Claire Baker

18 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the crew structure for MV (a) Hamnavoe, (b) Hjaltland, (c) Hrossey, (d) Hildasay and (e) Helliar, under schedule 4 of the Northern Isles Ferry Services Contract 2020-28.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: This is a matter for the operation company and the Scottish Government is unable to disclose this information as it is considered commercially sensitive.

18 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Serco NorthLink Ferries regarding (a) capacity and (b) crewing levels of the Northern Isles Ferry Services fleet, ahead of expected increased volumes of livestock transport from the Northern Isles to the mainland in October 2025.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: As part of ongoing Contract Management, Transport Scotland officials discuss regularly capacity, including during the Peak Livestock Season.Officials have not held any discussions specifically about crewing levels as this is a matter for the operator.

18 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the annual freight volumes carried on the MV (a) Helliar and (b) Hildasay under the Northern Isles Ferry Services contract have been since 30 June 2020 to date.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop:  Lane Meters HildasayHelliar30 Jun 2020 - 30 Jun 2021194,180174,4471 Jul 2021 - 30 Jun 2022214,412190,0721 Jul 2022 - 30 Jun 2023197,638190,8991 Jul 2023 - 30 Jun 2024212,222185,0721 Jul 2024 - 30 Jun 2025207,824217,4511 Jul 2025 - 31 Aug 202537,897…

18 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will list the value of all contracts between Serco NorthLink and Clyde Marine Recruitment, and its subsidiaries, for the supply of seafarers on Northern Isles Ferry Services from 1 January 2019 to date.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Scottish Government is unable to disclose this information as it is considered commercially sensitive.

18 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of the companies that have been contracted by Serco NorthLink Ferries to provide (a) scheduled and (b) unscheduled dry-docking repair and maintenance of the Northern Isles Ferry Services fleet from 30 June 2020 to date, and what the value of each contract w…

Answer · Jim Fairlie: The operator has an obligation under the contract to ensure the funded assets (vessels) are maintained in accordance with the Charterparty Agreement. To date, this has been done by using the following yards for necessary maintenance: Rosyth Royal Dockyard Ltd…

10 Sep 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the concluding observation by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2023 that all marriages of under-18s should be prohibited in Scotland, what progress it has made with increasing the legal age of marriage to 18, and by what date it will publish its consultation on…

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government is taking seriously concerns that 16- and 17-year-olds may need more protection. Our consultation on a range of family law matters, including whether we should legislate to raise the minimum age of marriage and civil partnership to 18,…

10 Sep 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with authorities in Mid Scotland and Fife to address antisocial behaviour.

27 Aug 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on work to improve safety on public transport.

7 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an updated timetable for the application and allocation process for freight facilities grants, including when the projects will receive their funding.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Freight Facilities Grant for 2025-2026 opened to applications on 7 April and closed on 1 May. Any company which wants to move freight by rail or water rather than by road and which is proposing to invest in new freight handling facilities in Scotland or re-in…

11 Jun 2025 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact of the recent changes to college funding arrangements on Fife College.

4 Jun 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the statutory guidance for local bus services franchising will be published.

23 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Medicines Consortium guidance on the use of ritlecitinib for alopecia areata is in alignment with the guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which states that living with severe alopecia areata can have a profound impact on psycho…

Answer · Jenni Minto: Following a full submission from Pfizer Ltd, in advice published on 8 April 2024, the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) accepted ritlecitinib (Litfulo®) for use in the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland for the treatment of severe alopecia areata…

15 Apr 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking, including through work involving Police Scotland and local authorities, to address antisocial behaviour in Mid Scotland and Fife.

4 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the approach taken in Staffordshire regarding addressing antisocial behaviour on off-road bikes, and whether it will consider a similar approach being taken in Scotland, including in the Mid Scotland and Fife region.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government is aware of this approach.Police Scotland have a range of existing powers under road safety and antisocial behaviour legislation and common law to take appropriate action such as seizure of vehicles and disposal where appropriate. They…

4 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the plan by the UK Government, through its Crime and Policing Bill, to increase police powers related to antisocial behaviour on off-road bikes, what consideration it is giving to introducing similar legislation.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: Police Scotland have a range of existing robust powers under road safety and antisocial behaviour legislation and common law to take appropriate action such as seizure of vehicles and disposal where appropriate. We continue to work and engage with Police Scot…

