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: S7W-01245

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the financial case for the £2 bus fare cap, including the total projected (a) cost of reimbursements to bus companies and (b) reduction in rail ticket income.

The purpose of the £2 bus fare cap pilot in the Highlands and Islands is to test the impact on bus patronage and subsequent modal shift of such an intervention. The focus of the analysis of the pilot will include evaluation of the impact on bus patronage, car use, and rail passengers, and will be published following the conclusion of the pilot.

Work is underway to progress a £2 bus fare cap to Glasgow, Ayrshire, Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire and Inverclyde within the first 100 days of this government. We are also committed to bringing forward legislation for a £2 bus fare cap across Scotland by the end of this parliament, building on the evidence from the current pilot.

The Highlands and Islands pilot is providing us with valuable real-world evidence on customer behaviour, pricing impacts and operator engagement, which will directly inform how we design future schemes.

Question reference: S7W-01247

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the planned programme of discontinuous electrification of sections of Scotland's railway, what the total cost is and what the projected cost would be if those sections were to be covered by full overhead line continuous electrification.

Question reference: S7W-01249

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions is attributable to rail transport.

Question reference: S7W-01246

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the ScotRail Spirit of Scotland pass, (a) for what reason it is limited to trains departing after 9.15am, (b) whether consideration has been given to local exclusions and exclusions reflecting timetabling of services in areas outside the Central Belt, and (c) whether it plans to review this restriction.

ScotRail Spirit of Scotland pass is aimed at leisure travellers, with morning timing restrictions in place to encourage travel at quieter times out with busy commuting times.

For those who wish to travel earlier, we’ve reduced the cost of rail travel by removing ScotRail peak fares for good, saving 17% on average on previously peak fares. We’ve also frozen rail fares this year. Given these significant savings already in place for rail passengers before 9:15 am, we have no plans to review the conditions of the Spirit of Scotland pass.

Question reference: S7W-01250

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any projected impact of the introduction of a £2 bus fare cap on income for Scotland's railway.

Question reference: S7W-01402

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many ScotRail services between Aberdeen and Edinburgh or Glasgow have used Class 158 trains since January 2025, broken down by month, and what proportion this represents of all passenger services allocated to those routes.

Question reference: S7W-01536

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the £10 million Scottish Heating Oil Support Scheme fund, how many households have received support, broken down by (a) average amount received and (b) total amount paid out from the fund.

Question reference: S7W-01547

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessments, reports, correspondence or briefing it has prepared since MV Glen Sannox entered service comparing the vessel's actual greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption with (a) those of the vessel or vessels that it replaced and (b) the emissions reductions forecast in the business case.

Question reference: S7W-01548

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how and when it will assess whether MV Glen Sannox's use of liquefied natural gas has achieved the anticipated reduction in carbon emissions of around 20% compared with conventional marine gas oil, which formed part of the justification for the use of that fuel.

Question reference: S7W-01537

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the £10 million Scottish Heating Oil Support Scheme fund, where any unallocated funds are currently held and, if so, what it plans to do with such funds when the scheme closes in September 2026, including where they will be held subsequently.