Parliamentary questions
Graham Simpson
867 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
14 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much financial support it has provided community transport groups during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government has provided a total of £2,563,599.48 to community transport groups in Scotland during Covid-19 to date. This includes National Concessionary Travel Scheme operator reimbursement , Covid Support Grant, Covid 19 Public Transport Retrofi…
14 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it will put in place to help disabled people to travel safely, as public transport returns to full capacity following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government takes the travel and safety of disabled passengers extremely seriously and works closely with disabled people, organisations that represent them and the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland (MACS) to hear the issues being raised …
14 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much financial support it has provided to taxi drivers since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer · Kate Forbes: As at 30 April the Scottish Government has paid £32,725,500 to more than 21,800 taxi drivers through the Taxi and Private Hire Driver Support Fund. The Scottish Government recognised the continued financial challenges facing the sector and therefore taxi driv…
14 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many taxi drivers are eligible for the full £1,500 that is available through the Taxi and Private Hire Driver and Operator Support Fund.
Answer · Kate Forbes: On 2 June 2021 the Scottish Government announced a further? £62 million fund to assist eligible Taxi or Private Hire drivers and Private Hire and Taxi licence holders in Scotland with fixed costs. In order to be eligible for payment of £1,500 from the Taxi a…
14 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) Unite the Union, and (b) other sector stakeholders regarding the Taxi and Private Hire Driver and Operator Support Fund.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government engaged extensively with a number of organisations representing the Taxi and Private Hire vehicle trade including Unite Union, Scottish Chambers of Commerce and the Scottish Taxi Federation to explore how and where funding should be ta…
14 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what method it used to calculate the figure of £1,500 for the Taxi and Private Hire Driver and Operator Support Fund.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The £1,500 initially awarded to Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Drivers was based on estimates of what we could afford to pay at the time the Fund was launched in January 2021 based on the number of taxi and private hire vehicle drivers licensed in Scotland and…
8 Jun 2021 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support local government in the delivery of community services.
7 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to place the Infrastructure Commission on a statutory footing.
Answer · Michael Matheson: To support delivery of the National Infrastructure Mission, in early 2019 Scottish Ministers established an independent, short-life, Infrastructure Commission to examine and advise on the right vision, ambition and priorities for infrastructure in Scotland to…
7 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether Transport Scotland’s growth target for rail freight will be achieved by 2024.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Network Rail is on track to meet our innovative growth target for rail freight. Despite the health pandemic, rail freight demand has held up well and 216 new freight trains ran on the network in Scotland in the past 12 months. Supported by Scottish Government…
7 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to encourage Regional Transport Partnerships to produce long-term infrastructure plans for their areas.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Regional Transport Partnerships (RTPs) are required, by the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005, to produce a transport strategy for their area. The Act sets out what the strategy should cover, including the future needs of the region and what can be achieved t…
7 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when work will begin on a new road to bypass the A83 Rest and Be Thankful.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Development work began on a long term solution to the landslide risks at the A83 Rest and be Thankful last August and, on 18 March 2021, we announced a preferred corridor, along with potential route options within that corridor, for consultation. As with oth…
7 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government further to the answer to question S5W-35465 by Michael Matheson on 9 March 2021, whether it will provide an update on the electrification projects on the (a) East Kilbride and (b) Barrhead railway lines.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Network Rails Contractor, SPL, is undertaking on-site activities between Muirhouse South Junction and Busby Junction as part of the East Kilbride / Barrhead Enhancements project. This includes piling and the construction of steelwork foundations to support fu…
7 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in making improvements to the (a) A77 and (b) A75.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Consideration of potential improvements to all strategic transport infrastructure across the whole of Scotland continues to be undertaken through the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2). This work is building upon the findings of the South West…
7 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00237 by Graeme Dey on 3 June 2021, whether it is confident that a solution to the build-up of ice on the Queensferry Crossing will be put in place before winter.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Every effort is being made to investigate possible solutions and trial the most promising of these in the run up to this coming winter. Transport Scotland’s Operating Company, BEAR Scotland, will be undertaking laboratory tests ahead of winter 2021 and on-sit…
7 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00237 by Graeme Dey on 3 June 2021, what solutions are being considered by the Queensferry Crossing Working Group, to prevent the build-up of ice on the bridge.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Transport Scotland’s Operating Company, BEAR Scotland, and its specialist suppliers are finalising the design for a system of optical and infra-red cameras to be installed on the tower tops. This equipment will assist in providing a better understanding of th…
7 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will support ports by (a) reviewing planning regulations, (b) incentivising diversification and (c) ensuring that they benefit from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government recognises that a diverse and successful ports sector contributes significantly to national, regional and local economies. We continue to work with the ports sector to explore avenues of funding for diversifying and reducing the carbon…
7 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide opportunities for ports to apply to become enterprise areas.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government extended the designation of Scotland’s current network of Enterprise Areas until March 2022. Informed by findings from a survey we commissioned in November 2020 regarding place-based economic initiatives, and the report of a Scottish E…
7 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will support joint bids from trust ports for freeport status.
