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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-35167

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much from its 2025-26 budget has been allocated towards the potential purchase of Ardrossan Harbour.

Consideration of potential purchase of Ardrossan Harbour involves confidential commercial discussions between Peel Ports Group and CMAL. We are not able to share detail on potential costs at this point. An indicative allowance has been made within the wider Vessels and Piers line in table 8.06 of the Scottish Government Budget to support this should an agreement be reached. As indicated, any consideration on purchase is subject to a fair settlement being negotiated and due diligence undertaken.

Question reference: S6W-34468

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what upgrades are planned for the A82 in 2025-26.

From a trunk road maintenance perspective, the following upgrades are currently being planned for the A82 in the 2025-26 financial year:

Renton Rd U/B to Cardross Rd U/B – Structural Maintenance

Lomond Gate roundabout to Barloan Toll roundabout NB & SB - Structural Maintenance
A82 Dalnottar Int to Dumbarton Rd Jct NB - Structural Maintenance
Between Dunglass roundabout and Dumbuck – Drainage improvements
A82 Invermoriston to Drumnadrochit - New northbound layby
A82 Glen Coe - Rock slope mitigation works
A82 Grotaig - Rock slope mitigation works
Glenurquhart Road, Inverness – Footway improvements
Auch Estate - Edge strip hardening works
Stoneymollan to Luss - Junction improvements
Glen Falloch - Vehicle restraint upgrades
Fort William to Spean Bridge - Vehicle restraint upgrades
A82 Lomondgate Roundabout - upgraded road markings and localised widening
A898/A82 interchange - Road safety measures identified from an investigation in 2024/25 will be programmed for construction.
A82 Erskine to Dunglass - installation of an advanced direction sign (pending resolution of slope remediation works)
A82 1110 Leagann Bridge - Concrete repair
A82 1160 Ceannside Bridge – Re-waterproofing and concrete repairs
A82 1390 Borlum Bridge – Re-waterproofing
A82 615 C19 Auch 4 Culvert - Verge repair
A82 500 Allt Fionne Ghlinne N Bridge – Parapet replacement
A82 1080 W53 Loch Lochyside 2 Retaining Wall - Gabion repairs
A82 240 Fruin Old Bridge - Scour repairs

The exact dates for the works are still to be confirmed as all schemes are in the process of being investigated.

Question reference: S6W-35033

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with Transport Scotland and Scottish Rail Holdings to encourage the public to use the Caledonian Sleeper service.

Question reference: S6W-35031

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been allocated to the Caledonian Sleeper service for (a) engine repairs and (b) carriage upgrades in 2024-25, also broken down by how much of this has been used to date.

Question reference: S6W-35030

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many electric vehicle (EV) charge points it plans to install in 2025-26.

The Scottish Government has provided over £65 million to support the development of public EV charging across Scotland. As a direct result of this funding, and increasing private sector investment, Scotland met its target for 6,000 public charge points in October last year, two years ahead of schedule and Scotland now has almost 6,200 public EV charge points.

In June 2023 the Scottish Government published the Vision for Scotland’s Public Electric Vehicle Charging Network, highlighting the need for a transition towards a public charging network that is largely financed and delivered by the private sector. In December 2024 we published our draft Vision Implementation Plan that identifies proposed actions for delivering this Vision, as well as a route map for delivering approximately 24,000 additional public electric vehicle charge points by 2030, largely funded and delivered by the private sector.

The Scottish Government does not install EV charging, but it continues to support EV charging expansion through its £30 million EV Infrastructure Fund which supports Scotland’s local authorities to partner with the private sector to continue to expand public EV charging and, following approval of the Scottish Government’s budget for 2025-26 by this parliament, a further £5 million will be made available to support the provision of public EV charging in rural and island communities. Further details of this funding and the charging infrastructure it will support will be announced in due course.

Question reference: S6O-04382

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions economy ministers have had with ministerial colleagues regarding what steps it is taking to improve regulatory clarity and reduce compliance costs for self-catering accommodation businesses.

Question reference: S6O-04338

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the housing minister has had with ministerial colleagues regarding what action is being taken to tackle homelessness in relation to care experienced individuals.

Question reference: S6W-33792

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it plans to improve the bus network in the next financial year.

In 2025-26, we are increasing funding for bus services and concessionary travel from £430 million in 2024-25 to almost £465 million. This includes £50 million to support bus services so that operators can continue providing access to affordable transport.

Work on the delivery and management of the Bus Infrastructure Fund is currently underway. We will look for the fund to build on the work undertaken through both the Bus Partnership Fund and the Community Bus Fund with renewed focus on bus priority infrastructure to help address the negative impacts of congestion on bus services, and support local public transport improvements.

In addition, the Scottish Government has now delivered all the bus powers within the 2019 Act, enabling local transport authority consideration of all the powers available to them. The Act provides them with a range of powers including partnership working, franchising and local authority run services which sits alongside their ability to subsidise services. The final regulations and guidance needed for implementation of Bus Services Improvement Partnerships and franchising powers will be made by Spring 2025.

Question reference: S6W-33795

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with bus providers to enhance services in rural areas in the next financial year.

Bus services in Scotland were deregulated by the then Conservative UK Government under the Transport Act of 1985 and are mostly provided by private operators.

Our commitment to bus travel includes the investment of almost £465 million to support concessionary bus travel and to help ensure our bus operators can continue to provide access to affordable transport in the de-regulated market across all of Scotland. The Network Support Grant is aimed at keeping bus networks more extensive and fares lower than would otherwise be the case. This fund is paid on a per kilometre basis which favours longer distance routes more common in rural areas.

Question reference: S6W-33794

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 3 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with bus providers to enhance contactless payment mechanisms on buses.

Between 2018 and December 2022 the Scottish Government provided a £1.1m ‘Smart Pay Grant Fund’, matched with European Regional Development Fund investment, to provide all small to medium bus operators in Scotland access to funds to improve ticketing equipment on board buses to accept contactless payment. This was enabled on over 900 buses across Scotland to mean that around 98% of buses now have this convenient payment method for passengers.