Parliamentary questions
Neil Bibby
1,029 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
4 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what contingencies are in place to ensure continuity of service in the event of delays in acquiring rolling stock from Great Western Railway.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: There are no plans agreed to delay the introduction of HSTs to Scotland. The Scottish Government are happy to work constructively with partners in DfT and with ScotRail to assist where we can, but our priority properly must remain further improvements to rail…
4 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the relocation of Scottish Enterprise away from Paisley is consistent with its Town Centre First Principle.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: Scottish Enterprise’s business cases for premises are based on criteria agreed by Scottish Government and are subject to scrutiny by Ministers. Scottish Enterprise cannot remain in its current premises in Paisley as there are significant issues around securi…
4 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government to what extent it expects demand for concessionary bus travel to change in 2017-18.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Demand for concessionary bus travel, in terms of number of journeys, fell slightly between 2013-14 and 2015-16, from 146.9 million journeys to 145.2 million journeys. The latest forecast outturn suggests there will be around 144.4 million concessionary journe…
4 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making towards the electrification of the Glasgow suburban rail network.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The majority of the Glasgow suburban rail network is already electrified. Since 2007 the Glasgow electrified suburban rail network has already been expanded by the addition of through electric services to Edinburgh through Airdrie and Bathgate, followed by th…
4 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what land it is safeguarding to ensure that the proposed Glasgow Crossrail development remains viable.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The designation and protection of land through the planning process is a matter for the relevant planning authority. Scottish Planning Policy sets out the Scottish Government’s policy on nationally important land use planning matters.
4 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to change the eligibility criteria for concessionary travel.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: In the coming months the Scottish Government will be consulting on ways in which to ensure the longer term sustainability of the National Concessionary Travel Scheme and on the implementation of our commitments to extend free bus travel to young modern appren…
4 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it expects ScotRail to take delivery of rolling stock from Great Western Railway, in light of the delays to network electrification in England.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-29965 on 4 March 2016. 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/2…
4 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it plans to reduce spending on concessionary bus travel in 2017-18.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The draft budget for concessionary bus travel in 2017-18 reflects a number of factors. Bus fares and concessionary passenger journey numbers have risen by less than expected in the last two years. As a result, we have spent less than anticipated on reimbursi…
4 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessments it has made of the case for the proposed Glasgow Crossrail development.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR), which outlined Scottish Ministers’ future strategic transport priorities, considered the “Glasgow CrossRail” proposal and concluded that it would not make best use of the rail network or integrate well with the …
19 Dec 2016 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what response it has received to its consultation on the integration of the British Transport Police in Scotland into Police Scotland.
15 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its draft budget statement on 15 December 2016, whether it will provide a breakdown of its estimate that a freeze on regulated rail fares will cost £58 million.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The cost impact of any franchise contract variation must be assessed through the financial modelling suite associated with the franchise contract. This takes into account a range of factors including forecast levels of revenue and inflation. A one-year freeze…
12 Dec 2016 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport last met NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and what issues were discussed.
5 Dec 2016 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs are directly and indirectly linked to the pub sector.
28 Nov 2016 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report by Disability Agenda Scotland, Equal? Still not, why not?.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I welcome the publication of Disability Agenda Scotland’s report which highlights the impact of UKG welfare cuts, barriers to employment, and the stigma and discrimination experienced by disabled people. Last week I published A Fairer Scotland for Disabled Pe…
25 Nov 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing a 1% reduction in rail fares each time a ScotRail service is cancelled.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-05066 on 13 December 2016. 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/parliamentarybusine…
25 Nov 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many cancelled ScotRail services there have been since 1 January 2016, and what the impact would have been on fares if there had been a 1% reduction in price for each cancellation.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: On the period 1 January 2016 to 12 November 2016 we calculate there have been 7,453 cancellations reported to Transport Scotland on ScotRail services, out of approximately 642,800 trains booked to run during this period (1.16%). The ScotRail Franchise contain…
23 Nov 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the information provided on its website in relation to ministerial engagements not including details of means of travel, whether it will list the official engagements that (a) the First Minister and each (b) (i) cabinet secretary and (ii) minister has made since May 2016, br…
Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government published the latest information about Ministerial engagements and travel on 29 November 2016. This information can be found on the Scottish Government website at: https://beta.gov.scot/publications/?term=Ministerial&publicationTypes=…
21 Nov 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many incidences of short-term sick leave (under five working days) due to work related stress have been reported by Abellio ScotRail staff from 1 April 2015, broken down by month.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government does not hold information on Abellio ScotRail staff sick leave due to work related stress at that level of detail. At an organisational level, there were 68 cases of sick leave due to work related stress reported to us in the first yea…
21 Nov 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many incidences of long-term sick leave (over five working days) have been reported by Abellio ScotRail staff from 1 April 2015, broken down by month.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government does not hold information on Abellio ScotRail staff sick leave at that level of detail.
