Liam Kerr

17 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many complaints from (a) passengers and (b) staff were received by ScotRail services between 1 and 30 April 2022, broken down by the reason for the complaint.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The number of passenger complaints received by ScotRail, through their official complaints process, is set out on the following table for the period 1 and 30 April 2022. The complaints may involve accidents that occurred before 1 April 2022. The average reco…

17 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on travel expenses for ministers, civil servants or other staff to travel on Edinburgh’s trams network, in each year since 2014.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Edinburgh Tram tickets can be purchased in three ways: centrally via the Travel Management Team; via electronic procurement card (ePC); or the cost claimed back via a Travel and Subsistence (T&S) expenses claim. The total costs for Lothian Bus/Tram tickets ar…

17 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much compensation Transport Scotland has paid to motorists and businesses for vehicle damage sustained on Scotland’s trunk road network, and on which trunk roads these incidents occurred, in each of the last five years.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Under the terms of their contracts, our Operating Companies have indemnified Scottish Ministers against claims of damage. As such they are liable for all claims and associated costs made in relation to road defects, and are required to deal directly with clai…

17 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many vehicles are currently in its fleet, including its agencies, broken down by the number of (a) electric, (b) hybrid, (c) diesel and (d) petrol vehicles.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government hold central records for its own and Transport Scotland’s fleet. A breakdown is provided in the following table. Fuel type Number on fleet Electric vehicle (EV) 52 Range extender electric (REV) 5 Plug in hybrid electric vehicle …

17 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of businesses and projects which have received money from the Scottish National Investment Bank, since it was established, specifically with the aim of helping Scotland meet its net zero targets.

Answer · Kate Forbes: Since the Scottish National Investment Bank opened for business in November 2020 it has committed £206.9 million in 16 investments in line with its strategic missions. Details of the each of the Bank’s investments, including the alignment to missions, are pu…

12 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the recommendations in the report of Independent Review of the Role of Incineration in the Waste Hierarchy in Scotland it has already adopted, and how many it is planning to adopt.

Answer · Lorna Slater: We are carefully considering the recommendations of the Independent Review of the Role of Incineration in Scotland’s Waste Hierarchy. We will set out our initial response to the recommendations in June 2022.

12 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to report greenhouse gas emissions from incineration separately from other energy-related emissions.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Official Statistics on Scottish greenhouse gas emissions are published annually ( Scottish Greenhouse Gas statistics: 1990-2019 ) and are based on a disaggregation of the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory, overseen by the UK Government Department for Business, En…

12 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will develop an incentive gap, that declines over time, for the amount of residual waste treatment as Scotland transitions towards a fully circular economy.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The recently published report of the Independent Review of the Role of Incineration in the Waste Hierarchy recommends that the Scottish Government should develop an indicative cap that declines over time for the amount of residual waste treatment needed as Sc…

12 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to help local authorities ensure that they have a solution to waste management, in light of its plans to ban all non-household biodegradable waste from entering landfill by 2025.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Scottish Ministers have committed to ending the practice of landfilling biodegradable municipal waste by 2025. In the update to our Climate Change Plan, we also committed to extend the ban to include biodegradable non-municipal waste, subject to appropriate c…

12 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with (a) industry and (b) local authorities regarding making data from waste, particularly for incineration, more transparent and accessible to stakeholders.

Answer · Lorna Slater: We are carefully considering all recommendations made in the report on the Independent Review of the Role of Incineration in the Waste Hierarchy, and will set out our initial response in June. This includes the recommendation that industry, local authorities …

12 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has done with (a) industry and (b) local authorities to develop a strategic approach to planning and developing waste collection, reprocessing and management facilities.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The recently published report on the Review of the Role of Incineration in the Waste Hierarchy recommends that Scottish Government and local authorities should work with industry to develop a strategic approach to planning and deploying waste collection, repr…

10 May 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether, following the UK Government’s launch of a seafood exports fund, it will launch a Scottish seafood fund.

27 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-07520 by Michael Matheson on 25 April 2022, whether it will provide the information requested in the final part of the question regarding by when it plans to replace the 20.3% of nuclear-generated energy in Scotland with energy generated by renewabl…

Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07520. 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-committees/written-questio…

27 Apr 2022 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the A96 dualling project.

19 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02823 by Kate Forbes on 24 September 2021, how much of the "up to £10 million" that was committed to help extend digital infrastructure across the City Deal region and the City Network Extension project has been spent; what precisely has been achiev…

Answer · Kate Forbes: The Memorandum of Understanding for additional investment in the Aberdeen City Region allows for up to £10 million of funding to help extend digital infrastructure across the region. To date £5 million of this funding has been spent. £2 million was invested …

