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-08907

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what Scottish Water’s total capital spend has been in each of the last 10 financial years, and how much of the total capital spend in each year was (a) on funding projects not undertaken in the previous regulated period and carried forward and (b) for capital investment projects intended to be funded for the then current regulatory period.

Information is provided in the following table.

	2020-21 £m	2019-20 £m	2018-19 £m	2017-18 £m	2016-17 £m	2015-16 £m	2014-15 £m	2013-14 £m	2012-13 £m	2011-12 £m
Projects not undertaken in the previous regulated period and carried forward	17.2	31.3	41.2	59.2	123.2	76.7	1.3	11.7	27.7	47.1
Projects intended to be funded for the then current regulated period	594.4	641.7	618.7	587.4	503.4	405.9	479.8	468.2	461.3	444.4
Total	611.6	673	659.9	646.6	626.6	482.6	481.1	479.9	489	491.5

Question reference: S6W-08913

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of current projections for the rate of inflation, when it plans to increase the level of the Water Charges Reduction Scheme in order to protect people on the lowest incomes from any effect of high inflation on the amount that they pay each year in water charges.

Question reference: S6W-08916

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 15 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to bring forward a Public Debt Bill.

Question reference: S6W-08911

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it calculates the average water charge in (a) Scotland and (b) England that it uses for comparative purposes.

Question reference: S6W-08775

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 15 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that land ownership patterns align with its Community Wealth Building agenda.

Land and property is one of five key pillars of the Community Wealth Building (CWB) approach to economic development. Initially, actions taken will centre on how public sector partners such as local authorities and health boards might use the land and assets that they own to drive creation of fair work opportunities and higher levels of community ownership.

Through encouraging local and regional partnership working between public and private sectors, we will support advancement of the principles underpinning the CWB approach as they relate to land and assets, and the promotion of higher levels of community ownership.

We have committed to introducing legislation on Community Wealth Building during this Parliamentary session. This will involve consideration of a wide range of views and proposals and we will ensure close alignment with the provisions set out in the forthcoming Land Reform Bill.

Question reference: S6W-08828

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) fatal and (b) non-fatal accidents involving (i) HGVs and (ii) other vehicles on the A77 there (A) were in 2021 and (B) have been in 2022, also broken down by section of the road that passes through South Ayrshire.

The following tables provide the provisional number of injury road accidents on the A77 in 2021 broken down by severity. Final figures for 2021 will be published in October 2022. Figures for 2022 are still being collected and verified and are therefore not currently available.

	A77 accidents within South Ayrshire Local Authority area
	HGV accidents	Other accidents	Total
Fatal	0	0	0
Non-fatal	0	11	11
Total	0	11	11

	A77 accidents within other Local Authority areas
	HGV accidents	Other accidents	Total
Fatal	1	1	2
Non-fatal	0	23	23
Total	1	24	25

	A77 Total accidents
	HGV accidents	Other accidents	Total
Fatal	1	1	2
Non-fatal	0	34	34
Total	1	35	36

Question reference: S6W-08834

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 May 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it was first informed of the changes by ScotRail to the train timetable that were introduced on 23 May 2022.

Question reference: S6W-08836

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 May 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline the changes in frequency to train services at (a) Shotts, (b) Airdrie, (c) Falkirk Grahamston, (d) Falkirk High and (e) Polmont railway station (i) from 23 May 2022 and (ii) as a result of the Fit for the Future timetable consultation.

The following table outlines the changes in frequency for the stations requested from ScotRail’s May 2022 Fit for the Future Timetable and ScotRail’s temporary timetable:-

Timetable data for standard weekday, correct as of 07 June 2022
Station	Timetable	Frequency (trains per hour [tph])
SHOTTS	May-22	To/from Glasgow - 1tph all day. ‎ To/from Edinburgh - 1tph all day. ‎ Additional services at peak times.
SHOTTS	Temporary	To/from Glasgow - 1tph all day. ‎ To/from Edinburgh - 1tph all day. ‎ Additional services at peak times.
AIRDRIE	May-22	To/from Glasgow - 4tph until evening, then 2tph. ‎ To/from Edinburgh - 2tph all day. ‎ Additional services at peak times.
AIRDRIE	Temporary	To/from Glasgow - 4tph all day. ‎ To/from Edinburgh - 2tph all day. ‎ Additional services at peak times.
FALKIRK GRAHAMSTON	May-22	To/from Glasgow - 1tph all day. ‎ To/from Edinburgh - 2tph until evening, then 1tph. ‎ To/from Dunblane - 2tph until evening, then 1tph. ‎ Additional services at peak times.
FALKIRK GRAHAMSTON	Temporary	To/from Glasgow - 1tph all day. ‎ To/from Edinburgh - 1tph until final gap of 4 hours. ‎ To/from Dunblane - 1tph all day. ‎ Additional services at peak times.
FALKIRK HIGH	May-22	To/from Glasgow - 2tph all day. ‎ To/from Edinburgh - 2tph all day. ‎ Additional Services at peak times.
FALKIRK HIGH	Temporary	To/from Glasgow - 2tph until final gap of 2 hours. ‎ To/from Edinburgh - 2tph until final gap of 2 hours.
POLMONT	May-22	To/from Dunblane - 2tph until evening, then 1tph. ‎ To/from Edinburgh - 4tph until evening, then 3tph. ‎ To/from Glasgow - 2tph all day. ‎ Additional services at peak times.
POLMONT	Temporary	To/from Dunblane - 1tph all day. ‎ To/from Edinburgh - 3tph until final gap of 2 hours. ‎ To/from Glasgow - 2tph until final gap of 2 hours. ‎ Additional services at peak times.

Question reference: S6W-08869

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it is ensuring that near-term net-zero projects are working with Scotland's renewable energy suppliers.

In 2020, the Scottish Government set up the Scottish Energy Task Force to focus on near-term, collaborative actions, which can stimulate investment in Scotland’s energy sector to support delivery of net-zero.

The Energy Task Force consists of 12 organisations, including renewable energy companies, who have helped to develop the Joint Business Plan for Unlocking Investment in Scotland’s Energy Sector which was published in May this year.

The Plan outlines actions which can be taken to make near-term progress on working towards net-zero. The Task Force will continue to work collaboratively to deliver these actions which support net-zero.

Question reference: S6W-08856

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 15 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many journeys have been taken using and (b) what the cost has been of the Government Car Service in each year since 2011, including 2021, also broken down by minister, including the First Minister.

The following table details the total cost of operation and number of journeys completed by the Government Car Service since 2011.

Year	Total cost (1)	Total number of journeys completed (2)
2010 - 11	£974,678	8,159
2011 - 12	£1,074,714	9,201
2012 - 13	£1,204,864	10,389
2013 - 14	£1,156,208	9,543
2014 - 15	£1,184,851	10,039
2015 - 16	£1,145,521	10,619
2016 - 17	£1,092,375	9,527
2017 - 18	£1,177,398	10,050
2018 - 19	£1,323,131	10,755
2019 - 20	£1,344,978	8,604
2020 - 21	£903,002	1,448
2021 - 22	£1,044,967	3,353

Notes

1. Total costs include staff salaries, employer’s contributions, fuel, vehicle maintenance, private hire and travel and subsistence . Excludes Police Scotland costs associated in transporting First Minister.

2. Does not include First Ministers journeys completed by Police Scotland.

A full breakdown of journeys, excluding First Ministers journeys after April 2017, can be accessed via the following links.

Ministerial Car Journeys - 2007-2016 (webarchive.org.uk)

Ministerial engagements, travel and gifts - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)