21 Nov 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many incidences of long-term sick leave (over five working days) due to work related stress have been reported by Abellio ScotRail staff from 1 April 2015, broken down by month.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government does not hold information on Abellio ScotRail staff sick leave due to work related stress at that level of detail. At an organisational level, there were 68 cases of sick leave due to work related stress reported to us in the first yea…
21 Nov 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many incidences of short-term sick leave (under five working days) have been reported by Abellio ScotRail staff from 1 April 2015, broken down by month.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government does not hold information on Abellio ScotRail staff sick leave at that level of detail.
11 Nov 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the Office of Rail and Road regarding improvements to the compensation system on ScotRail services.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Officials from Transport Scotland met with ORR on 18 November 2016 to discuss a range of topics including compensation arrangements offered by ScotRail.
11 Nov 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with ScotRail about the (a) efficacy and (b) uptake of the delay repay compensation scheme.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: As part of Transport Scotland’s 4 weekly performance meeting with ScotRail, the Delay Repay compensation scheme is discussed including, for example, the key incidents resulting in Delay Repay claims, the total number and value of claims, and the amount repaid.
11 Nov 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much will be spent on railway policing following the proposed transfer of responsibilities from the British Transport Police to Police Scotland.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government set out initial proposals in the consultation "The integration of the British Transport Police in Scotland into Police Scotland" https://consult.scotland.gov.uk/police-division/transport-police and will address key issues in the Bill a…
11 Nov 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing a policy of automatic compensation for passengers experiencing delays on the ScotRail network.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government is committed to running a rail network that focuses on delivering good customer service and value for money to the public. As part of the recent franchise agreement, Transport Scotland secured a clear and straightforward Delay Repay pr…
2 Nov 2016 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde regarding plans to close the children's ward at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and the birthing unit at Inverclyde Royal Hospital.
31 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the Texas Instruments Taskforce that has been established by Inverclyde Council and whether the Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy will attend the meeting of the taskforce on 7 November 2016.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government is committed to working as a key partner in the Texas Instruments Taskforce. Close partnership working with all partners is essential to ensuring successful outcomes. Through our enterprise agency, Scottish Enterprise, we are working w…
28 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01092 by Humza Yousaf on 21 July 2016, whether it has sought external advice on the preparatory work that it has conducted regarding a public sector bid.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have had discussions with trade unions and other key stakeholders on plans to ensure that a public sector body can bid for future Scottish rail franchises. These discussions will continue as the work progresses.
28 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the ScotRail franchise allows Transport Scotland to recover operator of last resort costs from the franchisee, and what estimate it has made of what the cost would be of activating this.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: In the event of early termination of the ScotRail Franchise Agreement, a Performance Bond provision is in place designed to cover circumstances where Scottish Ministers have incurred or expect to incur additional costs in connection with early termination of …
28 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01092 by Humza Yousaf on 21 July 2016, whether Transport Scotland will assess all bids for the franchise if there is a public sector bid.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The legislation, recently amended by the Scotland Act 2016, enables bids to be made by the private and the public sector for the provision of Scottish rail passenger services. The Scottish Government is legally bound to properly assess all valid bids received.