Questions and answers

Question reference: S5O-00422

Asked by: Tom Arthur, MSP for Renfrewshire South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 1 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the impact of the US Presidential election on Scotland.

Question reference: S5O-00319

Asked by: Tom Arthur, MSP for Renfrewshire South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 November 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce carbon emissions.

Question reference: S5W-03158

Asked by: Tom Arthur, MSP for Renfrewshire South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 7 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has received any information regarding planned changes to the European Health Insurance Card service following the result of the EU referendum.

The Scottish Government has received no information regarding planned changes to the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) service following the result of the EU referendum.

However, the EHIC stems from EU legislation (Regulation 883/2004) which sets out European co-ordination of social security arrangements and, as long as it is a member of the EU, the UK must comply with that legislation.

Therefore, at this time, the EHIC remains valid and allows UK residents to receive necessary state healthcare, in the event of illness or accident, during short-term visits to other European Economic Area (EEA) countries. It also allows residents from those countries to receive necessary NHS treatment when visiting the UK.

We recognise the considerable benefits of having access to state healthcare throughout the EEA whether during a short-term visit, planned healthcare, or as Scottish state pensioners living in other parts of the EEA. We will, therefore, make it clear to the UK Government that our citizens must retain their rights in this regard and that this must be treated as a priority in Brexit negotiations.

Question reference: S5F-00307

Asked by: Tom Arthur, MSP for Renfrewshire South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 September 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 September 2016

To ask the First Minister what representations the Scottish Government will make to the UK Government to ensure that reciprocal healthcare arrangements are a priority in Brexit negotiations.

Question reference: S5O-00177

Asked by: Tom Arthur, MSP for Renfrewshire South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 22 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to empower communities.

The Scottish Government has taken a number of actions to empower communities. We developed with this Parliament the Community Empowerment Act to give communities new rights. We established the £20m Empowering Communities Fund which gives local groups the money and support they need to make change happen on their own terms. And as part of that fund, we launched the Community Choices programme in June this year. This will support thousands of people to have a real say in budget decisions in their areas.

Question reference: S5O-00204

Asked by: Tom Arthur, MSP for Renfrewshire South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 September 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to ensure that housing developments do not have a negative impact on the character and infrastructure of villages.

Question reference: S5O-00138

Asked by: Tom Arthur, MSP for Renfrewshire South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 14 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve access to 4G mobile coverage.

Mobile coverage is a critical element in our digital vision for Scotland. We recognise its importance socially and economically but also in terms of resilience. Following detailed collaboration with the mobile industry, we published a Mobile Action Plan on 12 June 2016 setting out a series of measures specifically designed to improve and increase mobile coverage across Scotland. Furthermore, as set out in the programme for government on 6 September 2016, we will outline plans, by Spring 2017, for a programme to address gaps in 4G coverage.

Question reference: S5W-01849

Asked by: Tom Arthur, MSP for Renfrewshire South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 29 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage active travel in the Renfrewshire South constituency.

The Scottish Government provides direct funding to local authorities for active travel through the Cycling, Walking, Safer Streets (CWSS) ring fenced budget within the local authority settlement. The CWSS has allocated £720,000 to Renfrewshire over the last three financial years. In addition, the Scottish Government provides grant funding to a number of organisations to support sustainable and active travel initiatives. These include Cycling Scotland, Paths for All and Sustrans Scotland. Since 2014-15, the following projects have been taken forward in the Renfrewshire South area. Cycling Scotland has distributed £32,000 to projects under the Cycle Friendly and Sustainable Communities, Cycle Friendly Campus and Cycle Friendly Service Centre programmes. These include funding for Ride 63 in Lochwinnoch, the Neilston Development Trust and the University of the West of Scotland. Renfrewshire Council has been allocated over £320,000 in 2015-16 and 2016-17 through the Smarter Choices, Smarter Places programme, administered by Paths for All. Projects supported include improving signage on cycleways, promotional events for walking and cycling, the printing of maps and posters, and personal travel planning. Finally, Sustrans has provided £44,000 for a project to make access improvements on the NCN75 / NCN7 Paisley to Bridge of Weir walking and cycling route.

Question reference: S5W-01850

Asked by: Tom Arthur, MSP for Renfrewshire South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 26 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made in rolling out superfast broadband in the Renfrewshire South constituency.

Question reference: S5W-01720

Asked by: Tom Arthur, MSP for Renfrewshire South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 25 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how much sportscotland has invested in para-sports in each year since 2007-08.

Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) has the lead role for developing the quality of disability sport for disabled people in Scotland. Since 2007, sportscotland has invested over £5.18million into SDS. A breakdown is in the following table. Breakdown of sportscotland investment into Scottish Disability Sport (includes Scottish Government and National Lottery funding):

Year	Investment
2016-17	£653,600
2015-16	£653,600
2014-15	£633,600
2013-14	£645,600
2012-13	£543,600
2011-12	£541,000
2010-11	£538,500
2009-10	£436,500
2008-09	£276,750
2007-08	£250,750
	£5,182,500

In addition to the direct investment into SDS, sportscotland’s investment in Scottish governing bodies of sport also supports disability and its integration through the sport. Sportscotland’s Institute of Sport also supports over 50 Paralympic and Commonwealth Games para-athletes, providing specialist support and expertise.In addition, £12 million is being invested into the redevelopment of the sportscotland National Centre Inverclyde to become Scotland’s first fully-inclusive residential facility which will provide more opportunities for hosting national and international sporting events, particularly in para-sport.

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