Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S4W-04557

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 10 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how much (a) Scottish Government funding, (b) fare revenue and (c) private investment there has been in ScotRail services in each of the last four years.

Scottish ministers make franchise payments to ScotRail in accordance with the terms of the franchise agreement. Rail Franchise Budget information is shown in the following table.

Fare Box Revenue information is disclosed within the published Annual Report and Accounts for First ScotRail Ltd. The Fare Box Revenue figures disclosed are shown in the following table.

Financial Year	Rail Franchise Budget	Fare Box Revenue
2007-08	£289 million	£216 million
2008-09	£306 million	£235 million
2009-10	£295 million	£243 million
2010-11	£315 million	£258 million

Transport Scotland only holds information on ScotRail private investment where it relates specifically to terms in the Franchise Agreement. This includes ScotRail’s commitment to invest £40 million capital investment over the first seven years of the franchise and the franchise extension investment. Transport Scotland does not hold information on all private investment outwith the terms of the Franchise Agreement.

Question reference: S4W-04807

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 4 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) High Court, (b) Sheriff Court and (c) Justice of the Peace Court trials have been delayed in 2011-12 and were delayed in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2009-10, (iii) 2008-09, (iv) 2007-08 and (v) 2006-07.

Question reference: S4W-04809

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 4 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how the Scottish Court Service assists (a) witnesses and (b) victims of crime attending trials away from home.

Question reference: S4W-04808

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 4 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many defendants have changed their preliminary hearing plea from not guilty to guilty prior to trial in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S4W-04804

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 4 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what the real-terms reduction in the Scottish Court Service (a) revenue and (b) capital budget will be in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13, (iii) 2013-14 and (iv) 2014-15.

Question reference: S4W-04556

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 4 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive which consultants provided advice to (a) it and (b) Transport Scotland on Rail 2014 – Public Consultation; what fees they were paid, and whether any conflict of interest was identified.

Question reference: S4F-00376

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 December 2011

To ask the First Minister what impact the proposed court closures will have on local access to justice.

Question reference: S4W-04334

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 15 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-04075 by Keith Brown on 30 November 2011, what exchanges there were between Transport Scotland and transport operators other than First ScotRail regarding the potential content of Rail 2014 – Public Consultation.

Question reference: S4W-04291

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 13 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding the Scottish Futures Trust will provide for building the replacement (a) Ellon Academy and (b) Mearns Academy.

Question reference: S4W-04316

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to take up the offer from the UK Government of capital investment for sleeper rail services and, if so whether it will match the investment.