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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: S5W-03805

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 25 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will use any budget underspend to help third sector organisations meet their living wage commitments.

The fiscal departmental expenditure limit (DEL) cash underspend for 2015-16, which is provisional at this stage, is being carried into the current financial year in full. In the context of continued post-Brexit economic challenge and uncertainty this is helping to fund the £100 million capital stimulus and other initiatives announced as part of the Programme for Government which will boost confidence, stimulate economic activity and support business in Scotland. We have maintained our core third sector budget at £24.5 million, and across the Scottish Government there are significant sums being invested in third sector organisations.

Question reference: S5W-03453

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-00175 by Humza Yousaf on 22 September 2016 (Official Report, c. 100), on what date the minister wrote to the ScotRail Alliance to request the improvement plan; whether it will publish a copy of the letter; when the plan was agreed; whether it will publish the plan in full; by what date customers will see improved services, and what the improvements will consist of.

In line with the franchise’s agreed provisions, Transport Scotland wrote to ScotRail on 26 August 2016 to request the improvement plan. ScotRail’s response was received by Transport Scotland on 16 September.

The plan has now been published by ScotRail:

https://www.scotrail.co.uk/sites/default/files/assets/download_ct/performanceimprovementplanoctober2016.pdf

ScotRail have also provided a background statement: https://www.scotrail.co.uk/about-scotrail/news/scotrail-alliance-publishes-details-performance-improvement-plan

Question reference: S5O-00251

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making towards the full implementation of the Town Centre Action Plan.

Question reference: S5W-02857

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 27 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how it promotes statutory quality (a) partnerships and (b) contracts to local authorities and their partners.

The Scottish Government continue to promote and highlight the importance of partnership working in relation to the transport sector. Guidance was published to encourage the use of both statutory quality partnerships (SQP) and quality contracts. Dialogue to improve and promote the uptake of these is on-going.

The Bus Investment Fund was designed to encourage partnership working and was weighted to favour bids which created or worked towards an SQP.

Question reference: S5W-02852

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 27 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what it defines as "wholesale re-regulation" in relation to bus services.

Question reference: S5W-02858

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 27 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how statutory quality (a) partnerships and (b) contracts for bus services are (i) monitored and (ii) audited.

Question reference: S5W-02862

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 27 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of the town centre investment zones that have been established under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015.

As pledged in our Town Centre Action Plan, we created powers for local authorities to establish a Town Centre Investment Zone using discretionary rates relief to encourage local business. The discretionary rates relief power was established by the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, commenced in October 2015 and has already been used in 2016. It is up to local authorities whether and how to use this power, and we remain keen to discuss options for supporting a pilot Town Centre Investment Zone scheme with interested local authorities.

Question reference: S5W-02855

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 27 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many statutory quality (a) partnerships and (b) contracts have been introduced.

Question reference: S5W-02853

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 27 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there has been a reported decline in the number of journeys across (a) commercial and (b) subsidised bus routes.

Bus passenger journeys have generally been falling over the long term, almost halving between 1960 and 1975 and roughly halving again since then. More recently the rate of decline in journey numbers has decreased but we have still seen bus passenger journeys down 12% in the last ten years.

We have been carrying out engagement with local authorities and across the bus industry to better understand the situation and I discussed this most recently when I chaired a meeting of the Bus Stakeholders Group. It is clear that bus patronage trends vary by geographical area and there is no one element driving a decline in bus patronage. The impact of the financial crisis, low costs of private car ownership, congestion and running changes in travel behaviour such as out of town and internet shopping are all contributory factors.

In terms of subsidised routes, local authorities have powers to financially support services regarded as socially necessary to meet local needs and make decisions around how to prioritise support for routes.

Question reference: S5W-02851

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 27 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government which local authorities have exercised their powers to apply discretionary rates relief under the terms of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015.