Parliamentary questions
Graham Simpson
867 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
29 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Office of Rail and Road about the arrangements for the nationalisation of ScotRail.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Transport Scotland has been liaising with the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) about the appropriate processes necessary for the commencement of ScotRail Trains Limited including issues such as Operator Certificates.
29 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to purchase any additional rolling stock for the ScotRail fleet.
Answer · Graeme Dey: ScotRail Trains Limited will be responsible for operating services from 31 March 2022 and it is currently finalising plans for its future fleet requirements, including the new emission free vehicles needed to deliver the Scottish Government’s Rail Decarbonisa…
29 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to prepare for the nationalisation of ScotRail in 2022.
Answer · Graeme Dey: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-04716 on 13 December 2021. 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…
29 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether data on the operational performance of ScotRail after it has been nationalised will be made publicly available on a regular basis.
Answer · Graeme Dey: It is anticipated that there will be no change and that ScotRail Trains Limited will continue to publish the same information on operational performance as is currently published by Abellio ScotRail.
29 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the governance arrangements will be for (a) ScotRail once it has been nationalised and (b) any arm’s-length organisations that are created in relation with this.
Answer · Graeme Dey: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-04716 on 13 December 2021. 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…
29 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Emergency Measures Agreements that were put in place in 2020 will remain in place or be withdrawn when ScotRail is nationalised.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Abellio ScotRail franchise agreement, currently in place (which has been temporarily varied by Emergency Measures Agreements), will be replaced by a Grant Agreement which will take effect from 1 April 2022, when ScotRail Trains Limited will take over the …
29 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether there are plans for a new recognition agreement to be negotiated with rail unions when ScotRail is nationalised.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government has a well-established transparent engagement with rail trade unions and this will be maintained when ScotRail Trains Limited will take over the operation of ScotRail passenger services in Scotland from 1 April 2022.
29 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to attract new workers to the ScotRail franchise.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Existing Abellio ScotRail staff will transfer to the new Scottish Government owned entity, ScotRail Trains Limited. In future, ScotRail Trains Limited would look to attract a diverse range of recruits as required.
29 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it estimates the total cost will be of the ScotRail nationalisation rebrand, and whether this rebrand will be completed by a contractor or undertaken by ScotRail or the Scottish Government.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The only branding that will be required to be changed as part of bringing ScotRail services within the public sector under Scottish Government control is that of franchisee identifying stickers i.e. the small stickers on train doors and stations - “This servi…
29 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent to date on external recruitment in relation to the nationalisation of ScotRail, and what it estimates the ongoing spend on external recruitment will be in each of the next five years.
Answer · Graeme Dey: To date, recruitment of staff for ScotRail Trains Ltd. beyond 1 April 2022 has been conducted by Abellio ScotRail.
28 Nov 2021 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the Union Connectivity Review.
19 Oct 2021 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that fish farms have the support they need to meet environment standards.
13 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will update the guidance for international school and educational visits, which was due to be reviewed at the end of August 2021, in order to bring it in line with the current framework for international travel.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The guidance on international school and educational visits was updated on 10 November to confirm that international school trips and wider educational and youth work visits can now be arranged. The guidance is available at https://www.gov.scot/publications/c…
29 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02205 by Michael Matheson on 8 September 2021, when it will publish details of the projects that it will fund from the £33 billion National Infrastructure Mission, and for what reason Annex D (Major Projects and Programmes for reporting to Public Au…
Answer · Michael Matheson: The National Infrastructure Mission includes all capital investment made by the Scottish Government, including that which is aimed at boosting supply chains and promoting private sector investment in our infrastructure and wider economy. The Capital Spending…
28 Sep 2021 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the latest estimate is of the public cost of procuring the ferries MV Glen Sannox and Hull 802.
