- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government who carries out the maintenance of the ScotRail fleet, broken down by location.
Answer
The fleets which are currently leased by Abellio ScotRail from rolling stock owning companies (ROSCOs) are all maintained in Scotland at four main depots (Inverness, Haymarket, Corkerhill & Shields) with the split as follows:
| staff | apprentices |
Corkerhill | 82 | 4 |
Haymarket | 142 | 5 |
Inverness | 85 | 4 |
Shields Road | 146 | 8 |
In Service Fleet Engineering | 89 | / |
More staff have been recently recruited to maintain the HST fleet at Inverness and Haymarket. Other staff are also involved in train presentation and general fleet servicing within Scotland giving a total of 892 currently employed by Abellio ScotRail.
In addition, the new Class 385 electric trains will be maintained by Hitachi staff at Craigentinny depot plus Millerhill yard in Edinburgh. There are around 300 staff based there to maintain a range of fleets for Abellio ScotRail and other cross border operators.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 January 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5T-01427 by Michael Matheson on 8 January 2019 (Official Report, c.4), whether the remedial action plan will allow ScotRail to reduce the number of (a) carriages available compared with the current franchise agreement and (b) timetabled services available compared with the current timetable.
Answer
The Franchise Contract between Scottish Ministers and Abellio specifies the service level that is required to be delivered by the Franchisee and the requirement to operate the entire train fleet in delivering the passenger services. Transport Scotland continue to monitor these contractual obligations to ensure they are being delivered.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 January 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5T-01427 by Michael Matheson on 8 January 2019 (Official Report, c.4), whether it will publish the remedial action plan that it has agreed with ScotRail; how it will monitor the implementation of the plan, and by what date it will publish its assessment of its effectiveness.
Answer
Transport Scotland officials will consider publication of the remedial plan on receipt and agree a monitoring process with ScotRail to assess its performance and whether it is actually delivering on the plan that has been submitted. Until Transport Scotland has received and reviewed the detail of the plan a date cannot be committed for publishing an assessment into its effectiveness.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Support for Bus Services, as set out at Table 10.06 of its draft Budget, proposes a fall from £64.2 million in 2018-19 to £57.2 million in 2019-20.
Answer
The budget of £64.2 million in 2018-19 included £54.2 million, primarily for the Bus Service Operator Grant, as well as a one-off allocation of £10.0 million of financial transaction loan facilities which were not used. In respect of 2019-20, the budget maintains the same level of investment of £54.2 million, does not include any financial transaction loan facilities, and includes an additional £3.0 million of capital grant funding to support the bus industry.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government how much of the Green Bus Loan Fund has been used; how it was used, and what the terms of the loans have been.
Answer
The £10m of financial transaction loan facilities previously included in 2018-19, were not used. No viable option for their use was identified with the bus industry.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 January 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 17 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent in the current parliamentary session on raising public awareness of interstitial lung disease and its symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-20840 on 16 January 2019. 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 .
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 January 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the introduction of the road equivalent tariff on the Scrabster-Stromness ferry route.
Answer
The Scottish Government is engaging with the European Commission following a complaint made on 8 June 2018 regarding our plans to reduce ferry fares to the Northern Isles.
Officials met with Commission officials in Brussels on 12 November 2018. The Scottish Government are awaiting a formal view from the Commission regarding the next steps.
The Scottish Government remains committed to pursuing all avenues to deliver reduced fares for Orkney.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 January 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 16 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the publication of its draft Budget, whether it will provide an update on its replacement and investment strategy for vessels on publicly subsidised ferry contracts.
Answer
High level indicative investment programmes for vessels and harbours were set out in the Ferries Plan 2013-2022 – these were and remain subject to affordability and changing priorities.
The most recent version of the Vessel Replacement and Deployment Plan was published on 31 January 2018. That plan gives an overview of how existing, planned and prospective vessels could be deployed across the Clyde and Hebrides network to deliver the commitments set out in the Scottish Ferries Plan. Work is progressing on an update to the Vessel Replacement and Deployment Plan and this will be published in the near future.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 January 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 16 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what the (a) cost and (b) length of delay will be of the delivery of the contract between Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd and Fergusons Marine Engineering Ltd for two new hybrid-fuel ferries.
Answer
The two ferries were procured by Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) through open competition to a design and build specification at a fixed price of £97m.
Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd (FMEL) has recently submitted a contractual claim to CMAL. CMAL is considering that claim in detail.
Detailed discussions relating to contract variations or any additional costs are a matter for the contracting parties to resolve .
FMEL has formally indicated that the MV Glen Sannox (801) will be delivered during summer 2019 and the second vessel (802) in spring 2020.
CMAL have questioned whether the revised delivery dates can be achieved on the basis of current build progress. We continue to work with both parties to identify and minimise any slippage, since the importance of energy both vessels enter service on the earliest possible opportunity.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 January 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 16 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government whether its respiratory action plan will recommend that GPs receive more training on interstitial lung disease.
Answer
The Respiratory Care Action Plan for Scotland is in the early stages of development, and work is being taken forward with a wide range of stakeholders across the respiratory community and third sector. The Plan will set out the main priorities to support NHS Boards in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory conditions.