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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-05587

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 21 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what resilience measures it has implemented to sustain the transport network where staffing levels have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Transport Scotland has worked closely with operating partners and stakeholders throughout the pandemic to ensure that transport services have been maintained for those who rely upon them. For example, under the Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) scheme, transport operators were able can apply for an exemption to allow essential workers to volunteer to leave self-isolation and return to work in certain limited circumstances in order to allow vital services to continue.

Although this scheme has now closed following changes to the general population self isolation policy, we continue to work closely with the sector on maintaining service and network resilience. This includes working with CalMac and ScotRail to introduce temporary timetables to protect lifeline services and minimise Covid related cancellations as a result of staff absences arising from the recent surge in cases caused by the Omicron variant.

Question reference: S6W-05589

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 21 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will simplify rail ticketing for end-to-end journeys under the new ScotRail operator and, if so, what steps it will take to achieve this.

Our priority is for a seamless transition for passengers and staff throughout the transition to ScotRail Trains Ltd from 1 April and during the business’ first year of operation. We have empowered ScotRail to review its range of fares offerings to respond to changing travel behaviours due to the impacts of the Covid pandemic, and as part of this work to seek to simplify fares where possible as part of an improved service to passengers.

In addition, the Fair Fares Review, which is currently in its planning stages, is being undertaken by Transport Scotland to ensure a sustainable and integrated approach to public transport fares in the future.

Question reference: S6W-05584

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 21 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the annual staffing numbers for Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd have been in each year since 2011, broken down by (a) full-time equivalent positions, (b) head count and (c) seasonal workers.

In response to the three questions regarding staffing number (a) Full-time equivalent (b) headcount (C) Seasonal workers at Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd I can confirm as follows.

BASELINE LIST - bodies	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd FTE (a)	13	14.53	17.5	21.8	20.8	22.4	25.6	27.6	28.6	33.08	37
Headcount (b)	13	15	18	22	21	23	26	28	29	34	39

In regards to question (C) they have confirmed that have never employed any seasonal workers.

CMAL, advise resource numbers have increased annually as additional roles and responsibilities have been taken on across this period. This has been in part due to covering the full Repair & Maintenance for the 26 ports and an increase to the fleet size to include all 5 lifeline service vessels for the Northern Isles.

Question reference: S6W-05588

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 21 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address shortages in (a) HGV drivers, (b) bus drivers and (c) taxi and private hire drivers.

The Scottish Government is working closely with business organisations to develop an action plan to identify actions to mitigate the impact of labour shortages on businesses across affected sectors. Longer term interventions will include consideration of the current skills system, specifically how this links with the wider education landscape and careers guidance services.

With the exception of skills and training, most of the levers available to mitigate the acute HGV driver shortages we have seen in the last 6 months are reserved to the UK Government. Our Modern Apprenticeships continue to support individuals to enter the logistics sector. The Freight Logistics Apprenticeship Framework encompasses the planning, routing and movement of freight across all transport modes as well as associated activities such as warehousing and storage.

Collectively there were 1107 starts on these frameworks in 2020-21 and up to the end of Quarter 2 of 2021-22, there have been 770 Modern Apprenticeship starts in freight logistics with 1456 individuals in training in total. In addition, as of September 2021, 95 individuals have been supported through the Employability Fund to train as HGV drivers.

Skills Development Scotland is also developing a small pilot with the Road Haulage Association to support up to 30 drivers with an HGV licence to undertake Driver Certificate of Professional Competence training allowing them to re-enter the sector. The pilot will help establish the demand for this type of training.

We are also monitoring the impact of bus driver vacancies and on bus service levels. My officials are in regular contact with the Department for Transport regarding issues such as delays in processing licence applications and driver testing. In addition, officials are also working with the bus sector to facilitate solutions to workforce issues through the Labour and Skills Shortages Action Plan, and connecting Local Employability Partnerships (LEPs) who are aware of opportunities in their areas with bus service operators through the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT). This includes sharing examples of good practice across the network of both LEPs and members of the CPT to encourage more local level collaboration to meet the needs of each area.

The Scottish Government has provided £79.3 million directly to taxi and private hire drivers and operators in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Further support of up to £28 million was announced on 5 January 2022 from within the £375 million package of funding announced on 21 December 2021, bringing total support for the sector to over £107 million.

Question reference: S6O-00660

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it will address the reported repair backlog in Scottish Fire and Rescue Service properties.

Question reference: S6F-00698

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 January 2022

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to ScotRail’s plans to cut ticket office opening hours at 120 stations and to close three ticket offices entirely.

Question reference: S6O-00650

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how the allocation of funding in its Budget for 2022-23 will support local services in the West Scotland region.

Question reference: S6W-05359

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 12 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many green jobs are expected to be created by its Green Jobs Fund.

The Green Jobs Fund (GJF) is a five year, £100m capital fund offering support to businesses, and their supply chains, to help them better transition to a low carbon economy. In so doing, the GJF will support businesses to create green employment through investment in equipment and premises, and research and development.

During the Just Transition debate on motion S6M-02429, on 7 December 2021, I confirmed that so far, £12.3 million has been awarded through the Green Jobs Fund and this is expected to create and safeguard more than 850 green jobs. As future Green Jobs Fund awards are made, we will continue to update on the progress of the fund and the expected green jobs resulting from this.

Question reference: S6T-00385

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 December 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will explain its decision to increase peak and off-peak regulated rail fares by 3.8%.

Question reference: S6W-04640

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what data it holds on the waiting times for ophthalmology care in (a) an outpatient setting and (b) day cases, in each NHS board area from (i) 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 and (ii) 1 April to 25 November 2021.

The link below leads to the latest elective waiting times publication which was published on Tuesday 30 November for the quarter ending 30 Sep 2021. This provides number of patients waiting and seen by specialty for outpatients and inpatient / day cases.

Stage of treatment waiting times - Inpatients, day cases and new outpatients 30 November 2021 - NHS waiting times - stage of treatment - Publications - Public Health Scotland

The split between inpatient and day case is not published. in addition, this publication only covers details up to the end of September 2021, with the information on the quarter ending 31 December 2021 due to be published at the end of February.