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-29471

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage modal shift from car to rail, in light of the peak fares removal pilot ending.

Question reference: S6W-29472

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects the reduced ScotRail timetable to be removed.

Question reference: S6O-03680

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in light of the most recent annual update on suicide statistics showing that people living in Scotland’s most deprived areas are 2.5 times more likely to die by suicide than those living in the least deprived areas.

Question reference: S6W-28216

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what Transport Scotland’s full-time equivalent (FTE) staffing commitment is to building the case for a Teckal-compliant direct award of the next Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services contract to the incumbent public sector operator, and what information it holds on what the FTE staffing commitment is from the private consultants that are contracted to advise on this direct award.

I refer to previous answers to question S6W-19363 on 7 July 2023 and S6W-23734 on 4 January 2024 and S6W-24773 on 1 February 2024. The core CHFS3 team consists of 13 FTE staff. Specialist support is being provided from relevant officials within the Legal, Financial and Subsidy Control teams as and when required to complete the necessary due diligence on a potential direct award (an award in reliance on the exemption in Regulation 13 (1) of the Public Contract (Scotland) Regulations 2015).

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Question reference: S6W-28215

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will take urgent steps to ensure that trade unions' organising staff at CalMac Ferries can have direct discussions with the consultants commissioned by Transport Scotland to conduct the due diligence of a Teckal-compliant direct award of the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services contract from 1 October 2024 to the incumbent public sector operator.

Question reference: S6W-28218

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much CalMac Ferries has paid in harbour dues in each year since 2011-12.

CalMac Ferries Ltd have paid harbour dues each year since 2011-12 as detailed in following table. This information is retained by Contract Year (October to September).

CHFS1 contract (October 2007 to September 2016) *
CY05	CY06	CY07	CY08	CY09
2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16
'000	'000	'000	'000	'000
£11,510	£12,139	£21,745	£23,925	£25,310

CHFS2 contract (October 2016 to September 2024) *
CY01	CY02	CY03	CY04	CY05	CY06	CY07	CY08 **
2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24
'000	'000	'000	'000	'000	'000	'000	'000
£31,494	£33,046	£33,578	£28,569	£31,780	£36,576	£38,362	£25,125

* Contract Year (CY) is October to September.

** CHFS2 CY08 value is to date (May 2024)

Question reference: S6W-28221

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 2 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions (a) Transport Scotland, (b) CalMac Ferries and (c) CMAL has had with Pentland Ferries regarding the safe management system on the MV Alfred prior to time chartering the vessel.

Question reference: S6W-28224

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 2 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the total value is of the time charter agreements that it has signed with Pentland Ferries for the MV Alfred between April 2023 and July 2024.

The Scottish Government have not entered into, or signed, any agreement with Pentland Ferries.

The charter agreements of the MV Alfred from Pentland Ferries, vessel owner, for use on Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service contract (CHFS) have all been undertaken by the operator, CalMac Ferries Ltd. The Scottish Government has provided funding to CalMac Ferries Ltd to enable the charter of the MV Alfred and this was confirmed as £15.1m, in the Freedom of Information request published on 8 February 2024: Information relating to Scottish ferries costs and upgrades: EIR release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-28226

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 2 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether a crew fatigue management plan was in place on the MV Alfred when it was time chartered from Pentland Ferries in April 2023.

Question reference: S6W-28225

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 2 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it holds regular discussions with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency regarding maritime safety compliance on privately-operated ferry routes in Scotland, and, if so, when the MV Alfred was last discussed.

The Scottish Government has not held discussions with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) regarding maritime safety compliance in respect of the MV Alfred. The MCA are responsible for the inspection and surveying of ships to ensure that they are meeting UK and international safety rules.

The Scottish Government expects the highest shipping safety and crew welfare standards and for these to be applied in the case of all vessels and personnel accessing our ports and coastal areas.