Answer · Ivan McKee: Despite the Scottish Government being ready to launch, the UK Government has yet to agree to a joint bidding process for implementation of the green port model in Scotland. However, in the draft applicant prospectus published on the Scottish Government websit…
7 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with port operators about accessing the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government has not held discussions with port operators about accessing the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The UK Government has consistently failed to engage meaningfully with the Devolved Nations on the Fund. It remains unclear how much Scotland wi…
7 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the delivery of freeports.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government has worked with the UK Government on implementation of free ports in Scotland over the past year. This dialogue culminated in development of a new green port model designed specifically to complement the Scottish policy context. We ha…
25 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many delays to ferry services operated by CalMac have been caused by mechanical complications in the last five years.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The number of times a mechanical problem has resulted in a delay to ferry services operated by CalMac Ferries Ltd between October 2016 to March 2021 is detailed in the following table. Period Scheduled Sailings No. of Sailings Delayed % of sailings de…
25 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when provisions in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 to allow local transport authorities to propose bus services will be implemented.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Following a necessary pause to the implementation of Part 3 (Bus Services) of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 last year owing to the reallocation of national and local government resources to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, work resumed with a virtual sta…
25 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to put the role of the Active Nation Commissioner on a statutory footing.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Active Nation Commissioner, Lee Craigie, was appointed to her role in December 2018 for a 3 year term. There are currently no plans to put the role on a statutory footing.
25 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the travel budget will be spent on active travel in the next five years.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Full details of active travel funding for the next five years has not yet been agreed and will form part of the annual Budget process. The Active Travel budget for 2021-22 increased by £15 million to £115.5 million, and in the Programme for Government 2020 we…
25 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on a solution to prevent the build-up of ice on the Queensferry Crossing.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Ice accretion and precipitation sensors were installed on the towers and deck in 2020. Weather forecasting, bridge monitoring and traffic management procedures have been continuously improved, and the mechanism of ice accumulation specific to the Queensferry …
15 Mar 2021 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what plans the Scottish Government has to revitalise the airline sector.
2 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the performance of all local authorities that are delivering a building control verification service.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The national performance levels for verifiers providing a building standards service across Scotland have remained steady for building warrant applications turnaround times over 2019-20 and 2020-21, see table below. Overall performance has improved across Sco…
2 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the current system for assessing the value of road bonds for new residential housing developments.
Answer · Michael Matheson: A road bond is intended to protect prospective house purchasers from having to arrange completion of roads to adoptable standards in the event that a developer is unable to do so. It's a security that must be lodged prior to commencement of any building works…
2 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to ensure that there is uniformity in how local authorities assess the value of road bonds.
Answer · Michael Matheson: A road bond is intended to protect prospective house purchasers from having to arrange completion of roads to adoptable standards in the event that a developer is unable to do so. It's a security that must be lodged prior to commencement of any building works…
2 Mar 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many professionally-qualified building control officers have been employed by each local authority in each year since 2016.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: Scottish Government launched the Building Standards Workforce Strategy on 1 October 2020, which includes an annual workforce data collection. The number of professionally qualified staff across the whole workforce has increased from 264 in 2019 to 270 in 2020…