Chamber and committees

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-34416

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of applicants to the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) are small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and what specific support is provided to ensure SMEs can access this funding.

Freight Facilities Grants are open to any company, including SMEs, who can demonstrate that they can transfer freight from road to rail or water.

SMEs represent the minority of awards made under the scheme. However, Transport Scotland officials are available to discuss proposals and provide advice about what information should be included in an application and what evidence is required prior to any formal decision being made on awarding a grant.

Question reference: S6W-34422

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) has been used to support the integration of digital technologies in freight transport and, if so, which projects have received this support.

Question reference: S6W-34417

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that projects funded through the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) align with its (a) economic, (b) environmental and (c) transport strategy.

Taking freight off congested roads and moving it by rail or water can ensure that freight is moved in an efficient, flexible and sustainable manner. Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) can act as an enabler for companies investing in facilities that without FFG, would not happen as they would not be commercially viable

Heavy goods vehicles are a major contributor to emissions within the Scottish economy. Emissions from rail are considerably lower. Scottish Government policy to encourage the shift of freight from road to rail and other, more sustainable forms of transport aligns with the priority to “take climate action” in the National Transport Strategy 2 and supports the legislative target for Scotland to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.

The Scottish Government has set regulatory targets for rail freight growth. The target for the period 2024 to 2029 is 8.7% and, if achieved, is forecast to result in an additional 2,200 annual trains by 2029.

Question reference: S6W-34419

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the process is for businesses to apply for the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG), and how long it typically takes for an application to be processed and assessed.

Any company which wants to move freight by rail or water rather than by road and which is proposing to invest in new freight handling facilities in Scotland or re-invest in existing facilities in Scotland may apply for FFG. Before making a formal application for FFG, a company is expected to approach Transport Scotland who will be able to give informal advice on whether, and to what extent, a freight facility may be eligible for FFG.

On receipt of the formal application, Transport Scotland may decide to seek independent engineering advice to examine the design and specification of the project. The costs of this will be borne by Transport Scotland. A visit to the site of the proposed facility, by Transport Scotland and by its appointed consultant, will be necessary.

Since the introduction of the scheme in 1997, applications have typically taken between 3-6 months to complete. However, it can take longer depending upon the complexity of the proposal and the time taken by the applicant to supply the information.

The application process for FFG is currently under review ahead of potential awards in financial year 2025-26.

Question reference: S6W-34420

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) funding has been allocated to projects that aim to improve rail freight infrastructure, and how this compares to funding for road and maritime projects.

A total of £70,443,984 has been allocated through the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) since its introduction in 1997. Of this the spend on rail projects was £44,708,510, or 63% of the FFG budget. The spend on water projects was £25,735,474 which equates to 37% of the budget.

During the period 2022-23 to 2024-25, the Scottish Government invested over £2.8 billion on trunk road safety, adaptations, maintenance and improvement. The Scottish Parliament agreed in principle on 6 February 2025 to invest nearly £1.1 billion to ensure the trunk road network is well maintained and enhanced, and progress major road projects, including duelling the A9 and improving the A83.

Ports in Scotland are mostly independent statutory bodies – each governed by their own local legislation – and are deemed commercial entities. Therefore, the Scottish Government has no say in the day-to-day running of their business, nor can it dictate business decisions made by a company on how to best utilise its resources. This remains the responsibility of the port authority.

There are no Scottish Government funding options specifically for the commercial maritime sector. However, as commercial businesses, Scottish Enterprise can provide advice about what options could be available for private / public co-investment to develop port infrastructure. The Scottish Government and its agencies have supported a number of maritime proposals across Scotland, including large scale developments at Aberdeen and Stornoway, and through the Green Freeport initiatives at Inverness, Cromarty Firth and Forth Ports.

Question reference: S6W-34412

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the long-term efficacy of projects funded through the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG).

Traffic monitoring is undertaken after a facility funded under the grant scheme becomes operational.

Transport Scotland requires applicants to provide a return of traffic passing through the grant-aided facility. Transport Scotland will require verified tonnages reports from the applicant, in cases where the applicant is required to provide evidence to corroborate the traffic the documentation required will be agreed prior to the award of grant.

Monitoring will cover an agreed period of time to allow the required environmental benefits from the grant to be accrued by the applicant.

Question reference: S6W-34426

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) supports projects in both urban and rural areas equally.

Question reference: S6W-34418

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding from the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) has been directed to initiatives promoting the use of low-carbon or zero-emission freight transport solutions.

Question reference: S6W-34407

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) contributes to the reduction of carbon emissions in Scotland, and what quantifiable impact has been recorded in terms of emissions reductions from FFG-funded projects in each year since 2021.

The Freight Facilities Grants (FFG) is intended to bring about a number of benefits from the removal of freight from roads to other modes of transport. This includes but is not limited to emissions reduction.

The impact of Freight Facility Grant awards is measured in terms of the number and distance of road vehicle miles displaced onto other forms of transport. As the emissions impact will vary depending on the type of vehicle, the duty cycle and other factors, this is not recorded separately.

To date, Freight Facility Grant awards have resulted in the reduction of over 50 million heavy goods vehicle miles on Scotland’s roads.

Question reference: S6W-34429

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) has supported projects aimed at improving the efficiency of inland waterways and, if so, which projects have been funded.