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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: S6W-39984

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 August 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answer expected on 16 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that the specifications in the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services contract to be directly awarded to CalMac are discussed with the recognised trade unions before 1 October 2025.

Question reference: S6W-39977

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 August 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answer expected on 16 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the current expected in-service date for MV (a) Isle of Islay, (b) Glen Rosa, (c) Loch Indaal, (d) Lochmor and (e) Claymore, and when this was last discussed with CalMac Ferries Ltd.

Question reference: S6W-39499

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 July 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government who will carry out the ScotRail business functions, including finance, payroll and customer experience, which are currently outsourced inhouse to Solvd, once the Solvd contract comes to an end.

At time of the transition to public ownership and control of ScotRail, in order to maintain service levels while minimising disruption to staff, it was decided that the contracts for the contact centre, finance and payroll which were delivered to ScotRail by a third party provider, would remain external.

The contract for the contact centre, which is coming to an end, has been awarded to Teleperformance Ltd, who will maintain the continuity of providing the service.

ScotRail will bring the abovementioned functions in-house, as soon as it is practicable to do so.

Question reference: S6W-39500

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 July 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its policy is regarding the outsourcing of ancillary functions by its publicly owned rail operators.

Question reference: S6W-39498

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 July 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 15 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment in terms of (a) value for money and (b) adherence with the Fair Work framework it has made of bringing the ScotRail business functions, including finance, payroll and customer experience, which are currently outsourced inhouse to Solvd.

Question reference: S6W-39497

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 July 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 15 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it will introduce to ensure that outsourced contracts for ScotRail are delivered by companies that recognise trade unions.

Question reference: S6W-39501

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 July 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 15 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what weighting was given to workers having a voice in the scoring of tender bids for ScotRail’s outsourced business functions contract.

Question reference: S6W-39302

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 23 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of all of the funding that it has provided to any LGBTQI+ charities and organisations in the financial year 2024-25.

The Scottish Government provided funding of over £1.1m from the Equality and Human Rights Fund to organisations working to promote LGBTQI+ equality in Scotland in 2024-25.

This funding provides support for a range of initiatives, including supporting policy development for LGBTQI+ people, research into the lives of the LGBTQI+ community and an LGBT helpline.

Detailed information on funding the Scottish Government has provided LGBTQI+ charities and organisations in the financial year 2024-25 has been published on our website. You can view this at Equality and Human Rights Fund: projects funded - gov.scot.

Question reference: S6W-38525

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has paid to GB Railfreight to undertake shunting duties at Carstairs for Caledonian Sleeper in each of the last two financial years.

Question reference: S6O-04823

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the consultation by Alexander Dennis on the future of its facilities in Falkirk and Larbert.

This will be a hugely worrying time for the workforce at ADL, their families and the wider community. We have engaged extensively with Alexander Dennis and its parent company NFI to ensure that every possible avenue is explored to mitigate the need for redundancies. This has included discussions with myself, the First Minister, leadership within Scottish Enterprise, Transport Scotland, trade unions, and the UK Government.

The Scottish Government will continue to explore any and all options throughout the consultation period to allow the firm to retain their hard-working employees and manufacturing and production facilities at Falkirk and Larbert.