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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-23915

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the Community Bus Fund since September 2023.

Question reference: S6W-23914

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 4 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government which organisations or interested parties have received funding through the Plugged-in Communities Grant Fund in 2023-24.

The Scottish Government provides annual funding to Energy Saving Trust (EST) who are an independent organisation working to address the climate emergency. EST then deliver the Plugged-in Communities (PiC) grant fund on behalf of Scottish Ministers.

EST publish details of all PiC grant recipients along with the grant values on their website, this information can be found here - Plugged-in communities grant fund - Energy Saving Trust .

In 2023-2024 the following organisations received Plugged-in Community funding:

Annandale Community Transport Services

Beannachar Ltd

Caithness Rural Transport

Camphill School Aberdeen

Checkin Works

Coalfield Community Transport

Creich Croick & Kincardine District Day Care Association

Elder Voice

Glasgow Children’s Hospital

Glasgow No.1 Baby and Family Support Service

Handicabs (Lothian)

Healthy and Active in East Kilbride

Homeless Project Scotland

Local Energy Action Plan

Lothian Community Transport Services

Moray Carshare

South Ayrshire Community Transport

Southwest Community Transport

St Madoes and Kinfauns Parish Church

Tagsa Uibhist

The Food Train.

Question reference: S6W-23908

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 21 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the roll-out of the recommendations by the Electricity Networks Commissioner will have implications for (a) regional spatial strategies, (b) local development plans and (c) local place plans in Scotland, and, if it will, what communication it will have with local authorities to ensure that this is captured in these documents as they are updated.

We are supportive of the strategic approaches for the co-ordination, design and delivery of electricity transmission infrastructure recommended in the Electricity Network Commissioner’s Report and are currently engaging with the UK Government on plans for their implementation. We will update local authorities and Heads of Planning Scotland at the appropriate stage so that, where relevant, outputs can be taken into account in preparing future plans and strategies, including Local Development Plans and Regional Spatial Strategies, as well as supporting the preparation of Local Place Plans by communities.

Question reference: S6O-02927

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of its overseas offices.

Question reference: S6W-23858

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 20 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it is monitoring the progress regarding the introduction of 20-minute neighbourhoods across Scotland.

National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) policy delivery is at an early stage and early action is focusing on how policy is being interpreted and used in decision making. Scottish Government is developing a monitoring framework to support the delivery of NPF4. This monitoring framework will cover all three elements of NPF4, which are the spatial strategy, national developments and national planning policies. Policy 15, Local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods is one of the key indicator policies, and will be amongst the ones on which we will have initial focus.

Question reference: S6W-23451

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 15 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken to understand any impact of future private technology mobility solutions on the viability of local authority bus franchise arrangements, and whether any legislative safeguards are required.

Prior to the introduction of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 (“the 2019 Act”) all relevant impact assessments were conducted, and no significant issues were identified as part of this process. All the bus powers in the 2019 Act, including franchising, are designed to be flexible to ensure local transport authorities can improve bus services according to their local needs. In developing their franchising proposals, local authorities will need to take account of the individual circumstances of their area, including any potential impact of technological developments, and how the proposals will contribute to the implementation of their relevant general policies. We continue to engage with local transport authorities as we develop the further regulations and guidance required to give the franchising powers full effect.

Question reference: S6W-23450

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 13 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has done to explore the potential for a national roll-out of a fully digitised real-time ride-share scheme.

Digitised ride-share schemes were included in some of the projects successful in obtaining grants from our £2M Mobility as a Service (MaaS) Investment Fund, which aims to test the viability of one-stop digital journey planning, booking and payment services for Scotland. With all projects due to complete by the end of this year, the results of these will then be analysed to determine next steps for these digital mobility services across Scotland.

Looking at the longer term, the Scottish Government published the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2), in December 2022. It recommends future funding support for pilot schemes and demonstration projects to establish how Demand Responsive Transport and Community Transport services can provide improved public transport connectivity and integration without increasing the need for revenue support.

Part of this recommendation, includes the potential to better inform people on journey options through the use of MaaS. The supporting transport appraisal noted that smart technology, where appropriate – can be used to provide improved public transport connectivity. This is important in addressing the differences in service provision between and within regions.

Question reference: S6W-23449

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 12 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what transport demand management systems it is considering for national roll-out.

As outlined in the draft route map to achieving a 20% reduction in car km by 2030, published in January 2022, the Scottish Government intends to publish a demand management framework by 2025, which will set out our approach to transport demand management options.

A key interdependency of the Scottish Government’s approach to demand management is the position of the UK Government on the future of motoring taxes. The most direct levers on the cost of buying or running a petrol or diesel car – fuel duty and vehicle excise duty – are reserved to the UK Government, who acknowledged in their Net Zero Review that revenues from existing motoring taxes will decline sharply this decade as we transition away from fossil fuels and the taxes based on them. However the UK Government has so far failed to set out how they will address this. We will continue to press the UK Government for clarity on timescales for motoring tax reform. The Scottish Government wants a fair and progressive future transport tax system that better incentivises the transition to zero-emission vehicles, reduces unnecessary journeys and raises revenues to fund policies to support a shift to more sustainable travel.

Question reference: S6W-23453

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 12 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what expressions of interest there have been from local authorities or transport authorities to utilise bus franchising powers under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019.

The Scottish Government has now delivered all the bus powers within the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 (the 2019 Act) and encourages all local transport authorities to consider the full range of tools available to them, to ensure that everyone has accessible public transport regardless of where they are in Scotland. As part of the development and delivery of the bus powers within the 2019 Act the Scottish Government has been engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, including local transport authorities. As part of this engagement we have received interest in each of the Act powers from local authorities across Scotland, however it will be for local transport authorities to decide what flexible tools within the 2019 Act, if any, they want to use to improve bus provision in their area.

Question reference: S6W-23277

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what communication it has had with local authorities regarding the potential impact on planning policy in Scotland of the recommendations of the Electricity Networks Commissioner’s report on accelerating electricity transmission network deployment.