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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: S6W-26469

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 16 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the projected funding is for the Rail Systems Alliance Scotland for control period 7.

Question reference: S6W-26466

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 16 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact on (a) safety, (b) rail performance and (c) job security of bringing in-house the work and jobs contracted out via the Rail Systems Alliance Scotland.

The Scottish Government has not carried out an assessment of the potential impact of bringing “in-house” (assumed to mean wholly within Network Rail) the work and jobs contracted out via the Rail Systems Alliance Scotland.

Railway safety is a matter reserved to the UK Government and Network Rail is a wholly owned subsidiary of the UK Government. The independent rail regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), is responsible for rail safety, and it determines the appropriate funding for Network Rail. The Scottish Government has fully funded Network Rail Scotland to meet its funding requirements as specified by the ORR in its capacity as safety regulator for the next five-year rail investment Control Period, 2024-29, CP7.

Network Rail made a conscious choice to improve its approach to asset maintenance for CP7, relying less on renewals and more on maintenance. Whilst the workbank for the Rail Systems Alliance might reduce, Network Rail envisages more work delivered internally. This approach has been championed by the RMT union.

Question reference: S6W-26416

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 March 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the ScotRail Club 50 discount for online purchases is 20%, but only 10% for tickets purchased at a staffed ticket office.

Question reference: S6O-03276

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 March 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that rail travel is safe.

Question reference: S6W-25964

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 20 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans for a revaluation of domestic properties in 2024 for the purposes of setting council tax rates.

Question reference: S6W-26047

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 08 March 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 18 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what improvements it is seeking from ScotRail as a result of it scoring one out of five for the (a) "station staff" and (b) "station ticket offices" service schedule in each Service Quality Inspection Regime (SQUIRE) inspection since March 2023.

As noted in S6W-26045 on 18 March 2024, the SQUIRe regime is one of the toughest performance regimes in the UK. It is an operational matter for ScotRail to investigate and rectify areas where performance has not met the standards expected by the Scottish Government. By doing so the overall scoring for ScotRail should improve.

The scoring shows that the SQUIRe regime is operating as expected by highlighting areas where ScotRail is not performing as expected and where improvement is required.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Question reference: S6W-26045

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 08 March 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 18 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason ScotRail has scored one out of five for the (a) "station staff" and (b) "station ticket offices" service schedule in each Service Quality Inspection Regime (SQUIRE) inspection since March 2023.

Under the SQUIRe regime, Transport Scotland audits and scores ScotRail under set Service Schedules which include station staff and station tickets offices along with other important aspects like cleanliness and CCTV.

In each Service Schedule there are many aspects in which a failure notice may be attributed including staff uniform or ability to retail all tickets. In order for a pass to be granted it requires ScotRail to meet all aspects of the Schedule.

It is therefore correct that should ScotRail fail to meet the demands of each Service Schedule aspect that a failure notice is served thus affecting the score of that Schedule.

The SQUIRe regime is one of the toughest performance regimes in the UK with many of the target levels set at 90% or higher. ScotRail is required to address any issues identified during inspections as quickly as possible.

Question reference: S6W-26048

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 08 March 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 18 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the ScotRail framework agreement specifies that it should give "particular attention" to "identifying efficiencies in staffing levels" at railway stations.

The Framework Agreement between Scottish Ministers and Scottish Rail Holdings confirms under the Stations, Operational Plan section that “particular attention should be given to identifying efficiencies in staffing levels as well as focus on elements which will be monitored through SQUIRE”. This provides ScotRail with the ability to ensure that staff are deployed appropriately across the rail network to deliver a high performing service that passengers rightly expect.

Question reference: S6W-26046

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 08 March 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 18 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with ScotRail regarding it scoring one out of five for the (a) "station staff" and (b) "station ticket offices" service schedule in each Service Quality Inspection Regime (SQUIRE) inspection since March 2023.

Question reference: S6W-26044

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 08 March 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 18 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the finding in the report, Women's and girls' views and experiences of personal safety when using public transport, that passengers feel safer when staff are present at stations, and the recommendation for the Scottish Government to explore the feasibility of increasing staff at railway stations and on trains, what assessment it has made of the compatibility of this with its requirement for ScotRail to seek efficiencies in staffing levels at railway stations.