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: S5W-01082

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how much it costs ScotRail to use (a) a conductor and (b) another staff member as the second member of on-board staff.

Question reference: S5W-01078

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how ScotRail ensures that timetabled passenger services run with a second member of on-board staff, and what penalties can be imposed if a service does not have this.

ScotRail has a franchise commitment to ‘use all reasonable endeavours to maintain a minimum staffing level for every train service of two members of staff’.

Transport Scotland through the service quality incentive regime, inspect approximately 180 services per four weekly period. Two aspects are audited for on train staff.

One aspect covers train staff and customer care on the trains. This includes ‘general provision of customer care duties including provision of information to passengers and helping hand assistance’ and also ‘taking appropriate measures to deal with unruly behaviour by any passengers’.

The minimum threshold level for this schedule is 90%, and if exceeded the maximum financial penalty for this schedule is £10,800.

The other is specifically for ticket inspections on trains. Where for ‘each train there shall be a person whose duties shall include revenue protection comprising inspection of tickets, issuing of tickets to persons not in possession of a valid tickets and collection of revenue’.

The minimum threshold level for this schedule is 95%, and if reached the maximum financial penalty for this schedule is £50,000.

Question reference: S5W-01077

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have indicated in advance since April 2015 that they required assistance to use ScotRail services; how many received this assistance, and what information it has regarding how many times this was provided by (a) station or (b) on-board staff.

Question reference: S5W-01087

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how much subsidy Abellio receives annually under the ScotRail franchise agreement, and how much it expects the company to pay in premium payments.

Question reference: S5W-01080

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of ScotRail services have run without a second member of on-board staff in each month since April 2015.

During the last year of SQUIRE audits (from June 2015) the following results were returned.

		Trains audited	Fails recorded	%
2015-16	Period 3	186	2	1.075
2015-16	Period 4	187	1	0.535
2015-16	Period 5	187	0	0.000
2015-16	Period 6	178	0	0.000
2015-16	Period 7	185	1	0.541
2015-16	Period 8	180	4	2.222
2015-16	Period 9	179	5	2.793
2015-16	Period 10	183	3	1.639
2015-16	Period 11	192	0	0.000
2015-16	Period 12	187	3	1.604
2015-16	Period 13	177	0	0.000
2016-17	Period 1	191	2	1.047
2016-17	Period 2	193	0	0.000
2016-17	Period 3	191	3	1.571

Question reference: S5W-00894

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has received from the (a) ScotRail Alliance and (b) Rail Delivery Group regarding (i) door operations on and (ii) other matters about the class 385 trains that ScotRail has on order.

Question reference: S5W-00897

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government which ScotRail stations are unstaffed.

Question reference: S5W-00888

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the financial impact will be of the proposed industrial action on rail services by the RMT, and how much compensation ScotRail will receive.

We have not been advised by ScotRail of the direct financial impact to them of potential reduced ticket sales during industrial action.

The franchise agreement between Scottish Ministers and Abellio ScotRail contains a clause which allows the Scottish Government to consider compensating the franchisee for lost revenues, if applied for by ScotRail. Scottish Ministers ensured in the new contract that before a decision is made on any representation from ScotRail, Ministers must take account of the views of key stakeholders, such as passenger focus and employee representatives in the event of industrial action.

We have not received an approach from ScotRail in relation to this clause.

Question reference: S5W-00887

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs could be lost if the class 385 trains that have been ordered by ScotRail are configured for (a) driver-only or (b) driver-controlled operation.

Question reference: S5W-00882

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether the doors on the class 385 trains that have been ordered by ScotRail will be operated by the (a) driver, (b) guard or (c) both.