Parliamentary questions
Graham Simpson
867 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
25 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the timetable is for the individual elements of the A96 dualling project.
Answer · Graeme Dey: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02548 on? 27 September 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-comm…
25 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its previous commitment to dual the A96, whether this remains a commitment, and, if so, when work will begin on dualling the A96, and when the new road will be open.
Answer · Graeme Dey: We are not stepping away from our commitment to the north and north east of Scotland to improve A96 corridor. The current plan is to fully dual the A96 between Inverness and Aberdeen, however we have agreed to conduct a transparent, evidence-based review to i…
25 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the anticipated cost is of dualling the A96, and what funding mechanism will be used.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Details on the current estimated cost of each of the sections in preparation can be found in relevant scheme assessment reports published on the Transport Scotland website at https://www.transport.gov.scot/projects/a96-dualling-inverness-to-aberdeen/ . Del…
18 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether buses funded through the Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme (SULEBS) that were built abroad have been subsidised by foreign governments, and, if so, to what extent.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Of 272 buses supported by the Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme only 61 are being imported from abroad. This is in line with Scottish Government's Trade Vision, where we committed to supporting domestic manufacturing while balancing this with active part…
18 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of where buses funded through the Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme (SULEBS) are being built.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The completed bids are published on the Transport Scotland website. The manufacturer that has been contracted by the Bus Operators to supply the battery electric buses is noted at https://www.transport.gov.scot/public-transport/buses/scottish-ultra-low-emiss…
18 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it put in place to prevent money allocated through the Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme (SULEBS) from being spent outside of Scotland and the UK.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Under the terms of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) between the UK and EU the Scottish Government is unable to set subsidy rules that restrict support solely to domestic manufacturers. Scotland is bound by TCA and World Trade Organisation rules as is…
12 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to mitigate against any fall in fuel revenue at Glasgow Prestwick Airport, and what effect any fall in fuel revenue might have on the future viability of the airport.
Answer · Kate Forbes: Glasgow Prestwick Airport is operated on a commercial basis and at arm’s length from the Scottish Government, in compliance with our obligations under the Trade and Co-operation Agreement between the UK and the EU. Prestwick Airport continues to develop as a…
11 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of the funding in the Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021-22 to 2025-2026 has been allocated to projects related to (a) utility networks, (b) transport and (c) digital communications.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The proportion of the total estimated Scottish Government investment at Annex D of the Infrastructure Investment Plan between 2021-22 to 2025-2026 in relation to a) utility networks, b) transport and c) digital communications is 8.7%, 27.2% and 5.4% respectiv…
11 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what contingency plans it has in place to return Glasgow Prestwick Airport to private ownership, if negotiations with the current preferred bidder fall through.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The process to return Glasgow Prestwick Airport to the private sector continues and decisions have still to be taken in relation to the prospective sale of the business. With the process to return Prestwick Airport to the private sector continuing, it would n…
11 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its most recent estimate is of government investment in infrastructure, and what information it has regarding how this compares with other OECD countries.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Our National Infrastructure Mission plans for over £33 billion of Scottish Government investment over the course of the current Parliamentary term. This means that annual investment in our hospitals, schools, houses, transport, low carbon technology and digit…
11 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the adoption of the sustainable investment hierarchy will have an impact on decisions to proceed with any of the road-building projects that it has previously committed to.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government and Scottish Green Party agree that transport plays a crucial role in supporting a green and fair recovery and our shared position on this is included in the draft shared policy programme, forming part of the cooperation agreement. We…
11 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness will be completed by 2025.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government is committed to dualling the A9 between Perth and Inverness. We have underlined this commitment by commencing procurement of construction the section of the A9 between Tomatin and Moy. The procurement for this £115M section commenced w…
11 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which new road-building projects will begin construction by the end of 2022.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The contract notice for the third section of the A9 to be dualled, Tomatin to Moy, was published on the Public Contracts Scotland portal on 19 August 2021. We anticipate the contract for this section to be awarded in the second half of 2022 with construction …
10 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress has been made with the delivery of the Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021-22 to 2025-26, and whether it will provide the Parliament with regular updates.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The first six-monthly update report on the progress of the pipeline of projects and programmes within the new five-year Infrastructure Investment Plan will be provided to Parliament in autumn 2021. The first full annual progress report of the Plan will be pro…
5 Aug 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding mechanism it plans to use for the works on the sections of the A9 that are still to be dualled.
