Questions and answers

Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for ��˿�� to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-11381

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 26 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide to households to use alternative transport methods to the car, in light of the cost of living crisis and the increase in fuel prices.

The Scottish Government is committed to finding ways to make sustainable travel modes more attractive, and supporting people to take fewer journeys by car. We recognise that accessible and reliable public transport services, as well as active travel options, can alleviate stresses on household incomes, as well as support our climate ambitions.

We are providing over £2.1 billion investment in bus services and infrastructure over the rest of this parliament. This financial year, we are forecasting spend of up to £300m to enable over 2 million people to travel by bus for free with the Young Persons Free Bus scheme which, in addition to other concessionary schemes, means that we are providing up to 50% of the population with access to free bus travel across Scotland. Rail fares will also be frozen until at least March 2023 and there are a number of schemes on offer for discounted rail travel such as Kids for a Quid and railcards giving around 1/3 off many fares.

The route map to achieving a 20% reduction in car km by 2030, published in January, sets out how we will support people to reduce their car use. For those who have access to a car, but are struggling with the costs of fuel, the route map interventions aim to support them to reduce the number of trips or the distances they need to drive by car, thereby saving them money, as well as supporting their health and wellbeing.

In the 2022 Programme for Government the Scottish Government set out immediate steps this government will take to help families and businesses to get through the cost of living crisis, outlining our ambition to create a better future beyond the immediate crisis. This includes a transport initiative to test a new mobility and scrappage scheme to help low income households to replace a polluting vehicle with the means to travel sustainably. It will be targeted to car-owning low income households and provide up to £1,000 per household of mobility credits for more sustainable options including the purchase of assets such as bikes or e-bikes and sustainable travel vouchers for bus, car clubs, and taxis.

Question reference: S6W-11220

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10865 by Jenny Gilruth on 23 September 2022, whether the Minister for Transport has contacted the British Transport Police about the enforcement of the alcohol ban on ScotRail trains, and, if this is the case, (a) on what dates and (b) by what method.

Question reference: S6O-01445

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered all the implications of a border between an independent Scotland and England.

Question reference: S6W-11221

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 14 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's fiscal statement on 23 September 2022, when it will publish the draft Budget (Scotland) Bill 2023-24.

Question reference: S6W-10695

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of what projects the Bus Partnership Fund will be supporting.

Question reference: S6W-10860

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the decision was taken to extend the alcohol ban on all ScotRail trains.

As a publicly owned and controlled railway, it is important that ScotRail plays its part in delivering Scottish Government ambitions for its success. As part of that, ScotRail quite rightly reviewed the ban on alcohol and brought forward proposals for consideration.

Given the diversity of views on the sale and consumption of alcohol on ScotRail services, consideration of its reintroduction will form part of the National Conversation on Rail. This will enable a wide range of views to be taken into account before any final decision is made. In the meantime, everyone needs to be mindful that, while many of the pandemic restrictions have been lifted, Covid hasn’t gone away and the Scottish Government’s advisory guidance remains in place.

Question reference: S6W-10693

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what share of the £500 million long-term investment to deliver targeted bus priority measures on local and trunk roads, announced as part of its response to the climate emergency, has been allocated to the Bus Partnership Fund.

Question reference: S6W-10694

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much money has been spent from the Bus Partnership Fund to date.

£25.8m has been allocated to date through the Bus Partnership Fund (BPF) and has been awarded to support local authorities, in partnership with bus operators and Regional Transport Partnerships, to deliver bus priority infrastructure.

Funding has been awarded through the BPF for Partnerships to undertake the projects outlined in Table 1 below. The approach in the first year of the Fund was to deliver infrastructure already identified that could be constructed in the short term. This includes making permanent previously temporary projects that Transport Scotland funded to help passengers and operators during Covid through our Bus Priority Rapid Deployment Fund (BPRDF).

Given the limited number of projects that were ready to implement we also provided funding for business development in the form of Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) studies and Outline Business Cases (OBC). This essential work will enable Partnerships to identify more projects that provide the most benefit for passengers, businesses and communities across Scotland while ensuring value for money.

