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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: S6O-01103

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether, following the UK Government’s launch of a seafood exports fund, it will launch a Scottish seafood fund.

Question reference: S6W-08118

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 10 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02823 by Kate Forbes on 24 September 2021, how much of the £24 million for a new grade separated junction at the Laurencekirk A90/A937 south junction has been spent; whether this represents the entire budget for upgrading the junction; whether it projects that it will exceed this budget; whether "delivery of the scheme itself" has now commenced, and when it anticipates the completion of the junction.

I can confirm that the Scottish Government has spent £2.95m to date on essential design and preparation work on the proposed £24m grade separated junction at Laurencekirk. As confirmed in answer to question S5W-25043 on
‎ 20 September 2019, the scheme is part of a package of additional investment alongside, but separate to, the Aberdeen City Region Deal, as such it is being taken forward under the Scottish Government’s Motorways and Trunk Roads Capital Land and Works budget. The cost estimate will continue to be updated as the scheme design develops and progresses through the statutory procedures.

Further to the answer to question S6W-02821 on 23 September 2021, Transport Scotland continues to work with objectors, including Aberdeenshire Council, to resolve concerns where possible, however, should Transport Scotland be unsuccessful in removing all objections a public local inquiry may be required as part of the necessary statutory procedures. As with all trunk road projects this is the appropriate forum for considering objections received and not withdrawn.

Delivery of the scheme itself can only commence if it is approved under the relevant statutory procedures, at which point a timetable for its progress can be set.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-07977

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 10 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many meetings it had with the British Transport Police between December 2019 and March 2022 in relation to the nationalisation of Scotland’s railways.

Transport Scotland officials and Scottish Ministers have regular engagement with British Transport Police (BTP). These have included meetings with the new Chief Constable BTP UK and the Chief Superintendent D Division BTP Scotland where topical rail issues, such as the topic of ScotRail services being brought under Scottish Government ownership on 1 April 2022, have been discussed.

I personally met with the Chief Constable of BTP UK, Lucy D’Orsi, on 31 March and we discussed this matter along with several other topics.

Question reference: S6W-07947

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 9 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what studies or analysis it undertook of publicly-owned railways in other countries between December 2019 and March 2022, and whether the results of these will be published.

Question reference: S6W-07948

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 9 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government which other countries its ministers or officials visited between December 2019 and March 2022 in order to see first-hand how publicly-owned railways operate, and whether the results of these visits will be published.

Question reference: S6W-07950

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 9 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on removing the Abellio logo and name from livery, documentation and other parts of the train and rail infrastructure.

Question reference: S6W-08115

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 6 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02823 by Kate Forbes on 24 September 2021, whether any eligible housing infrastructure projects have since been submitted as part of the £20 million indicative allocation referred to in the 2016 agreement, and, if not, what has happened to the £20 million indicative allocation.

A number of City Region Deals include elements of housing infrastructure that is required to unlock wider housing delivery and regional growth ambitions including a notional £20m joint allocation for Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils. It is the responsibility of Councils to bring forward eligible Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) projects to the Scottish Government for consideration. Progress has been slower than anticipated and to date no eligible HIF projects have been submitted by the Councils as part of the £20m indicative allocation referred to in the 2016 agreement. Given the long-term plans for City Deal delivery in the region, and that HIF is open for new applications, Scottish Government officials will remain engaged with both Councils to support them to apply for HIF support where suitable projects through the City Deal delivery plans are identified.

Question reference: S6W-08117

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02823 by Kate Forbes on 24 September 2021, what the deliverables are of the rail improvement project that will be completed by the end of 2026.

The deliverables of the rail improvement project expected to be completed by the end of 2026 will be a capability which will facilitate, subject to changing travel behaviours, timetable and stopping pattern choices, the following options:

? an average journey time of 1 hour 10 minutes or less for inter-city services between Aberdeen and Dundee;

? an average journey time of 2 hours 30 minutes or less for inter-city services between Aberdeen and Glasgow;

? half-hourly services from local stations into Aberdeen and Dundee during peak times;

? an hourly stopping service between Aberdeen and Dundee; and

? new freight paths.

Question reference: S6W-08116

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02823 by Kate Forbes on 24 September 2021, whether the "rail improvement project" referred to has concluded option selection, in light of it being "on course to conclude option selection by early" in 2022, and what the options are that are being selected from.

Question reference: S6W-07945

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many outstanding rail passenger compensation claims it is responsible for, as a result of Abellio no longer being responsible for them, broken down by the year in which they were made, and what the total amount of live compensation claims is.