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-02421

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what cost savings have been made by each legacy police force area in each year since 2013.

Question reference: S5W-02420

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what reassurances it have sought from Police Scotland regarding the force's financial projections for 2016-17.

Question reference: S5W-02426

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 22 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many attempted suicides have been recorded in (a) hospitals and (b) prisons in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S5W-02832

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria was used to decide which local transport groups should be invited to the transport summit in Dumfries on 22 August 2016.

Question reference: S5W-02830

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated cost was of its transport summit in Dumfries on 22 August 2016.

Question reference: S5W-02793

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has made to ScotRail regarding the frequency of train services between Dumfries and Carlisle.

Question reference: S5W-02815

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has made regarding the cost of rail fares between stations in Dumfries and Galloway and the Central Belt.

Rail fares are set by franchisees on a commercial basis. For the majority of rail services between Dumfries and Galloway and the Central Belt, fares are set by ScotRail.

In the current franchise period, the Scottish Government has taken action to help keep ScotRail fares down: annual regulated ScotRail peak fares increases are capped at the level of the Retail Price Index (RPI) and off-peak regulated fares increases are capped at one per cent below RPI.

The regulation of fares on rail services from Glasgow to Lockerbie, operated by the InterCity West Coast franchise, is a matter for the UK Government.

Question reference: S5W-02819

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the estimated cost of dualling the A75 between Dumfries and (a) the M74 and (b) Stranraer.

Question reference: S5W-02829

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many hours it estimates that its staff spent on preparing for the transport summit in Dumfries on 22 August 2016.

Question reference: S5W-02449

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what initiatives it has introduced osupport (a) cycling and (b) the cycling infrastructure in (i) Dumfries and Galloway and (ii) nationally in each year since 2007.

The Scottish Government has introduced a range of initiatives to support (a) cycling and (b) cycling infrastructure in (i) Dumfries and Galloway and (ii) nationally since 2007 as detailed in the following tables.

Initiatives have been assigned to the year in which Scottish Government grant funding was first awarded. In some instances the initiative may have been first announced and applications sought in a previous year and a number of initiatives will have continued over a number of years. Because of this the following tables do not show all initiatives taking place in a given year.

In (i) Dumfries and Galloway the following initiatives and projects have been introduced in each year since 2007

(a) Cycling

Year	Initiatives Introduced with Scottish Government Support
2007
2008
2009	- Dumfries Smarter Choices Smarter Places 3 Year Pilot Project (including a range of cycling behaviour change projects) - Bikeability Scotland (cycle training for primary school pupils) - Dumfries and Galloway College Dumfries Campus (grant from Cycle Friendly Employer Scheme)
2010	- Dumfries and Galloway College Stranraer Campus (grant from Cycle Friendly Employer Scheme)
2011
2012	- Moffat CAN Cycle (grant from Cycle Friendly Communities Scheme) - Support for an i-bike officer to develop the programme in Dumfries and Galloway schools
2013
2014	- Support and advice on the development of an Active Travel Strategy for Dumfries and Galloway - Dalbeattie Community Partnership “Get Active Dalbeattie” (grant from Cycle Friendly Communities Scheme) - Dalbeattie Clinic (grant from Cycle Friendly Employer Scheme)
2015	- Cycling Dumfries “Bike Message Challenge” (grant from Cycle Friendly Communities Scheme) - Action for Children “Second Time Around” (grant from Cycle Friendly Communities Scheme)
2016	- Barony College Intern Programme (grant from Cycle Friendly Campus Scheme) - Gatehouse of Fleet YMCA “Wheels of Fleet” (grant from Cycle Friendly Communities Scheme) - Better Lives Partnership “Children’s Bike Club” (grant from Cycle Friendly Communities Scheme) - “The Biker Buddies” (grant from Cycle Friendly Communities Scheme)

