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: S4W-29173

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance (a) its officials and (b) Scottish Development International provided to the delegation of SNP parliamentarians prior to their visit to Iran in December 2015.

Question reference: S4W-29171

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-02112 by Humza Yousaf on 15 May 2013 (Official Report, c. 19792), how many Scottish businesses have been supported by it or Scottish Development International in developing links with Iraqi Kurdistan since that date.

Question reference: S4W-29170

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-02112 by Humza Yousaf on 15 May 2013 (Official Report, c. 19792), what work Scottish Development International has undertaken in Iraqi Kurdistan since that date.

Scottish Development International (SDI) had a staff member assigned to Istanbul between September and December 2014 who, as part of his remit, assessed the suitability of Kurdistan as a potential destination for oil and gas events and trade missions.

SDI has been in contact with the UK Trade and Investment Office in Erbil and the Kurdistan Regional Government representative in London around developing a strategy for the region. Security issues in the area have meant this work is currently being held until the situation improves.

Question reference: S4W-29175

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how it, or Scottish Development International, will support any trade mission to Iran following the visit by SNP parliamentarians in December 2015.

Scottish Development International officials would be happy to receive more information on a proposed trade mission to Iran with regard to dates, companies attending and sectors that it will cover and will take a decision on the level of support it can offer when it has this information.

Following a visit to Iran by SDI officials from 7-9 December 2015, an agreement was reached between Scottish Development International and the Iran Ministry of Petroleum to look at a potential joint oil and gas trade mission to Iran in 2016.

Question reference: S4W-29183

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 14 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government which services will be reduced during the works on the high level tunnel at Glasgow Queen Street Station and whether capacity will be fully retained through the use of longer trains.

The following table summarises the rail services that will have reduced frequency during the Queen Street High Level tunnel closure:

Service(s)	Existing	During tunnel closure
Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk High	Four trains per hour from 0700 to 1930 hours	Half hourly all day
Ashfield to Anniesland via Maryhill	Two trains per hour all day	Hourly all day
Cumbernauld to Glasgow	Three trains per hour all day	Two services per hour all day (one direct and one requiring interchange Springburn)

The Queen Street High Level tunnel closure will inevitably result in a loss of some capacity. However, ScotRail will ensure that all available rolling stock is used through longer trains and diversions, to enable the vast majority of capacity to be retained during the works.

Question reference: S4W-29182

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 14 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government to what extent the works on the high level tunnel at Glasgow Queen Street Station will increase average journey times, broken down by affected service.

The following table summarises the estimated impact that the Glasgow Queen Street High Level tunnel closure will have on affected rail services:

Service(s) affected	Estimated impact (average)
Edinburgh to Glasgow Queen Street	20 to 25 minutes longer
Dunblane/Alloa	20 to 25 minutes longer
Aberdeen or Inverness to Glasgow	30 to 40 minutes longer
West Highland	20 to 25 minutes longer

Question reference: S4W-29179

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 14 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government on what dates it expects the closure of the high level tunnel at Glasgow Queen Street Station to (a) start and (b) end; what the reason for the closure is, and whether the work is directly related to the (i) redevelopment of the station or (ii) electrification of the Glasgow to Edinburgh line.

The tunnel will close from Sunday 20 March to Monday 8 August 2016.

The station is being closed to enable Network Rail to replace nearly two kilometres of 40 year old concrete slab track within the Queen Street tunnel and supports the introduction of a new generation of faster, greener and quieter electric trains onto routes across the Central Belt in 2017.

Network Rail are also using the tunnel closure to accelerate the wider electrification works while minimising passenger disruption. The slab track replacement would be going ahead regardless of the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvements Programme electrification programme.

Question reference: S4W-29180

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 14 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what steps will be taken to minimise disruption caused by the closure of the high level tunnel at Glasgow Queen Street Station and to what extent services using the low level tunnel will be affected.

ScotRail following industry processes and consultations has undertaken detailed work to ensure that the temporary timetable in place throughout the duration of the Queen Street High Level tunnel closure allows the vast majority of customers to travel to and from Glasgow by train.

In addition ScotRail has recently launched a comprehensive publicity campaign to ensure that customers have the information they need to keep moving during the tunnel closure. ScotRail continues to work closely with the commercial bus operators to ensure that customers continue to have choices in how they travel.

Network Rail recently commissioned a programme of enhancement works on the Anniesland line enabling the operation of diverted services through Queen Street Low Level station. This ensures that ScotRail have sufficient capacity to operate their temporary timetable during the tunnel closure.

Queen Street Low Level services will have minor timetable adjustments to cater for increased demand with all Airdrie to Bathgate services operating as longer trains.

Question reference: S4W-29178

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 14 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how much compensation franchise holders will receive due to the closure of the Glasgow Queen Street Station high level tunnel; how this is expected to be spent, and whether affected passengers can expect a reduction in their journey costs.

Network Rail costs for the works in the tunnel are currently estimated to be in the region of £60 million. This includes an estimated £16 million in lost revenue compensation for train operating companies, based on a 20-week tunnel closure, in accordance with the current rail regulatory regime. Actual levels of compensation to train operators will not be determined until conclusion of the tunnel works and will be dependent on the effectiveness of the amended timetable in encouraging passengers to continue to use rail services during this period.

Consistent with the Winchburgh rail tunnel works which were undertaken as part of the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme, rail season ticket holders will not be offered a discount during the 20 week Queen Street High Level tunnel closure as reasonable rail services will continue.

Question reference: S4W-29177

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 14 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-12861 by Keith Brown on 28 February 2013, for what reason the Infrastructure Investment Plan 2015 does not include reference to a Scottish section of high speed rail between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

A draft business case considering a high speed rail link between Edinburgh and Glasgow was submitted as advice to ministers in 2014.

It was clear from this work that what high speed rail is built in Scotland depends on the high speed route coming up from the south. Therefore it is not possible to progress planning for a high speed rail link between Edinburgh and Glasgow any further until a cross-border high speed route is identified.

The Scottish Government continues to work with the UK Government and HS2 Ltd on a broad options study which seeks to identify options for extending high speed rail to the north of England and Scotland. This study is expected to be completed in early 2016 after which the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities will make a joint announcement with the Secretary of State for Transport on the next steps to be taken.