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-29877

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 19 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it is giving to CalMac during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Question reference: S5O-04453

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what support and guidance it is providing to older people during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Question reference: S5W-29582

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 16 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will allocate to the transport sector all Barnett consequentials arising from UK Government transport initiatives in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

All Covid-19 related consequentials will be fully committed to funding the Scottish Government’s emergency response. These consequentials are not ring-fenced and will be allocated based on need. It should be noted that the costs of the Covid response to date are greater than the funding received from the UK Government and there remains the risk that the previously advised consequentials will be revised downwards.

Question reference: S5W-29580

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it expect flights to recommence from the country's airports and at what rate these will be reintroduced, in light of EasyJet announcing plans to resume some services from 15 June 2020.

A limited number of services have continued to operate throughout the lockdown period. We are expecting a slow recovery of some air services over the summer period assuming that steady progress is made in moving through the phases of the Scottish Government’s ‘Coronavirus (Covid-19): framework for decision making’. We expect domestic services to recommence first followed by international services.

We are working with Scotland’s airports to re-establish connectivity to support business and the inbound tourism market, focusing first on the most important routes serving key markets. The rate at which routes can be re-established depends on travel restrictions at home and abroad, and the extent to which airlines have reduced fleets as a result of the crisis. Realistically, it will take at least five years for services to recover to pre-Covid-19 levels.

Question reference: S5W-29581

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 15 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what additional support it will provide to the coach industry in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in light of reports that a number of businesses are facing permanent closure, which could impact on jobs and the tourism sector.

Question reference: S5W-29579

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it is giving to public transport firms with the recruiting of social distancing marshals for each phase of COVID-19 lockdown easing.

Transport Scotland is working closely to support public transport companies to ensure that they will be able to respond to higher levels of demand as we ease out of lockdown. We have issued guidance to operators which sets out that they should adopt a risk based approach and maintain 2 metres physical distancing, wherever possible, for staff and passengers on the transport network. Any recruitment of staff, including the management of physical distancing, would be a matter for the operator concerned.

Question reference: S5W-29578

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many times the Rail Recovery Taskforce, which it has established in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, has met, and how many future meetings are scheduled.

The Rail Recovery Task Force, which comprises of Transport Scotland, Abellio ScotRail and Network Rail, was established in April 2020 to develop plans to increase rail passenger services in line with Scottish Government advice.

The Task Force first met on 28 April 2020, has met twice weekly since that date and will continue to do so until rail passenger services are able to return, as far as is possible to pre COVID-19 levels.

Question reference: S5W-29558

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-29020 by Fiona Hyslop on 21 May 2020, when the report on updated costs and delivery programme for vessels 801 and 802 will be published.

The updated report on cost and programme for vessels 801 and 802 will be finalised when a full assessment of the impact of the delay has been made. This will take account of the confirmed date for the move to Phase 2 of Coronavirus (COVID-19): framework for decision making – Scotland’s route map through and out of the crisis , and the phased approach to recommencing work at the yard. The report will be published thereafter.

Question reference: S5W-29020

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 21 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update of the estimated (a) completion cost and (b) delivery date of each of the hybrid ferries that are under construction at Ferguson Marine.

Question reference: S5W-29000

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 21 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much it expects to receive in Barnett consequentials following the announcement by the UK Government on 9 May 2020 of up to an additional £2 billion investment in active travel.