Liam Kerr: ...to “promote, facilitate and support Scots language education”, they might very well ask which Scots they are to promote. Is it Lallans, Doric or Orcadian? James Wylie of Orkney Islands Council told the committee that Orcadian and Shetlandic are not Scots dialects but separate languages. However, that will not be recognised if they are all to be grouped under the...
Jamie Halcro Johnston: ...working to ensure that any changes with things such as care alarms happen as seamlessly as possible. One of my family members has a care alarm, and I can say from my own experience that the part of Orkney Islands Council responsible for such things has been extremely proactive in warning us of any changes and what we need to do. That is appreciated, because these are quite literally...
Liam McArthur: ...due to the inaccessibility of the Islander aircraft. I have spoken to the cabinet secretary about those concerns, but can he confirm that he will agree to meet me and representatives of NHS Orkney, Orkney Islands Council, Loganair and other stakeholders when he is in Orkney during the summer, so that we can look at finding a resolution to the issue—which will only get worse, given...
Liam McArthur: ...time. As an island community with a relatively small population, Orkney faces unique challenges in delivering the Government’s commitment to funded childcare. Will the minister agree to work with Orkney Islands Council to provide any additional support that is required to ensure that my constituents have access to the affordable and flexible childcare that they need and have been promised?
Ariane Burgess: ...the clerks of the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee, the bill team and all the stakeholders who joined us to help shape the bill. The debate has brought back memories of our visits to Orkney Islands Council and to Aviemore, where we spoke with representatives of Highland Council and other stakeholders. The Scottish Greens are pleased to see the Visitor Levy...
Liam McArthur: ...and breakfasts and self-catering, runs the risk of local authority schemes costing more to operate than they are likely to be able to recoup through revenue—I know that that would be the case for Orkney Islands Council. I understand from the exchanges that I had with the minister at stage 2 that there are complications in trying to incorporate these provisions in the bill, and...
Jim Fairlie: The provision of public service obligation operations in Orkney is a matter for Orkney Islands Council and Loganair. Therefore, the Scottish Government has not assessed the accessibility of those services. I know that Loganair is receptive to feedback on how the services could be improved for anyone who relies on them. As for the island communities, the Mobility and Access...
Liam McArthur: To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of the ferries task force with Orkney Islands Council, including when it expects new ferries to be procured. (S6O-03367)
Patrick Harvie: ...provide emergency heat, which could include the use of wood-burning stoves. I mentioned the extensive consultation that has taken place. North Ayrshire Council, Shetland Islands Council, Orkney Islands Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Aspire Orkney and other organisations and companies working across the country, including in rural communities, took part in that, as...
Jamie Halcro Johnston: ...of three of the six councils in my Highlands and Islands region are women: Kathleen Robertson in Moray Council, Emma Macdonald in Shetland Islands Council and, most recently, Heather Woodbridge in Orkney Islands Council, which is my home council. That is progress. I commend the efforts of those in all political parties and communities who are working to ensure better representation for...
Jamie Halcro Johnston: ...tax and, in particular, the impact of the proposed freeze on bills. Witnesses highlighted that it will impact councils differently. The Fraser of Allander Institute highlighted the example of Orkney Islands Council, which is my home council. Council leaders in Orkney have been considering a 10 per cent increase in council tax, but if agreement is reached between the Scottish Government and...
Fiona Hyslop: ...local authority ferries. I reiterate that the Deputy First Minister has been chairing task forces looking at the options and costs for the replacement of ferries and infrastructure that are owned by Orkney Islands Council and Shetland Islands Council. That work is on-going—the meetings of the task forces are on-going in this month, for Orkney and Shetland.
Liam McArthur: Orkney Islands Council has called for the Scottish Government’s national islands plan to be scrapped after “little or no progress” has been made on its 13 objectives, notably on inconsistencies in island authority funding and the improvement of lifeline transport links. Does the First Minister accept that a more tightly focused plan would offer more chance of objectives being met,...
Liam McArthur: ...areas where the Government urgently needs to up its game in the interests of fairness, equality, opportunity and community resilience. Funding for councils has been squeezed across the board, but Orkney Islands Council continues to suffer from lower funding per head of population than other island authorities. Now more than ever, that is resulting in cuts to services on which some of the...
Richard Thomson: ...for a debate on why 28 NHS trusts and integrated care boards across England are in similar special measures, so we can find out what the Government intend to do about that? This week, members of the Orkney Islands Council agreed that they should explore options for alternative models of governance, including exploring their Nordic connections. There have been some suggestions that they...
Jamie Halcro Johnston: ...are all more than 30 years old. It is quite clear that there is an increasing urgency around the planning for replacement vessels for those interisland ferries, which are all owned and operated by Orkney Islands Council, and that the council will require support in that regard. The same is true in Shetland but, as ever, the Scottish Government has been slow to engage. Although talks in...
Liam McArthur: The minister will be aware that the former Deputy First Minister agreed with Orkney Islands Council to establish a task force to look at replacement of the ferries that operate on Orkney’s lifeline internal routes. Since the election of the new First Minister, proposed meetings of the task force have not taken place. I am not aware of alternative dates having been set, so I will be grateful...
Kevin Stewart: .... I can assure Mr McArthur and Orkney islanders that we will continue to look at all the information that we have and act accordingly. Once again, I say that I am very grateful to Mr McArthur and to Orkney Islands Council, with which I will meet directly after this question time, for the intelligence that they have provided.
Kevin Stewart: ...service provision is required. Beyond that, I reiterate the point that it is a commercial contract between CalMac and Pentland Ferries. In the discussions that we have had, neither Pentland nor Orkney Islands Council have called for the recall of MV Alfred.
