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-08018

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 18 May 2022

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.

Question reference: S6W-08020

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 18 May 2022

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.

Question reference: S6W-07946

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 18 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many meetings it had with trade unions, staff representatives and passenger or transport groups between December 2019 and March 2022 in relation to the nationalisation of Scotland’s railways.

Between December 2019 to March 2022 Transport Scotland undertook regular meetings with trade unions, staff representatives and passenger/transport groups at which the subject of ScotRail services moving to a Scottish Government owned operator i.e. ScotRail Trains Limited from 1 April 2022 would have been discussed.

The former Minister for Transport, Mr Dey, met with the collective Rail Trade Unions twice and individually with them once, with the exception of RMT who declined to meet at the time. There was a third collective meeting schedule to take place on the day Mr Dey resigned.

I have had one collective Rail Trade Unions meeting and have held five individual meetings with Trade Union representatives. Public ownership was discussed at all these meetings along with other issues such as pay negotiations and industrial relations for example.

The former Minister for Transport also met with Transport Focus and I met with Transport Focus on 21 April where I provided an update on the transition from Abellio ScotRail to ScotRail Trains Ltd.

Question reference: S6W-08340

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 May 2022

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 renewables in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-07949

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings its ministers or officials had with management representatives at Glasgow Prestwick Airport between December 2019 and March 2022 in relation to the nationalisation of Scotland’s railways, and whether any conclusions or lessons from these meetings will be published.

Prestwick Airport Station is owned by Prestwick Airport therefore it is not operated by ScotRail albeit passenger services do call there. Therefore, while Ministers and aviation officials routinely engage with representatives of Glasgow Prestwick Airport, discussions did not centre on ScotRail coming into public sector control at any point, including the period December 2019 and March 2022.

During this timeframe there was, however, appropriate consideration by Transport Scotland and ScotRail in the context of the transition from Abellio ScotRail to ScotRail Trains Ltd.

Question reference: S6O-01103

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 May 2022

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

Question reference: S6W-08118

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 10 May 2022

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 projects that it will exceed this budget; whether "delivery of the scheme itself" has now commenced, and when it anticipates the completion of the junction.

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 of a package of additional investment alongside, but separate to, the Aberdeen City Region Deal, as such it is being taken forward under the Scottish Government’s Motorways and Trunk Roads Capital Land and Works budget. The cost estimate will continue to be updated as the scheme design develops and progresses through the statutory procedures.

Further to the answer to question S6W-02821 on 23 September 2021, Transport Scotland continues to work with objectors, including Aberdeenshire Council, to resolve concerns where possible, however, should Transport Scotland be unsuccessful in removing all objections a public local inquiry may be required as part of the necessary statutory procedures. As with all trunk road projects this is the appropriate forum for considering objections received and not withdrawn.

Delivery of the scheme itself can only commence if it is approved under the relevant statutory procedures, at which point a timetable for its progress can be set.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-07977

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 10 May 2022

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.

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, such as the topic of ScotRail services being brought under Scottish Government ownership on 1 April 2022, have been discussed.

I personally met with the Chief Constable of BTP UK, Lucy D’Orsi, on 31 March and we discussed this matter along with several other topics.

Question reference: S6W-07950

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 9 May 2022

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.

Question reference: S6W-07947

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 9 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what studies or analysis it undertook of publicly-owned railways in other countries between December 2019 and March 2022, and whether the results of these will be published.