- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of the increase in public subsidy that would be required if Serco Caledonian Sleepers Ltd exercised the rebasing option in the franchise agreement from April 2022 onwards.
Answer
Any such analysis would depend on the written proposals submitted by Serco Caledonian Sleepers Ltd, in the event it elected to exercise the contractual rebasing option after 1 April 2022.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government under what circumstances would it be necessary to transfer operation of the Caledonian Sleeper franchise to the Operator of Last Resort.
Answer
Transport Scotland on behalf of Scottish Ministers has contingency arrangements in place for Operator of Last Resort which could be mobilised in the event a Franchise agreement is terminated or otherwise comes to an end and no further franchise agreement has been entered into, in line with the Scottish Ministers’ duty under Section 30 of the Railways Act 1993.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it anticipates extending the Caledonian Sleeper franchise Emergency Measures Agreement beyond 31 March 2022 and, if so, what does it anticipate would be the duration of any extension.
Answer
The Emergency Measures Agreement, which temporarily varied the terms of the franchise agreement with Serco Caledonian Sleepers Ltd, will expire on 28 February 2022.
A prior information notice (a technical measure that stems from the relevant procurement regulation) was issued in February 2021 to preserve the Scottish Government’s ability to award a temporary measures agreement from March 2022 should it be necessary at that stage to continue emergency measures type support. As the scale and pace of recovery from the impact of the pandemic remains uncertain, the need for such an award, and the duration of any award, is being kept under review.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, with reference to the Prior Information Notice (PIN) issued by Transport Scotland on 26 February 2021 in relation to the Caledonian Sleeper franchise, whether it anticipates issuing a direct award of a Temporary Measures Agreement to Serco Caledonian Sleepers Ltd as is provided for in the PIN and, if so, what does it anticipate would be the duration of the direct award, and what analysis has it undertaken of the comparative costs of running the franchise under a direct award of a Temporary Measures Agreement to Serco Caledonian Sleepers Ltd or by the Operator of Last Resort.
Answer
The PIN was issued in February 2021 to preserve the Scottish Government’s ability to award a temporary measures agreement from March 2022 should it be necessary at that stage to continue emergency measures type support. As the scale and pace of recovery from the impact of the pandemic remains uncertain, the need for such an award, and the duration of any award, is being kept under review.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what provision it has made for the Operator of Last Resort to run the Caledonian Sleeper franchise should the current operator no longer be able to continue to do so.
Answer
Transport Scotland has well developed contingency plans in place, which could be mobilised in the event we are required to ensure continuity of rail services as an Operator of Last Resort.
We do not anticipate having to activate those contingency plans.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it anticipates serving a Termination Notice to Serco Caledonian Sleepers Ltd should the company choose to exercise the rebasing option in the franchise agreement.
Answer
Whether rebasing proposals are submitted after 1 April 2022 is a matter for Serco Caledonian Sleepers Ltd to consider and decide upon. Any proposals received in due course would be carefully considered. We can express no view on the possible outcome of any rebasing process.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of the costs of combining the Caledonian Sleeper franchise with the ScotRail franchise so that they are managed together by the Operator of Last Resort.
Answer
As there are no current plans to deploy Operator of Last Resort arrangements for the Caledonian Sleeper Franchise, spending public money on analysing the costs of doing so would not represent good value.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether returning the operation of the Caledonian Sleeper franchise to the terms of the original franchise agreement after 31 March 2022, once the current Emergency Measures Agreement expires, could lead to a default on payment or termination of the contract.
Answer
The current Emergency Measures Agreement has been extended until the 28 February 2022. A prior information notice (a technical measure that stems from the relevant procurement regulation) was issued in February 2021 to preserve the Scottish Government’s ability to award a temporary measures agreement from March 2022 should it be necessary at that stage to continue emergency measures type support.
In advance of the expiry of the current Emergency Measures Agreement, the Scottish Government will consider the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in the context of the Sleeper franchise and review the need for any temporary measures agreement.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) tenants and (b) owner-occupiers who live in high-rise blocks with (i) high pressure laminate and (ii) aluminium composite panel cladding are members of the ministerial working group on building and fire safety.
Answer
No tenants or owner occupiers of high rise flats with high pressure laminate or aluminium composite materials are on the ministerial working group on building and fire safety. The Cladding Program stakeholder group does include an owner-occupier representative.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government by what date it expects remediation work on high-rise buildings with cladding that does not meet safety standards to be completed, to bring the buildings in line with safety standards.
Answer
We do not expect the vast majority of buildings in Scotland to require remediation and the Single Building Assessment programme will give us the information to establish timescales for those that do.