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-01064

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the ScotRail (a) disabled people’s protection policy and (b) operating licence obligations, and whether it considers that driver-only operated services are compliant with them.

Disabled access policy has not been devolved to Scottish Ministers and remains an issue that is reserved to the UK Government.

a) The responsibility for assessing Abellio ScotRail Ltd.’s Disabled People’s Protection Policy (DPPP) rests with the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). The ORR last reviewed Abellio ScotRail Ltd.’s DPPP on 18 May 2016 and published confirmation that it continued to be in compliance with their obligations.

b) Abellio ScotRail Ltd hold a current operating licence on the basis that the ORR continue to be content that that the conditions of their operating licence are being met.

The Scottish Government therefore considers that all services operated by Abellio ScotRail Ltd are compliant with their DPPP and licence obligations.

Question reference: S5W-01066

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what obligations the franchise agreement places on ScotRail to remove or minimise disadvantages faced by disabled people.

Question reference: S5W-01068

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government on what basis Hitachi was awarded the contract to build the ScotRail class 385 passenger trains; who made the decision, and whether it will provide details of the other bidders.

Question reference: S5W-01069

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government (a) where and (b) by what date the ScotRail class 385 passenger trains will be (i) manufactured and (ii) assembled, and up to what stage in the process modifications can be made to the design.

The design of the fleet has been agreed and the first tranche of class 385s are currently being built and tested in Japan. Work begins next month to assemble the remainder of the fleet at Hitachi’s new factory in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. ScotRail plan to introduce them into service between autumn 2017 and early 2019 on various routes in the central belt.

The timing of modifications on the production schedule and related costs are a commercial matter for ScotRail and Hitachi.

Question reference: S5W-01058

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether (a) the ScotRail franchise agreement and (b) driver-only operated passenger ScotRail services are in breach of the Equality Act 2010.

(a) The franchise agreement is not in breach of the Equality Act 2010. Disabled access policy is a reserved matter for the UK Government and our franchisee is required to comply with the relevant legislation. The responsibility for regulating and enforcing the equality legislation rests with the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

(b) Disabled access policy is a reserved matter for the UK Government and our franchisee is required to comply with the relevant legislation. The responsibility for regulating and enforcing the equality legislation rests with the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Question reference: S5W-01073

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions its officials have had with the (a) UK Government, (b) train operating companies, (c) Rail Safety and Standards Board and (d) Rail Delivery Group regarding (i) driver-only operated and (ii) driver-control operated passenger trains on ScotRail services.

Question reference: S5W-01067

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government who is paying for the ScotRail class 385 passenger trains.

Question reference: S5W-00895

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 18 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has asked for the class 385 trains on order for ScotRail to be configured to not allow the guard to have responsibility for operating the doors.

Question reference: S5W-01078

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how ScotRail ensures that timetabled passenger services run with a second member of on-board staff, and what penalties can be imposed if a service does not have this.

ScotRail has a franchise commitment to ‘use all reasonable endeavours to maintain a minimum staffing level for every train service of two members of staff’.

Transport Scotland through the service quality incentive regime, inspect approximately 180 services per four weekly period. Two aspects are audited for on train staff.

One aspect covers train staff and customer care on the trains. This includes ‘general provision of customer care duties including provision of information to passengers and helping hand assistance’ and also ‘taking appropriate measures to deal with unruly behaviour by any passengers’.

The minimum threshold level for this schedule is 90%, and if exceeded the maximum financial penalty for this schedule is £10,800.

The other is specifically for ticket inspections on trains. Where for ‘each train there shall be a person whose duties shall include revenue protection comprising inspection of tickets, issuing of tickets to persons not in possession of a valid tickets and collection of revenue’.

The minimum threshold level for this schedule is 95%, and if reached the maximum financial penalty for this schedule is £50,000.

Question reference: S5W-01083

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what processes are in place to ensure that Abellio meets the terms of the ScotRail franchise agreement; how often it meets the company to discuss the delivery of the agreement, and whether it will publish the delivery plan.