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: S5W-01679

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01080 by Humza Yousaf on 15 July 2016, whether it will provide a breakdown of the fines incurred for each failure.

Question reference: S5W-01681

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01078 by Humza Yousaf on 15 July 2016, for what reasons the service quality incentive regime does not include the safety-critical operational duties of a second member of crew on driver-control operated routes.

Both Ticket Examiners and Conductors have identical passenger facing duties which are audited within SQUIRE (Service Quality Inspection Reporting Regime) under Schedule 33 and 36. The SQUIRE regime focuses on monitoring the performance of the franchisee from a passenger’s perspective with particular reference to front line customer service provision. Railway safety is a UK level reserved matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to manage across the UK. I recently wrote to the ORR for specific reassurance in a Scottish context that driver controlled trains are a safe method of operation. I have subsequently received that assurance from the rail regulator's Director of Railway Safety.

Question reference: S5W-01688

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with (a) the UK Government and (b) Network Rail regarding the extension of driver-controlled operations on ScotRail services.

Transport Scotland meets regularly with a range of industry stakeholders including Network Rail and the Department of Transport to discuss a range of topics including industrial relations issues. The Minister for Transport and Islands has also recently had a number of discussions with both the RMT and the ScotRail Alliance to encourage both parties to continue to talk in order to find an operational solution.

Question reference: S5W-01683

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01080 by Humza Yousaf on 15 July 2016, how many services breached the minimum threshold for (a) the provision of customer care and (b) ticket inspection by staff in each four-weekly reporting period since June 2015, also broken down by the fines incurred.

With regard to (a) I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-01080 on 15 July 2016 and S5W-01679 on 22 August 2016. (b)Ticket Inspections on Train

��	��	Trains audited	Fails recorded	Penalty
2015-16	Period 3	186	2	��
2015-16	Period 4	187	1	��
2015-16	Period 5	187	1	��
2015-16	Period 6	178	2	��
2015-16	Period 7	185	1	��
2015-16	Period 8	180	4	��
2015-16	Period 9	179	5	-£2,000
2015-16	Period 10	183	4	��
2015-16	Period 11	192	1	��
2015-16	Period 12	187	3	��
2015-16	Period 13	197	0	��
2016-17	Period 1	191	3	��
2016-17	Period 2	193	0	��
2016-17	Period 3	191	3	-£473

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:

Question reference: S5W-01682

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01080 by Humza Yousaf on 15 July 2016, how it assesses the endeavours to maintain the minimum staffing level.

Question reference: S5W-01689

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the payments made under the Schedule 8 scheme by Network Rail to ScotRail for disruption to services in each year since 2008.

Question reference: S5W-01053

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 26 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how the introduction by ScotRail of class 385 trains configured for driver-only operation will impact on disabled people and whether these services will be compliant with the operator's obligation to make all reasonable endeavours to assist disabled people.

Question reference: S5W-01074

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 26 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact that driver-only operated trains have on (a) revenue protection and (b) antisocial behaviour on ScotRail services.

Transport Scotland oversees the Abellio ScotRail franchise contract, on behalf of the Scottish Government, and specifies the performance levels that ScotRail should meet.

ScotRail is responsible for providing the specified services and all other functions necessary to support the delivery of train services required of an experienced train operator including operation of the train services, and all customer related services including revenue protection, and taking appropriate measures to deal with unruly behaviour by any passengers, so far as is reasonably practicable in the absence of police assistance, and calling for police assistance when required. Transport Scotland does not have any day to day involvement in this.

Also, Driver Only Operation is a misnomer in the Scottish context. As a key requirement of the existing contract ScotRail is obliged to use all reasonable endeavours to;

Have a second member of staff on each service it operates

Ensure that on each passenger there are sufficient staff whose duties include general provision of customer care duties including provision of information to passengers and ‘helping hand’ assistance to adults with small children and infirm, elderly and disabled passengers who may require such assistance.

This is audited via Transport Scotland’s Service Quality Incentive Regime.

The number of anti-social behaviour offences recorded by British Transport Police in 2015-16 was 1,404, compared to 1,498 in the previous year. This is a reduction of 6%.

Question reference: S5W-01092

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on using the break clause in the ScotRail franchise agreement to allow for consideration to be given for a public sector bid to provide the service, and what (a) preparations and (b) discussions its officials have had regarding this.

<>The Scottish Government enters into all contracts in good faith and it will honour the terms of the existing ScotRail franchise contract, which commenced on 1 April 2015, a year before new powers were granted under the Scotland Act that enable a public sector operator to bid for a rail franchise. Preparatory work is underway by officials to enable a public sector body to be able to do so. ScotRail's programme in meeting its contracted obligations are kept under review and monitored closely.

Question reference: S5W-01086

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on ScotRail increasing the number of driver-only operated passenger services.

<>Scottish Ministers do not set ScotRail’s operational policy. We look to the railway, the operator and unions to arrive at a safe, efficient customer focused solution. The term ‘driver only operation’ is a misnomer in the Scottish context, A key requirement of the franchise agreement is that the franchisee uses all reasonable endeavours to have a second member of staff on board each service it operates.