- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 26 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15855 by Jenny Gilruth on 28 March 2023, when it plans to publish its updated market study of rail freight growth in Scotland, which was a key recommendation of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2).
Answer
The second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) will inform the Scottish Government’s transport investment programme in Scotland over the next 20 years. The Scottish Government have set out 45 recommendations for future investment in Scotland’s strategic transport network, published on 08 December 2022, with 38 of the 45 recommendations already underway.
The scope and timescales of the rail freight market study have yet to be determined. However, a Delivery Plan to provide further insight on the prioritisation of the STPR2 recommendations will follow in the coming months, when there is more clarity and greater certainty on the available capital budget and fiscal policy for the coming years.
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 21 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has begun carrying out a review of station accessibility to identify and remove barriers to travel and improve access for all, and what engagement it has had with groups that promote accessibility for people with disabilities.
Answer
Recommendation 19 of the Strategic Transport Projects Review 2 (STPR2) recommends a review of station accessibility across Scotland. This will identify and remove barriers to travel and improve access for all to the rail network, prioritising those stations that have particular accessibility related issues. The anticipated timeline for completion of the review remains Spring 2024.
Transport Scotland is currently waiting for release of the Department for Transport (DfT) accessibility audit review findings in order to inform the STPR2 work.
Rail accessibility remains reserved to the UK Government, which is not an appropriate arrangement for Scotland’s Railway. Nonetheless Transport Scotland officials work closely with the DfT in identifying priorities for the allocation of UK Access for All funding in Scotland.
Transport Scotland officials regularly meet with the Mobility and Access Committee Scotland (MACS) to ensure that Ministers are provided with relevant and accurate advice and information on accessibility needs in Scotland. Transport Scotland also works with ScotRail and Network Rail to ensure that accessibility forms a key part of any Scottish Government funded investment projects and operational policy.
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 21 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) financial, (b) legal and (c) other costs have been incurred, to date, in the process of nationalising the Caledonian Sleeper rail service.
Answer
Since the announcement on 2 March 2023 that Caledonian Sleeper services will be provided through the Scottish Government’s Operator of Last Resort arrangements on expiry of the current franchise agreement, there have been no costs charged to date on a) financial, b) legal and, c) other costs.
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 21 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15855 by Jenny Gilruth on 28 March 2023, by what percentage has rail freight increased in Scotland since March 2018.
Answer
While the decision to use rail is for the freight customer and its logistics provider, the Scottish Government has shown leadership in facilitating modal shift to rail with significant investment and innovative regulatory targets for 2019 to 2024 and 2024 to 2029.
The rail freight target is measured in net tonne miles and, due to the commercial nature of freight, tends to vary considerably from year to year. Currently, there has been an overall 7.6% drop in net tonne miles since 2018 due to a general contraction in the markets for various reasons, including the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic and the global economy.
New traffic to rail was 2.9 million net tonne miles in 2019-20 and 48.8 million net tonne miles in 2022-23. This reflects the five new rail freight services which have started in Scotland in the last twelve months including a cross border express logistics services .
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2023
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 26 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the constitution secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding engagement with the UK Government on a potential return to the Horizon Europe research programme.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 26 April 2023
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a further breakdown of the budget line for "Support for Active Travel", contained in the Scottish Budget 2023-24, and whether it will explain its rationale for increasing funding from £126.0 million in 2022-23 to £165.3 million in 2023-24.
Answer
The Scottish Government budget for 2023-24 for Active Travel is £189.2 million as follows. This is a step change increase from the 2022-23 budget, particularly in capital investment, as we progress towards the commitment to invest at least £320 million or 10% of the transport budget on active travel by 2024-25. This investment has a particular focus on improving the quality and range of active travel infrastructure where people can walk, wheel and cycle safely and confidently; and also funds access to bikes schemes and programmes to encourage more people to use active travel on day to day journeys. In turn these support key priorities in our second National Transport Strategy and second Strategic Transport Projects Review.
Budget Description | 2022-23 Allocation | 2023-24 Allocation | Percentage Movement |
Support for Active Travel – Capital (includes £11.073 m to bring Cycling Walking and Safer Routes up to £35 m) | 113.750 | 152.900 | 34% |
Support for Active Travel – Resource | 12.300 | 12.383 | 1% |
Support for Active Travel Sub-Total | 126.050 | 165.283 | 31% |
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Cycling, Walking & Safer Routes – Capital (in local govt settlement line) | 23.927 | 23.927 | 0% |
Active Travel Total | 149.977 | 189.210 | 26% |
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 17 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether any impact assessment was conducted before the decision was made to end the Network Support Grant Plus on 31 March 2023, and, if so, whether it will provide further information on the key findings of any such assessment.
Answer
The Scottish Government provided £223 million of support to bus services throughout the Covid pandemic. The Network Support Grant Plus was always a temporary fund put in place to support bus services as patronage recovered following the Covid 19 Pandemic. Travel has changed following the pandemic with amended service levels and new passenger travel patterns, therefore it is important that the support we give transport operators continues to evolve as the network adapts and make sure it remains fit for purpose and is sustainable long term.
The Scottish Government is aware of the importance of bus services and is committed, in conjunction with operators and local authorities, to looking at ways of improving services. The Scottish Government continues to invest in the bus network to support long term growth The Network Support Grant, which keeps fares more affordable and networks more extensive than would otherwise be the case, continues to be available in 2023 - 2024 and the Scottish Government is providing extra funding to support a marketing campaign to encourage people back to bus.
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 17 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what preliminary work has been completed on its Car Demand Management framework.
Answer
Transport Scotland is taking an evidence-based approach to what might work to discourage unnecessary car travel including learning from what others are doing across the UK and in other countries. We have commissioned research on equitable options for car demand management, referred to in S6W-15653 on 21 March 2023. Using the findings of this and other research, we will work with local and regional partners to develop options and proposals to support the 20% car km reduction target for inclusion within the Demand Management framework. We are now looking at the most appropriate way to review the existing powers conferred on local authorities which can support this objective, to ensure they are fit for purpose for use in the future.
All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 17 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns that the publication of its Car Demand Management framework, scheduled for 2025, will come too late to achieve a 20% reduction in car km by 2030.
Answer
The Scottish Government welcomes the recognition of the need for urgent action in order to deliver our climate policies and deliver a net zero Scotland by 2045. As outlined in our route map to achieving a 20% reduction in car kilometres by 2030, jointly developed with COSLA, the scale of the climate challenge means that we need to take forward a broad combination of interventions including infrastructure, incentives and regulatory actions, taking into account the needs of people on low incomes to help ensure a just transition to net-zero.
A key interdependency of the Scottish Government’s approach to demand management and car use dis-incentivisation 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 consistently failed to set out how they will address this.
The development and publication of the demand management framework by 2025 does not, however, preclude earlier action. Existing legislation provides a suite of options for local authorities to implement according to their local needs and circumstances and Transport Scotland will continue to work with local and regional partners as part of its collaborative approach.
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 17 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15653 by Jenny Gilruth on 21 March 2023, what (a) monitoring and (b) analysis it has conducted on the impact of road pricing on (i) rural travellers and (ii) those on low incomes.
Answer
The demand management research referred to in S6W-16545 considers carefully the analysis of possible equality impacts of demand management options including road pricing, along with potential mitigations such as exemptions, allowances and complementary measures which may be applied to those on low incomes and those living in remote rural areas. Monitoring of potential future road pricing schemes is not possible until if and when such schemes have been developed together with appropriate monitoring and evaluation approaches.