(b) Cycling infrastructure

Year	Initiatives Introduced with Scottish Government Support
2007	- Funding for improvements to cycle infrastructure on Garroch Loaning, Dumfries - Funding for improvements to the Newton Stewart to Moss of Cree cycle route - Funding for improvements to the Stranraer to Cairnryan cycle route
2008	- Funding for improvements to cycle routes to Annan Academy and Kecklegirth Primary School - Funding for improvements to the Newton Stewart to Moss of Cree cycle route
2009
2010	- Funding for improvements to NCN7 to resolve flooding issues in Fleet Forest, near Girthan
2011	- Funding for improvements to the St Mary’s Industrial Estate Link path in Dumfries
2012	- Funding for improvements to the New Abbey Road to MacMillan Bridge cycle route in Dumfries - Funding for a feasibility study into the development of a cycle route from Dumfries to Mabie Forest
2013	- Funding for improvements to the Mill Road/Mill green cycle path in Dumfries - Funding for the final design and construction of a cycle path from Dumfries to Mabie Forest
2014	- Funding for the Queen Street street design project in Dumfries - Funding for design/feasibility study work on proposed upgrades to NCN7 on Forestry Commission Scotland land near Gatehouse of Fleet - Funding for design/feasibility study work on a proposed cycle route on Moffat Road in Dumfries - Funding for design/feasibility study work on a proposed cycle route from Glasgow Street to College Street in Dumfries
2015	- Funding for design/feasibility study work on proposed active travel links to Dumfries General Royal Infirmary Hospital in Dumfries - Funding for design/feasibility study work on a proposed cycle link from Moffat Road to Dumfries High School and Marchfield in Dumfries - Funding for design/feasibility study work on a proposed cycle connection between Hecklegirth Primary School, Queensway and Douglas Gardens in Annan
2016

(ii) Nationally the following initiatives and projects have been introduced in each year since 2007

(a) Cycling

Year	Initiatives Introduced with Scottish Government Support
2007	- Softer Measures Grant Scheme (supporting a range of cycling behaviour change projects)
2008	- Cycle Friendly Communities Grant Scheme (supporting a range of community based cycling behaviour change projects, originally called the “Community Cycling Innovation Fund for Scotland”) - Cycle Friendly Employer Grant Scheme (supporting a range of workplace based cycling behaviour change projects) - Cycle Friendly Schools Award and Grant Scheme (acknowledging and supporting school based cycling behaviour change work in primary schools) - Give Everyone Cycle Space information campaign (originally called “Give Me Cycle Space”)
2009	- Smarter Choices Smarter Places Pilot Programme in 7 towns across Scotland (including a range of cycling behaviour change projects – full list of projects supported available at: http://www.transport.gov.scot/system/files/documents/tsc-basic-pages/SCSP_-_Goingsmarter_-_Final_version_-_Do_not_edit.pdf) - i-bike Officer Programme (school based behaviour change programme) - Dr Bike Programme (programme of advice and training on bike maintenance and safe cycling)
2010	- Make Your Move Pilot (whole community approach to supporting travel behaviour change – piloted in Kirkcaldy, Fife) - Bikeability Scotland (cycle training for primary school age pupils)
2011	- Cycle Friendly Secondary School Award (acknowledging and supporting school based cycling behaviour change work in secondary schools)
2012	- Active Travel Champions (workplace based behaviour change programme) - Essential Cycling Skills pilot programme (cycle training for adults)
2013
2014	- Practical Cycle Awareness Training for Light Goods Vehicle/Passenger Carrying Vehicles pilot (in Edinburgh)
2015	- Cycle Friendly Campuses Award and Grant Scheme (acknowledging and supporting cycling behaviour change work in Further and Higher Education settings) - School Summer Cycle Camps (supporting pupils in secondary schools to gain skills and confidence to encourage their peers to cycle more often) - Play on Pedals (roll out of programme of balance bike training for nursery age children first piloted in Glasgow and North Lanarkshire with People’s Postcode Lottery Funding) - Extended £5 million Smarter Choices Smarter Places Programme across Scotland (including a range of cycling behaviour change projects – full list of projects supported available at: http://www.pathsforall.org.uk/component/option,com_docman/Itemid,537/gid,1843/task,doc_download/)
2016	- Workplace Engagement Programme (supporting a range of workplace based behaviour change activities, including Active Travel Champions, a Workplace Network, Active Travel Planning for Workplaces and a series of Active Travel Challenges) - Big Bike Revival (supporting free, community based bicycle refurbishment and training on bike maintenance and safe cycling)

(b) Cycling infrastructure

Year	Initiatives Introduced with Scottish Government Support
2007	- Connect 2 Grants Scheme
2008
2009	- Short Links Grants Scheme
2010	- Street Design Pilot Projects (in Kirkcaldy and Elgin)
2011	- Community Links Grant Scheme
2012
2013	- Street Design Programme roll-out
2014	- Safe Routes to School Grant Scheme
2015
2016	- Community Links Plus Design Competition & Grant Scheme

Year	Number of Attempted Suicides in Prison
2007	26
2008	21
2009	18
2010	18
2011	23
2012	24
2013	13
2014	38
2015	47
2016 (to 15-09-16)	20