in the Western Isles. For example, a partnership project between Urras nan Tursachan and St Andrew’s University is using cutting edge geophysics and digital technology to bring to life a monumental landscape that has been lost for 5000 years. I commend all who are involved in this project. Through such technical innovations visitors to the Western Isles will be able to experience its rich heritage in new and exciting ways.

Question reference: S5W-21583

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 19 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been paid out through the Best Start Grant scheme, broken down by local authority area.

The latest figures on payments to 31 January are available in the following news release: https://news.gov.scot/news/best-start-grant-pays-out-gbp-2-7m . A breakdown by local authority is not yet available. Official statistics, covering the first months of applications for the Best Start Grant, will be published in April 2019. More detailed analysis will be published in a quarterly publication series starting from August 2019.

Question reference: S5O-02887

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 February 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on plans to replace St Brendan's Hospital on Barra.

Question reference: S5O-02795

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 January 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff employed by Caledonian MacBrayne are resident in the Western Isles.

Question reference: S5W-20790

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 16 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on on increasing the number of employment opportunities in transportation located in island communities.

Government agencies are currently major employers in the Western Isles.

HIAL looks to support employment within its local communities wherever possible.

Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) employ 118 people in the Western Isles and will continue to be a major employer in the area.

As part of the Air Traffic Management Strategy (ATMS) programme, HIAL are exploring options to allow Air Traffic Control (ATC) staff to retain their base on the islands and commute to the ATC Surveillance Centre, Inverness. This includes examining shift patterns to accommodate such remote working.

HIAL is keen to work with local stakeholders to promote vacancies in the area.

CalMac Ferries Ltd is also a major employer in island and coastal communities, currently employing 156 seagoing staff and 54 port staff who reside in the Western Isles Council area. CalMac work proactively with schools, at careers fairs and through their industry leading apprenticeship and cadet programmes to encourage local island based applicants for CalMac jobs, and to develop long-term careers.

In addition, to public sector employment in the transportation sector, there are many opportunities in the commercial logistics sector on island communities.

Question reference: S5W-20789

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 16 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when island local authorities will be in a position to request island community impact assessments.

Consultation for the development of Island Community Impact Assessments (ICIAs) will take place from 18 March to 27 May 2019, in tandem with work on the National Islands Plan.

The National Islands Plan needs to be laid before Parliament on 4 October 2019 and ideally, the island community impact assessments will follow the same timeframe.

In the meantime, although there is no duty to do an impact assessment, all Ministerial colleagues have been advised of the provisions of the Islands Act and we have been advising our agencies and partners to operate in the spirit of the Act and to consider island issues in their work bearing in mind that the Act would allow for ICIAs, to potentially be applied retrospectively, where appropriate.

Question reference: S5O-02714

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 December 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the in-work conditionality aspect of universal credit.

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