Parliamentary questions
Graham Simpson
867 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
7 Feb 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24646 by Mairi McAllan on 2 February 2024, whether it will provide the information requested regarding whether an impact assessment was conducted regarding the £5.5 million reduction to the "Ferry Services" budget, and for what reason it did not pro…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Further to the response given by Miri McAllan MSP, in a particularly challenging fiscal landscape, the Scottish Government has had to take difficult decisions to deliver balanced and sustainable spending plans for the 2024-25 financial year. The UK Autumn St…
7 Feb 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24645 by Mairi McAllan on 2 February 2024, whether it will provide the information requested regarding whether an impact assessment was conducted regarding the £40.8 million reduction to the total "Active Travel, Low Carbon and Other Transport Polic…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Further to the response given by Miri McAllan MSP, in a particularly challenging fiscal landscape, the Scottish Government has had to take difficult decisions to deliver balanced and sustainable spending plans for the 2024-25 financial year. The UK Autumn St…
7 Feb 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24644 by Patrick Harvie on 2 February 2024, whether it will provide the information requested regarding whether an impact assessment was conducted regarding the £9.3 million reduction to the total "Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation" budget, and …
Answer · Patrick Harvie: Despite a reduction in overall funding of £9.3m, the budget settlement for 24-25 included an increase in Capital funding to balance the reduction in Financial Transactions, this is overall sufficient to meet the demands of the Heat in Building programme in 24…
7 Feb 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24643 by Mairi McAllan on 2 February 2024, whether it will provide the information requested regarding whether an impact assessment was conducted regarding the £79.9 million reduction to the total "Rail Services" budget, and for what reason it did n…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Further to the response given by Miri McAllan MSP, in a particularly challenging fiscal landscape, the Scottish Government has had to take difficult decisions to deliver balanced and sustainable spending plans for the 2024-25 financial year. The UK Autumn St…
7 Feb 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24642 by Mairi McAllan on 2 February 2024, whether it will provide the information requested regarding whether an impact assessment was conducted regarding the reported £29.3 million real-terms reduction to the Transport, Net Zero and Just Transitio…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Further to the response given by Miri McAllan MSP, in a particularly challenging fiscal landscape, the Scottish Government has had to take difficult decisions to deliver balanced and sustainable spending plans for the 2024-25 financial year. The UK Autumn St…
6 Feb 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24668 by Fiona Hyslop on 2 February 2024, what information it holds on how the resource funding from the Community Bus Fund was spent, and how the impact of such spending is being evaluated.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Community Bus fund was launched on 22 September 2023, with the £0.75 million resource funding available to local transport authorities for pathfinder style projects aimed at supporting them to complete initial feasibility and preparatory work required to …
6 Feb 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact that the reported pause of the Bus Partnership Fund will have on its target of reducing car kilometres by 20% by 2030.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: As outlined in the draft route map to achieving a 20% reduction in car km by 2030, achieving this commitment relies on a package of over 30 interventions. The route map does not apportion a specific reduction in car km to any single intervention such as the B…
6 Feb 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when the A96 Corridor Review will be published.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-25249 on 19 February 2024. 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…
31 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is pursuing a national integrated public transport timetable, alongside the work of the National Smart Ticketing Advisory Board.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government is currently unable to develop a national integrated public transport timetable as it does not possess the powers to do so across all modes. The majority of bus services in Scotland are commercially operated and the Scottish Governme…
31 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much money has been allocated to delivering on each of the recommendations in the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2).
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: STPR2 is a long-term vision of this government’s ambition for transport investment and highlights essential projects for the next two decades. Given that this is a 20-year programme, some elements will not commence immediately. The delivery of the STPR2 recom…
31 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors participation in cycling and active travel.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: The majority of data against which we measure our national-level Active Travel Framework Indicators comes from the questions on transport and travel asked in the Scottish Household Survey (SHS), an annual, cross-sectional national survey looking at the compos…
31 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the cost of delivery of recommendation 22 of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2), and what the timescale is for delivery.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: It is anticipated that a modest budget would be required to support the initial development of a nationally-led mobility hubs framework. Through best practice review and engagement with transport operators, service providers and local authorities across the …
31 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide assurance that organisations, including local authorities and third sector organisations, will be notified of funding decisions for 2024-25 before 1 April 2024, to allow them to plan for project delivery in transport and active travel.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: I would refer the member to the answer given by my colleague the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice to question S6W-23223 on 12 December on the issue of the timing of funding decisions, and reiterate that we have committed, as part of developing an approach…
29 Jan 2024 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to reports that Scottish Water plans to increase charges by 29% over three years.
23 Jan 2024 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government when a decision will be made regarding the Scottish Funding Council's recommendation to end the regional colleges arrangement in Lanarkshire and Glasgow.
