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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: S5O-00729

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 2 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport will announce a final decision regarding the proposed closure of the children’s ward at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.

Question reference: S5W-07174

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the public performance measure (PPM) figure has been for each route on the ScotRail franchise in each month since April 2015, and what its position is on routinely publishing this information on a monthly basis.

The Franchise Agreement specifies that ScotRail report on performance by Sector Group and not specific route [made up of Express, Suburban West, Suburban East and Rural Sector].

The following table provides the relevant information. In terms of publishing - this information is published by ScotRail on a four weekly basis and is displayed at selected stations:

Period	Express Sector Other	Express Sector E&G	Rural Sector	Suburban East Sector	Suburban West Peak	Suburban West Off Peak	Total
16-01	93.2	95.5	90.3	96.6	90.3	94.8	94.1
16-02	91.2	94.8	92.3	95.0	91.7	95.7	94.5
16-03	90.8	90.5	90.2	94.8	90.8	94.7	93.4
16-04	87.1	94.1	85.8	93.0	91.7	93.0	92.0
16-05	88.4	87.5	88.3	91.8	91.7	93.9	92.3
16-06	90.1	89.6	88.7	92.0	89.7	94.4	92.6
16-07	85.4	87.4	88.3	90.7	84.9	93.5	90.8
16-08	78.8	82.0	79.7	86.0	67.8	87.8	83.3
16-09	75.8	82.8	80.3	81.8	73.2	87.9	83.5
16-10	81.7	90.0	77.7	85.2	80.3	90.3	86.9
16-11	82.8	89.1	79.7	91.8	80.7	92.5	89.2
16-12	88.4	94.0	88.2	94.6	84.1	93.3	91.6
16-13	89.7	93.5	91.4	92.5	88.3	94.1	92.6
17-01	92.1	94.9	89.7	92.8	90.0	94.4	93.2
17-02	88.3	92.9	85.2	93.8	90.0	94.1	92.6
17-03	86.1	85.8	85.3	91.5	86.7	92.1	90.1
17-04	84.7	92.3	84.0	89.6	89.0	93.2	91.1
17-05	84.4	85.7	79.9	86.6	84.9	92.2	88.9
17-06	84.9	88.9	86.1	89.5	87.1	93.3	90.7
17-07	87.2	89.4	87.5	90.8	83.6	92.4	90.2
17-08	78.6	86.2	80.1	87.4	77.2	89.8	86.1
17-09	73.7	80.4	82.1	83.2	73.3	88.4	83.7
17-10	83.9	88.9	88.7	88.9	83.6	92.3	89.7
17-11	86.2	92.3	91.2	92.3	83.2	94.2	91.6
17-12
17-13

Question reference: S5W-07175

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much ScotRail has spent on alternative transport for passengers due to delays or cancellations in each month since April 2015, broken down by method of transport used.

The following table shows the amount paid by ScotRail on alternative transport for passengers due to delays or cancellations in each four-week period since April 2015. A breakdown by method of transport is not available.

	Amount paid for alternative means of transport
2015-16 Period 1-3	£1,956,412
4	£1,985,145
5	£1,020,096
6	-£220,084 (so reported)
7	£134,767
8	124,811
9	£1,453,099
10	£588,687
11	£147,110
12	£616,358
13	£334,403
Full-year:	£8,140,803
2016-17: Period 1	£436,392
2	£265,513
3	£442,947
4	£609,835
5	£356,928
6	£529,678
7	£420,962
8	£490,769
9	£821,389
10	£456,910
Year-to-date:	£4,831,323

Question reference: S5W-06757

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 23 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost will be of the M8/M73/M74 motorway improvements project, and how much it has spent on the project each year.

The anticipated total cost of the contract to Design, Build, Finance and Operate the M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project for 30 years remains at the £500 million I announced in February 2014. Under the terms of the contract, no payments are made until the roads are open to the public.

In addition to the costs associated with the provision of these services, there are other costs for the Public Sector account in delivering this important project, including those associated with the necessary land acquisition, public utility diversions and protection, design, site supervision and preparation works.

Prior to the start of construction the Public Sector costs incurred were: £37.85m.

Since the start of construction the Public Sector spend per year is:

Financial Year	Spend
FY 2013-14	£17,739,543
FY 2014-15	£18,096,616
FY 2015-16	£16,373,240

Question reference: S5W-07054

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making towards the delivery of the Glasgow Terminal Stations (West of Scotland Strategic Rail Enhancements) projects.

