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-21772

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it remains its position to put forward a public sector bid when the rail franchise is next tendered, and, if so, what steps it is taking to develop a bid.

The position of the Scottish Government remains unchanged from the the answer to question S5W-18378 on 23 August 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

We continue to develop avenues to enable a public sector body to bid. However, a key consideration is the Williams Rail Review which is likely to lead to substantial change in the franchising process across the UK.

Question reference: S5W-21771

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when the Public Sector Bidder Stakeholder Reference Group will next meet to discuss Scotland's railway franchise.

Question reference: S5W-21672

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 8 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20184 by Michael Matheson on 13 December 2018, when it will provide the information that was requested.

In the first year of the ScotRail Franchise no Committed Obligation Payment Adjustments were incurred. The second year Transport Scotland received £875,219.14, reducing to £466,941.84 in the third year. The Committed Obligation Payment Adjustments in the current year to date is £1,002,770.84.

Committed Obligation Payment Adjustments in relation to the late delivery of Class 385 trains are not contained in these figures due to ongoing commercial sensitivities with ScotRail and their supply chain which is still subject to on-going contractual disputes.

Question reference: S5W-21684

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 7 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how much grant-in-aid has been paid in each year since 2008-09 to (a) Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd and (b) local authorities for pier and harbour projects.

The Scottish Government provides financial support to local authorities for piers and harbours as part of the annual local government finance settlement. Since the concordat with local government was established, there has been no separately identifiable ring-fenced funding allocation within the block grant and it is the responsibility of each individual local authority to allocate the resources available to them to individual services including support for piers and harbours.

In addition, the Scottish Government provides direct grants to owners of ports serving lifeline ferry services in support of major capital projects and, since 2014, through the Ferries Accessibility Fund.

The following table details the amount of grant paid to Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) and to local authorities for pier and harbour projects from 2008-09 until 2017-2018. We are currently in discussion with a number of local authorities regarding the funding of a number of proposed pier and harbour projects which support lifeline ferry services in Scotland.

	Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd	Argyll and Bute Council	The Highland Council	Orkney Islands Council (Orkney Ferries Ltd)	Shetland Islands Council	Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
2008 -09	4,200,000	3,106,625	246,630	562,499
2009 -10	1,817,154
2010 -11	17,782,373	182,084
2011 -12	9,481,818	22,500
2012 -13	879,679	336,336
2013 -14	3,974,179
2014 -15	2,075,929			*14,500
2015 -16	4,469,967			*9,215
2016 -17	15,966,085			*10,895	*11,000	*4,527
2017 -18	6,069,610				*39,000

*Grant provided via the Accessibility Fund.

Question reference: S5W-21685

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 4 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) young, (b) older and (c) disabled people have travelled on (i) CalMac, (ii) Serco, (iii) Pentland Ferries, (iv) John O’Groats Ferries, (v) Shetland Ferries and (vi) Orkney Ferries in each year since 2008-09, also broken down by what grant payments the operator received each year for these passengers.

Information on recent and historic passenger carryings for CalMac Ferries Ltd, Serco NorthLink Ferries, Shetland Ferries and Orkney Ferries is published in the Scottish Government’s Scottish Transport Statistics publication. https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/scottish-transport-statistics-no-36-2017-edition/

In addition, CalMac Ferries Ltd and Serco NorthLink Ferries publish passenger carryings on their respective websites.

It should be noted that it is not possible to apportion public subsidy paid to operator’s based on passengers’ age or disability.

Pentland Ferries and John O’Groats Ferries are privately owned and as such, the Scottish Government do not provide subsidy or hold any passenger carrying data.

Question reference: S5W-21671

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20822 by Michael Matheson on 24 January 2019, whether any additional steps have been taken to prepare for the use of an operator of last resort for the ScotRail franchise (a) in the last year, (b) since the remedial notice was issued on 24 December 2018 and (c) since a second remedial notice was issued on 8 February 2019.

Question reference: S5W-21620

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 26 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its latest estimate is for the annual amount of subsidy that will be paid to Serco NorthLink in each year from 5 July 2012 to 31 October 2019 under the current Northern Isles Ferry Services contract.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-16302 on 26 February 2019 which details the amount of subsidy paid to Serco NorthLink Ferries from contract year one to contract year five (July 2012 – June 2017).

The Scottish Government paid Serco NorthLink Ferries £44,007,673 to operate the Northern Isles Ferry Service in contract year 6 (July 2017 to June 2018).

The total amount paid for contract year 7 (July 2018 to June 2019) has not yet been finalised.

It should be stated that the annual grant for each contract year includes the subsidy to support the services, fuel, port dues as well as all other maintenance and other necessary operational costs for all vessels including the vessel lease costs.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

Question reference: S5W-21621

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 26 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what routine assessments it has undertaken of the suitability of bidders for the 2019-27 Northern Isles Ferry Services contract.

The pre-qualifying stage of the competition for the on-going Northern Isles Ferry Services involved inviting expressions of interest and asking prospective bidders to complete the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD). The ESPD allows bidders to provide clear evidence of their experience and their financial standing, to allow them to operate the ferry services.

Five expressions of interest were received and the three companies who passed the pre-qualification stage have been invited to tender.

Question reference: S5F-03110

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 February 2019

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s position is on a ban on live animal exports.

Question reference: S5W-21020

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 4 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to record centrally data regarding the number of people with interstitial lung disease.