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-29504

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 September 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what recent steps it has taken to ensure that low and zero carbon-fuelled ferries are safely (a) crewed and (b) operational from all harbours on the (i) Clyde and Hebrides, (ii) Northern Isles and (iii) inter-island ferry service contract routes.

Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) work with operators, crew and unions to ensure that all replacement ferries are safely crewed and operated from the ports and harbours they are set to serve before their introduction. The four vessels being built at Cemre are sister vessels, of a standardised design and layout and as such the crew will be interoperable. This will be the case also for the seven vessels as part of the Small Vessel Replacement Programme. Port works are also being undertaken to ensure that they are suitable for the new vessels.

Inter-island ferry services and operations must also comply with strict training and safety regulations for crew.

Question reference: S6W-29512

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 September 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment (a) Transport Scotland and (b) CMAL has made of (i) passenger accessibility and (ii) crew training for the Phase 1 contract in the Small Vessel Replacement Programme.

Question reference: S6W-29506

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 September 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the cost of the tendering process for the Small Vessel Replacement Programme Phase 1 contract.

Question reference: S6W-29289

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 August 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with ScotRail to ensure that the technology partner it appoints to deliver “a state-of-the-art multi-channel e-commerce solution that redefines convenience, accessibility, and value for our passengers” will provide integrated ticketing with the Glasgow subway, Edinburgh trams and with the bus and ferry network across Scotland.

The Scottish Government has discussed with ScotRail and Scottish Rail Holdings its live procurement exercise for a technology partner to deliver an ecommerce solution to ensure it is compatible with our new Smart, Digital, Integrated Ticketing and Payments Delivery Strategy, published on August 21st 2024.

This strategy builds on the work delivered under the 2018 Smart Ticketing Delivery Strategy, setting out Scotland’s vision for smart ticketing. Reflecting on views from the public, local transport authorities, operators and the newly established National Smart Ticketing Advisory Board, it aligns with the National Transport Strategy and supports the delivery of the Fair Fares Review actions.

Question reference: S6W-29509

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 September 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that the successful bidder for the Phase 1 design and build contract in the Small Vessel Replacement Programme is required to recognise trade unions, including seafarer unions, at the (a) test and survey, (b) launch, (c) equip and (d) sea trial stage of the contract.

Question reference: S6O-03722

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to support the retention of Scotland’s public libraries.

Question reference: S6O-03698

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support specialist neonatal intensive care units across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-29340

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 2 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many of its former senior (a) civil servants and (b) agency staff sought its approval in (i) 2021-22, (ii) 2022-23 and (iii) 2023-24 to take up a position with another employer, also broken down by how many times this approval was granted.

Question reference: S6O-03669

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to implement Scotland’s National Transport Strategy.

Question reference: S6W-28501

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 1 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many contracts it has awarded to supported businesses in Scotland in each of the last five calendar years.

Supported Businesses make an important contribution to the Scottish economy. Not only through the goods and services they deliver, but also by providing meaningful employment, training, and social support for those who may otherwise be excluded from the workplace.

The following information is derived from the supported business suppliers included in Scottish national framework agreement for goods and services that was reserved for supported businesses. This framework was open to the whole of the public sector in Scotland, charities and third sector. The contract ran from 2018 to 2023.

A total of seventy-six contracts have been awarded to the supported businesses on this framework by the Scottish Government (including its agency organisations) over the last five calendar years.

Year	FY ‎ 2022-23	FY ‎ 2021-22	FY ‎ 2020-21	FY ‎ 2019-20	FY ‎ 2018-19	Five Year Total
Total number of contracts awarded to Supported Businesses	3	17	21	20	15	76