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-31744

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it is giving to more stringent low emission zone standards; when any increased standards will be announced, and how much notice will be given prior to the implementation of any new standards.

Vehicle emission standards for low emission zones will be set within Regulations in early 2021. Stakeholder views on more stringent future low emission zone standards were offered via the Low Emission Zones Regulations and Guidance consultation, and based on this feedback, we will not be setting future emission standards in the forthcoming Regulations. We will however undertake further research on this issue in 2021.

Question reference: S5O-04644

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Autumn Budget Revision.

Question reference: S5W-31747

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 will be implemented in full by the end of the current parliamentary session.

Question reference: S5W-31743

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when the Bus Partnership Fund will launch, and what budget it will have for 2020-21.

We are currently consulting on the best time to launch the Bus Partnership Fund, as we recognise that local authorities and bus operators have ongoing pressures, due to the pandemic. However, we expect the Fund to be launched by the end of the financial year so that local authorities can begin to access funds in 2021-22.

The allocated budget for this year of £10 million was repurposed for the Bus Priority Rapid Deployment Fund, which has already made awards to local authorities for temporary bus priority infrastructure to reduce the negative impacts of congestion on bus services, and is currently being administered.

Question reference: S5W-31742

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether a free bus travel scheme for under-26s is still being considered as part of the review of discounts available on public transport to people under the age of 26.

We are progressing our work with stakeholders to review the extension of discounts available on all public transport to those under the age of 26. This looks at a range of options, including free bus travel for those under the age of 26 through a cost and benefits appraisal in order to fully consider financial sustainability. We committed within the Programme for Government to report on the review by the end of December 2020.

Question reference: S5W-31750

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will at least maintain in real terms its current spending on active travel over the next five years.

The Scottish Government's commitment of over £500 million pounds over five years announced in the recent Programme for Government is the highest ever investment in active travel. This record level of funding was warmly welcomed by our active travel partners and will provide confidence for long term investment in large scale, transformational active travel infrastructure projects many of which span several years.

The Scottish Government will, as a matter of course, consider the case for additional support for active travel as part of the annual budget process.

Question reference: S5W-31740

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its plans are for the (a) ScotRail and (b) Caledonia Sleeper franchise following the end of the Emergency Measures Agreements on 20 September 2020.

Question reference: S5W-31749

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria was used to award funding through the Bus Emission Abatement Retrofit programme, and for what reason funding per bus reportedly varies significantly.

Bids into Phase 3 of the Bus Emission Abatement Retrofit scheme were assessed against four criterion; project fit and rationale, deliverability, emissions reduction and value for money. Scoring for each criterion enabled an average score to be calculated per bid, with bids then being ranked according to the scores.

Funding per bus varied across bidders for several reasons. Firstly, the largest orders for retrofitting kit typically achieved the lowest average costs, in tandem with price variations between exhaust equipment suppliers who were chosen by individual operators. Secondly, some operators did not include a funding request for technologies such as eFans which are complimentary to exhaust retrofitting, which also contributed to some bids having a lower average grant per bus/coach.

Question reference: S5W-31754

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 22 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the Agricultural Transformation Fund (a) has been and (b) remains to be allocated in 2020-21; what this will fund, and whether it plans to continue providing this funding in 2021-22 and future years.

Funding announced for the Agricultural Transformation Fund in the 2020-21 Scottish Budget was £20m capital and £20m Financial transactions. A total of £11.5m of capital expenditure has been announced so far this financial year which is made of £1.5m for forestry machinery and small farm and croft woodland planting and £10m for the Sustainable Agriculture Capital Grant Scheme.

None of the Financial transactions funding has yet been allocated. Opportunities to utilise this funding have been limited due to Covid restrictions on business earlier in the year.

Other options for funding are being investigated and further announcements on those will be made in future. Allocations of funding for future years will be dependent on the outcome of the Capital Spending Review and the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review.

Question reference: S5W-31748

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 22 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work being undertaken by the Scottish National Investment Bank regarding ultra-low emission buses.