Parliamentary questions
Tim Eagle
1,487 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will build on the work carried out in Project Neptune to take forward structural reform to improve accountability, transparency and efficiency for lifeline ferry services.
Answer · Stephen Flynn: Scottish Ministers are committed to reforming the public sector to deliver high-quality services in a fiscally sustainable way. Public Service Reform is central to this, with an increased focus on accelerating change and strengthening the delivery of key serv…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party’s 2026 manifesto commitment to establish a private jet tax, whether it will conduct analysis to ascertain whether any such tax is compliant with the Subsidy Control Act 2022.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Private Jet Tax will be implemented as higher rates of Air Departure Tax (ADT)which will apply to the carriage of passengers by air on private jet flights from Scottish airports.ADT will replace Air Passenger Duty (APD) from 1 April 2027 and the Scottish …
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to support the next stages of the feasibility work of the Clyde Metro proposal.
Answer · Stephen Flynn: Transport Scotland continues to work with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), Glasgow City Council and other regional partners in the development of Clyde Metro. The ongoing stage of the development process, known as the Case for Investment, is being…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an updated timeline on how it plans to deliver a long-term solution for the A83 Rest and Be Thankful.
Answer · Stephen Flynn: The Scottish Government is committed to an infrastructure solution to address the A83 Rest and Be Thankful landslip risks. Delivery of a permanent and resilient solution is a priority, and Transport Scotland continues to seek ways to achieve that as quickly a…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party’s 2026 manifesto commitment to establish a Better Surfaces Fund, when it plans to make it available to local authorities.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I will be holding discussions with my Officials in the coming months to determine how best to organise and supply additional funding for local roads maintenance. As with all areas of Local Government funding, substantive details around funding allocations and…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent engagement it has had with Glasgow City Council regarding the Clyde Metro proposal.
Answer · Stephen Flynn: Transport Scotland continues to work with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), Glasgow City Council and other regional partners in the development of Clyde Metro. The ongoing stage of the development process, known as the Case for Investment, is being…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party’s 2026 manifesto commitment to take on responsibility for the maintenance of the Clyde Tunnel, when it plans to do this, and how much it estimates this will cost.
Answer · Stephen Flynn: I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00316 on 5 June 2026. 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/w…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party’s 2026 manifesto commitment to establish a private jet tax, whether it will carry out a business regulatory impact assessment before laying draft legislation.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Private Jet Tax will be implemented as higher rates of Air Departure Tax (ADT) which will apply to the carriage of passengers by air on private jet flights from Scottish airports.ADT will replace Air Passenger Duty (APD) from 1 April 2027 and the Scottish…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the 22 Class 222 trains, that were announced by ScotRail as the replacement for the High Speed Trains in March 2026, will enter service.
Answer · Stephen Flynn: The Class 222 trains are expected to enter passenger service by late 2027, with a phased introduction continuing through 2028. The full fleet is expected to be in operation by the December 2028 timetable.Following successful procurement, the Class 222 trains …
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a timeline on how it plans to deliver a Ro-Ro Ferry service from Scotland to Europe.
Answer · Stephen Flynn: The decision to introduce an international ferry service is a consideration for the commercial ferry operator and relevant port authorities, including the timing for introducing a service.The Scottish Government is supportive of the reintroduction of direct f…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party’s 2026 manifesto commitment to bring Transport Scotland back into the Scottish Government, when it plans to do this, and how much it estimates this will cost.
Answer · Stephen Flynn: Scottish Ministers are committed to reforming our public sector to ensure the delivery of excellent public services in a fiscally sustainable manner. Delivering such services is core to the government’s mission. The role of Public Service Reform is to d…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party’s 2026 manifesto commitment to establish a private jet tax, whether it will carry out an economic impact and cost-benefit analysis before laying draft legislation.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Private Jet Tax will be implemented as higher rates of Air Departure Tax (ADT)which will apply to the carriage of passengers by air on private jet flights from Scottish airports.ADT will replace Air Passenger Duty (APD) from 1 April 2027 and the Scottish …
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to amend its Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline 2026 during this parliamentary session.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: We will review the Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline (2026-27 to 2029-30) at each Spending Review. It is a live document and new projects and programmes will be added to the pipeline at future updates as investment plans are agreed.
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to ensure that Ferguson Marine remains fiscally viable over the next five years.
Answer · Stephen Flynn: On 3 March 2026, the former Deputy First Minister and the former Cabinet Secretary for Transport informed Parliament of the Scottish Government’s proposal to directly award contracts for four new vessels Ferguson Marine. These contracts cover replacemen…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with Ferguson Marine to ensure that the contracts that were directly awarded to the organisation in the last session of parliament are completed on (a) time and (b) budget.
