John Finnie

17 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding what percentage of road journeys are made by bicycle.

17 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the number of non-UK EU nationals employed in the tourism sector, also broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: It is estimated from the Annual Population Survey (Jan-Dec 2017), that 23,900 non-UK EU nationals were employed in the Sustainable Tourism sector in Scotland. (Source: Annual Population Survey, Jan 2017 – Dec 2017) The Annual Population Survey pooled data se…

17 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the economic value of tourism is to each local authority area.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Statistics on the Gross Value Added of the Sustainable Tourism sector, for each of Scotland's Local Authorities, are published in Table 2.2 of the Scottish Government's Local Authority Area Growth Sector Statistics Database. The statistics can be accessed h…

17 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the second supplementary to question S5F-01881 by John Swinney on 16 November 2017 (Official Report, c. 20) regarding the ScotRail voluntary leaver scheme, in light of the Deputy First Minister's comment that Abellio ScotRail must fulfil its contractual obligati…

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Franchise contract makes provision for management to pursue efficiency and effectiveness within its operation. It is for ScotRail to resolve this matter with Unions and staff consistent with its franchise obligations and within the commitment for no compu…

17 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date all of the class 385 units that have been ordered by ScotRail will be operational.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-15168 on? 21 March 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentaryb…

17 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many trains operate on each line on the ScotRail network, broken down by class of unit.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Allocation of rolling stock to services is an operational matter for ScotRail and all of the current fleets which are leased by Abellio ScotRail are detailed in Table 1, Appendix 1 to Schedule 1.1 of the publically available Franchise Agreement, and this is d…

17 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14851 by Humza Yousaf on 9 March 2018, whether it has held any further discussions with the UK Government regarding the devolution of the functions of Network Rail.  

Answer · Humza Yousaf: In his discussion with Jo Johnson MP, Minister of State for Transport on 27 March, the Minister for Transport and the Islands re-iterated the Scottish Government’s long-held position that the Network Rail Scotland route should be fully devolved. Scottish Gove…

17 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason some train stations charge to use toilet facilities, and what (a) equalities and (b) environmental issues are considered when determining whether to impose these.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Abellio ScotRail maintained the charges for toilets it inherited from the previous franchise. The revenue generated helps with the on-going improvements and staffing of the facilities as well as helping to manage some ?anti-social behaviour issues. In additi…

17 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) ScotRail and (b) the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) in light of the proposed strike action regarding the number of CCTV specialist staff.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Minister has met with both TSSA officials and ScotRail, as he normally does, where this issue was discussed.

17 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14852 by Humza Yousaf on 6 March 2018, what progress has been made in identifying the suitable public sector body to make a bid for the ScotRail franchise.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: As previously described, although a complex matter, I expect to make an announcement on the issue of a Public Sector Bidder for rail franchises in Scotland before summer recess and in line with the Programme for Government commitment.

17 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been carried out of the (a) age and (b) condition of each of CalMac’s ferries.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: All ships, including ferries, are subject to a very strict regulatory environment. CalMac’s ferries are owned by and chartered from Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL). Each vessel is maintained within classification rules set by the classification society,…

17 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether CalMac has sufficient contingency to minimise disruption caused by breakdowns within its fleet.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-15994 on 3 May 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/288…

17 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the resilience of CalMac's fleet.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: We recognise that reliable ferry connections are vital to the remote and island communities which depend on them. CalMac has assured the Scottish Government it is doing all it can to both improve the resilience of the fleet of vessels and to minimise disrupti…

17 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what investment (a) was made in each of the last five years and (b) is planned for each of the next five years to (i) maintain and (ii) replace CalMac’s fleet.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Vessel Maintenance: As the vessel owners, Caledonian Maritime assets Ltd (CMAL) undertake statutory upgrades to the CalMac fleet. Details on the levels of recent investment are as follows:- Year £m 2014 £1.9 2015 £2.5 2016 £2.0 2017 £3.0 2018 £3.…

17 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many mechanised or swing bridges there are over canals in Scotland; how many of these are not in working order, and what assessment it has made of the (a) cost of repair and (b) economic impact of each closed bridge.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Scottish Canals have confirmed that there are 31 mechanised and swing bridges over canals in Scotland and 3 are currently out of service to be repaired once resources and individual technical solutions are identified. The Scottish Government has not made an a…