19 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02823 by Kate Forbes on 24 September 2021, whether the "rail improvement project" referred to has concluded option selection, in light of it being "on course to conclude option selection by early" in 2022, and what the options are that are being sel…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The package of enhancements identified by the project team for taking forward is currently being reviewed by Network Rail’s operations team for Scotland. It comprises signal enhancements, improvements to station approaches and specific capacity alterations to…

19 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02823 by Kate Forbes on 24 September 2021, how much of the £24 million for a new grade separated junction at the Laurencekirk A90/A937 south junction has been spent; whether this represents the entire budget for upgrading the junction; whether it pr…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I can confirm that the Scottish Government has spent £2.95m to date on essential design and preparation work on the proposed £24m grade separated junction at Laurencekirk. As confirmed in answer to question S5W-25043 on ? 20 September 2019, the scheme is part…

19 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02823 by Kate Forbes on 24 September 2021, what the deliverables are of the rail improvement project that will be completed by the end of 2026.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The deliverables of the rail improvement project expected to be completed by the end of 2026 will be a capability which will facilitate, subject to changing travel behaviours, timetable and stopping pattern choices, the following options: ? an average journe…

19 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02823 by Kate Forbes on 24 September 2021, whether any eligible housing infrastructure projects have since been submitted as part of the £20 million indicative allocation referred to in the 2016 agreement, and, if not, what has happened to the £20 m…

Answer · Shona Robison: A number of City Region Deals include elements of housing infrastructure that is required to unlock wider housing delivery and regional growth ambitions including a notional £20m joint allocation for Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils. It is the respons…

11 Apr 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association’s announcement that criminal solicitors will no longer take on court appointments for those accused, without lawyers, who are not allowed to represent themselves.

7 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many GP practices in each NHS board have used the Golden Hello scheme, and how much funding has it provided under this scheme since it was introduced.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government does not hold this information: Health Boards are responsible for making Golden Hello payments to eligible GPs. Health Boards make these payments from their shares of the wider Primary Medical Services allocation which covers all paym…

7 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the latest projections for the total costs of the (a) Baird Family Hospital and (b) ANCHOR Centre at NHS Grampian, and the expected completion dates of each.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Baird and ANCHOR project forms part of the Scottish Government's ongoing commitment to renew and improve NHS facilities and is forecast to cost £233.2 million, in line with the approved business case. The ANCHOR Centre is expected to be brought into oper…

7 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) GP practices have used and (b) GPs have been recruited under the Golden Hello scheme in Aberdeen since the scheme was introduced.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government does not hold this information: Health Boards are responsible for making Golden Hello payments to eligible GPs.

5 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to establish a Housing Net Zero Technical Steering Group, in line with the recommendation by the Zero Emissions Social Housing Taskforce (ZEST).

Answer · Patrick Harvie: As covered in the response to S6W-07980 on 26 April 2022, the Scottish Government’s response to the Zero Emissions Social Housing Taskforce report will be published after the Scottish Local government elections. The response will address the recommendation of…

5 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will respond to the Zero Emissions Social Housing Taskforce report.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Scottish Government’s response to the Zero Emissions Social Housing Taskforce Report will be published after the Scottish local government elections.

5 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will announce its review of the second Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing, in light of the reported need for certainty for social landlords to be able to plan for the required transition to net zero emissions.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: As covered in the response to S6W-07980 on 26 April 2022, the Scottish Government’s response to the Zero Emissions Social Housing Taskforce report will be published after the Scottish Local government elections. The response will address the review of Energy …

5 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to commission a sector capacity assessment of the estimated net cost of the energy transition in the social housing sector, in line with the recommendation by the Zero Emissions Social Housing Taskforce, and if it does, by when it will do so.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: As covered in the response to S6W-07980, the Scottish Government’s response to the Zero Emissions Social Housing Taskforce report will be published after the Scottish local government elections. The response will address the recommendation of commissioning a …

4 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many meetings it had with the British Transport Police between December 2019 and March 2022 in relation to the nationalisation of Scotland’s railways.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Transport Scotland officials and Scottish Ministers have regular engagement with British Transport Police (BTP). These have included meetings with the new Chief Constable BTP UK and the Chief Superintendent D Division BTP Scotland where topical rail issues, s…

4 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on removing the Abellio logo and name from livery, documentation and other parts of the train and rail infrastructure.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-04742 on 13 December 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…

4 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many outstanding rail passenger compensation claims it is responsible for, as a result of Abellio no longer being responsible for them, broken down by the year in which they were made, and what the total amount of live compensation claims is.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Up until and including the 31 March 2022 Abellio ScotRail had 2,019 outstanding rail passenger compensation claims, representing a claim value of £9,550. Abellio ScotRail will settle all of these claims. From 1 April 2022, ScotRail Trains Limited is respons…