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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S5W-01064

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the ScotRail (a) disabled people’s protection policy and (b) operating licence obligations, and whether it considers that driver-only operated services are compliant with them.

Disabled access policy has not been devolved to Scottish Ministers and remains an issue that is reserved to the UK Government.

a) The responsibility for assessing Abellio ScotRail Ltd.’s Disabled People’s Protection Policy (DPPP) rests with the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). The ORR last reviewed Abellio ScotRail Ltd.’s DPPP on 18 May 2016 and published confirmation that it continued to be in compliance with their obligations.

b) Abellio ScotRail Ltd hold a current operating licence on the basis that the ORR continue to be content that that the conditions of their operating licence are being met.

The Scottish Government therefore considers that all services operated by Abellio ScotRail Ltd are compliant with their DPPP and licence obligations.

Question reference: S5W-01069

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government (a) where and (b) by what date the ScotRail class 385 passenger trains will be (i) manufactured and (ii) assembled, and up to what stage in the process modifications can be made to the design.

The design of the fleet has been agreed and the first tranche of class 385s are currently being built and tested in Japan. Work begins next month to assemble the remainder of the fleet at Hitachi’s new factory in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. ScotRail plan to introduce them into service between autumn 2017 and early 2019 on various routes in the central belt.

The timing of modifications on the production schedule and related costs are a commercial matter for ScotRail and Hitachi.

Question reference: S5W-01073

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions its officials have had with the (a) UK Government, (b) train operating companies, (c) Rail Safety and Standards Board and (d) Rail Delivery Group regarding (i) driver-only operated and (ii) driver-control operated passenger trains on ScotRail services.

Question reference: S5W-01068

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government on what basis Hitachi was awarded the contract to build the ScotRail class 385 passenger trains; who made the decision, and whether it will provide details of the other bidders.

Question reference: S5W-01058

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether (a) the ScotRail franchise agreement and (b) driver-only operated passenger ScotRail services are in breach of the Equality Act 2010.

(a) The franchise agreement is not in breach of the Equality Act 2010. Disabled access policy is a reserved matter for the UK Government and our franchisee is required to comply with the relevant legislation. The responsibility for regulating and enforcing the equality legislation rests with the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

(b) Disabled access policy is a reserved matter for the UK Government and our franchisee is required to comply with the relevant legislation. The responsibility for regulating and enforcing the equality legislation rests with the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Question reference: S5W-01063

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding ScotRail using driver-only operated services and whether this complies with the operator's public equality duty required under the Equality Act 2010.

Question reference: S5W-01067

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government who is paying for the ScotRail class 385 passenger trains.

Question reference: S5W-00895

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 18 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has asked for the class 385 trains on order for ScotRail to be configured to not allow the guard to have responsibility for operating the doors.

Question reference: S5W-01083

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what processes are in place to ensure that Abellio meets the terms of the ScotRail franchise agreement; how often it meets the company to discuss the delivery of the agreement, and whether it will publish the delivery plan.

Question reference: S5W-01089

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the projected profit that Abellio expects to make (a) each year and (b) in total from the ScotRail franchise agreement, and whether a (i) minimum and (ii) maximum level has been set under the terms of the agreement.

Due to commercial confidentiality these values cannot be currently disclosed. Earnings before income tax information is disclosed within the published ScotRail Annual Report and Accounts at Companies House. The financial year 2015-16 latest lodging date is 30 September 2016.

Schedule 8.1 (Section 3) of the franchise agreement details the Revenue Share Adjustment, which limits the proportion of annual revenue above target ScotRail can retain to no more than 50%. A redacted copy of the franchise agreement can be found on Transport Scotland’s website:

http://www.transport.gov.scot/rail/scotrail-franchise/public-register