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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-09262

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 8 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of homes available for social rent it estimates currently have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of band C or above.

The 2019 Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) estimates that 56% of social housing is in EPC band C or better. This is the most recent data available from the SHCS.

Following the suspension of face-to-face interviewing in March 2020 to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, there was no SHCS data collection in 2020. The 2021 SHCS was carried out by an external-only inspection, supplemented with alternative sources of data (e.g. from the Energy Performance Certificate) and the householder providing information to surveyors via telephone.

This approach was designed to provide as reliable as possible estimates of key statistics, including on fuel poverty, energy efficiency and external repairs, while maintaining no contact with the household. No data was collected on internal aspects such as room repairs and aspects of housing standards.

It is expected that the key findings from the 2021 SHCS will be published in February 2023.

The 2022 SHCS returned to full in-home surveying in April 2022.

Question reference: S6W-08893

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 30 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the travel cards issued to date as part of the Young Persons’ (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel Scheme have been used on more than 10 occasions since being issued, and, of those, what proportion have been used to take more than 10 journeys per week.

Since the launch of the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme around 390,000 National Entitlement Cards (NEC) have been issued to young people across Scotland. The scheme aims to embed sustainable travel behaviours, open social, education, employment and leisure opportunities and reduce household outgoings to aid young people and their families, particularly those living in poverty.

71% (approx. 277,000) of cards have been used at least once to access free bus travel. In comparison to 56% of older and disabled cardholders over the same period, more young cardholders are choosing to use free bus when they travel.
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62% (approx. 170,000) NECs have been used more than 10 times, and 16% (approx. 61,000) of NECs have been used to make smart journeys on more than ten occasions within at least one week.

149 NECs have been used by young people to make smart journeys on more than ten occasions every week since the scheme launched.

The figures have been produced using the data on number of journeys per National Entitlement Card and come from the secure ITSO messages (alerts from ticket machines when National Entitlement Cards are scanned) that come into Transport Scotland’s reimbursement system, which are used to pay operators.

Question reference: S6W-08649

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many complaints from (a) passengers and (b) staff were received by ScotRail services between 1 and 30 April 2022, broken down by the reason for the complaint.

The number of passenger complaints received by ScotRail, through their official complaints process, is set out on the following table for the period 1 and 30 April 2022. The complaints may involve accidents that occurred before 1 April 2022.

The average recorded number of complaints per period for previous years is as follows:-

2019-2020 - 1,664 complaints

2018-2019 - 2,064 complaints

The figure of 1,144 complaints for April 2022 is lower than the above period averages.

ScotRail do not record staff complaints and therefore the information is not available.

Complaint Categories	Period 1 2022-23
Staff	272
Policy And Product	206
Train Service Performance	152
1st Class	85
Promotions	77
Capacity	62
Environment	57
Ticket Buying Facilities	44
Safety & Security	36
Station Facilities	29
Information Provision	28
Timetable	25
Customer Provisions	17
Assisted Travel	15
Cycles	13
Rail Replacement	11
Smartcard	10
Contact Centre	3
Double Debit	2
Total	1,144

Question reference: S6W-08894

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has carried out of the economic impact of removing 700 ScotRail services.

Question reference: S6W-08895

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has carried out of the environmental impact of removing 700 ScotRail services.

I have not instructed ScotRail to undertake an environmental impact assessment on what is a temporary change. There is positive progress being made on pay negotiations with ASLEF in Scotland, and I am hopeful that additional services will be added in the near future.

I would note that any environmental modelling undertaken but UK government in relation to the UK-wide RMT strikes, has not to this point been shared with the Scottish Government, although I would welcome sight of any such reports.

Question reference: S6O-01294

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether the £33 billion estimate in its Heat in Buildings Strategy to decarbonise Scotland's buildings remains an accurate forecast amount.

Question reference: S6W-08745

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when the steering group to implement the recommendations on safety performance in response to the Carmont rail accident will be convened, and when it anticipates it will report.

Question reference: S6W-08744

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates Transport Scotland will (a) commence and (b) conclude its review of ScotRail's rolling stock.

Question reference: S6W-09053

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

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08994 by Jenny Gilruth on 1 June 2022, which states, "This scheme forms part of a rolling programme that is expected to see electrification extended to Dundee and Aberdeen", when it anticipates electrification will reach (a) Dundee and (b) Aberdeen, and what the estimated cost is of electrification (i) to Dundee and (ii) between Dundee and Aberdeen.

Question reference: S6W-08739

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when Transport Scotland will publish the post-completion noise monitoring reports for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

Although there is no legislative requirement to publish noise reports for major roads projects Transport Scotland has previously published these where appropriate to be helpful, transparent and open.

Following introduction of the Data Protection Act 2018, Transport Scotland has considered how the requirements of the Act apply to the information contained within these noise reports and whether their publication would still be possible.

It has concluded that to ensure it does not breach the Act, all personal data such as addresses would require to be removed prior to publication, making the remaining published information incapable of interpretation and informing the public and communities of anything meaningful.

However, in line with Data Protection Act 2018, property owners can request access to their own personal data contained within the noise survey reports by contacting Transport Scotland.