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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-19243

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to research intelligent speed adaption on buses.

Scotland’s Road Safety Framework contains a commitment to promote the voluntary use of Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) – formerly known as Intelligent Speed Adaptation, which the Scottish Government is exploring. Requiring the use of ISA on all vehicle's would be a reserved matter, as it relates to the regulation of the construction and use of motor vehicles. The Scottish Government is keen to encourage and support the use of new safety technologies in motorised vehicles, such as ISA and is currently considering available evidence including the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) ISA on London buses report, commissioned by Transport for London.

Question reference: S5W-19334

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) process considers the social, cultural, environmental and economic impact of options.

The appraisal of transport options in line with Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) includes the appraisal of the impacts of the options against five pre-determined Criteria: Accessibility and Social Inclusion; Economy; Environment; Integration; and Safety. There are a number of sub-criteria associated with the five Criteria. Taking each of the elements raised in turn:

Social impacts of options are considered against the sub-criteria associated with the Accessibility and Social Inclusion and Integration which include: community and comparative accessibility; transport integration; transport and land use integration; policy integration; accidents and security.
Cultural impacts of options are considered against a range of STAG sub-criteria, in particular: community and comparative accessibility; policy integration; and cultural heritage.
Environmental impacts of options are considered against ten Environment sub-criteria: noise and vibration; global air quality – carbon dioxide (CO2); local air quality - particulate matter (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2); water quality, drainage and flood defence; geological features; biodiversity and habitats; visual amenity; agriculture and soils; cultural heritage; and landscape.
Economic impacts of options are considered against two Economy sub-criteria: Transport Economic Efficiency – the economic impacts on transport users captured by standard cost benefit analysis; and the Wider Economic Impacts.

Guidance should be applied proportionately. This means that the scope and level of detail in the approach to the appraisal of options will vary depending on the nature and scale of the options and the impacts of these options in a particular study area. For example, options would not be appraised against particular STAG sub-criteria where there would be no impacts. Detailed guidance on the methodology for appraising options is contained in the STAG Technical Database accessible via Transport Scotland’s website: https://www.transport.gov.scot/our-approach/industry-guidance/scottish-transport-analysis-guide-scot-tag/#

Question reference: S5W-19244

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how Police Scotland records "near misses" in road traffic accidents.

Question reference: S5W-19336

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what revenues it has received from motor vehicle speeding fines as a consequence of the Scotland Act 1998 (Designation of Receipts) Order 2009.

The Scottish Government retained no motor vehicle speeding fines as a consequence of the Scotland Act 1998 (Designation of Receipts) Order 2009 as such fines were remitted to HM Treasury. The Scottish Government has retained motor vehicle speeding fines since 1 April 2017 as a consequence of the Scotland Act 1998 (Designation of Receipts) (Amendment) Order 2017.

Motor vehicle speeding fines are collected by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service. This income is paid over to the Scottish Consolidated Fund as part of overall income from fines, forfeitures and fixed penalties. The data provided to the Scottish Government does not separately set out income from speeding fines.

The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who has operational responsibility for fines collection and you will receive a reply in writing within 20 working days.

Question reference: S5W-19356

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-19084 by Michael Matheson on 10 October 2018, whether it will provide the information requested, broken down by (a) station and (b) platform number.

Question reference: S5O-02493

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 October 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what support it can provide in response to the reported increase in rent arrears among Universal Credit recipients in the Mid Scotland and Fife region.

Question reference: S5O-02478

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 24 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what impact Sir Lewis Ritchie’s review of out-of-hours primary care has had on the delivery of these services.

Sir Lewis’ review Pulling together: transforming urgent care for the people of Scotland published in 2015 has provided a focus for Boards and their delivery partners to help them develop and deliver out of hours services that are sustainable and resilient. As a result of Sir Lewis' report, across Scotland we have seen progress in the development of multi-disciplinary teams in out of hours services, the development of Urgent Care Resource Hubs and greater collaboration and innovative thinking between the out of hours services, NHS 24 and the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Question reference: S5W-19084

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 10 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government which rail stations in the Mid Scotland and Fife region have platforms that are only accessible via stairs.

Question reference: S5W-18876

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 2 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the publication by The Ferret on 3 September 2018 of photographs and videos that reportedly show salmon at an aquaculture site in Loch Roag, Isle of Lewis that are infested with sea lice and display fin and tail damage.

Scottish Government received reports directly from a member of the public regarding welfare concerns at a fish farm in Loch Roag and responded as outlined in the answer to S5W-18863 on 1 October 2018.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

Question reference: S5W-18889

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 2 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers the sea lice trigger levels in the Code of Good Practice for Scottish Finfish Aquaculture to be effective in safeguarding fish welfare, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Station	Platform accessible by stairs only
Burntisland	Platform 2
Cowdenbeath	Both platforms - severe steep ramps
Crianlarich	Island platform
Dunkeld and Birnam	Platform 2
Invergowrie	Platform 1
Kinghorn	Platform 1
Lochgelly	Platform 2
Springfield	Stairs to both platforms
Stirling	Platform 9/10