- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 June 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 12 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ensure that the Islands Connectivity Plan includes Orkney Islands Council in any new approach to procuring second-hand tonnage on publicly subsidised ferry services.
Answer
The Islands Connectivity Plan recognises that Councils face the same challenges as the Scottish Government of meeting transport connectivity needs with ageing vessels in a time of financial challenge and this Government has already provided more than £220 million between 2018-19 and 2024-25 to the four local authorities that have responsibility for ferries.
Procurement of its ferries, whether new or second-hand, is a matter for Orkney Islands Council, however, we remain committed to the Orkney Ferry Replacement Task Force and supporting the Council to develop a robust business case for replacing vessels and upgrading port infrastructure. Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited is already working with the Council to help assess the harbour and ports infrastructure upgrades that may be required and procurement processes for future vessels.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 June 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 12 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of any additional costs from Transport Scotland’s contracts for external consultancy services that will result from the 12-month extension to the current contract for Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services from 1 October 2024.
Answer
Currently there are no estimated additional costs from Transport Scotland’s contracted external consultancy services relating to any extension of the CHFS2 contract.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 June 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 12 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what the remaining annual funding levels are for the Infrastructure Investment Plan (IIP) to 2025-26, and what assessment it has made of the impact of inflation levels since 2021-22 on the total IIP budget.
Answer
The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to improving and modernising our ferry services and better meeting the needs of island residents, businesses and communities. The Infrastructure Investment Plan referenced capital investment of at least £580 million for ferries, port infrastructure, and related activities. In addition to the projects highlighted in the IIP, the Scottish Government has committed around £115 million for two new major vessels for the Little Minch routes. The draft Islands Connectivity Plan - Vessels and Port Plan provides further detail on the overall programme.
The total spend on ferries infrastructure, excluding Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa which are covered separately, between 2021-22 and 2025-26 is expected to be around £700 million, subject to approvals, funding, and relevant procurement processes. All capital projects are subject to inflation and costs and impacts are considered as part of the individual business case process.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 June 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 12 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to (a) set funding levels for each phase of the Vessels and Ports Plan for the (i) Clyde and Hebrides and (ii) Northern Isles public ferry networks to 2045 and (b) publish the Islands Connectivity Plan in full.
Answer
As part of the Islands Connectivity Plan, the updated Vessel and Ports Plan was published for consultation on 1 February 2024. The Plan provides a long-term plan to 2045 for the vessel and port investment considered necessary to address the key challenges of reliability and resilience by modernising the fleet and reducing the average age to 15 years by the end of the decade.
The Plan also makes clear that the timing of the delivery of individual projects remains subject to Value for Money, prioritisation and affordability.
The final versions of the Islands Connectivity Plan’s Strategic Approach Paper and the Vessels and Ports Plan are expected to be published later this year.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 June 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 12 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what additional steps are being taken in the coming months to increase awareness of the peak fares removal trial on ScotRail services.
Answer
Transport Scotland has written to a range of stakeholders to publicise the pilot as well as the ongoing public survey which will form an input into the final evaluation of the pilot.
In addition, ScotRail has ran an extensive marketing campaign across radio, TV, press and social media to highlight the potential pilot as well as regular social media posts which have reached a potential 15.8 million people.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 June 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how it will consult with employers to assess any impact of the ScotRail peak fares removal trial on businesses, including on business costs associated with any employee travel in the course of their work.
Answer
The final evaluation of the pilot will assess the effectiveness of the Pilot against the First Minister’s priorities of eradicating child poverty, growing Scotland’s economy, tackling the climate emergency and improving Scotland’s public services. The value for money assessment will take into consideration the impact on business travel costs in the normal manner.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) total and (b) annual cost is of its contract with Trainline to run the ScotRail ticketing app and website.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-28245 on 10 July 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government when its contract with Trainline to run the ScotRail ticketing app and website will expire.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-28245 on 10 July 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of ScotRail tickets were sold through the Trainline app or website in each of the last 24 months, also broken down by (a) percentage and (b) total revenue.
Answer
This is an operational matter for ScotRail. The Member may wish to contact ScotRail directly.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 June 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 2 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what recommendation has been made regarding the peak fares removal trial, following the ScotRail board meeting on 18 April 2024.
Answer
As announced by the First Minister in May, the Pilot was extended for a further three months until 27 September 2024. This was based on the existing data available and allows for a longer evaluation period to gather additional data on the pilot’s effectiveness at encouraging modal shift from car to rail while helping passengers facing cost of living pressures.