20 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding reducing the reported backlog of bus driving licence applications at the DVLA, in light of the potential impact of this on bus services in Scotland.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Transport Scotland officials are in regular contact with the Department for Transport regarding bus service provision and issues impacting on bus driver numbers. Discussions, which are ongoing, seek to identify and address issues delaying licence applications…
20 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will prevent a loss of rural bus services as small operators are asked decarbonise before the end of 2023.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government has established the Bus Decarbonisation Taskforce, comprised of leaders from the bus operating, bus manufacturing, energy and finance sectors, including representation from rural bus operators. At its first meeting the group set out it…
20 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it will provide bus operators, to help them offer more competitive wages and retain staff, in light of reports that they are losing drivers to the HGV industry.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Since June 2020 the Scottish Government has made up to £210 million in additional financial support available to enable bus operators to continue to run services during the pandemic. It is for individual operators to lead dialogue with trade unions and to det…
20 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many diesel buses will have to be replaced to meet the 2023 net-zero target.
Answer · Graeme Dey: There are approximately 4,400 public service buses registered in Scotland, the majority of which will have to transition to zero emission buses in order to meet the 2023 ambition. The Scottish Government has already supported 272 zero-emission buses through t…
20 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what evaluation it has carried out of ScotZeb scheme, and how many buses have been purchased using this.
Answer · Graeme Dey: No evaluation has taken place of the ScotZEB scheme as it is still open for applications until 4 November 2021.
20 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact introducing free bus travel for under-22s will have on bus operators, and whether any subsequent fare pressure will lead to 23- to 59-year-old passengers paying more.
Answer · Graeme Dey: It is an objective of the National Bus Travel Concession Scheme for Young Persons that bus operators are reimbursed for the costs of carrying concessionary passengers so as to leave them no better and no worse off through their participation in the Scheme. Th…
20 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact introducing free bus travel for under-22s will have on the number of people using the active travel infrastructure.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The proposed National Bus Travel Concession Scheme for Young Persons is expected to increase patronage and cause modal shift but the precise impact of these changes is uncertain. The Scottish Government will monitor the scheme to assess the level of take up a…
20 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what preparations it has made to ensure that bus operators in rural areas have access to charging infrastructure before the 2023 deadline for decarbonisation,
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government has established the Bus Decarbonisation Taskforce, comprised of leaders from the bus operating, bus manufacturing, energy and finance sectors, including representation from rural bus operators. The Taskforce has explored energy infrast…
20 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it will provide to bus operators to meet the costs and deliver at pace the necessary depot charging infrastructure before the end of 2023.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government ran two rounds of the Scottish Ultra Low Emission Bus scheme in 2020/21, awarding a total of £39.6 million to support operators acquire new zero-emission buses, and £11 million to support operators install the necessary depot charging …
13 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02372 by Graeme Dey on 13 September 2021, whether it will provide the information requested regarding whether buses funded through the Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme (SULEBS) that were built abroad have been subsidised by foreign governments…
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.
12 Sep 2021 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the announcement by the UK Government not to proceed with plans to introduce vaccine passports.
9 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Spaces for People scheme, which temporary installations have been removed or reversed; which of the infrastructure is scheduled to be removed or reversed; how much it will cost to remove or reverse this infrastructure, and what the original cost was of each project.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: Spaces for People (SfP) schemes are the responsibility of individual local authorities. It is therefore for local authorities to determine the length of time SfP measures should remain in place and to take decisions on their removal. Sustrans has provided sup…
8 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02205 by Michael Matheson on 8 September 2021, what percentage of Scotland’s GDP is spent on infrastructure.
Answer · Michael Matheson: As at Scottish Budget 2020-21, 4% of Scotland’s GDP was planned to be spent on infrastructure, which is on a par to the percentage of UK GDP allocated to capital expenditure by the UK Government at Budget 2020.
7 Sep 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02202 by Graeme Dey on 7 September 2021, whether it will provide the information requested regarding whether the adoption of the sustainable investment hierarchy will have an impact on decisions to proceed with any of the road-building projects that…
Answer · Graeme Dey: Further to the answer to S6W-02202, all of the trunk road projects currently progressing through the design or statutory processes and which were recommendations from first Strategic Transport Projects Review published in 2008, have been subject of considerat…
25 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it anticipates making design changes to the dualling of the A96, and, if so, what these will be.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The current plan is to fully dual the A96 route between Inverness and Aberdeen, however we have agreed to conduct a transparent, evidence-based review to include a climate compatibility assessment to assess direct and indirect impacts on the climate and the e…