Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-18471

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to take in the next year to improve road safety on the A701.

Through our annual assessment of trunk road safety performance we have identified the A701 for further investigation this financial year. Next steps are dependent on the outcome of the investigation, however mitigation measures arising from this will be prioritised and delivered as appropriate.

We have recently modified the traffic signals at Heathhall in Dumfries to moderate speeds through the junction on the A701 approaches and are planning vegetation clearance in the Parkgate area.

Question reference: S5W-18472

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 12 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on maintaining the A76 in the last 12 months.

Question reference: S5W-17944

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 17 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason hydro-electricity generation is not taken into consideration as part of Energy Performance Certificates for rental properties.

Question reference: S5W-17945

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 17 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made of the effectiveness of Energy Performance Certificates.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken analysis of the effectiveness of Energy Performance Certificates (EPC).

In late 2017, we commissioned research to report on comments on the EPC methodology made in responses to consultations undertaken as part of the development of the Energy Efficient Scotland Programme. Within our consultation on the Route Map for the Programme, which closed last month, we are also seeking views on the EPC process.

This research and responses to the current Route Map consultation will inform review of energy assessment and certification under the Programme.

Question reference: S5W-17917

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 July 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 10 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to extend the blue badge scheme to include people with Crohn's disease, colitis and fibromyalgia.

The eligibility criteria for a Blue Badge do not focus on whether an individual has a particular kind of medical condition. Instead, the criteria are designed to assess the impact on a person’s mobility. We have no plans to change this arrangement. It means that people can get a blue badge regardless of what condition they have.

The current eligibility criteria (for those who do not automatically passport to a badge because of their social security benefits) are whether someone is unable to walk, virtually unable to walk or poses a risk to themselves or others in traffic. Decisions on whether people meet these criteria in individual cases are for local authorities. We keep the criteria under continual review, as shown by our extension to cases where someone poses a risk in traffic. In shaping Blue Badge policy, we are guided by the views of disabled people and welcome ideas and representations from all quarters.

Question reference: S5O-02282

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 27 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what recent analysis has taken place regarding the use of temporary accommodation.

The Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group and Social Bite recently commissioned a report from Heriot Watt University to better understand temporary accommodation in Scotland. This report was used, in conjunction with other sources of information, to support the recommendations made by the Action Group in May on transforming the use of temporary accommodation.

These recommendations focus on preventing the need for temporary accommodation in the first place. They also recommend that the right support and standards are in place where it is needed which will play a vital role in meeting our commitment to end homelessness and transform temporary accommodation. This is backed by our £50 million ending homelessness together fund

The Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group, which I co-chair, will oversee plans for taking agreed recommendations forward to implementation. We look forward to working with partners on this programme of work.

Question reference: S5O-02178

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to promote tourism in areas served by the M74.

Question reference: S5O-02158

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 May 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to farmers to prevent river bank erosion.

Question reference: S5W-16293

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how much each local authority has spent on community transport in each of the last three years.

Question reference: S5W-15825

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 24 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many probationer teachers have been retained following their probationer year in each of the last three years, also broken down by local authority.

In September 2016 there were 2,630 probationer teachers working in publicly funded schools in Scotland. Of these teachers, 2,326 (88%) were still working in publicly funded schools in Scotland in 2017.

Probationer and Post Probationer Teachers in Publicly Funded Schools in Scotland

	2014 Cohort		2015 Cohort		2016 Cohort
	Probationers	Post-Probationers	Probationers	Post-Probationers	Probationers	Post-Probationers
Aberdeen City	83	70	85	74	90	82
Aberdeenshire	141	124	157	140	139	121
Angus	51	45	57	54	48	42
Argyll & Bute	21	17	18	17	21	19
Clackmannanshire	29	22	28	28	39	31

Dumfries & Galloway	64	52	74	60	78	71
Dundee City	57	55	65	60	72	61
East Ayrshire	49	41	61	56	41	39
East Dunbartonshire	77	65	78	66	99	85
East Lothian	59	52	76	64	57	47

East Renfrewshire	94	79	91	70	91	83
Edinburgh City	137	108	163	135	170	128
Na h-Eileanan Siar	8	7	12	12	13	13
Falkirk	91	85	95	85	97	89
Fife	158	138	179	160	192	169

Glasgow City	240	205	229	195	239	214
Highland	109	86	119	97	130	120
Inverclyde	33	25	29	24	30	26
Midlothian	44	39	51	46	49	44
Moray	49	43	38	35	37	33

North Ayrshire	52	46	53	51	63	60
North Lanarkshire	149	137	153	134	155	143
Orkney Islands	11	7	12	10	14	9
Perth & Kinross	66	56	62	50	60	52
Renfrewshire	111	87	89	75	109	98

Scottish Borders	32	28	31	28	26	22
Shetland Islands	11	8	10	9	9	9
South Ayrshire	52	43	49	43	57	48
South Lanarkshire	169	153	178	163	194	183
Stirling	64	53	49	37	70	58

West Dunbartonshire	56	47	55	46	60	54
West Lothian	80	70	76	68	79	71

Grant Maintained	1	1	2	2	2	2

Scotland	2,448	2,094	2,524	2,194	2,630	2,326

Notes:

1. For each cohort, the number of probationers in post in September of that year are shown and then the number who are still working in a publicly funded school in Scotland in the following September. For example the 2016 cohort are teachers who were probationers in September 2016.

2. Post-Probationers are shown in the local authority where they were probationers regardless of where in Scotland they worked after probation.

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