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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-09581

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 29 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many battery trains it plans to procure for ScotRail in the next five years.

Question reference: S6W-09690

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 29 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many free bicycles it has provided to children, broken down by local authority, and how much has been spent on this scheme to date.

We met the commitment to begin providing free bikes to schoolchildren within 100 days of the new Government by commencing the ongoing pilot programme. The pilot programme is, by its nature, focused in scope with 9 projects testing a range of delivery models. We aim to roll the programme out more widely in 2023.

The pilot period will conclude at the end of August 2022. The projected spend to the end of the pilot period is £2,601,356.22. This is £870,369.34 resource and £1,730,986.88 capital. The resource element of the budget is not used to procure bikes, but to fund activity such as training sessions and staffing to support the objectives of the pilot programme.

The total number of bikes issued to date is 2067. We expect to have issued 3000 bikes by the end of the pilot period. The bikes include adapted and non-standard bikes to cater for a range of needs.

In addition, fleet bikes delivered by Sustrans Scotland to participating schools, but not given to any individual child, have been used 2927 times.

We do not record data on bike numbers at local authority level. However, considering bikes issued and associated training and promotion sessions, free bikes activities have taken place in 20 of 32 local authority areas. The 9 pilots are running across a range of locations including in urban, rural and island communities.

Question reference: S6W-09343

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 18 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many hackney cabs are (a) compliant (b) not compliant with the planned low-emission zones in (i) Glasgow and (ii) Edinburgh.

Question reference: S6W-09342

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 18 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to the drivers of hackney cabs to purchase vehicles that are compliant with low-emission zones.

The Scottish Government has made Low Emission Zone (LEZ) Support fund grants available since late 2019. I can confirm that a further £5 million has been allocated to the LEZ Support Fund for 2022-23.

The LEZ Support fund (administered by Energy Savings Trust) offers a grant of up to £2,000 per vehicle for the safe disposal of non-LEZ compliant vehicles. Owners can put this funding towards the purchase of a LEZ compliant vehicle or to one that is suitable for retrofit.

The LEZ Retrofit fund offers a grant of up to £10,000 per vehicle (or up to 80% of the capital costs) to bring non-compliant vehicles up to LEZ standards.

Interest-free loans are also available through the Energy Saving Trust (funded by Transport Scotland) to enable owners and operators of hackney cabs or private hire taxis to replace their current vehicle with an eligible ultra-low emission vehicle.

Question reference: S6W-08733

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted any analysis of the operation of Transport for London’s Veteran Oyster Card scheme, and whether it will consider rolling out a similar scheme in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-08734

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with veterans groups to discuss concessionary travel proposals.

Question reference: S6W-08735

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 14 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage more injured veterans to use public transport.

Question reference: S6W-08732

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 14 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what concessionary schemes exist across all of Scotland’s transport networks for injured veterans.

The Veterans Railcard provides a one-third discount on rail journeys across the UK. It is available to all veterans who have served for at least one day or more in Her Majesty’s Armed Forces or Merchant Mariners who have seen duty on legally defined military operations. The terms and conditions for the railcard are set by National Rail (part of the Rail Delivery Group).

In addition, the Disabled Persons Railcard also provides one-third discount on rail journeys across the UK for a cardholder and a companion travelling with them. Veterans in receipt of War Disablement Pension Mobility Supplement or War or Service Disablement Pension for 80% or more disability are eligible to apply for this railcard.

Under the National Concessionary Bus Travel Scheme for Older and Disabled People (NCTS), veterans resident in Scotland aged 60 and over are eligible to apply for free bus travel throughout Scotland. In addition injured veterans may also qualify for free bus travel if they satisfy the disability eligibility criteria for the NCTS which can be found on the Transport Scotland website and which include being in receipt of a War Disablement Pension Mobility Supplement.

Veterans age 21 or younger can also qualify for free bus travel under the National Concessionary Bus Travel Scheme for Young People.

Question reference: S6W-08804

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 8 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review its policy on the control of woodland removal.

The current provisions for felling permissions are set out in the Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Act 2018 and associated regulations, last updated in 2021.

Felling trees for the purposes of carrying out development, authorised by planning authorities, is exempt from the requirement for a Felling Permission. Here the Scottish Government’s Control of Woodland Removal Policy applies.

This policy includes a presumption in favour of protecting woodland. Removal should only be permitted where it would achieve significant and clearly defined additional public benefits. Where woodland is removed in association with development, developers will generally be expected to provide compensatory planting. The Scottish Government has no imminent plans to review its policy on the control of woodland removal.

Question reference: S6T-00745

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what contingency plans it has in place should train drivers reject the latest pay offer, in light of the reported hundreds of cancellations at the weekend.