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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-02875

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 24 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the financial outturn report of December 2020, how (a) revenue and (b) capital underspends in the Transport Scotland budget have been allocated, and what underspend remains unallocated.

The Transport Scotland budget underspends form part of the Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity portfolio underspend reported in the portfolio outturn statement in the Scottish Government Consolidated Accounts for the year ended 31st March 2020 of £232 million, which in turn forms part of the overall Scottish Government outturn, with underspends carried forward in the Scotland Reserve to support the delivery of the Government’s outcomes, meaning there is no loss of spending power to Scotland and no underspend remains unallocated. Overall changes to the Scottish Budget are set out in full at budget revisions.

Question reference: S6W-02874

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 24 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the financial outturn report of December 2020, how (a) revenue and (b) capital underspends in the Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity portfolio have been allocated, and what underspend remains unallocated.

The Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity portfolio underspend reported in the portfolio outturn statement in the Scottish Government Consolidated Accounts for the year ended 31st March 2020 of £232 million forms part of the overall Scottish Government outturn, with underspends carried forward in the Scotland Reserve to support the delivery of the Government’s outcomes, meaning there is no loss of spending power to Scotland. Overall changes to the Scottish Budget are set out in full at budget revisions.

Question reference: S6W-02698

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it consulted the Scottish Green Party or any of its MSPs on the issue of vaccine certifications before the policy announcement was made in the Parliament on 1 September 2021 and, if so, when did this occur, and by whom it was initiated.

Question reference: S6W-02690

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 17 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many two-year-olds are currently (a) receiving and (b) eligible for 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare in each local authority.

Based on population projections published by National Records of Scotland, it is estimated the eligible two-year old population is 14,500 children. The Scottish Government is working with UK Government departments and the Office for National Statistics to acquire further UK government held data which will enable us to measure the eligible population more accurately.

The latest data published by the Improvement Service in May 2021 reported that at the national level, there were 6204 two-year-olds accessing funded ELC. Of that number, 4113 two-year-olds were accessing 1140 funded hours. Updated figures will be published by the Improvement Service in the next month.

In December, the Scottish Government will publish Schools in Scotland, Summary Statistics report for 2021. This report will include figures to show the number of registrations of two-year-olds at national and local authority level.

Question reference: S6T-00127

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the ongoing industrial disputes with ScotRail.

Question reference: S6O-00091

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle the antisocial use of quad bikes, trail bikes and other off-road vehicles.

Question reference: S6W-01871

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 23 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the recent average percentage of passengers that wear face coverings on (a) ScotRail services, (b) buses and (c) ferries.

Transport Scotland does not hold data on the percentage of passengers wearing face coverings while using public transport. However, ScotRail advise that the most recent observed levels indicate between an average of 80% and 90% of passengers wearing face coverings. The Confederation for Passenger Transport (CPT), who represent bus operators, advise recent observed levels indicate an average of around 80% of passengers wearing face coverings. In relation to ferries, operators have advised that they estimate that observed levels indicate around 85-95% of passengers wearing face coverings whilst using their services.

The recently observed levels do not include those who may be exempt from wearing face coverings on account of age and health conditions and so the levels of compliance with the regulations will be higher than the observed average percentages of passengers wearing face coverings.

Question reference: S6W-01866

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 18 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what legal responsibilities public transport operators have for the enforcement of (a) physical distancing, (b) the wearing of face coverings and (c) other COVID-19 safety regulations.

Question reference: S6W-01865

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 18 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government who is responsible for the enforcement of (a) physical distancing, (b) the wearing of face coverings and (c) other COVID-19 safety regulations on (i) rail services, (ii) buses and (iii) ferries.

The responsibility for the enforcement of Covid-19 regulations on public transport rests with Police Scotland and, in the case of the railway network, British Transport Police. Police officers have enforcement powers to issue a fixed penalty notice to anyone 18 or over if there is reason to believe an offence has been committed under the regulations. These powers are used as a last resort where people are defying very clear and sensible advice, which is designed to protect them from harm.

In addition to regulations, Transport Scotland has published guidance for transport operators to enable them to keep their staff and passengers safe during the pandemic. This guidance reinforces the importance of signage, announcements and messaging to remind passengers of Covid-19 requirements whilst using public transport.

Question reference: S6W-01870

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 18 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been fined or prosecuted for failing to adhere to (a) physical distancing, (b) the wearing of face coverings and (c) other COVID-19 safety regulations on public transport in each month since the introduction of the regulations.

Police Scotland publish data on their website in relation to the numbers of people who have been issued with Fixed Penalty Notices or arrested in relation to breaches of Covid-19 regulations. However the data does not identify the settings in which the breaches occurred. Specifically in relation to the railway network, cumulative intervention figures across all divisions in Scotland up until
21 July 2021 show there have been 6,229 interventions, 854 directions to leave and 34 Fixed Penalty Notices issued by British Transport Police in relation to non-compliance with Covid-19 regulations.