John Finnie

16 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the requirement for a maximum journey time of 55 minutes from Edinburgh to Tweedbank, which was in Transport Scotland’s 2009 prequalification document for the Borders Railway, has changed so that 55 minutes is now the minimum journey time, with a longest scheduled time of…

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The extension of certain journeys beyond 55 minutes between Edinburgh and Tweedbank is a direct result of the rail industry timetable planning process. It addressed conflicts with other services operating on the East Coast Main Line resulting in their extende…

16 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many passengers used the Borders Railway in its first year of operation, broken down by (a) station and (b) quarters of the year.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: This detailed passenger information for the first year of Borders Railway operation is not available at this time. These figures will be provided by ScotRail in due course. ScotRail confirmed at a one year anniversary event held on 9 of September 2016 that o…

16 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the requirement for 16 miles of double track in Transport Scotland’s 2009 prequalification document for the Borders Railway resulted in only nine miles of double track on the railway delivered in 2015.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Borders Railway prequalification document prepared in 2009 was issued to the rail industry as part of Transport Scotland’s Competitive Dialogue Process as an example, and not a requirement, for the bidders to challenge in their bids. Delivery responsibili…

16 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether ScotRail has gathered the opinions of passengers on the Borders Railway regarding the quality of service and reliability.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Performance of the Borders Railway has fallen below the expectations of passengers and the demanding performance targets set by Scottish Ministers. The Scottish Government has requested ScotRail provide an Improvement Plan which will outline their plans to ad…

16 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the additional cost would have been to make the overbridge at Cowbraehill double-track width while the Borders Railway was under construction, and how much would it cost to rebuild it to double-track width now the railway is operational.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Transport Scotland has not undertaken this cost analysis. The railway at Cowbraehill is single track as is the accompanying overbridge as under licence conditions imposed on Network Rail by the Office of Road and Rail.

16 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what design guidelines regarding the positioning of the track, gabion baskets, drains and lineside equipment were applied to the construction of the Borders Railway to facilitate future doubling of the track between Edinburgh and Gorebridge, in particular at Gorebridge station.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Delivery responsibility for the construction of Borders Railway including the design and future provision for double tracking was transferred to Network Rail by Scottish Ministers on 5 November 2012.

16 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to ensure that publicly-owned land is not disposed of in a way that could inhibit the growth of the rail or cycle network.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Prior to disposal to any other party, surplus land owned by Scottish Ministers is subject to a ‘trawl’, whereby other parts of the Scottish Government, including Transport Scotland, are notified of the intention to dispose of it. They have the opportunity to …

16 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what methodology and data gathering in the Borders were used to produce the passenger forecasts in Transport Scotland’s Borders Railway Final Business Case.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The passenger forecasting methodology combined a stated preference survey and a trip generation model. The trip generation model uses the number of trips per thousand head of population within a defined area to forecast demand, while the stated preference sur…

16 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to concerns expressed by the Office of Rail and Road regarding delays, whether Transport Scotland has sufficient resources and staff to deliver the upgrades to the Highland Main Line set out in the Strategic Transport Projects Review, and when these upgrades will be completed.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Network Rail have confirmed that they are on schedule to deliver by March 2019, the Highland Mainline Improvement Project (Phase Two) incorporating journey time improvements averaging around 10 minutes, an hourly service between Inverness and Perth extended t…

16 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes in response to negative publicity and the potential impact on exports that arises from the shooting of seals in Scotland.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 already prohibits the intentional killing of seals, except under strict licence conditions.

13 Sep 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Maeshowe cairn at the Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site has been closed without consultation.

12 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what processes with (a) Transport Scotland and (b) Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd will CalMac will be required to go through during the period of the next contract for Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services if it wants to change the method that it uses to add to and dispose of vessels.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Calmac Ferries Limited and Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited as part of the new Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services Contract, due to commence on 1 October 2016, have undertaken and both signed a Fleet Charter Agreement. The Fleet Charter Agreement details the …

12 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the age is of each operational vessel in the CalMac fleet.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The ferries which are operated by CalMac Ferries Ltd are leased from Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL). Details of the fleet, including vessel ages, can be found on the CMAL website http://www.cmassets.co.uk/ferries/. Age range from the oldest, the MV E…

12 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Caledonian MacBrayne regarding the appointment of a director of the community and stakeholder engagement board after 1 October 2016, and how many CalMac staff will be represented on the board.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The role of Community Director was a specific requirement listed within the Invitation to Tender for the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services Public Services Contract. A named person will be appointed to the role in October 2016. I will ask CalMac to contact the…

12 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which vessels in the CalMac fleet will be due for replacement during the period of the next contract for Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Vessel Replacement and Deployment Plan (VRDP) – Annual Report 2014, published in October 2015, summarises the outputs of work by Transport Scotland, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) and CalMac to develop a programme of vessel retentions, cascades, ac…

