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: S5W-15001

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 14 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the delay to the opening of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) will have on roads in the area and those roads presently being used to divert traffic.

The project contractor, Aberdeen Roads Limited (ARL), is required to keep any disruption throughout the delivery of the AWPR to a minimum. ARL is required to consult with key stakeholders including the relevant local roads authority and Police Scotland. We are continuing to work with the contractor and our stakeholders, with a view to delivering the benefits associated with opening areas of the project as soon as it is safe to do so.

Question reference: S5W-15000

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the rollout of 385 HST stock will have on the capacity of other rail services, and whether it will provide details of capacity being created and reduced elsewhere.

The new fleet of 70 C385s will enable 26% more seats to be provided when all Edinburgh-Glasgow services are operated by 7-car class 385 trains and this will rise to 44% more seats when 8-cars run on all peak time services compared to 6-car class 170s. The C385s will also be introduced across many other central belt routes on routes such as North Berwick, Dunblane/ Stirling/ Alloa and Edinburgh-Glasgow via Shotts allowing a cascade of existing refurbished fleets to provide more capacity on the busiest services on the network.

In addition the 26 HSTs to be gradually introduced over the next year which will serve the 7 main cities on the Scottish inter-city routes and help to provide an increase of more than 200 extra carriages across the ScotRail fleet.

Question reference: S5W-15002

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 14 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of delays to the construction of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Road (AWPR), whether it plans to compensate Aberdeenshire Council and Aberdeen City Council or help repair roads damaged due to higher than normal levels of traffic during the construction period and, if so, when.

The AWPR/B-T project was promoted in partnership with Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils.

Each local road authority has a statutory duty to manage and maintain all local roads in their area. Other than specific larger roads the AWPR/B-T contractor must obtain the relevant local authority’s agreement prior to using the local road network for construction traffic. This gives local authorities the opportunity to directly manage traffic levels and to set any conditions with the AWPR/B-T contractor that they consider appropriate. including agreeing any liability for repairs which may be required as a result of increased traffic.

Question reference: S5W-15004

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 14 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the efforts of Transport Scotland to engage with local communities during the construction of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR), and following the delay to the project.

The engagement process across the length of this 58km project continues to be extensive. There has been regular engagement with MSPs, MPs, Councillors and Community Councils, and bespoke meetings with Community Councils, business groups and professional organisations.

Additionally, a monthly ezine is published, which has over 7,800 subscribers. Quarterly newsletters are published in hard copies and on the project website. This is alongside the engagement undertaken by the contractor which includes letter drops, leaflet or one-on-one meetings, and speaking with local businesses and groups.

Question reference: S5O-01895

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 March 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of information provided by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre suggesting that NHS Grampian has been underfunded by £165.6 million since 2008, whether it plans to provide additional funding to meet this shortfall.

Question reference: S5W-15014

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, following reports on 22 January 2018 that 99% of drivers on the A90 obeyed the speed limit in the third quarter of 2017, when it will publish accident statistics for that period.

Injury road accident data is provided by the police in arrears from the various operational Police Force areas across Scotland. Exactly when this is done for any part of Scotland is a matter for the Police as part of their wider operational resourcing and overall support for road safety.

The injury road accident data for Scotland in 2017 is still being collected and validated. Provisional statistics will be published in the publication Key Reported Road Casualties Scotland in June 2018.

Question reference: S5W-14895

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14490 by Humza Yousaf on 23 February 2018, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding how the subsidy for the Caledonian Sleeper has been used.

Question reference: S5W-14492

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the changes to the cost of tickets on the Caledonian Sleeper service since it has been operated by Serco.

The Caledonian Sleeper operates in a highly competitive market for Anglo-Scottish travel, with alternatives available by road, air or other rail operators. Fares charged by the Caledonian Sleeper are therefore unregulated. Serco has worked to rationalise the types of fare available. Fares have remained attractive to the travelling public, as evidenced by the 21% increase in passenger patronage over the first two years of the franchise.

Question reference: S5W-14491

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether any subsidy for Caledonian Sleeper achieved value for money.

Serco Caledonian Sleeper Ltd delivers its obligations in terms of the Franchise Agreement, its bid for the franchise having been deemed the most advantageous in terms of cost and quality.

The subsidy provided by the Scottish Government to the current Caledonian Sleeper franchisee has helped to deliver a 21% increase in the number of people using the Caledonian Sleeper. It has helped to deliver a complete new fleet of trains. It has also assisted in providing employment for small and medium enterprises throughout Scotland. And it has assisted numerous sectors of the Scottish tourist industry by delivering visitors from the UK and overseas to destinations within Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-14770

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 1 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that it has not provided pre-application advice on the international nature designations for the proposed Coul Links golf course development in Embo.