17 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on Scottish Canals' inspection, repair and replacement regime.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Scottish Canals has made significant effort in recent years to understand the overall condition of the canals and develop an Asset Management Plan to prioritise use of the resources available to them for maintenance and replacement. It is prudent for the orga…

17 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Scottish Canals regarding the organisation's financial situation.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Transport Scotland officials and Ministers are in regular contact with Scottish Canals at Board and officer level to discuss various topics, including financial matters. I last met with the Chair and Chief Executive on 6 February and will be meeting the full …

17 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of canals on the (a) tourism and (b) wider economy.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Whilst the Scottish Government has not made any assessment of the specific impact of canals on tourism or the wider economy the industry led Strategic Framework for Scotland’s Marine Tourism Sector “Awakening the Giant” estimated that sailing and boating (in …

11 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with (a) Scottish National Heritage, (b) The Highland Council, (c) the Ramsar Convention secretariat and (d) the UK Government regarding (i) the proposed golf course at Coul Links and (ii) protecting Scotland's Ramsar sites.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Recent contact between Scottish Government officials, Scottish Natural Heritage and the UK Government on the topics referred to in the question has been for the purposes of preparing answers to Parliamentary questions and to give and receive prior notificatio…

16 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-15154 by Humza Yousaf on 16 March 2018, whether it provide an answer to the question that was asked and confirm whether it will carry out an evaluation of what the impact would be of having a bridge at the Corran Narrows.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-15154 on 16 March 2018. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/…

13 Mar 2018 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact on Scotland has been of bus deregulation since it was introduced in 1986.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The deregulation of the bus market began with the Transport Act 1985 and, in Scotland, the Transport (Scotland) Act 1989. Publically owned companies were split into geographical areas which were then sold to private operators and companies. The only exception…

8 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether its default position in road dualling upgrades is that grade-separated junctions should be used, and not roundabouts.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The general principle for the current A9 and A96 dualling programmes includes the provision of grade separated junctions where possible, rationalisation of the number of direct accesses and junctions, and ensuring that there are no gaps in the central reserve…

8 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the terms of reference of the Transport Scotland review of the co-creative process used in the community consultation on the A9 upgrade.

Answer · Keith Brown: The co-creative process on the A9 Dualling Pass of Birnam to Tay Crossing section has been designed as a trial in conjunction with the local community group. The process itself is around 3 months into its implementation. Whilst it is intended to carry out an …

7 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will carry out an evaluation of what the impact would be of having a bridge at the Corran Narrows.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government recognises the important role that the Corran Narrows ferry plays in connecting the Morvern and Ardnamurchan peninsulas to the mainland. The operation of the current ferry service is the responsibility of The Highland Council and I und…

7 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14853 by Humza Yousaf on 6 March 2018, what the terms of reference of the Transport Scotland research is; who is carrying it out; who has been consulted as part of it, and by what date it will be (a) completed and (b) published.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Over the past three years Transport Scotland has worked collaboratively with Vaisala to better understand the economic and welfare impacts resulting from severe weather disruption alongside the cost benefit analysis of investing in the winter service. Informa…

7 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14850 by Humza Yousaf on 6 March 2018, who it will consult regarding the trunk road operating contract requirements

Answer · Humza Yousaf: We recently completed a stakeholder consultation exercise with industry and local authorities as part of our overall procurement strategy for the next generation (5G) of trunk road maintenance contracts. This is currently being considered in conjunction with …

7 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the findings of its monitoring of the effectiveness of section 124 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Under the terms of section 124 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, certain premises, including airside establishments at six designated airports in Scotland, are exempted from the requirement to hold a premises licence in order to sell alcohol. The Scottis…

5 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what input it has to the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, which is maintained and updated by Highways England on behalf of the devolved administrations.

Answer · Humza Yousaf:  Highways England is currently re-drafting the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) on behalf of, and in conjunction with, the UK Overseeing Organisations (including Transport Scotland). Transport Scotland staff, on behalf of Scottish Ministers, have al…

5 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what contact it has had with Nordic countries regarding construction and maintenance of transport infrastructure.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Transport Scotland has participated in the ROADEX project, which is a collaboration of northern European roads organisations whose aim is to share roads information and research. The project, which commenced in 1998, brought together private and public sector…

28 Feb 2018 · SPCB Oral Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what discussions it has had with the fund trustees regarding updating the Scottish Parliamentary Pension Scheme’s investment strategy and statement of investment principles, and how it will ensure that the scheme's members are consulted about this.