Parliamentary questions
Neil Bibby
1,029 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
20 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the unit cost is of producing electricity from (a) renewable sources, (b) fossil fuels and (c) nuclear power.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: We would generally use the Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCOE) generation to compare across technologies. Although it is from 2016, BEIS have a publication which gives the costs per MWh of each technology. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/governmen…
19 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its strategy is for widening access to support in the justice system for people and communities living in poverty.
Answer · Annabelle Ewing: The Scottish Government’s believes in a safe, just and resilient Scotland. We want to provide a justice system that is fair and equitable for everyone in Scotland. Widening access to justice for individuals and communities, such as those living in poverty, i…
19 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its strategy is for supporting law centres.
Answer · Annabelle Ewing: Scotland has maintained wide access to legal aid for both criminal and civil justice matters, with those who are eligible able to access public funding for legal representation and advice. The Legal Aid budget allocation for 2017-18 amounts to £126.1million a…
19 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to stop reported reductions in services provided by law centres.
Answer · Annabelle Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-15155 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/…
27 Feb 2018 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the industrial action by the University and College Union regarding staff pensions.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I recognise the serious implications for all concerned in this dispute – universities, staff and students – and welcome the news that the University and College Union and Universities UK have agreed to return to the negotiating table and work towards a resolu…
29 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many beds there will be at the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, when the Children's Ward at the Royal Alexandra Hospital is closed.
Answer · Shona Robison: There is no planned change to the inpatient bed complement at the Royal Hospital for Children (RHC) as a result of the closure of Ward 15 at the Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH). NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has provided assurances that there is adequate bed c…
26 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many beds there at the (a) Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow and (b) Children's Ward at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
Answer · Shona Robison: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has confirmed that there are 211 inpatient beds at the Royal Hospital for Children and 16 inpatient beds on the paediatric ward (Ward 15) at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. The Board advise that for the year 2016-17 Ward 15 only ha…
24 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13949 by Shona Robison on 19 January 2018, which local clinicians she listened to in making her decision to close the Children's Ward at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, and which clinicians were consulted prior to a decision being taken.
Answer · Shona Robison: As set out in my response to question S5W-13949 and the Statement I delivered to Parliament on 23 January 2017, I carefully considered all the available information and representations before coming to a final decision. The proposals attracted overwhelming c…
22 Jan 2018 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister when the Children's Ward at the Royal Alexandra Hospital will close.
16 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the National Framework for Families with Disabled Children and Young People will support the parents of very young disabled children.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government is committed to equality for disabled children and young people in Scotland, and to ensuring that all children can achieve their potential. The framework is rights based and is from birth to adulthood and includes; Information Provisi…
15 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the National Framework for Families with Disabled Children and Young People will support parents in (a) accessing services and (b) tackling loneliness and social isolation.
Answer · Maree Todd: (a) The Framework was developed to address ambitious outcomes for the families of disabled children and young people, the second being: “Access to support and services will be easier and more efficient as families are more aware of what their entitlements are…
15 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it holds records regarding how many disabled children and young people there are and, if not, how it will ensure that there is an adequate provision of services.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Health Survey provides annual estimates of the proportion of children with limiting long-term conditions. Figures at a local level are available from the Census every ten years. Children’s services are planned and commissioned locally. Part 3 of…
15 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is engaging with hard-to-reach parents in consulting on and developing the National Framework for Families with Disabled Children and Young People.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government’s Disabled Children and Young People’s Advisory Group, which comprises representatives from 3rd sector disability organisations has two members who represent groups specifically for parents of disabled children and young people. This D…
15 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the consultation on the National Framework for Families with Disabled Children and Young People will open.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Supporting Disabled Children, Young People and their Families consultation will launch in March 2018.
15 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government at what stage it is with the development of the National Framework for Families with Disabled Children and Young People, and by what date the framework will be published.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Supporting Disabled Children, Young People and their Families Framework will be published in Autumn 2018 following a consultation which will launch in March 2018.
15 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what provision it has made in the Draft Budget for any financial redress relating to pre-1964 cases of in-care abuse.
