Richard Leonard

15 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the alleged findings of the report, External Review – Culture and Governance, Emergency Department, Forth Valley Royal Hospital, what (a) action it is taking and (b) discussions it is having with NHS Forth Valley to ensure that former and current members of staff are able to…

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01559 on ? 24 August 2021. 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…

15 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people were directed away from the A&E department at Forth Valley Royal Hospital without a correct clinical assessment (a) in 2020 and (b) from 1 January to 30 June 2021.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Thank you for submitting the series of parliamentary questions in relation to NHS Forth Valley, with a specific focus on the External Review around Culture in the Emergency Department, Forth Valley Royal Hospital. I have responded to each of the questions in …

15 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Seatruck Ferries regarding the time charter of additional tonnage for the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network, and whether it raised (a) trade union recognition and (b) collective bargaining agreements between CalMac and recognised trade unions during any su…

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government have had no discussions with Seatruck Ferries regarding the time charter of additional tonnage for the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS) network. All discussions have been undertaken by CalMac Ferries Ltd.

15 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact that COVID-19 has had on the (a) number and (b) type of vehicles carried by the CalMac fleet.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Transport Scotland has been monitoring transport trends during the Covid-19 pandemic. This information is regularly published on the Transport Scotland website and can be found using the link: COVID-19 National Transport Trend Data . The Covid-19 Sub-Nation…

15 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the news release issued by CalMac Ferries on 24 August 2020, at which location dry dock maintenance work was carried out on each ferry, and how much of CalMac's expenditure was spent on procuring this work on each vessel.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The yards which CalMac Ferries Ltd use to undertake dry dock maintenance work for the vessels in the fleet is an operational matter for them to determine. CalMac Ferries Ltd procure their contracts in a fair and open competition manner, allowing an award to …

15 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it expects the MV Coruisk to re-enter service on the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The MV Coruisk resumed normal timetabled services on the afternoon of Friday 16 July 2021 on the Oban – Craignure route.

12 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail will enable it to run rail passenger services directly in the public sector without the need to use the Operator of Last Resort.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Under current legislation, a public sector operator could bid to run rail services in Scotland in any future franchise competition. The Scottish Government has, on a number of occasions, requested the further devolution of rail powers, which has been denied.…

12 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government who will act as the Operator of Last Resort for the ScotRail franchise from March 2022 and, if this information is not available, whether it can confirm that it will not consider using Abellio in this role.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Provision of services by a Scottish Government owned company, called ScotRail Trains Ltd, in line with our Operator of Last Resort duty will ensure the continuity of rail services in Scotland and also provide stability to staff, suppliers and passengers over …

12 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reasons the Cycle to Work scheme has not been made available to ScotRail employees for 2021-22.

Answer · Graeme Dey: ScotRail’s Cycle to Work scheme has been made available to employees up until end of June 2021, at which point the previous Abellio ScotRail contract with its supplier came to an end. The Scottish Government has agreed that a replacement scheme should be pu…

12 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether Abellio ScotRail requires permission from it to promote third-party financial products, including salary advances, to its staff; for what reason the company is reportedly promoting these products, and how much it estimates the company will receive if the staff purchase them.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Employee matters including the promotion of third-party financial products including salary advances for its staff remain the operational responsibility of Abellio ScotRail and therefore does not require permission as such from Transport Scotland.

12 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the terms of (a) Abellio ScotRail and (b) Serco Caledonian Sleeper’s Emergency Measures Agreement prohibit the payment of indemnification to the operator in the event of industrial action.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Under the Emergency Measures Agreements (EMAs) in place, (a) Abellio ScotRail and (b) Serco Caledonian Sleepers Limited are not entitled to indemnification in the event of industrial action although the net difference between revenue and costs in any EMA peri…

12 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the organisational structure will be of Operator of Last Resort for the ScotRail franchise; who the members will be of the senior management team, and what processes will be followed to appoint them.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The organisational structure for ScotRail Trains Limited is currently being reviewed however the vast majority of Abellio ScotRail staff will transfer over.

12 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reasons the Prior Information Notice for the ScotRail franchise anticipates a core Operator of Last Resort period of three to five years, and not the maximum, 10.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Prior Information Notice (PIN) referred to confirmed Ministers’ intention for Scotrail services to be delivered through a wholly owned company of the Scottish Ministers in terms of the Operator of Last Resort following expiry of the current ScotRail Franc…

12 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00828 by Graeme Dey on 7 July 2021, on what dates Transport Scotland officials met each ferry operator to discuss the issue.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Transport Scotland officials have remained in close contact with operators throughout the pandemic. A meeting to specifically discuss the issue was held on 30 March 2021 with Pentland Ferries, 22 April with John O’Groats Ferries and 17 February with Serco Nor…

12 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00828 by Graeme Dey on 7 July 2021, what impact the UK Government’s proposals for (a) subsidy control mechanisms and (b) competition law might have on the work to make the Road Equivalent Tariff subsidy available to Pentland Ferries’ private routes …

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government continues to work under the interim Subsidy Control regime introduced by the UK Government on 1 January 2021 and provisions held within the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Alongside this, consideration has to be given to any fur…

12 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to work with the trade unions organising ferry workers to build the case for bringing the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services contract permanently in-house and, if so, when this work will start.

