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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-27545

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 5 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £103.2 million increase in the rail franchise budget for 2020-21 is for (a) revenue and (b) profit support adjustments, and whether it will provide a breakdown of how much it has paid out in these adjustments under the current (i) ScotRail and (ii) Caledonian Sleeper franchise.

The Abellio ScotRail and Serco Caledonian Sleeper forecasted payments for next year are in line with both current franchise agreements, these are contracted amounts between the Scottish Government and franchisees. The amounts are in line with the contract and are commercially sensitive.

Details of payments made to date to ScotRail and Caledonian that can be made public can be found via Companies House.

Question reference: S5W-27546

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 5 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the total amount set aside for active travel is in its draft budget, broken down by level 4 budget line, and how this compares with (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20.

The total amounts set aside in the draft budget for 2020-21 to support active travel, by level 4 budget line, is summarised in the following table along with the totals for 2018-19 and 2019-20.

Active Travel Budget (£m)	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21
From Sustainable and Active Travel Capital	55.4	55.4	59.4
From Sustainable and Active Travel Resource	6.3	6.3	6.3
From Future Transport Fund - Cycling infrastructure	10.9	10.9	10.9
LG Capital Grant - Cycling Walking Safer Streets	7.4	8.9	23.9
Total	80.0	81.5	100.5

Question reference: S5W-27404

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the number of station staff employed by Abellio ScotRail reportedly decreased by over 380, or 25%, between December 2015 and March 2019.

While staffing is an operational matter for ScotRail, Transport Scotland holds them to account within the terms of the Franchise Agreement. Financial penalties can and do apply where the impact of reduced staffing means ScotRail fall below the service levels set out in the franchise agreement, for example station opening hours.

Following a robust challenge from Transport Scotland, through the SQUIRE regime, staffing recruitment and retention issues were identified as a recurrent issue and it was demanded ScotRail addresses this. A subsequent recruitment drive for additional staff has delivered significant improvements both at stations and on trains.

Question reference: S5W-27548

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £500 million fund to improve bus priority infrastructure is dedicated to the Bus Partnership Fund, and whether it will provide a breakdown of how the remaining money will be allocated.

Question reference: S5W-27547

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £500 million fund to improve bus priority infrastructure will be allocated before May 2021.

Question reference: S5W-27433

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much it is allocating to bus priority infrastructure in its 2020-21 budget.

As detailed in the Scottish Government's Draft Scottish Budget, funding of £10 million for bus priority infrastructure is included for 2020-21. Further funding for 2021-22 onwards will be prioritised through the capital spending review. The investment will take the form of a Bus Partnership Fund for local authorities and the roll out of infrastructure on the trunk road network to prioritise high occupancy vehicles such as buses. We will publish more details on the Bus Partnership Fund in the coming months.

Question reference: S5W-27405

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £520 million rail franchise budget for 2020-21 is allocated to (a) Abellio ScotRail and (b) Serco Caledonian Sleeper.

Figures for the financial year 2020-2021 are currently budget forecasts and as such are commercially sensitive. Figures for the financial year 2019-2020, once audited are due to be published in October 2020.

Figures for the financial year 2018-2019, as published in Transport Scotland’s Annual Accounts, confirm of the £415 million rail franchise programme expenditure (a) Abellio ScotRail was allocated £390 million including Fixed Track Access Charges of £260 million and (b) Serco Caledonian Sleeper was allocated £25 million.

Question reference: S5W-27407

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much compensation was paid to Abellio ScotRail by Network Rail in (a) 2017, (b) 2018 and (c) 2019 for claims relating to disruption during upgrade works at Glasgow Queen Street station.

Question reference: S5W-27550

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it remains committed to extending the National Concessionary Travel Scheme to modern apprentices and, if so, what the timeline for this is.

Question reference: S5W-27549

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how much and (b) what proportion of the 2020-21 concessionary fares budget will cover the cost of expanding the scheme to (i) companion cards for disabled children under five and (ii) recipients of the Young Carers Grant.

The draft budget for 2020-21 provides £229.8 million for concessionary fares. This includes estimated costs of £0.3 million in respect of companion cards for eligible disabled children under five and £0.2 million for recipients of the young carers grant. Together, these constitute just over 0.2% of the total concessionary fares figure. Actual costs will depend on when the new concessions are introduced as well as the extent to which they are taken up and used.