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: S6W-04749

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Network Rail about the arrangements for the nationalisation of ScotRail.

A series of Transport Scotland led workshops has been held from June 2021 with Network Rail and ScotRail. The purpose of these workshops has been to develop the policies and strategies for the new ScotRail Trains Limited arrangements.

Transport Scotland is also engaging in bi-weekly joint steering group meetings with both Network Rail and ScotRail at senior level to ensure the coordination of mobilisation arrangements between the parties.

Question reference: S6W-04748

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to purchase any additional rolling stock for the ScotRail fleet.

ScotRail Trains Limited will be responsible for operating services from 31 March 2022 and it is currently finalising plans for its future fleet requirements, including the new emission free vehicles needed to deliver the Scottish Government’s Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan.

Further information on the Decarbonisation Action Plan can be accessed via the following link:-

Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan (transport.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-04753

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it anticipates any voluntary redundancies or voluntary early retirement schemes to be offered to ScotRail employees as part of the nationalisation of ScotRail.

Question reference: S6W-04747

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the age is of ScotRail's (a) newest and (b) oldest rolling stock, and what the average age is of ScotRail's rolling stock.

ScotRail’s (a) newest rolling stock are the seventy class 385 trains which were introduced in 2018-19 and (b) oldest rolling stock are the twenty-five Inter-city High Speed Trains which were introduced from the late 1970s and extensively re-engineered and refurbished in 2017-2020.

The Scottish Government recognises the sustainability advantages of re-engineering older rail vehicle structures, when appropriate, thus avoiding the energy expended in the production of new rail vehicles.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) figures from 2020-21 calculates that the average age of the 350 trains in the ScotRail fleet is 21.69 years.

Question reference: S6O-00581

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 December 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to close the attainment gap in light of the report, Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Levels 2020-21.

Question reference: S6W-04743

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 14 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the governance arrangements will be for (a) ScotRail once it has been nationalised and (b) any arm’s-length organisations that are created in relation with this.

Question reference: S6W-04745

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 14 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Emergency Measures Agreements that were put in place in 2020 will remain in place or be withdrawn when ScotRail is nationalised.

Question reference: S6W-04738

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 14 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to prepare for the nationalisation of ScotRail in 2022.

Question reference: S6W-04746

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 14 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are plans for a new recognition agreement to be negotiated with rail unions when ScotRail is nationalised.

Question reference: S6W-04744

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 14 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether data on the operational performance of ScotRail after it has been nationalised will be made publicly available on a regular basis.