Answer · Graeme Dey: We will work with all key stakeholders, including the trade unions, to ensure the most efficient and best value arrangement to deliver our key lifeline ferry services. An independent review analysing the existing governance structure is already underway and o…

12 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00828 by Graeme Dey on 7 July 2021, whether it will provide a breakdown of the resources that were used to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak, and what resources have subsequently been directed back.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The resources referred to in the previous answer related to staffing resources within Transport Scotland. Those officials who had been asked to respond to the challenges presented by the pandemic to our transport network and the impacts on Islands communitie…

12 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact that the UK Government’s proposals for (a) subsidy control mechanisms and (b) competition law might have on its policies for (i) the procurement of services and vessels and (ii) fares on publicly-contracted ferry services.

Answer · Graeme Dey: In Scotland we are continuing to work under the interim Subsidy Control regime and provisions held within the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Draft legislation was laid in the UK Parliament on 30 June 2021. We will now take time to consider the draft l…

2 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00824 by Graeme Dey on 28 June 2021, what the (a) passenger and (b) vehicle capacity is of each vessel listed after the one-metre physical distancing requirement is taken into account.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Further to question S6W-00824, the constrained passenger and vehicle carrying capacity with 1 metre mitigations in place for the vessels listed, are detailed in the following table. Vessel Passenger Capacity (1m) Vehicle Capacity ** Deck Space (metres) M…

2 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) passenger and (b) vehicle carrying capacity is on the MV (a) Pentalina and (b) Alfred after the requirement for one-metre physical distancing is taken into account.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government is not aware of the capacity of vessels owned by Pentland Ferries, the MV Pentalina or MV Alfred as a result of physical distancing requirements and mitigations.

2 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00829 by Graeme Dey on 28 June 2021, what recent advice it has received from the (a) Maritime and Coastguard Agency and (b) other regulatory authorities on the safety of the MV Pentalina to operate on routes in the current contract for Clyde and Heb…

Answer · Graeme Dey: Further to question S6W-00829, the Scottish Government has not taken any advice from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) or other regulatory authorities on the safety of the MV Pentalina to operate on routes on the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS…

2 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00829 by Graeme Dey on 28 June 2021, whether it has discussed with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency the (a) existence and (b) functioning of the onboard safety committee on the MV Pentalina.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government has not entered into any dialogue with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) regarding the existence or functioning of an on-board safety committee on the MV Pentalina. Any such discussion would be between the vessel’s owner, Pentla…

2 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00821 by Graeme Dey on 28 June 2021, how many shipbrokers have been employed by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) in each year since 2010-11.

Answer · Graeme Dey: CMAL are regularly contacted by 7 core shipbrokers who bring to their attention vessels that may be suitable for Scottish routes. This is due to the international standard that the broker takes a fee from the seller should a vessel be purchased. CMAL have fr…

2 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00821 by Graeme Dey on 28 June 2021, (a) who the owner and (b) what the specification is of each of vessel that Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) has assessed.

Answer · Graeme Dey: When considering a vessel, CMAL review a number of elements to assess suitability for Scottish ferry routes including vessel dimensions, speed and displacement, as well as the vehicle deck garage heights, loading system (ramps), shore side interfaces, complia…

16 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its assessment is of the impact that chartering the MV Pentalina from Pentland Ferries has had on industrial relations at CalMac.

Answer · Graeme Dey: To improve the resilience of ferry services serving island and remote mainland communities, we are exploring opportunities for chartering additional tonnage including the temporary time charter of the MV Pentalina. Industrial relations are a matter for CalMac…

16 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which (a) domestic, (b) UK and (c) international shipowners Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd has contacted since January 2020, in pursuit of additional tonnage to increase resilience and capacity on Clyde and Hebrides ferry services.

Answer · Graeme Dey: CMAL employ a number of shipbrokers in their continuing search for second hand tonnage and engage closely with CalMac Ferries Ltd. In 2020 and up to 31 May 2021, CMAL assessed 133 vessels for possible suitability to operate on Scottish Government ferry routes…

16 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with CalMac, regarding the extension of collective bargaining agreements with (a) RMT and (b) Nautilus International, to cover all crew members on ferries chartered to increase capacity on the contract for Clyde and Hebrides ferry services.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Collective bargaining agreements are a matter for CalMac, its employees and the recognised trades unions. In the case of any additional ferries secured by CalMac through a “time charter”, the crews of these vessels are not employed by CalMac and are not cover…

16 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) value and (b) full potential duration is of the time charter agreement that it has signed with Pentland Ferries Ltd for the MV Pentalina, for services on contracted Clyde and Hebrides routes.

Answer · Graeme Dey: No agreement has been signed between CalMac and Pentland Ferries as commercial discussions are still taking place  

16 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what advice it took from members of the Ferry Industry Advisory Group on (a) chartering additional ferry capacity, and (b) time chartering the MV Pentalina from Pentland Ferries on the Clyde and Hebrides routes operation, which is under contract with CalMac Ferries.

Answer · Graeme Dey: No specific advice has been sought from, or provided by, the Ferry Industry Advisory Group regarding (a) chartering additional ferry capacity, and (b) time chartering the MV Pentalina from Pentland Ferries on the Clyde and Hebrides routes operation. Transpor…

16 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) passenger and (b) vehicle carrying capacity is of vessels that are leased by CalMac, on routes where the MV Pentalina has been time chartered to provide relief capacity.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The maximum passenger and vehicle carrying capacity of the vessels in the CalMac fleet that normally operate the routes they will consider deploying the MV Pentalina on, if chartered, are detailed in the following table. Vessel Passenger Capacity Vehicle C…