Answer · Stephen Flynn: The proposal to directly award Ferguson Marine four new vessels are subject to completion of detailed legal, commercial and subsidy control assessments, including engagement with the Competition and Markets Authority. This due diligence is currently underway …
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party’s 2026 manifesto commitment to establish a Better Surfaces Fund, whether it can provide a breakdown of how the funding will be distributed in each year of this current parliamentary session.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00376 on 8 June 2026. 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/w…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Network Rail regarding the feasibility of the Caledonian Sleeper Service using the Eurotunnel, including what consideration has been given to the loading gauge requirements associated with access to the tunnel by the service.
Answer · Stephen Flynn: As part of the 100-day manifesto commitment, Transport Scotland, Scottish Rail Holdings Group and Caledonian Sleeper Limited will work together to undertake a feasibility study into extending the Caledonian Sleeper service to Europe. This will include engagem…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the proposed costs of implementing a national £2 bus fare cap.
Answer · Stephen Flynn: The costs for implementing new policies will be detailed during the standard budget setting process.
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the modelling for the trial of the £2 bus fare cap in the Highlands, Orkney, and Shetland will be adapted to extend the cap nationally.
Answer · Stephen Flynn: The £2 bus fare cap is currently being delivered as a 12 month pilot and has been successfully rolled out across the Highlands and Islands. A local authority based model was developed as part of the process of establishing the pilot, and the Scottish Go…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the costs needed to upgrade Rosyth to deliver a Ro-Ro Ferry service from Scotland to Europe.
Answer · Stephen Flynn: The Scottish Government does not hold information relating to the costs of works to upgrade the Port of Rosyth to deliver a ferry service from Scotland to Europe.The Scottish Government and its agencies continue to support the wider development of our ports a…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the delayed MV Glen Rosa is delivered by the end of 2025.
Answer · Stephen Flynn: In January 2026, Ferguson Marine’s CEO formally wrote to the previous Scottish Parliament’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport (NZET) Committee advising the target delivery date for MV Glen Rosa has been further delayed to Q4 2026.The yard remains fir…
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party’s 2026 manifesto commitment to establish a private jet tax, whether it will carry out an island communities impact assessment before laying draft legislation.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Private Jet Tax will be implemented as higher rates of Air Departure Tax (ADT)which will apply to the carriage of passengers by air on private jet flights from Scottish airports.ADT will replace Air Passenger Duty (APD) from 1 April 2027 and the Scottish …
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce congestion charges in cities, and whether it can provide details of where these are being considered.
Answer · Stephen Flynn: The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce congestion charges in cities.
25 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Highland Council regarding the reported closure of two toilet blocks at Rosebank Primary School in Nairn, which has resulted in Primary 1 and 2 classes being temporarily cancelled.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: While statutory responsibility for managing and maintaining school estates rests with local authorities, the Scottish Government has engaged with the Highland Council on the issues at Rosebank Primary School. The Council has confirmed that no further class ca…
25 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with Home Office (a) ministers and (b) officials to discuss the use of Cameron Barracks in Inverness as accommodation for asylum seekers, and whether any future meetings are scheduled to take place.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I met with the UK Minister for Border Security and Asylum on 15 December 2025 to seek clarity on Home Office proposals to use Cameron Barracks as accommodation for people seeking asylum. No further ministerial meetings on this issue have been scheduled.I wrot…
25 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it has offered to The Queen's Own Highlanders Regimental Association following its temporary eviction from Cameron Barracks in Inverness.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Cameron Barracks in Inverness is part of the Ministry of Defence training estate. Any decisions around tenancies and engagement related to tenancies is a matter for the UK Government alone. We have repeatedly urged the Home Office to engage with all organisat…
22 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-41846 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 November 2025, when the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Housing and her officials met with Scotland Office officials to discuss advancing the proposed Section 104 Order relating to changing marriages t…
Answer · Simita Kumar: My officials met with Scotland Office before the pre-election period to discuss next steps. At this meeting, Scotland Office officials confirmed that they have been actively engaging with the various UK Government departments with an interest in the Order.Now…
21 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been distributed to (a) local authorities, (b) NHS boards and (c) other public sector bodies in the Highlands and Islands region to decarbonise buildings in 2025-26, broken down by public body.
Answer · Stephen Gethins: The Scottish Government introduced Scotland’s Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation to support the public sector in transitioning their current heating systems to low carbon alternatives, and to reduce energy use by utilising a wide range of energy efficie…
21 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether there is an appeal process in place for unsuccessful applications to the Islands Business Resilience Fund, and, if so, whether it can outline the details of the procedure.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Scottish Government worked in partnership with Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) to develop the application and distribution process. Although there was no formal appeals process, unsuccessful applicants could contact HIE to outline any concerns abou…
21 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether ScotRail plans to upgrade the class 158 trains that are currently operating on the Far North Line.
Answer · Stephen Flynn: Rail Recharged: Scotland’s Fleet Transition Strategy, published in November 2025, sets out how we will renew ScotRail fleets as they reach the end of their operational life in the coming years.ScotRail is committed to ensuring its trains remain safe, re…