4 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with (a) Police Scotland and (b) other organisations to address antisocial behaviour on off-road bikes, and what recent action it has taken regarding this.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: We continue to support and work in partnership with Police Scotland and Local Authorities in tackling vehicle nuisance and related safety issues.Police Scotland have a range of existing powers under road safety and antisocial behaviour legislation and common …

4 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Police Scotland regarding the use of drones as part of the response to antisocial behaviour on off-road bikes.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: Operational decisions are rightly a matter for Police Scotland. They use a range of existing powers under road safety and antisocial behaviour legislation to take appropriate action in response to the illegal use of off-road vehicles. This includes various in…

27 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the active travel budget has been used for that purpose in each year since 2020-21.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: A significant share of the annual active travel budget is allocated to partner organisations, including local authorities. This means that not all of the planned spending on programmes and projects in any given budget happens within that year. Delays happen f…

26 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comment by the Cabinet Secretary for Transport during the debate on motion S6M-15612 on 27 November 2024 that the actions recommended in the March 2023 report, Women's and girls' views and experiences of personal safety when using public transport, "have been carried…

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The report on women and girls’ safety on public transport recommends measures to enhance security and comfort. These include better lighting, surveillance, greater staff presence, clear reporting, use of technology, public awareness campaigns and strict…

6 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to update the ScotRail Peak Fares Removal Pilot Final Evaluation Report to cover the whole of the trial period.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Transport Scotland is currently analysing data to the beginning of March and expects to publish results shortly. This will cover the whole period of the pilot and beyond. As detailed in the answer to S6W-35525 on 24 March 2025, daily journeys have increased (…

6 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the outcome was of the most recent research it has carried out into the affordability of rail fares for (a) average and (b) low income households.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Peak Fares Final Evaluation report considered, using survey data, the impact on different income groups. There was some moderate evidence that the Pilot, to extend off peak fares all day, encouraged rail use amongst low to middle income households whilst …

6 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is a statutory requirement for initiatives that are aimed at increasing public transport use, in order to reduce emissions, to be cost neutral.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: All initiatives that are aimed at increasing public transport use must represent Value for Money (VfM) and a good use of Scottish Government resources. The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019, Section 24 states "(21) The plan must…

6 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what changes there have been to (a) rail passenger numbers and (b) the patterns of useage of rail services following the end of the removal of the peak fares pilot, including by passengers from lower income households.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: During the peak fares pilot there were an average of around 223,250 passenger journeys per day. Since the pilot ended there has been an average of around 227,600 passenger journeys per day (to 1 March 2025). Analysis of the post-pilot impact is being undertak…

6 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action is has taken to encourage a modal shift to rail following the end of the removal of peak fares pilot, and how it is monitoring the effectiveness of any such interventions.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I have instructed ScotRail to continue to offer 20% discounts on season tickets until September 2025. The value for money of Flexipass remains permanently improved and recognising the increased popularity of this product since the end of the pilot, ScotRail h…

5 Mar 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what additional focus areas it has identified, following the publication of the Women’s Health Plan 2021 to 2024: Final Report.

26 Feb 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to improve road safety.

18 Feb 2025 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it will reach a decision regarding extending the terms of reference for the inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayoh.

3 Feb 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-32276 by Siobhian Brown on 19 December 2024, whether the Independent Working Group on Antisocial Behaviour reported to ministers "by the end of 2024", as set out in its answer, and by what date (a) the report and (b) its response to it will be publi…

Answer · Siobhian Brown: A pre-publication version of the report of the Independent Working Group on Antisocial Behaviour was submitted to myself, COSLA and Police Scotland just before Christmas. The report has since been finalised and was published on Tuesday 25th February 2025. It …

30 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-31709 by Kate Forbes on 4 December 2024, whether it will provide an update on when it will reach a decision regarding extending the terms of reference for the inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayoh.

Answer · Kate Forbes: Firstly, let me put on record again, my deepest condolences to the family of Mr Bayoh.Following their request for an extension of the terms of reference for the Sheku Bayoh Public Inquiry, to include both the initial prosecutorial decisions and the Victim&rsq…

13 Jan 2025 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government is responding to reports that 182 sexual assaults, including rapes, have taken place in hospitals in the last five years.