Answer · Graeme Dey: I can confirm that we are using capital funding for the third section of the A9 to be dualled between Tomatin to Moy. A market consultation exercise commenced earlier this year to inform assessment of procurement options for remaining sections when the statu…
28 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-01159 by Michael Matheson on 28 July 2021, whether it will provide the information requested regarding, in light of its decision to ban biodegradable municipal waste to landfill sites by 2025, how many job losses are anticipated at landfill sites, a…
Answer · Michael Matheson: We are committed to ending the practice of landfilling biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) in line with recommendations from the Climate Change Committee. While we have not made an assessment of the isolated employment impact of the ban on sending BMW to lan…
6 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many times CalMac’s ferries have been taken out of service for repairs and maintenance since 1 January 2021; what work was carried out, and what the estimated cost was.
Answer · Graeme Dey: During the period 1 January 2021 until 9 July 2021, CalMac Ferries Ltd had over 74,130 scheduled sailings to operate. From these, there were 62 instances where a vessel from the CalMac fleet was removed from service to allow unscheduled maintenance or repair …
6 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-35358 by Paul Wheelhouse on 16 March 2021, how it plans to mitigate repair and maintenance costs on ferries.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Further to the answer provided to S5W-35358, the Scottish Government notes the significant investment CalMac makes in vessel maintenance. CalMac have contracts in place with a number of shipyards to undertake the annual dry-docking of vessels in the fleet. Th…
6 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-34928 by Paul Wheelhouse on 11 February 2021, whether it will provide an update on the proposals for vessel renewal.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Work is proceeding on a number of vessel replacement projects. Vessels 801 (MV Glen Sannox) and 802 are under construction and Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) have started the procurement process for a new Islay vessel. In addition, projects are underwa…
6 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of CalMac’s 34 ferries are more than 25 years old.
Answer · Graeme Dey: There are 16 vessels over 25 years old. Information regarding the fleet can be accessed on the Calmac website by following the link https://www.calmac.co.uk/
6 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-34928 by Paul Wheelhouse on 11 February 2021, whether it will provide a breakdown of how it will spend the £580 million that was allocated for “ferry investment” in its Infrastructure Investment Plan.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Projects are listed in Annex D of the Infrastructure Investment Plan; some will need further funding beyond the five year period of the plan. A National Mission with Local Impact: Infrastructure Investment Plan for Scotland 2021-22 to 2025-26 - gov.scot (www…
6 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the (a) total cost and (b) completion dates for the two ferries under construction at the Ferguson Marine shipyard.
Answer · Kate Forbes: Tim Hair, Turnaround Director of Ferguson Marine, updated the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee on the delivery timetable and budget for vessels 801 and 802 on 24 June 2021. The report is available on the Scottish Parliament website at Update on progr…
6 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6T-00001 by Graeme Dey on 26 May 2021, whether it will provide an update on Transport Scotland’s discussions to charter additional tonnage to increase resilience across the ferry network.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Ministers are pleased that following successful berthing trials the MV Arrow has been chartered. This means more services between Stornoway and Ullapool, as we look to help Lewis and Harris. It will bring additional capacity to this key route during the busy…
6 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates new ferries will be delivered to CalMac.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The delivery of 801 is planned for the range July 2022 to September 2022 and for 802 delivery is planned for the range April 2023 to July 2023. Following completion of the vessels and successful delivery, CalMac as the operator will require to undertake exten…
30 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its decision to ban biodegradable municipal waste to landfill sites by 2025, how many job losses are anticipated at landfill sites; how many landfill sites are expected to close, and what support it will put in place to support commercial waste collectors.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Scottish Ministers are fully committed to ending the practice of sending biodegradable municipal waste to landfill by 2025, in line with recommendations made by the Committee on Climate Change. By working to achieve our ambitious waste and recycling targets, …
21 Jun 2021 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what basis it has introduced a ban on non-essential travel between Scotland and Manchester and Salford.
14 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding is available to help community transport groups switch to the use of low-carbon vehicles.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government through the Energy Savings Trust delivery a number of initiatives that help community transport groups switch to the use of low-carbon vehicles. Details of schemes are as follows: Plugged-in Communities (PiC) programme. This programm…
14 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will work with community transport groups to improve connectivity, following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer · Graeme Dey: We are working with the Community Transport Association Scotland (CTA), community groups and other stakeholders to develop the sector and improve connectivity for community transport and other public transport users. Transport Scotland already has regular dis…
14 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce a community bus fund.
Answer · Graeme Dey: We have been providing additional funding to maintain bus services during the pandemic. As the pandemic and associated public health measures ease, we are working with bus operators, local transport authorities and other transport stakeholders to understand t…
14 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will help community transport groups to decarbonise.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government through the Energy Savings Trust (EST) delivery a number of initiatives to support local community transport groups to decarbonise, the details of schemes are as follows: Plugged-in Communities (PiC) programme. This programme aims to…