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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 1012 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-01865

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 18 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government who is responsible for the enforcement of (a) physical distancing, (b) the wearing of face coverings and (c) other COVID-19 safety regulations on (i) rail services, (ii) buses and (iii) ferries.

The responsibility for the enforcement of Covid-19 regulations on public transport rests with Police Scotland and, in the case of the railway network, British Transport Police. Police officers have enforcement powers to issue a fixed penalty notice to anyone 18 or over if there is reason to believe an offence has been committed under the regulations. These powers are used as a last resort where people are defying very clear and sensible advice, which is designed to protect them from harm.

In addition to regulations, Transport Scotland has published guidance for transport operators to enable them to keep their staff and passengers safe during the pandemic. This guidance reinforces the importance of signage, announcements and messaging to remind passengers of Covid-19 requirements whilst using public transport.

Question reference: S6W-01868

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 18 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it provides for the enforcement of COVID-19 safety regulations on public transport.

Question reference: S6W-01869

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 18 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it issues to public transport operators on the enforcement of (a) physical distancing, (b) the wearing of face coverings and (c) other COVID-19 safety regulations on (i) rail services, (ii) buses and (iii) ferries.

Question reference: S6W-01870

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 18 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been fined or prosecuted for failing to adhere to (a) physical distancing, (b) the wearing of face coverings and (c) other COVID-19 safety regulations on public transport in each month since the introduction of the regulations.

Police Scotland publish data on their website in relation to the numbers of people who have been issued with Fixed Penalty Notices or arrested in relation to breaches of Covid-19 regulations. However the data does not identify the settings in which the breaches occurred. Specifically in relation to the railway network, cumulative intervention figures across all divisions in Scotland up until
21 July 2021 show there have been 6,229 interventions, 854 directions to leave and 34 Fixed Penalty Notices issued by British Transport Police in relation to non-compliance with Covid-19 regulations.

Question reference: S6W-01660

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what crew changeover provisions have been negotiated between CalMac and the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company in the time charter agreement for the MV Arrow freight vessel.

Question reference: S6W-01659

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether the current crew of the MV Arrow will be employed on the vessel for the duration of the six-week charter agreement between CalMac and the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company.

Question reference: S6W-01661

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the duty periods worked by seafarers on the Serco NorthLink freight vessel (a) Helliar and (b) Hildasay since March 2020.

Question reference: S6W-01662

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-36170 by Paul Wheelhouse on 23 March 2021, whether ferry procurement will now be included in the Islands Connectivity Plan following the most recent ministerial reshuffle.

Question reference: S6W-01106

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 29 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what communication it has had with (a) Ferguson Marine and (b) Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) since December 2020 regarding completion dates for (i) MV Glen Sannox and (ii) Hull 802.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01104 on
‎ 13 July 2021 which is available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/ormain.aspx

The Scottish Government are in contact with Ferguson Marine and CMAL on a regular basis regarding the delivery timetable and completion dates for MV Glen Sannox and Hull 802.

Tim Hair, Turnaround Director of Ferguson Marine, updated the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee on the delivery timetable and budget for vessels MV Glen Sannox and Hull 802 in March 2021 as requested by the committee in their report on ferry procurement. The latest quarterly update on progress, was submitted to the newly formed Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee on 24 June 2021.

Question reference: S6W-01108

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 15 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the annual maintenance and repair costs have been for each ferry in the CalMac fleet in each year since 2010.

CalMac invests significantly in vessel maintenance. Each vessel is taken out of service annually to undergo an established programme of inspection and maintenance activities. This includes planned maintenance, preventative maintenance, repair and certification renewal to ensure the continued safety and reliability of the service.

The annual cost of maintenance and repairs by CalMac Ferries Limited on the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services fleet since 2010 is detailed in the following table:

The figures are given as a fleet value rather than per vessel to retain commercial confidentiality of CalMac Ferries Limited.

CHFS1 contract (October 2007 to September 2016) *
CY4	CY5	CY6	CY7	CY8	CY9
2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16
£	£	£	£	£	£
8,773,942	9,740,368	10,913,829	1,256,003	14,586,837	22,676,731

CHFS2 contract (October 2016 to September 2024) *
CY1	CY2	CY3	CY4	CY5
2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21
£	£	£	£	£
14,065,768	17,522,632	15,604,781	18,360,136	17,883,821 **

* Contract Year (CY) is October to September

** CHFS2 CY5 value is a forecast