7 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it was consulted on the reported plan by the Oil and Gas Authority to use £2.5 million of money received from the Treasury to fund new analysis of seismic data harvested 25 years ago, and what its position is on reports that this is for the purpose of increasing the search for oi…

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Exploration drilling has fallen substantially over the past few years with only nine exploration and appraisal wells drilled so far in 2016 compared to a total of 26 in 2015. The Scottish Government takes the view that it is crucial that the Oil and Gas Autho…

1 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Ministers will call in any future planning application for a golf course at Coul Links in Sutherland for their determination, and what its position is on this matter.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Ministers do have the power to call in any undetermined planning application. However, as I am sure you will appreciate, as there is no current planning application, it would be inappropriate for Ministers to comment on the merits of call in at this stage as …

1 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the Scottish Ministers’ decision to call-in for determination consideration of, and their subsequent decision to grant, planning consent for the Trump International Golf Links Scotland development in Aberdeenshire, sets a precedent for the consideration of any f…

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Ministers intervene in the processing of planning applications in exceptional circumstances where issues of genuine national importance are at stake. There is no definitive list of criteria used to decide whether to call-in a planning application as each case…

1 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had, or plans to have, with the developers of the proposed golf course at Coul Links in Sutherland, and what its position is on this matter.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: I am not aware of any such discussions having taken place or scheduled to take place as this is a matter for Highland Council, as planning authority.

2 Aug 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assurances it will seek to ensure that any change to current fishing quotas, as a result of the recent EU referendum vote, is backed up with scientific evidence.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is committed to the sustainable harvesting of fish stocks, and to the setting of catch limits in line with scientific advice.

30 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a recent survey of Scottish Training Federation members, which showed that 25% of respondents would be closing as a direct result of reductions to the Employability Fund.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Since its launch in 2013 we have supported more than 52,000 training places through the Employability Fund giving unemployed individuals the support they need to move towards and into work. The UK government spending review of November 2015 was hugely challe…

20 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will press Network Rail to place a dummy entry loop at Kinbrace in the software rewrite for the current radio electronic token block (RETB) signalling renewal.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Transport Scotland is supportive of the on-going collaborative working involving the private sector, rail industry and local authorities in exploring the feasibility of establishing a rail freight facility at Kinbrace to transport timber from Sutherland to it…

17 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Lyme disease is not a notifiable disease in Scotland.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The aim of statutory notification of diseases as contained in the Public Health etc. (Scotland) Act 2008 is to give early warning of potential threats to human health caused by infectious diseases in order to assess what, if any, health protection action migh…

16 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to jobseekers so that they can afford to meet travel costs to jobcentres and work interviews.

Answer · Keith Brown: Help with travel costs to jobcentres and work interviews is reserved to the UK Government and administered by Jobcentre Plus. Eligible claimants can have their travel expenses reimbursed if they are required to attend the Jobcentre Plus office, for example, t…

16 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that GP surgeries and hospitals are accessible by public transport for all NHS patients.

Answer · Shona Robison: The majority of bus services in Scotland are provided on a commercial basis, however NHS boards are required to have effective travel plans for all major hospitals that will address the following: Employee transport to and from work; Employee transport dur…

16 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has paid to private bus operators across all grants and subsidies in each of the last five years.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government does not distinguish between bus operators according to their ownership status. Payments to operators in the private, public and voluntary sectors over the last five years have been made through the Scottish green bus fund, bus service…

16 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last discussed local bus subsidies with local authorities and regional transport partnerships.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Transport Scotland officials have recently engaged in a series of meetings with local authorities and smaller operators across Scotland. Around 18 meetings were held between April and June 2016 to discuss a range of operational and policy areas, including bus…

16 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is ensuring that bus services are protected for remote and rural communities.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government provided in 2015-16 £53.4 million subsidy for bus services through the bus service operators grant, which supports the bus network and benefits passengers by helping to make fares more affordable. Payments are based on the distance bus…

14 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason its Gypsy/Traveller strategy development group, set up in response to two Equal Opportunities Committee inquiries, did not endorse the government’s draft action plan in 2015, and what action the Scottish Government has taken since 2015 to deal with issues facing Gypsy/Tra…

Answer · Angela Constance: The work of the Gypsy/Traveller strategy development group progressed during 2014-15. A key part of the strategy was the development of an action plan to help drive the change necessary to secure improvement in outcomes. A draft action plan was considered by …

13 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish information on the implementation planning mechanisms, governance and review arrangements that it has committed to develop for the Race Equality Framework for Scotland 2016-2030.

Answer · Angela Constance: We are committed to developing an overarching approach to implementation and monitoring of the Race Equality Framework in the first six months. We intend to do that collaboratively with key stakeholders during the summer and will publish the details on implem…