17 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what role it considers demand responsive transport planning will play in delivering its target of a 20% reduction in car kilometres travelled by 2030.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Acknowledging the importance of Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) as a transport solution, the Strategic Transport Planning Review (STPR2) recommends investment in DRT and Mobility as a Service (MaaS) as a means to provide improved public transport connectivi…
17 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what good practice guidance it has provided to local authorities regarding their consideration of the mobility needs of older people in the design of low-traffic neighbourhoods.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Local authorities are responsible for the management of local roads and paths in their area, including design of low traffic neighbourhoods. The Scottish Government has provided guidance for these within the National Planning Framework , the “ Our Place ”…
17 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support has been provided to local authorities to help them acquire the knowledge, skills, and capacity to introduce bus franchising arrangements under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government approach to the bus powers in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 ("the 2019 Act") is to empower local transport authorities with flexible tools to enable them to determine what is best to address any transport challenges according to th…
17 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding has been provided to (a) regional transport partnerships and (b) local authorities in order to help them plan for bus franchising arrangements.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: In September 2023, the Scottish Government launched the Community Bus Fund which supports local transport authorities to explore the options in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 ("the 2019 Act") and improve public transport in their areas. In 2023-2024 the C…
17 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23907 by Mairi McAllan on 9 January 2024, where “all available evidence from Scottish Government commissioned research and external sources” relating to transport demand management options will be published.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The research commissioned by Transport Scotland on equitable options for car demand management, referred to in the answer to PQ S6W-24666 on 6 February 2023, will be published in the coming months. In addition, as outlined in the draft route map to achieving…
17 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23907 by Mairi McAllan on 9 January 2024, what research has been commissioned in relation to transport demand management options, other than the evidence review commissioned by Transport Scotland, Reducing car use through parking policies.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Transport Scotland commissioned research on equitable options for car demand management, as referred to in S6W-15653 on 21 March 2023, S6W-16545 on 17 April 2023, and S6W-16547 on 17 April 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on…
17 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact that the £12.9 million reduction to the “Travel Strategy and Innovation” budget line will have on the Mobility as a Service (MaaS) pilots.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The "Travel Strategy and Innovation" budget line was not used to fund the Mobility as a Service (MaaS) Investment fund pilots, and will therefore have no impact on the pilots.
17 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it undertook with regional transport partnerships prior to taking its decision to remove all funding from the "Regional Transport Partnership" budget line in its Budget 2024-25.
Answer · Shona Robison: Further to the answer to question S6W-24362 on 22 January 2024 the Scottish Government continues to engage with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) on the implications of the budget decision. SPT was the only regional transport partnership which recei…
17 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23861 by Fiona Hyslop on 10 January 2024, what its response is to reported concerns that people who rely on bus travel in order to access public services are unable to do so due to the decisions of local authorities to withdraw bus service routes.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Recent reports of bus service withdrawal have tended to concern commercial routes. The majority of services in Scotland operate in an open de-regulated market and the provision of local bus services is a matter for individual bus operators who use their own c…
17 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23861 by Fiona Hyslop on 10 January 2024, what information it holds on any criteria that must be met before a local authority can decide to withdraw a bus service route.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The decision to withdraw services is solely a matter for the local council or transport authority to consider and must comply with guidance as set out by the Office of the Traffic Commissioner who is the licensing authority in Scotland. They must give 42 days…
17 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessment was conducted regarding the £1 million reduction to the “Community Learning & Development” budget line in its Budget 2024-25.
Answer · Graeme Dey: This budget has required difficult choices due to the pressures on our public services and the lack of funding from the UK Government. We are facing the most challenging fiscal position since devolution. Mindful of our missions and priorities for Scotland, we…
17 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessment was conducted regarding the £4.3 million reduction to the “Education Maintenance Allowance” budget line in its Budget 2024-25.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government has faced its most challenging budgetary settlement since devolution began – a settlement which has not been inflation-proofed, and which has subsequently required difficult decisions to be made, due to the pressures on our public serv…
17 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessment was conducted regarding the £9.3 million reduction to the “Skills Programmes” budget line in its Budget 2024-25.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Our children, young people, families and learners of all ages continue to be a key priority for this Government and we will continue to focus on our three central missions of equality, opportunity, and community. We also have to make difficult budget choices …
17 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessment was conducted regarding the £4.1 million reduction to Skills Development Scotland’s budget in its Budget 2024-25.
Answer · Graeme Dey: This budget has required difficult choices due to the pressures on our public services and the lack of funding from the UK Government. We are facing the most challenging fiscal position since devolution. Mindful of our missions and priorities for Scotland, we…
17 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessment was conducted regarding the £23.5 million reduction to the “Lifelong Learning and Skills” budget line in its Budget 2024-25.
Answer · Graeme Dey: This budget has required difficult choices due to the pressures on our public services and the lack of funding from the UK Government. We are facing the most challenging fiscal position since devolution. Mindful of our missions and priorities for Scotland, we…