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The known advertised salary for a ScotRail conductor in 2016-17 is £29,459 per annum. The second person grade or position is not publicly available at this time.

Based on information provided by ScotRail, 91,686 assisted travel bookings have been made since April 2015 up to and including May 2016. Of this number, based on ScotRail data, 91,439 (just over 99.7%) customer received assistance. ScotRail advise that passenger assistance is apportioned to stations and not trains, although actual assistance can be provided at a station or on a train.

Due to commercial confidentiality these values cannot be currently disclosed.

During the last year of SQUIRE audits (from June 2015) the following results were returned.

Ìý	Ìý	Trains audited	Fails recorded	%
2015-16	Period 3	186	2	1.075
2015-16	Period 4	187	1	0.535
2015-16	Period 5	187	0	0.000
2015-16	Period 6	178	0	0.000
2015-16	Period 7	185	1	0.541
2015-16	Period 8	180	4	2.222
2015-16	Period 9	179	5	2.793
2015-16	Period 10	183	3	1.639
2015-16	Period 11	192	0	0.000
2015-16	Period 12	187	3	1.604
2015-16	Period 13	177	0	0.000
2016-17	Period 1	191	2	1.047
2016-17	Period 2	193	0	0.000
2016-17	Period 3	191	3	1.571

ScotRail has a franchise commitment to ‘use all reasonable endeavours to maintain a minimum staffing level for every train service of two members of staff’.

Transport Scotland through the service quality incentive regime, inspect approximately 180 services per four weekly period. Two aspects are audited for on train staff.

One aspect covers train staff and customer care on the trains. This includes ‘general provision of customer care duties including provision of information to passengers and helping hand assistance’ and also ‘taking appropriate measures to deal with unruly behaviour by any passengers’.

The minimum threshold level for this schedule is 90%, and if exceeded the maximum financial penalty for this schedule is £10,800.

The other is specifically for ticket inspections on trains. Where for ‘each train there shall be a person whose duties shall include revenue protection comprising inspection of tickets, issuing of tickets to persons not in possession of a valid tickets and collection of revenue’.

The minimum threshold level for this schedule is 95%, and if reached the maximum financial penalty for this schedule is £50,000.

The Scottish Government, via our national transport agency (Transport Scotland) meet frequently with ScotRail to monitor their performance in the delivery of the franchise agreement. Minutes of the four weekly franchise performance meeting can be found in the public register on Transport Scotland’s website.

Through the franchise the Scottish Government requires ScotRail to consult with passengers across a number of stakeholder forums.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-00881 on 6 July 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:

This is an operational decision for ScotRail.

We have not been advised by ScotRail of the direct financial impact to them of potential reduced ticket sales during industrial action.

The franchise agreement between Scottish Ministers and Abellio ScotRail contains a clause which allows the Scottish Government to consider compensating the franchisee for lost revenues, if applied for by ScotRail. Scottish Ministers ensured in the new contract that before a decision is made on any representation from ScotRail, Ministers must take account of the views of key stakeholders, such as passenger focus and employee representatives in the event of industrial action.

We have not received an approach from ScotRail in relation to this clause.