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-34424

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 many projects funded by the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) are directly linked to the development of intermodal transport facilities, and what the expected benefits of these developments are.

Detailed below is a table containing Freight Facilities Grant awards linked to the development of intermodal transport facilities with the commodities that were removed from being transported by container from road onto rail or water instead.

Award	Commodities Moved by Rail or Water Instead of by Road	Mode of Transport
Russells Transport, Hillington.	Food, scrap metal and alcohol.	Rail.
Safeway Stores Mossend, Inverness, Nairn Elgin, Buckie.	Groceries.	Rail.
Safeway Stores Mossend, Thurso, Wick, Kirkwall and Ullapool.	Groceries.	Rail.
WH Malcolm Ltd, Grangemouth.	Glass and alcohol.	Rail.
Forth Ports.	General cargo.	Water.
Asda Stores, Grangemouth.	Groceries.	Rail.
WH Malcolm Ltd, Phase 2 at Grangemouth	Rubber and alcohol.	Rail.
WH Malcolm Ltd, Phase 3, Grangemouth to Aberdeen.	Paper and groceries.	Rail.
WH Malcolm, Phase 4, Elderslie.	General cargo.	Rail.
WH Malcolm Phase 5, Kirkby Thore to Elderslie.	Plasterboard.	Rail.
Eddie Stobart (Tesco), Daventry to Grangemouth.	Groceries.	Rail.
Eddie Stobart, Grangemouth, Inverness	Groceries.	Rail.

Question reference: S6W-34425

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) supports the transition to greener technologies in freight transport, particularly in the use of alternative fuels such as hydrogen or electric power.

Question reference: S6W-34414

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 that contribute to improving connectivity between Scotland and international markets.

Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) was introduced in recognition that taking freight off roads and moving it by rail or water can have environmental and wider social benefits but can be more expensive.

Improving international connectivity is not a specified aim of FFG. However, FFG awards have been made to Scottish ports and rail facilities, which can be utilised for the movement of goods to international markets.

Question reference: S6W-34428

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 support is available to applicants of the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) to help them develop their project proposals and ensure that they meet the eligibility requirements.

Question reference: S6W-34415

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) supports the reduction of freight transport congestion in urban areas, and what specific measures have been implemented to address this issue.

Question reference: S6W-34421

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 many applications to the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) have been rejected in each year since 2021, and what the reasons for rejection have been.

Question reference: S6W-34427

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

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce specific outreach programmes to increase awareness and the uptake of the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) among under-represented sectors, such as the agriculture or food production industries.

Question reference: S6W-34423

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) helps businesses meet their environmental and sustainability targets, and what specific metrics or outcomes are used to evaluate this.

Taking freight off congested roads and moving it by rail or water can have environmental and wider social benefits but it can be more expensive. Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) is therefore available to assist with the extra costs generally associated with moving freight by rail or water by offsetting the capital costs of providing the required freight handling facilities. It is also available to help companies reinvest in existing rail or water freight facilities where the traffic may revert to road transport.

The value of environmental and social benefits is based on calculating the benefits of removing one lorry mile of freight from road and transferring it to rail or water.

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: S6O-04386

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the ways in which local authorities engage with stakeholders regarding the implementation of the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024.

Question reference: S6W-34413

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 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) scheme has supported the growth of Scotland’s ports and logistics infrastructure, and what improvements have been made to port facilities as a result of this funding.