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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-34429

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) has supported projects aimed at improving the efficiency of inland waterways and, if so, which projects have been funded.

Question reference: S6W-34423

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) helps businesses meet their environmental and sustainability targets, and what specific metrics or outcomes are used to evaluate this.

Taking freight off congested roads and moving it by rail or water can have environmental and wider social benefits but it can be more expensive. Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) is therefore available to assist with the extra costs generally associated with moving freight by rail or water by offsetting the capital costs of providing the required freight handling facilities. It is also available to help companies reinvest in existing rail or water freight facilities where the traffic may revert to road transport.

The value of environmental and social benefits is based on calculating the benefits of removing one lorry mile of freight from road and transferring it to rail or water.

Monitoring is undertaken after a facility funded under the grant scheme becomes operational.

Transport Scotland requires applicants to provide a return of traffic passing through the grant-aided facility. Transport Scotland will require verified tonnages reports from the applicant, in cases where the applicant is required to provide evidence to corroborate the traffic the documentation required will be agreed prior to the award of grant.

Monitoring will cover an agreed period of time to allow the required environmental benefits from the grant to be accrued by the applicant.

Question reference: S6W-34427

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce specific outreach programmes to increase awareness and the uptake of the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) among under-represented sectors, such as the agriculture or food production industries.

Question reference: S6W-34414

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) supports projects that contribute to improving connectivity between Scotland and international markets.

Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) was introduced in recognition that taking freight off roads and moving it by rail or water can have environmental and wider social benefits but can be more expensive.

Improving international connectivity is not a specified aim of FFG. However, FFG awards have been made to Scottish ports and rail facilities, which can be utilised for the movement of goods to international markets.

Question reference: S6W-34415

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) supports the reduction of freight transport congestion in urban areas, and what specific measures have been implemented to address this issue.

Question reference: S6O-04386

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, 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 how it monitors the ways in which local authorities engage with stakeholders regarding the implementation of the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024.

Question reference: S6W-34413

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) scheme has supported the growth of Scotland’s ports and logistics infrastructure, and what improvements have been made to port facilities as a result of this funding.

Question reference: S6W-34409

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria is used to assess applications for the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG), and how often these criteria have been updated or revised.

Any company which wants to move freight by rail or water rather than by road and which is proposing to invest in new freight handling facilities in Scotland or re-invest in existing facilities in Scotland may apply for Freight Facilities Grant (FFG).

The amount of FFG that will be offered depends on the value of the environmental benefits of the project and the additional costs of moving freight by rail or water, determined by a financial appraisal of the project comparing the cost of the rail or water operation with the road alternative. Grants are limited to a maximum of 50% of the capital expenditure.

The key requirement for payment of grant is that Scottish Ministers must be satisfied that if the proposed facility is not provided, the freight, which would have used it, will in fact be carried by road. This means that there must be soundly based projections of the type and quantity of goods that would use the proposed facility and evidence that these goods are currently transported by road.

FFG is paid in the clear expectation that the freight facility will secure the removal of lorries from specific routes for a specific number of years. In return for FFG support, grant recipients must give a commitment to use the facility for a certain period and move a specified amount of freight through the facility.

Most facilities needed to handle or carry freight on rail or water are eligible under the criteria for FFG for example piers, rail sidings and handling equipment. Funding is limited to capital expenditure. Design and project management costs associated exclusively with the freight facility are also likely to be eligible.

Since the GB wide scheme was introduced in 1997, it has been reviewed on several occasions. These exercises were led by the Department for Transport on behalf of the UK Government with input from both the Scottish and Welsh Governments as well as stakeholders across the logistics sector. The last review was undertaken in 2018. The application criteria for the scheme remains unchanged since the scheme began.

Question reference: S6W-34406

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the most common types of transport projects funded through the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) have been since 2016, and how these projects align with its transport and sustainability goals.

The most common type of schemes funded under Freight Facilities Grant since 2016 has been for the creation and expansion of rail terminals.

Heavy goods vehicles are a major contributor to emissions within the Scottish economy. Emissions from rail are considerably lower. Scottish Government policy to encourage the shift of freight from road to rail and other, more sustainable forms of transport aligns with the priority to “take climate action” in the National Transport Strategy 2 and supports the legislative target for Scotland to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.

The Scottish Government has set regulatory targets for rail freight growth. The target for the period 2024 to 2029 is 8.7% and, if achieved, is forecast to result in an additional 2,200 annual trains by 2029.

Question reference: S6W-34404

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the total amount of funding allocated for the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) has been in each year since 2021.