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-01545

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it expects the MV Coruisk to re-enter service on the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network.

Question reference: S6W-01542

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the news release issued by CalMac Ferries on 24 August 2020, at which location dry dock maintenance work was carried out on each ferry, and how much of CalMac's expenditure was spent on procuring this work on each vessel.

The yards which CalMac Ferries Ltd use to undertake dry dock maintenance work for the vessels in the fleet is an operational matter for them to determine.

CalMac Ferries Ltd procure their contracts in a fair and open competition manner, allowing an award to the bidder that offers the best value for money. CalMac Ferries Ltd publish details pertaining to the contracts on the Public Contracts Scotland website.

CalMac Ferries Ltd awarded contracts to Cammell Laird Shiprepairers & Shipbuilders Ltd, Dales Marine Services and Ardmaleish Boatbuilding Co Ltd.

Contract details are available by following the links: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=DEC401718 and https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=DEC401701 .

Question reference: S6W-01544

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact that COVID-19 has had on the (a) number and (b) type of vehicles carried by the CalMac fleet.

Question reference: S6W-01543

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Seatruck Ferries regarding the time charter of additional tonnage for the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network, and whether it raised (a) trade union recognition and (b) collective bargaining agreements between CalMac and recognised trade unions during any such discussions.

Question reference: S6W-01442

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 July 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether the terms of (a) Abellio ScotRail and (b) Serco Caledonian Sleeper’s Emergency Measures Agreement prohibit the payment of indemnification to the operator in the event of industrial action.

Under the Emergency Measures Agreements (EMAs) in place, (a) Abellio ScotRail and (b) Serco Caledonian Sleepers Limited are not entitled to indemnification in the event of industrial action although the net difference between revenue and costs in any EMA period pass through to Scottish Ministers.

To the extent that industrial action increases the net cost to the Scottish Government it increases the need for further efficiencies and cost reductions given that funding, in the context of Covid, is severely constrained.

Question reference: S6W-01416

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 July 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00828 by Graeme Dey on 7 July 2021, whether it will provide a breakdown of the resources that were used to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak, and what resources have subsequently been directed back.

The resources referred to in the previous answer related to staffing resources within Transport Scotland.

Those officials who had been asked to respond to the challenges presented by the pandemic to our transport network and the impacts on Islands communities are now returning to normal duties, and has been made clear, a priority has been restarting the work taking forward identifying potential options for reducing fares on ferry services across the Pentland Firth.

Question reference: S6W-01419

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 July 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact that the UK Government’s proposals for (a) subsidy control mechanisms and (b) competition law might have on its policies for (i) the procurement of services and vessels and (ii) fares on publicly-contracted ferry services.

Question reference: S6W-01441

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 July 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government for what reasons the Prior Information Notice for the ScotRail franchise anticipates a core Operator of Last Resort period of three to five years, and not the maximum, 10.

The Prior Information Notice (PIN) referred to confirmed Ministers’ intention for Scotrail services to be delivered through a wholly owned company of the Scottish Ministers in terms of the Operator of Last Resort following expiry of the current ScotRail Franchise Agreement.

It is intended that Operator of Last Resort arrangements will provide a period of stability for passengers and staff while we assess the scale and pace of recovery from Covid 19 and future rail reform.

As the PIN was published on 31 March 2021, almost 2 months ahead of the UK Government’s delayed White Paper on Rail, there was considerable uncertainty around reform at the time. Accordingly, through the PIN, Ministers reserved the right to put OLR arrangements in place as appropriate, up to the maximum period of 10 years. It also indicated the envisaged direct award at that point was for a period of 3-5 years with any optional additional period(s) exercisable at the sole discretion of Ministers.

Although the White Paper has now been published, we are pressing the UK Government for further clarity on how their proposals, and timescales for implementation of future rail reform, will impact our aspirations for Scotland’s railways. This will help inform future decisions about the duration of the OLR arrangements, subject to the 10 year maximum referred to in the PIN.

Question reference: S6W-01437

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 July 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government who will act as the Operator of Last Resort for the ScotRail franchise from March 2022 and, if this information is not available, whether it can confirm that it will not consider using Abellio in this role.

Question reference: S6W-01420

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 July 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to work with the trade unions organising ferry workers to build the case for bringing the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services contract permanently in-house and, if so, when this work will start.

We will work with all key stakeholders, including the trade unions, to ensure the most efficient and best value arrangement to deliver our key lifeline ferry services. An independent review analysing the existing governance structure is already underway and our consultants will be engaging with stakeholders shortly. The provisional outcomes of the review will be published around the end of the year when further engagement on potential options will take place.