Table 1: Bus Partnership Fund awarded projects as at September 2022

Partnership	Project Description
Fife Bus Partnership ‎ (Central North East Fife)	Leven and Kirkcaldy - Permanence of Bus Priority Rapid Deployment Fund (BPRDF) projects
	Cupar to Kirkcaldy Corridor – Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) study
	Cupar to Kirkcaldy Corridor – Outline Business Case (OBC)*
	Glenrothes to Leven corridor - STAG
	Glenrothes to Leven corridor - OBC*
	St Andrews to Kirkcaldy corridor - STAG
	St Andrews to Kirkcaldy corridor - OBC*
Fife Bus Partnership ‎ (West Fife)	Carnegie Drive, Dunfermline - Permanence of BPRDF projects
	Cowdenbeath to Kincardine - STAG
	Cowdenbeath to Kincardine - OBC*
	Dunfermline to Ferrytoll - STAG
	Dunfermline to Ferrytoll - OBC*
Tayside Bus Alliance	Bus priority corridors - STAG to evaluate 20 corridors
North East Bus Alliance	North Corridor (Ellon to Gathdee) - STAG
	North Corridor - OBC*
	North West Corridor (Inverurie to Aberdeen) - STAG
	North West Corridor - OBC*
	West Corridor (Westhill to Aberdeen) - STAG
	West Corridor - OBC*
	South Corridor (Stonehaven to Aberdeen) - STAG
	South Corridor - OBC*
	City Centre - STAG
	City Centre - OBC*
	Aberdeen Rapid Transit - STAG
	Aberdeen Rapid Transit - OBC*
	South College Street - Improvement works
Glasgow Bus Partnership	Hope Street - Upgrade to a bus avenue
	Howard Street - Improved waiting areas and placemaking
	Paisley Town Centre - Junction Improvements for bus priority
	Paisley Road West - STAG
	Maryhill Road - STAG
	Dumbarton Road - STAG
	Pollokshaws Road - STAG
	Great Western Road - STAG
	Wider Bus Strategy - STAG
Forth Valley Bus Alliance	Stirling to Falkirk - STAG
	Glasgow Road - STAG
	Grahams Road - STAG
	A9/A872 - STAG
	A908/B9096 - STAG
Edinburgh and South East Scotland	Bus Strategy - STAG
	North Corridor - OBC*
	West Corridor - OBC*
	Orbital Routes - OBC*
	Orbital Routes - Rationalising bus stops
	A1 Bus Lanes - Permanence of BPRDF projects
	A90 Bus Lanes - Permanence of BPRDF projects
	A89 Eastbound Bus Lane - Permanence of BPRDF project
	A8 Westbound Bus Lane - Permanence of BPRDF project
	A71 Hermiston Park & Ride signals for bus egress - Permanence of BPRDF projects
	Newcraighall/Kaimes/Gilmerton Bus Lanes - Permanence of BPRDF projects
	Melville Dykes/Hillhead Junction - Permanence of BPRDF projects
	Musselburgh and Prestonpans - Permanence of BPRDF projects
Ayrshire Bus Partnership	Two Urban Traffic Control extensions on Three Towns Corridor to prioritise buses
	Feasibility study - Pennyburn Roundabout bus lane extension
	Feasibility study - John Finnie Street prioritisation signals
Highland BSIP ‎ (Inverness)	Completion of BPRDF Rose Street Bus Link
	Raigmore - Bus gate
	Rose Street - Bus lane enforcement camera
	Barn Church Road - Bus lane
	Millburn Road - STAG appraisal
	Millburn Road - OBC/Design*
	B9006 - STAG appraisal
	City Centre - Traffic light bus prioritisation for cross-city routes
	A82 between Shore Street and Rose Street - STAG
	North Kessock – STAG
	North Kessock - OBC/design*
Highland BSIP ‎ (Fort William)	Blar Mhor - Bus-only link between health centre and new residential development
	Upper Achintore - Bus-only link between new residential development and Lochaber Road
	Fort William STAG
Argyll & Bute	Oban Signalised Junctions for bus priority
Argyll & Bute	George Street/Dunollie Road - Consultation, Traffic Regulation Orders and Delivery
Midlothian	STAG for: A6094 Whitecraig-A6094 Eskbank ‎ B6392 Eskbank to A772 Gilmerton Junction ‎ A7 Gorebridge to A7 Danderhall ‎ A6094 Eskbank to A701 Straiton
West Lothian	STAG for: Alderstone Road: Physical priority, bus priority signals, revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, junction modifications
	Almondvale: Bus priority, junction modifications, parking controls
	Deans: Bus priority, revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, junction modifications, parking controls
	Knightsridge: Revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements
	Ladywell: Revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, junction modifications
	Craigshill: Revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements
	Dedridge: Revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements
	Civic Centre: Junction modifications
	Kirkton Campus: Bus priority signals, revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, junction modifications
	A705: Physical bus priority, bus priority signals, revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, junction modifications
	Bathgate / Boghall: Physical bus priority, bus priority signals, revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, junction modifications, parking controls
	A89 west of Bathgate: Bus priority signals, parking controls
	Harthill / Whitburn: Bus priority signals, revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, parking controls
	A7066/B792 Interchange: Junction modifications
	Uphall / Broxburn: Bus priority signals, revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, junction modifications, parking controls

* subject to approval to proceed from previous stage

Question reference: S6W-10859

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 26 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the consequences are for passengers who consume alcohol and breach the ban on ScotRail trains.

Question reference: S6W-10864

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how the alcohol ban on ScotRail trains is enforced, and who it is enforced by.