Answer · John Swinney: I committed to consultation and engagement on financial redress for in-care survivors, which includes those whose abuse occurred before 1964. The survivor consultation, run by the Centre for Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland (CELCIS) in partner…
12 Dec 2017 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact low emission zones will have on people on low incomes.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government has committed to work in partnership with local authorities to introduce low emission zones into Scotland's four biggest cities between 2018 and 2020. Part of the preparations for introducing these LEZs will be to understand how they w…
12 Dec 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many rough sleepers there are in each local authority area.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government collects information from local authorities on the number of homelessness applicants who have slept rough a) the night before; and b) in the three months previous to their application. This information is provided by local authority a…
11 Dec 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what type of rolling stock is used on rail services on the (a) Ayrshire Coast, (b) Inverclyde and (c) Paisley Canal line.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The modern class 380 electric fleet (3 and 4 cars) provides the vast majority of services across these three routes and are supported by class 314 and class 318 trains. Diagramming a mixture of the trains across the routes helps deliver a more efficient opera…
11 Dec 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the cause was of the train fault that resulted in disruption to services at Glasgow Central station on the morning of 11 December 2017, and which unit was affected.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Whilst approaching Glasgow Central station at Bridge Street junction just before 07:00 a four car class 380 electric train [380111] which was not in passenger service experienced a main power supply issue reported on an internal advisory screen. The driver in…
11 Dec 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the introduction of the class 385 trains on the Edinburgh-Glasgow via Falkirk line.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Two class 385 trains have just concluded the required testing on the newly electrified Edinburgh-Glasgow via Falkirk route and the data from these dynamic tests will be part of a raft of documents which is submitted early in 2018 to gain approval from the ORR…
11 Dec 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government from which routes the class 380 trains that have been recently introduced on the Edinburgh-Glasgow via Falkirk line have been drawn, and how ScotRail is managing the redeployment.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The four class Class 380 trains which are now providing 9,500 extra seats per day have been used since December 2016 to support ScotRail staff training programme which is required to support the switch in fleet provision on the newly electrified Edinburgh-Gla…
28 Nov 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether classroom assistants will be regulated by the proposed Education Workforce Council for Scotland.
Answer · John Swinney: The consultation Empowering Schools: A consultation on the provisions of the Education (Scotland) Bill asks a number of questions with regards to the establishment of the Education Workforce Council including question 21 that specifically seeks views on what …
15 Nov 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what was discussed at the meeting between the Minister for Transport and the Islands and delegates to the Confederation of Passenger Transport Scotland Conference at Trump Turnberry in November 2017, and whether this included the regulation of bus services.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-12767 on 27 November. 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…
15 Nov 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what minute or informal note was taken at the meeting between the Minister for Transport and the Islands and the Confederation of Passenger Transport at Trump Turnberry in November 2017, and whether it will publish this.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Minister for Transport and the Islands gave the keynote speech at the annual Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) Conference, which took place at Trump Turnberry in November. He did not have a meeting with CPT on that occasion.
1 Nov 2017 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform has had with the transport minister regarding support for ultra low emission vehicles and reductions in vehicle emissions.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I have regular discussions with my ministerial colleague. Ultra Low Emission Vehicles have a key role to play in tackling climate change as set out in the draft Climate Change Plan. T
17 Oct 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported 14% increase in road deaths in Scotland.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Disappointingly, 2016 saw an increase in road fatalities . One death on Scotland’s roads is always one too many and, while Police Scotland figures illustrate a slight improvement for the first half of 2017, all partners remain committed to securing our challe…
17 Oct 2017 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Sustrans report, Transport Poverty in Scotland.
10 Oct 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consultation events it has held as part of its Consultation on Free Bus Travel for Older and Disabled People and Modern Apprentices, and how many of these were (a) with seniors forums (b) held in areas of multiple deprivation.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government has undertaken a number of meetings with stakeholders as part of its consultation on Free Bus Travel for Older and Disabled People and Modern Apprentices. These include a number of groups representing older people across Scotland, inc…
10 Oct 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it contacted seniors forums as part of its Consultation on Free Bus Travel for Older and Disabled People and Modern Apprentices and, if so, how many.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Scottish Government held extensive discussions with stakeholders in the lead up to the publication of the consultation on Free Bus Travel for Older and Disabled People and Modern Apprentices on 25 August this year. Officials met various groups including Age …