Douglas Lumsden

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a detailed timeline for the phased decarbonisation of Scotland’s railway network.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Further details on plans to decarbonise Scotland’s Rail Network will be published in the refreshed Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan, which is now expected to be published in Spring 2025. It will outline a staged approach to creating a decarboni…

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what interim measures are being implemented to reduce emissions from diesel passenger trains before 2045.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Decarbonisation of Scotland’s Railway is undertaken on a phased basis. The line to Barrhead was decarbonised in December 2023. The line to East Kilbride is next, completing in December 2025. Other lines will follow.

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to reduce passenger disruption during railway electrification projects.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Electrification work is delivered by Network Rail, which works with ScotRail and other train operators to take various steps in order to reduce disruption to passengers. The optimal approach to reduce disruption varies from scheme to scheme and, wherever poss…

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the average subsidy per passenger is for Caledonian Sleeper services, and how this compares with daytime ScotRail services.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-32572 on 9 January 2025. 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…

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed any impact of reportedly rising operating subsidies on the long-term sustainability of ScotRail.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Rail services make a significant positive contribution to Scotland’s economy and communities. The provision of rail services is also a requirement under railways legislation.Transport Scotland is working closely with Scottish Rail Holdings, who is respo…

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to monitor the environmental impact of ScotRail services.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Rail is one of the transport modes with the lowest emissions. ScotRail provides details on managing its environmental impact on its website, which can be found here: Managing environmental impactScotRail also has a Sustainability Policy in place, which is ava…

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how ScotRail’s operating costs have changed over the past decade, and what factors have contributed to any changes.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: There is a range of factors which have had an effect on the net cost of running passenger rail services over the last 10 years. These include the number of services delivered, passenger revenue, Network Rail access charges, inflation, energy and fuel costs, a…

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what alternative fuels, such as hydrogen- or battery-powered trains, are being considered as interim solutions for the railway network.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government is considering all sensible alternative fuel options for the development of the Scottish rail network.

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the current operating subsidy for the Caledonian Sleeper is, broken down by (a) route and (b) passenger segment.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The final subsidy for all Caledonian Sleeper services for the financial year 2024-25 will be known when the accounts for this year have been finalised and published.

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of passengers using ScotRail services currently receive discounted or concessionary fares, and what impact this has on overall subsidy levels.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: ScotRail has a variety of discounted products and promotional offers which are available at different times throughout the year and on different routes to incentivise passenger use and optimise commercial returns. Some concessionary fares operate at a UK leve…

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of ScotRail’s operational costs are covered by (a) passenger fares and (b) subsidies.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The level of subsidy and ScotRail revenue for the current year will be published in Transport Scotland and ScotRail accounts.

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what role private sector investment plays in funding (a) ScotRail and (b) Caledonian Sleeper services.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: All of ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper carriages are leased from private sector companies. The locomotives for Caledonian Sleeper trains are provided and operated by GB Railfreight Ltd. The cost of these leases and service provision is funded by passenger rev…

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion or percentage of the railway network (a) is currently electrified and (b) will be electrified by 2035.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: 896km of 2695km in Scotland is already electrified, based on ORR figures to 31 March 2024. However, 75% of ScotRail journeys are already made on electric trains. Future plans will be outlined in the refreshed Decarbonisation Action Plan.

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what budget has been allocated for railway decarbonisation in each of the next five years.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government’s investment in rail covers a wide range of improvements and decarbonisation of rail services forms part of that, be it fleet replacement, investment in feeder stations, or electrification of railway lines and therefore is integr…

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what lessons have been learned from other countries’ railway decarbonisation programmes that could be applied in Scotland.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: A principal lesson learned from international comparisons is reflected in the Scottish Government’s rolling programme of electrification works to reduce unit costs and maintain secure employment. This key difference from the approach taken by the UK Gov…

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the projected total subsidy for the next five years is for (a) ScotRail and (b) Caledonian Sleeper services.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper submit their forward forecasts as part of annual budget processes. Forward forecasts of ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper revenue and the level of subsidy required are subject to ongoing discussions between the train operating co…

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to improve the punctuality and reliability of Caledonian Sleeper services.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: This is a matter for Scottish Rail Holdings (SRH), who oversees the delivery of Caledonian Sleeper services on behalf of Scottish Ministers. The Member may wish to contact SRH directly. Since coming into public ownership in June 2023, Caledonian Sleepers righ…

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the replacement of ScotRail’s high-speed trains aligns with its interim decarbonisation goals.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The replacement for ScotRail’s High Speed Trains (HST) is expected to be more energy efficient than the HSTs and therefore will significantly reduce emissions, a direct contribution to decarbonisation.

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the revised railway decarbonisation plan includes specific targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Details of decarbonisation of the Scottish rail network will be outlined in the refreshed Decarbonisation Action Plan.

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what specific challenges led to the reported decision to delay the full decarbonisation of the railway until 2045.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: As detailed in my letter to NZET Committee on 17 December 2024, the technological and financial landscape has changed significantly since the Decarbonisation Action Plan was first published. The Scottish Government currently faces significant financial and bu…

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the A96 Corridor Review was first reviewed by one of its ministers.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-31908 on 11 December 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-a…

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it requested any changes to the A96 Corridor Review from earlier drafts.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: As with all projects, Transport Scotland Officials regularly discuss and review draft documents prepared by its technical advisors on an ongoing basis as part of the process to finalise reports prior to seeking Ministerial approval to publish. No changes were…

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much the A96 Corridor Review has cost, broken down by financial year.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Please see the following table with breakdown of costs by financial year for work undertaken on the A96 Corridor Review:Financial YearTotal Cost excluding non-recoverable VAT2022-2023£3,265,047.172023-2024£2,362,603.372024-2025£745,417.93Not…

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many freedom of information requests it has refused in each of the last five years, broken down by the basis for refusal.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The following table sets out the number of requests where there has been no disclosure of any information (fully exempted):YearFull exemption of info202088420211108202210472023101020241052The exemptions applied are noted below, per year. Many responses can ha…

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people are currently eligible for free rail travel as a result of being a (a) ScotRail employee, (b) partner of a ScotRail employee and (c) dependant of a ScotRail employee.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: This is a matter for ScotRail as the employer. The Member may wish to contact ScotRail directly.

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many free journeys have been taken by (a) ScotRail employees, (b) partners of ScotRail employees and (c) dependants of ScotRail employees, over the last three years.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Maintaining provision of free and reduced cost travel facilities for rail staff was included in the original rail privatisation legislation.The Member may wish to contact ScotRail directly for more details.

18 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Scottish Renewables regarding the draft Scottish Budget 2025-26.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government regularly meets with Scottish Renewables to discuss a wide range of matters related to renewable energy. On 4 December 2024, I met Claire Mack, the Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, to discuss the broad parameters of the draft Sc…

16 Dec 2024 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Information Commissioner letter to it expressing "disappointment’" in the way that it complied with Decision 193/2024, regarding legal advice that it received.

13 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many child protection cases have involved fabricated induced illnesses over the last five years.

Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: National data on fabricated or induced illness in Scotland is not centrally held. The Scottish Government published updated National Child Protection Guidance in 2023 which includes practitioner guidance on fabricated or induced illness.

12 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it made any financial contribution to the Save the Belmont Cinema campaign in Aberdeen.

Answer · Angus Robertson: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-32026 on 13 December 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-commit…