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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: S6O-00514

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 December 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its NHS Recovery Plan.

Question reference: S6W-04463

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 1 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the process is for approving a revised ScotRail timetable, and what role ministers have in this.

Question reference: S6W-04460

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 25 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the types of rolling stock that are used by ScotRail at present, and what will be available following its transfer to public ownership.

The fleets that are currently leased by Abellio ScotRail are noted within the Franchise Agreement (APPENDIX 1 TO SCHEDULE 1.1 - The Train Fleet - Table 1).

public-register-franchise-variation-east-kilbride-kilmarnock-and-barrhead-capacity-improvements-6-december-2018.pdf (transport.gov.scot)

The new operator, ScotRail Trains Ltd, is currently engaging with fleet owners to secure the rolling stock needed to maintain service provision.

Question reference: S6W-04464

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 25 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the final decision regarding whether to introduce the Fit for the Future timetable for ScotRail services will be (a) reached and (b) publicly announced.

Question reference: S6W-04462

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 25 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how the proposed Fit for the Future timetable for ScotRail services will impact on (a) carbon emissions, (b) passenger numbers and (c) staffing requirements.

The proposed May 2022 timetable will (a) result in approximately 26,000 tonnes less CO2 emissions from ScotRail’s fleet per year than the pre-pandemic December 2019 timetable, representing a 12.5% reduction.

The proposed timetable will (b) provide around 593,000 seats per weekday and has been designed to accommodate more than 100 million passenger journeys per year. For context, when the current franchise began, the timetable provided 505,000 seats per weekday and 93.8 million passenger journeys were carried.

ScotRail has confirmed that, (c) as a business, it is currently sized to operate the planned Fit for the Future timetable. As with all businesses, it will need to manage the challenges of a post-pandemic economy, and ScotRail will ensure sufficient staff will be available to meet the Fit for the Future timetable, which will see more trains operating than now.

Question reference: S6W-04465

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 25 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish its response to the consultation regarding the proposed Fit for the Future timetable for ScotRail services.

Question reference: S6W-04461

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 25 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many seats were available on (a) week day, (b) Saturday and (c) Sunday ScotRail services immediately before the COVID-19 pandemic, and how many will be available under the proposed Fit for the Future timetable.

The proposed May 2022 timetable, which is subject to review of consultation responses, would provide more seats on every day of the week compared to the current timetable.

Figures for December 2019, current capacity and the proposed May 2022 timetable are shown below.

Seat provision	Dec-2019	Current	May-2022
Weekday	643,000	551,000	593,000
Saturday	598,000	507,000	569,000
Sunday	294,000	295,000	315,000

The proposed May 2022 timetable is a change intended to meet the expected post-Covid travel patterns of Scottish passengers. As demand for Scotland’s railway changes over time, the timetable will be adjusted where needed to maintain rail as an attractive choice for transport.

Question reference: S6W-04357

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 24 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the pay deal reportedly agreed between the RMT trade union and Abellio ScotRail, whether it will instruct Serco Caledonian Sleeper to negotiate a pay deal for its workers that (a) provides parity with the pay deal agreed for ScotRail workers and (b) is not contingent on any efficiency measures being put in place.

The pay deal between the RMT and Abellio ScotRail was rightly negotiated between the operator and staff representatives, and the same applies to Serco Caledonian Sleepers Limited (SCSL) and the RMT.

Scotland’s railway faces significant financial challenges and it is only right that discussions around efficiencies, addressing ideas both from the business and the union, should form part of the dialogue around funding a pay deal.

We understand that, following discussions, SCSL made a pay offer which RMT’s Scottish leadership had confirmed would be acceptable. It is disappointing that the pay offer was then rejected, not least because when considered with the pay increase already awarded last year, the combined rate was as good as or better than any other deal for train operating company staff in the rail industry.

Question reference: S6W-03835

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the total (a) rolling stock and (b) seating capacity is on the ScotRail network, and how this will be impacted by the proposed timetable changes from May 2022.

The total rolling stock (a) is currently 350 trains, made up of 1,039 carriages, leased by Abellio ScotRail. These operate around 2,000 weekday services, providing capacity (b) of 551,000 seats across the ScotRail network on a weekday basis. Saturday capacity is approximately 507,000 seats; Sunday capacity is approximately 295,000 seats.

The proposed May 2022 timetable, which is subject to review of consultation responses, would require approximately 593,000 seats per weekday, around a 17% increase on the current timetable. Sufficient rolling stock will be provided to deliver this.

Question reference: S6W-03836

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much (a) rolling stock and (b) seating capacity is required on the ScotRail network to meet its net zero ambitions.

In order to meet our net zero ambitions on Scotland’s Railway, 147 diesel trains, comprising 390 carriages with a capacity of approximately 25,000 seats in total, will be replaced by 2035 by a mix of electric, battery and hydrogen powered fleets.

The total number of vehicles and seats required will depend upon the changed travel behaviour of ScotRail passengers over that period as they respond to the rolling programme of rail investment consistent with the Scottish Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan.