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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-42298

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-41867 by Jim Fairlie on 27 November 2025, what departmental (a) resources and (b) budgets it has allocated for the Community Needs Assessment on all Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services routes.

For work on Community Needs Assessments (CNA) for the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services routes, people and other internal resources are allocated as part of Transport Scotland's planned work programme. Budget allocations for this work are as follows:

Consultancy services to support the CNAs for Cowal and Rosneath ferry services cost £24,990.

The CNAs for Coll, Colonsay, Iona, Kerrera, Lismore, Mull and Tiree are currently underway. For the consultancy services to support these, a Contract Award Notice was published on 1st December 2025 (View Notice - Public Contracts Scotland) and the total value of the contract is £148,602.

Work on the CNAs for the Sound of Barra and the Sound of Harris routes is being done in-house.

Consultancy services to support the CNAs for the Outer Hebrides (mainland routes), Small Isles routes, Skye and Raasay are currently being procured, and the contract price will be included in a contract award notice.

Resources and budgets for future CNA work for all other Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service routes will be determined allocated on a case-by-case basis.

Question reference: S6W-42297

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the value was of its contract with Stantec for the Community Needs Assessment Methodology, which was published by Transport Scotland on 24 September 2025.

Question reference: S6W-42299

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-41867 by Jim Fairlie on 27 November 2025, whether it will list the contractors carrying out each Community Needs Assessment (CNA) of lifeline ferry routes on the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (third generation) (CHFS3) contract, and on what date the CNA (a) started or (b) will start on each route.

The contractors carrying out Community Needs Assessment (CNA) work for Transport Scotland are appointed via procurement from a framework of pre-qualified organisations.

1.The CNAs for Cowal and Rosneath were undertaken by Stantec. The call-off contract was awarded in January 2023.

2.The CNAs for the Sounds of Barra and Harris ferry services are being undertaken in-house. Work started with the launch of user surveys in August 2025.

3.The CNAs for Coll, Colonsay, Iona, Kerrera, Lismore, Mull and Tiree, are being undertaken by Stantec. The call-off contract was awarded in November 2025.

4.The CNAs for the Outer Hebrides (mainland routes), Small Isles, Skye and Raasay are scheduled to commence shortly and contractors are currently being procured.

5.CNA work for the other Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services routes is planned to commence in 2026. Contractors have not yet been procured.

Question reference: S6W-42153

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 5 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the "in principle" agreement on role expansion for firefighters between the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), what its position is on any projected economic benefits that could be realised if it was implemented.

Question reference: S6W-42156

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 5 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what specific actions it has taken to advance the "in principle" agreement on role expansion for firefighters between the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS).

Question reference: S6W-42155

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 5 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there been no progress on the "in principle" agreement on role expansion for firefighters reached in 2022 between the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS).

Question reference: S6W-42154

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 5 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what cost-benefit analysis it has carried out of a potential role expansion for firefighters.

Question reference: S6O-05284

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to protect and improve ferry services to Scotland’s island communities.

Question reference: S6W-42152

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 3 December 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the "in principle" agreement on role expansion for firefighters between the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), what its position is on any projected societal benefits that could be realised if it was implemented.

Question reference: S6W-41867

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 27 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will publish a timetable for the Community Needs Assessment of the (a) Ardrossan- (i) Brodick and (ii) Campbeltown route and (b) all other routes in the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (third generation) (CHFS3) contract, as required by the Islands Connectivity Plan.

The Community Needs Assessments (CNAs) for Arran (including the Ardrossan-Brodick route) and Campbeltown are part of a wider programme of assessments for Clyde and Kintyre routes plus Islay, Jura and Gigha, and are scheduled to be carried out during 2026.

CNAs are underway for routes within the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service. These include assessments for Coll, Colonsay, Iona, Kerrera, Lismore, Mull, Tiree, and the Sounds of Barra and Harris services. These assessments are expected to be completed by summer 2026. CNAs for the Outer Hebrides (mainland routes), Small Isles, Skye and Raasay are scheduled to commence later this year.