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-18580

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will confirm by what date it expects the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) to be fully open, in light of the comment by the First Minister on 4 September 2018 (Official Report, c. 16) that it "will be fully open by the end of the year" and the assertion in its Programme for Government that it "will be fully open to traffic this autumn", and whether it considers the First Minister's comment to be a guarantee that the AWPR will be fully operational on 31 December 2018.

Sections of the scheme are already opened to traffic, for example Craibstone and Dyce junctions at Aberdeen Airport and the 7km section of dual carriageway between Blackdog and Parkhill (Goval). More recently the section between Balmedie and Tipperty opened on 15 August 2018.

Transport Scotland is working closely with the contractor to bring forward sections of the project as soon as they are available and safe to open to traffic. The AWPR/B-T is expected to fully open to traffic in late Autumn 2018.

Question reference: S5W-18241

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the pension provision for British Transport Police officers in Scotland following integration with Police Scotland, which body will cover the longer-term liabilities that have been estimated at between £45 and £100 million, and whether it will provide a statutory guarantee that it will meet these liabilities.

Question reference: S5W-18235

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its commitment to ensure that full integration provides an enhanced service, whether, post-integration, railway policing in Scotland will be evaluated according to the same performance criteria as the remaining British Transport Police, or whether it will be assessed against different criteria from those used at present.

Throughout the re-planning process, commissioned by Scottish Ministers, we have been committed to listening to stakeholders. As part of the re-plan, recent advice from Police Scotland on a range of issues, and timing of implementation, particularly relating to ICT, has emerged. Based on that information, I have decided that we will re-examine all options for the devolution of railway policing, with clear governance structures that ensure accountability to the Scottish Parliament.

Full integration of railway policing into Police Scotland, as legislated for by the Scottish Parliament remains a long term goal and we will keep the commencement date of the Act under review. However, there is a need to identify interim arrangements that can give effect more quickly to the Smith Commission’s cross-party recommendation to devolve railway policing to the Scottish Parliament.

The absolute priority for all those involved is the safety and security of officers, staff and those who use Scotland’s railways.

I want to pay tribute to the on-going commitment of officers and staff of both police services, who I look forward to engaging with on this matter in the very near future.

I will commit to keeping Parliament fully updated on progress.

Question reference: S5W-18243

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) the Scottish Police Authority and (b) Police Scotland plans to reduce the cost of railway policing post-integration, and, if so, how.

Question reference: S5W-18239

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how much it estimates the Police Scotland Digital, Data and ICT strategy, which is being developed in line with Policing 2026, will cost; where British Transport Police integration sits within the plan, and what the information and communications technology costs associated with integration are.

Question reference: S5W-18238

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent Scottish Police Authority report, which states that there may be significant differences in running costs following the integration of British Transport Police in Scotland and Police Scotland, what its position is on the Financial Memorandum supporting the Railway Policing (Scotland) Bill, which states that "the cost of railway policing is not expected to rise as a result of the changes made by this Bill".

Question reference: S5W-18236

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent Scottish Police Authority report, which states that Police Scotland may not have the capacity or capability to absorb rail policing and that there may be significant differences in running costs to those at present, whether it expects any Train Operating Companies to meet any additional costs.

Question reference: S5W-18240

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether the proposed information and communications technology programme associated with the integration of British Transport Police in Scotland with Police Scotland will fully address the public safety concerns that were raised in February 2018, and whether it will provide details of what those public safety concerns were.

Question reference: S5W-18244

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how Police Scotland will allocate annual policing running costs to the Train Operating Companies, and whether it will retain the funding model currently used by the British Transport Police Authority.

Question reference: S5W-18242

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government who will conduct the independent gateway review of the integration of British Transport Police in Scotland with Police Scotland; whether the resulting report will be published once the review concludes, and, if so, when this will be.