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-08601

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much was spent on consultants for services relating to the ScotRail franchise in (a) 2020-21 and (b) 2021-22.

Transport Scotland incurred costs associated with advisors for services associated with the Abellio ScotRail franchise for the period (a) 2020-21 and (b) 2021-22 are as follows:-

Company	2020-21 £s	2021-22 £s
Atkins	200,077.50	106,224.58
MacRoberts	364,443.39	164,843.95
Bramble Hub	218,865.45	40,630.59
Ernst & Young	239,674.51	0.00
Total	1,023,060.85	311,699.12

These costs are associated with advisors providing services associated with Abellio ScotRail Franchise in relation to Emergency Measures Agreements (EMAs) Covid response and any other business as usual.

Question reference: S6O-01158

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 May 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the finance ministers have had with ministerial colleagues regarding support for a Just Transition for the Grangemouth Refinery, including any future investment.

Question reference: S6O-01128

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the implications are for Social Security Scotland of the redeployment of staff to the agency from the DWP.

Question reference: S6W-07583

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 April 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to issue guidance to public bodies in Scotland that no public money should be spent on bookings with P&O Ferries until the company has reinstated the workers who were made redundant on 17 March 2022.

Question reference: S6W-07658

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 March 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the costs of transferring operation of the Caledonian Sleeper franchise into the Operator of Last Resort, compared with onto a Temporary Measures Agreement.

There are no current plans to deploy Operator of Last Resort (OLR) arrangements for Caledonian Sleeper services. Consequently, the Scottish Government has not undertaken an assessment of the costs associated with OLR at this time.

Transport Scotland on behalf of Scottish Ministers has contingency arrangements in place for OLR which could be mobilised in the event a franchise agreement is terminated or otherwise comes to an end and no further franchise agreement has been entered into, in line with the Scottish Ministers’ duty under Section 30 of the Railways Act 1993.

Question reference: S6W-07662

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 March 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the timescales are for the Fair Fares review, and how it will engage with (a) trade unions and (b) the public on this.

Our Fair Fares Review is in its initial planning stages. I recently undertook to provide the Scottish Parliament's Committee for Net Zero, Energy and Transport with further details on the Scottish Government's plans and timescales for the review. I will share this information with the Committee after the pre-election period for the Scottish local government elections. The Scottish Government engages and consults extensively with stakeholders, transport users and delivery partners, including Trade Unions, on a range of transport issues and this approach will be reflected throughout the course of the Fair Fares Review.

The Scottish Government is continuing to take action to make public transport more affordable through schemes such as the current ScotRail promotional campaign which will enable people to travel for half the normal price on off-peak train services across Scotland next month and the “Kids Go Free” promotion which enabled children to travel for free on Scotland's Railway during its first weekend in public ownership.

Question reference: S6W-07661

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 March 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) primary or (b) secondary legislation would be required to (i) ban perpetrators of antisocial behaviour from the railway and (ii) make it a specific offence to abuse or threaten rail workers in the course of their employment.

Abusing or threatening railway workers could lead to prosecution under current legislation, such as section 38 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010, or the common law, for example for a breach of the peace. It is considered that primary legislation may be required to create a new offence that involves the threatening or abuse of railway workers specifically and that is something we will wish to explore within our deliberations. Conversations with Justice colleagues are at a preliminary stage and will continue, in tandem with Trade Union consultation, to explore all possible legal options which may be available.

Question reference: S6W-07657

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 March 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the maximum management and/or performance fees payable to Serco Caledonian Sleeper are under its Temporary Measures Agreement.

There is no management fee payable under the Temporary Measures Agreement (TMA), instead there is a small, capped, incentive payment – linked strictly to performance.

As the performance payments relate to potential future revenues receivable by Serco Caledonian Sleepers Limited, this information is currently commercially sensitive.

Overall values will be determined following a full financial reconciliation after the end of the TMA term on 31 March 2023.

Question reference: S6W-07660

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 March 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to (a) introduce powers that would ban perpetrators of antisocial behaviour from the railway and (b) make it a specific offence to abuse or threaten rail workers in the course of their employment.

Anti-social behaviour is unacceptable on Scotland's Railway and in wider society. The Scottish Government intends to have discussions with stakeholders about potential routes for banning people who commit anti-social behaviour on railways, including the use of measures available under current antisocial behaviour legislation, and the extent to which any additional powers or offences might be desirable.

I recently met with the Chief Constable of British Transport Police and discussed anti-social behaviour on trains, including the importance of collaboration with Police Scotland, facilitating and encouraging passengers to report incidents of anti-social behaviour as they happen, and aspects of anti-social behaviour on trains linked to football matches.

Question reference: S6W-07663

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 March 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the timescales are for the National Conversation about ScotRail, and how it will engage with (a) trade unions and (b) the public on this.