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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-11712

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason ramps designed to help disabled passengers travel by train have reportedly been removed from a number of stations.

Addressing Rail accessibility remains a matter reserved to the UK Government, and the removal of the station ramps was driven by changes made by the industry safety regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).

To ensure compliance with the regulations, ScotRail is implementing a priority project to rollout the new ramps now required. This is due to the implementation of a new ORR specified standard and is being implemented widely across the UK.

Question reference: S6W-11711

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that doors on the disabled carriages of certain ScotRail trains are not opening at a number of stations.

ScotRail advise that when the train is longer than the platform, for safety reasons, the rear doors which are not accommodated on the platform do not open.

The Scottish Government specifies the provision of staff to assist passengers on all ScotRail trains. This includes providing guidance to passengers requiring assistance about the right location to join a train if they intend to get off at a station with short platform.

Question reference: S6W-11570

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that discussions regarding Ardrossan harbour are as transparent as possible.

The Ardrossan harbour project is overseen by the Ardrossan Task Force which includes representatives from Transport Scotland, Peel Ports Group, North Ayrshire Council, CalMac Ferries Ltd, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd, the Isle of Arran Ferry Committee, and Kenneth Gibson MSP. The Task Force is co-Chaired by myself, Minister for Transport, and Councillor Marie Burns, Leader of North Ayrshire Council.

Project partners engage regularly to progress the project which is currently at the tender design stage. Task Force Minutes and the project’s Question and Answer document is published on the Transport Scotland webpage.

Question reference: S6W-11571

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that any decisions regarding Ardrossan harbour are communicated effectively to mainland and island residents.

Question reference: S6W-11569

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when the Ardrossan Harbour Task Force will next meet.

Question reference: S6F-01504

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 November 2022

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the reported comments by Highlands and Islands Enterprise that cheaper air travel for business passengers could help to strengthen the viability of island routes.

Question reference: S6T-00926

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 31 October 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much it will cost to fit sensors for the LNG system on ferry 801 as reported to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee.

Question reference: S6W-10291

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated through the Bus Partnership Fund, broken down by local authority to which funding has been allocated.

Question reference: S6W-10290

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many bids have been received for the Bus Partnership Fund, and what the value of each was.

Transport Scotland received 14 bids for the Bus Partnership Fund. As of the end of August 2022 the Scottish Government allocated £25,801,453 to Partnerships from the Bus Partnership Fund. Funding was issued to a lead Local Authority to manage on behalf of Partnerships which cover more than one Local Authority area, therefore it is not possible to break down the funding awarded by Local Authority. The following table shows the value of each bid.

Table 1: Bus Partnership Fund awards:

Applications from Partnerships (Lead Local Authority in brackets)	Amount awarded through Grant Letters and subsequent Change Requests received in relation to Grant Letters as of end August 2022.
Argyll and Bute (Argyll and Bute Council)	£282,000
Ayrshire (East Ayrshire Council)	£385,000
Edinburgh and South East City Region Deal (City of Edinburgh Council)	£3,030,000
Fife West (Fife Council)	£734,167
Fife Central, North and East (Fife Council)	£1,065,800
Forth Valley (Falkirk Council)	£567,000
Glasgow (Glasgow City Council)	£3,655,000
Highland Fort William (Highland Council)	£617,000
Highland Inverness (Highland Council)	£2,355,340
Highland Skye and Cairngorms (Highland Council)	£0
Midlothian (Midlothian Council)	£302,000
North East (Aberdeen City Council)	£11,995,596
Tayside (Dundee City Council)	£586,800
West Lothian (West Lothian Council)	£225,750

Question reference: S6W-11327

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 18 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the total cost of vessels (a) 801 and (b) 802 (i) prior to, (ii) since and (iii) to date, including costs accrued both before and after, the nationalisation of Ferguson Marine Engineering Limited.

Prior to public ownership, CMAL paid a total of £83.25m split between £82.5m contract milestone payments and an additional contract variation of £0.75m to Ferguson Marine Engineering Limited.

The current budget to complete both vessels remains £123 million, as set out in the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy’s update to Parliament on 23 March 2022.

The CEO of Ferguson Marine wrote to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee, on the delivery timetable and budget for vessels 801 and 802 on 28 September 2022. In his letter he forecast the costs in public ownership not to exceed £101 million for 801 and £108.6 million for 802. This includes a provision for warranty estimated at £3.5 million per vessel.

Our priority now is to undertake our own due diligence and this will be supported by external, independent financial advisors to ensure that a rigorous approach is taken to scrutinising this request for additional funding. This work is at an early stage. No decision has yet been made and will not be until this scrutiny has been completed.