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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: S6W-08889

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Highland bus operators regarding providing extra bus services at times when ScotRail is no longer operating a train service.

Transport Scotland has not held any discussions with Highland bus operators regarding providing extra bus services at times when ScotRail is operating a temporary timetable. The temporary timetable currently in place is an operational matter for which ScotRail is responsible for. The temporary timetable aims to provide the best possible service to as many passengers as possible with the available resources.

The Scottish Government allocated £93.5 million in funding to support bus services in 2022-23. This includes temporary additional recovery funding to bus operators, including those in the Highlands, through the Network Support Grant Plus. And I am pleased to confirm that the Scottish Government is making a further £25.7 million in recovery funding available to support bus services across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-08649

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many complaints from (a) passengers and (b) staff were received by ScotRail services between 1 and 30 April 2022, broken down by the reason for the complaint.

The number of passenger complaints received by ScotRail, through their official complaints process, is set out on the following table for the period 1 and 30 April 2022. The complaints may involve accidents that occurred before 1 April 2022.

The average recorded number of complaints per period for previous years is as follows:-

2019-2020 - 1,664 complaints

2018-2019 - 2,064 complaints

The figure of 1,144 complaints for April 2022 is lower than the above period averages.

ScotRail do not record staff complaints and therefore the information is not available.

Complaint Categories	Period 1 2022-23
Staff	272
Policy And Product	206
Train Service Performance	152
1st Class	85
Promotions	77
Capacity	62
Environment	57
Ticket Buying Facilities	44
Safety & Security	36
Station Facilities	29
Information Provision	28
Timetable	25
Customer Provisions	17
Assisted Travel	15
Cycles	13
Rail Replacement	11
Smartcard	10
Contact Centre	3
Double Debit	2
Total	1,144

Question reference: S6W-08958

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is the case that applications for support from the Bus Partnership Fund must be from partnerships that are working towards Bus Service Improvement Partnership status, as defined by the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019.

The Bus Partnership Fund supports the development of permanent bus priority measures to tackle the negative impacts of congestion on bus services. The Fund requires grant-holders to be working towards a Bus Service Improvement Partnership (BSIP), as defined in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019.

BSIPs are a new type of statutory partnership between local transport authorities and bus operators. BSIPs enable local transport authorities to work with bus operators and others to improve bus services in their area by developing a Plan and Scheme(s) to implement changes, with a voting process to ensure sufficient support from operators. BSIP schemes must include either measures or facilities from authorities to support services and mandatory standards to be complied with by operators. The link between the fund and BSIPs is to ensure that the measures sought by councils are relevant to the needs of services and passengers across their network.

Question reference: S6W-09025

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will extend the deadline for the Local Rail Development Fund in order that current grantees can complete their appraisals.

Question reference: S6W-09017

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-07866 by Jenny Gilruth on 3 May 2022, whether it will provide updated figures on how many young people have now received a free bus pass through the Young Persons’ (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme, broken down by age range, based on the latest information available.

The National Entitlement Card Programme Office (NECPO) have been unable to supply us with a breakdown of cards issued by age ranges. We are working with our delivery partners to have this data available.

NECPO support the 32 local authorities by assisting with the integration of various national and local public services on the National Entitlement Card (NEC) and are the joint controller with local authorities of this data.

Question reference: S6W-09220

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 23 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many mental health patients from Scotland have been admitted as inpatients to hospitals and other settings in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-08895

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has carried out of the environmental impact of removing 700 ScotRail services.

I have not instructed ScotRail to undertake an environmental impact assessment on what is a temporary change. There is positive progress being made on pay negotiations with ASLEF in Scotland, and I am hopeful that additional services will be added in the near future.

I would note that any environmental modelling undertaken but UK government in relation to the UK-wide RMT strikes, has not to this point been shared with the Scottish Government, although I would welcome sight of any such reports.

Question reference: S6W-08894

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has carried out of the economic impact of removing 700 ScotRail services.

Question reference: S6O-01313

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many housing developments in Scotland are currently unable to progress as a result of funding for schools and social infrastructure not being in place.

Question reference: S6O-01308

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its policy is regarding negotiating pay settlements with bodies, groups and organisations funded by the Scottish Government.