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-04564

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 22 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 3 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that workers in the ferry industry are trained to (a) operate and (b) re-fuel hydrogen-powered ferries.

Question reference: S6O-00482

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage a modal shift to increase train passenger numbers and journeys.

Question reference: S6W-03823

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) regarding tendering of the contract for new ferries for the Isles of Islay and Jura, and on which dates (a) Ministers and (b) Transport Scotland officials have met CMAL officials to discuss the tendering process for this contract since 1 January 2019 to date.

Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) is a public body and, as such, are bound by the Scottish public procurement regulations and must competitively tender projects of this value. CMAL ensured they followed the procurement regulations; considering quality, value for money and the timely delivery of vessels to serve our island communities.

In line with normal procurement practice, Scottish Government Ministers had no role in the process or in assessing the bids. No meetings between CMAL and Ministers have taken place specifically to discuss the tender process for the new ferries earmarked to replace current vessels serving Islay.

Transport Scotland officials hold regular working group meetings with CMAL along with CalMac and have done so from January 2019 when the project was initiated. These regular meetings are still ongoing.

Question reference: S6W-03826

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the number of jobs that will be supported by the Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) contract for two new ferries for the Isle of Islay.

The responses to the invitation to tender (ITT) for the two new ferries are expected in December 2021. The responses to the ITT will be evaluated with the preferred bidder identified by February 2022, numbers of jobs that will be supported can be advised when the preferred bidder and the programme is finalised. The investment in these vessels does of course support the communities served by the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service and the jobs associated with the economies on these islands.

Question reference: S6W-03991

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 15 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any progress that has been made towards retaining skilled rail infrastructure workers in Scotland.

Network Rail is responsible for maintaining and renewing the rail network across the UK including Scotland. While the Scottish Government fund Network Rail north of border, its operations are a reserved matter therefore any questions on employment issues would be for UK Ministers.

Our view remains that a fully devolved, public sector controlled and better integrated railway would deliver more for Scotland’s economy and communities. The UK government is more than aware of our position and, yet, the Williams-Shapps proposals not only ignore these requests, they add further complexity in terms of how GB/devolved operations will interface.

Despite these complexities, we are future proofing Scotland’s rail network through our Strategic Transport Projects Review 2 and our Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan. Our work to remove diesel services by 2035, through a mix of electrification and alternative powered trains, will create more skilled and sustainable jobs which can provide a significant contribution to our economy.

Further information on the decarbonisation action plan can be accessed via:- rail-services-decarbonisation-action-plan.pdf (transport.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-03992

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 15 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will confirm the initial budget for Scottish rail infrastructure renewals and enhancements for Control Period 6.

The published Statement of Funds Available (SOFA) covers funding available towards Network Rail operations, maintenance and renewal activities in Scotland as well as enhancement projects. The funding available for Control Period 6 as per the SOFA includes allocation for the completion of projects which carry over from Control Period 5 as well as projects commencing in Control Period 6.

As per the Statement of Funds Available, the budget figure for Control Period 6 in Scotland is £4.85 billion. We are currently in the process of considering the basis on which the funding required for Control Period 7 will be determined and expect this to be reflected in a further SOFA publication to align with the commencement of Control Period 7 anticipated as April 2024.

Further information on the SOFA can be accessed via:- sofa-2019-24-25-jan-2018.pdf (transport.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-04025

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 15 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it made of the proposed case to directly award contracts to Ferguson Marine to build the two new ferries for the Islay route on the Clyde and Hebrides network.

Question reference: S6W-03995

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 15 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will specify any Scottish rail drainage works identified for Control Period 6 that will (a) now not be carried out and (b) be scaled back.

Question reference: S6W-03825

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 15 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that contracts for the vessel replacement programme outlined in its Infrastructure Investment Plan to 2025-26 are directly awarded to (a) publicly-owned shipyards and (b) other shipyards in Scotland or the rest of the UK.

CMAL conducted an open tender process for delivery of the new vessels intended to service the Islay routes. Under procurement law, direct award of vessels to any shipyard is only permitted under limited circumstances. We have to approach the issue of direct award with care. We are looking at future contracts from public agencies and whether any might be legally open to direct awards. No decision has yet been taken regarding the direct award of future vessels to publicly owned shipyards or any other shipyard in Scotland and the rest of the UK.

Question reference: S6W-04029

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 15 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to ensure that the awarding of contracts to install electric vehicle charging stations satisfies the sustainable procurement duty of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014.

The sustainable procurement duty in the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 requires public bodies to consider how their procurement activity can be used to contribute to social, economic and environmental well-being and to act in a way to secure this. To demonstrate progress and compliance, public bodies are required to outline in their Annual Procurement Strategy how procurement will deliver local environmental impacts and, report progress in their Annual Procurement Reports.

Scottish Government provides funding to a wide range of organisations to install electric vehicle charge points under Section 70 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001. The majority of funding to develop the ChargePlace Scotland electric vehicle charging network has been awarded to public bodies. Many local authorities and public bodies carry out procurement using frameworks established by organisations such as Scotland Excel. These frameworks are also covered by the Sustainable Procurement Duty and therefore consider the wider social, economic and environmental aims of procurement in a consistent manner as required by the sustainable procurement duty under the Act.

Grant funding awarded to other types of organisations would be to individuals or to small and medium-sized enterprises with a base in Scotland. There is no obligation for these organisations to comply with the Act.