Since 2007 the Scottish Government has invested substantially in successful rail improvements such as the Airdrie to Bathgate project, two new platforms at Glasgow Central, electrification of the Whifflet and Paisley Canal lines and the Paisley Corridor Improvements.

We are concentrating our continued investment in projects such as the electrification of Edinburgh – Glasgow (via Falkirk High) route, to Stirling, Alloa and Dunblane as well as the Shotts line. These improvements will increase capacity and improve journey time and quality on one of the busiest sections of the Scottish network.In addition, we are making substantial improvements to Glasgow Queen Street station to improve its operational capability and enhance the passenger experience.

Question reference: S5W-07055

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making towards the implementation of its Infrastructure Investment Plan 2015.

Progress on implementation of the Infrastructure Investment Plan 2015 is published annually, with the next report being due for publication in March 2017. The Progress Report for 2015, published in March 2016, is available from the following link: www.gov.scot/Publications/2016/03/8126.

In addition, updates on the Infrastructure Investment Plan 2015 - Project Pipeline are published in March and September of each year and is available from the following link: www.gov.scot/Topics/Government/Finance/18232/IIP.

Question reference: S5W-05952

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what assessments it has made of the case for the proposed Glasgow Crossrail development.

The Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR), which outlined Scottish Ministers’ future strategic transport priorities, considered the “Glasgow CrossRail” proposal and concluded that it would not make best use of the rail network or integrate well with the menu of schemes required to satisfy the objectives of the STPR.

The STPR did however recommend the West of Scotland Strategic Rail Enhancements (Intervention 24), a £430 million investment project which provides better opportunities to enhance connectivity in and around Glasgow.

Although the Glasgow CrossRail proposal does not feature in the Scottish Government’s current £5 billion investment programme to 2019, we are committed to on-going improvements to rail services and connectivity. Projects will be considered subject to the Scottish Government’s investment priorities for the strategic transport network, a robust business case, affordability and other competing proposals.

Question reference: S5W-05959

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 26 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it plans to reduce spending on concessionary bus travel in 2017-18.

The draft budget for concessionary bus travel in 2017-18 reflects a number of factors.

Bus fares and concessionary passenger journey numbers have risen by less than expected in the last two years. As a result, we have spent less than anticipated on reimbursing bus operators. The proposed funding cap for 2017-18 is just over 2% more than the latest forecast outturn for reimbursement claims in 2016-17, which is £192m.

The draft budget also reflects the possibility that options might be identified through engagement with stakeholders and consultation that start to ensure the long term sustainability.

Question reference: S5W-05961

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 26 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support employment in Renfrewshire in light of the announcements that Chivas Brothers is to relocate and Doosan Babcock is to consult on redundancies.

The Scottish Government and its agencies continue to work closely with Renfrewshire Council to support inclusive growth and employment opportunities in the area, responding to the potential impact of recent company decisions. We welcome Chivas Brothers' commitment to offering its permanent staff at its Paisley site posts at the Dumbarton facility and working with staff to address the practical issues associated with the transfer. We recognise that the relocation will have an impact on Paisley and I am convening a roundtable in February to explore workforce issues and the future use of the site to ensure we can deliver the best outcome for the workforce, Paisley and the Renfrewshire economy.

Question reference: S5W-05953

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 26 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making towards the electrification of the Glasgow suburban rail network.

The majority of the Glasgow suburban rail network is already electrified. Since 2007 the Glasgow electrified suburban rail network has already been expanded by the addition of through electric services to Edinburgh through Airdrie and Bathgate, followed by the electrification of the Paisley Canal route in 2012 and the Glasgow to Cumbernauld and Whifflet routes in 2014.

The Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) continues to make good progress, with physical electrification work on the Edinburgh to Glasgow via Falkirk High route nearing completion and the first electric trains expected to enter service in July 2017. The Shotts Electrification project, scheduled for completion by March 2019, will also make a significant contribution towards the main investment objectives of delivering improvements to strengthen the connectivity between Edinburgh and Glasgow. The electrification of the Stirling Dunblane Alloa lines (SDA) is also progressing, with the first electric trains expected to enter service in December 2018.

Further electrification schemes in the Glasgow area will be considered as part of the broader rail infrastructure strategy and investment priorities beyond 2019. Any investment decisions will be subject to business case and affordability.