Thursday 4 January 2018

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT

Education, Communities and Justice Liam Kerr (North East ) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government whether will offer a similar service to the British Transport Police 61016 text number for reporting crime after it assumes responsibility for railway policing. (S5W-13317) Humza Yousaf: This is an operational matter for Police Scotland.

Liam Kerr (North East Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in implementing the recommendation in the report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland, Strategic overview of British Transport Police in Scotland including the proposed transfer to Police Scotland, that (a) performance measures specific to railway policing should be monitored up to and beyond the point of the transfer, (b) additional performance measures specifically relating to the transfer should be developed, (c) a railway policing workforce strategy should be developed, (d) a detailed analysis of the benefits, disbenefits and risks of the transfer should be carried out, and (e) the Scottish Police Authority should explore how it can secure expertise in the rail industry or in railway policy among its board members. (S5W-13359) Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government is working closely with other partners on the Joint Programme Board to consider the key findings of HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland's report.

Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the possible (a) advantages, (b) disadvantages and (c) costs of the proposed merger of British Transport Police and Police Scotland. (S5W-13414) Humza Yousaf: The benefits of integration were identified in the Policy Memorandum to the Railway Policing (Scotland) Bill: - ensuring that railway policing in Scotland is accountable, through the Chief Constable and the SPA, to the people of Scotland; - enhancing railway policing in Scotland through direct access to the specialist resources of Police Scotland; - future-proofing the infrastructure policing model in Scotland against changes that may arise from the review of infrastructure policing in England and Wales.

Alongside the Policy Memorandum, the Scottish Government published a report compiled by an independent research company that summarised the views of respondents to the Scottish Government consultation, including benefits and disbenefits. The Financial Memorandum set out projected costs associated with the Bill. The Joint Programme Board which is overseeing the programme has continued to develop its understanding of benefits, risks and costs as more detailed work on integration has progressed.

Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government whether the (a) terms and conditions and (b) pensions of British Transport Police officers will be affected by the merger with Police Scotland. (S5W-13415) Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government has given clear assurances in Parliament that the terms and conditions, pay and pensions of British Transport Police officers and staff will be the same as they are currently, or that an equivalent level of benefit will be provided to ensure transfer takes place on a no-detriment basis.

Transport Scotland Mike Rumbles (North East Scotland) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what was the annual net (a) income, (b) expenditure and (c) profit has been each year under the current ScotRail franchise, and what the estimated figure is for 2017-18. (S5W-13271) Humza Yousaf: The current ScotRail Franchise made a profit of £9,519k for the 9 months of 2015 (Income of £485,703k, and Total Expenditure of £476,184k) and a loss of £3,370k for the full year of 2016 (Income of £610,118k, and Total Expenditure of £613,488k). Figures for 2017 or 2018 are not yet available.

Mike Rumbles (North East Scotland) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government how many passenger journeys there have been each year under the current ScotRail franchise, and what the estimated figure is for 2017-18. (S5W-13272) Humza Yousaf: With respect to the number of passenger journeys in each year (2015-16; 2016-17) under the current ScotRail franchise, this information is available on-line, at the ORR Data Portal. While the Scottish Government has sighted estimates for patronage within ScotRail’s Business Plan for 2017-18, this information is classified as commercially confidential, until the final patronage figures are confirmed and published. We would expect the patronage result for 2017-18 to be published in mid-2018.

Mike Rumbles (North East Scotland) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether ScotRail should be a profit-making franchise. (S5W-13273) Humza Yousaf: The structure of rail franchising in the UK as determined by the Railways Act 1993 and as amended by the Railway Act 2005, recognises the right of the Franchisee to make profit. However, profit is not guaranteed for ScotRail, they must manage the services and meet our highly specified service requirements efficiently and effectively to make the profit they have forecast and where they do not, they will make much less, or a loss. The Scottish Government ensured that the Franchisee is prevented from making excessive profits, whereby in the case where it achieves a revenue above a defined level, as committed to in its bid, the Franchisee must pay back any profit above that to Scottish Ministers.

Mike Rumbles (North East Scotland) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to concerns that the present ScotRail franchise agreement was not correctly priced. (S5W-13274) Humza Yousaf: The competition previously held to procure the present ScotRail Franchise was evaluated rigorously on the basis of the most advantageous balance of quality (35%) and price (65%). Reviews by both Audit Scotland and independent auditors supported the process and the outcome of the competition. Mike Rumbles (North East Scotland) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on ScotRail reducing on-board facilities such as catering in order to improve profitability. (S5W-13309) Humza Yousaf: ScotRail has confirmed it has vacancies in its hospitality team which were affecting its ability to provide the advertised catering service. In response to these issues I can advise that ScotRail is undertaking targeted recruitment to ensure that it can deliver the consistent service that customers expect. I understand that this should be complete within the next few weeks. The Scottish Government is also committed to working in partnership with Abellio ScotRail and its alliance partner Network Rail to ensure the success of the ScotRail franchise, and that is why we insisted in “no compulsory redundancy agreement” during the life of the ScotRail franchise with all staff being paid at least the Living Wage.

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the (a) location of each permanent and (b) area covered by each mobile speed camera in the City of Edinburgh local authority area. (S5W-13310) Humza Yousaf: The location of all safety cameras in Scotland, including those in the City of Edinburgh local authority area, is available on the Safety Cameras Scotland website at: http://www.safetycameras.gov.scot/cameras/safety-camera-locations/east/edinburgh-city/

Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government from which routes the class 380 trains that have been recently introduced on the Edinburgh-Glasgow via Falkirk line have been drawn, and how ScotRail is managing the redeployment. (S5W-13338) Humza Yousaf: The four class Class 380 trains which are now providing 9,500 extra seats per day have been used since December 2016 to support ScotRail staff training programme which is required to support the switch in fleet provision on the newly electrified Edinburgh-Glasgow via Falkirk route. These trains have been drawn from adjustments to maintenance programmes and from Ayrshire/ Inverclyde services which in turn were replaced by existing electric trains and additional class 320/4 trains which have been operating since late 2016 across the Strathclyde network.

Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the introduction of the class 385 trains on the Edinburgh-Glasgow via Falkirk line. (S5W-13339) Humza Yousaf: Two class 385 trains have just concluded the required testing on the newly electrified Edinburgh-Glasgow via Falkirk route and the data from these dynamic tests will be part of a raft of documents which is submitted early in 2018 to gain approval from the ORR to operate the new fleet in passenger service. Two more class 385s are now in Scotland to help support the on-going driver training and staff familiarisation programme ahead of gradual service introduction of the new longer, faster, greener fleet in the coming months.

Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what the cause was of the train fault that resulted in disruption to services at Glasgow Central station on the morning of 11 December 2017, and which unit was affected. (S5W-13340) Humza Yousaf: Whilst approaching Glasgow Central station at Bridge Street junction just before 07:00 a four car class 380 electric train [380111] which was not in passenger service experienced a main power supply issue reported on an internal advisory screen. The driver interrogated the fault by following the agreed procedures but was unable to rectify the problem and despite also seeking external technical advice the train was declared a failure at 07:20. A rescue train was successfully attached and both of them proceeded to Glasgow Central arriving at 07:50. Despite the train being moved within an hour due to the critical area of where the breakdown occurred and the interaction between the various lines in and out of the station the disruption which followed was significant with a backlog of trains trying to access and depart the High Level station from various routes. Unfortunately this impact lasted until lunchtime although a robust contingency plan was put in place to deal with the impact of the train breakdown and communication to passengers was sent through the normal media channels. ASR held an full incident analysis on 19 December and are fully engaged with the train manufacturer Siemens to understand the cause of the failure and develop mitigating measures to try and ensure it does not re-occur.

Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what type of rolling stock is used on rail services on the (a) Ayrshire Coast, (b) Inverclyde and (c) Paisley Canal line. (S5W-13341) Humza Yousaf: The modern class 380 electric fleet (3 and 4 cars) provides the vast majority of services across these three routes and are supported by class 314 and class 318 trains. Diagramming a mixture of the trains across the routes helps deliver a more efficient operation as well as enable drivers and staff to maintain different traction and route knowledge.

Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Scottish Conservatives and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-12702 by Humza Yousaf on 27 November 2017, what information it has on the type of casualties and injuries sustained, including whether these were head injuries, and whether it considers that the wearing of helmets may have reduced the severity of, or prevented, casualties or head injuries. (S5W-13344) Humza Yousaf: Scottish Government data collation procedures only allow to distinguish between serious and slight injuries for such instances and these were set out in the answer to S5W-12702. It is not possible to directly attribute the wearing of a helmet to the injuries sustained in all of the situations contained in these statistics, however the Scottish Government encourages all cyclists to undertake safeguards and to wear a suitable helmet in line with advice in the UK Highway Code.

Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Scottish Conservatives and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-02275 by Humza Yousaf on 15 September 2016, whether it will provide an update on the plans to increase the quality and capacity of trains serving Wallyford and Musselburgh. (S5W-13398) Humza Yousaf: From the December 2017 timetable change some services on the North Berwick route serving Wallyford and Musselburgh have been strengthened from three to six cars providing more seating capacity. Services on the route continue to be provided by Class 380 trains, with plans for further capacity to be provided by the end of 2018 when all peak services will be provided with 6 cars.

Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what plans its has to promote moving freight from road to rail. (S5W-13410) Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government's approach to supporting rail freight is outlined in the rail freight strategy, Delivering the Goods, which was published in March 2016. This is backed by significant investment in our railways including a £30 million ring-fenced Scottish Strategic Rail Freight Investment Fund which is helping to unlock opportunities for rail freight across the country. Looking ahead, we have set regulatory targets for Network Rail through our High Level Output Specification (published in July 2017) to work with industry partners to attract new freight and grow existing markets. Whilst decisions on moving goods and the development of freight handling facilities are a matter for the commercial sector, the Scottish Government continues to operate EC state aid approved modal shift grant schemes which aim to remove freight from road to the more sustainable modes of rail and water, these grant schemes have enabled rail freight services to remove millions of lorry miles from our roads.

Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it is spending a reported £43,853 on promoting the new average speed cameras on the A90. (S5W-13411) Humza Yousaf: Over £2m has been invested in average speed cameras (ASC) on the A90 to make the road safer for everyone travelling along the route. As part of this spend, £43,853 was invested to develop and deliver a robust communication strategy which aimed to raise awareness around the introduction of ASC on the route. These cameras are already encouraging improved driver behaviour and better speed limit compliance, which will lead to fewer camera detections, fewer penalty points, fewer drivers fined, and ultimately reduce the number of people being killed or injured on this route.

Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government which stops on the Borders Railway have been skipped each year, broken down by how many times. (S5W-13412) Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government does not hold information on the stops that have skipped each year broken down by how many times, on the Borders Railway. ScotRail provides Transport Scotland with performance information by Sector Group and these are monitored against the specified benchmarks contained in the Franchise Agreement.

Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of services each year on the Borders Railway have arrived at each stop on time. (S5W-13413) Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government does not hold information on the percentage of services each year on the Borders Railway that have arrived at each stop on time. Performance in the railway system in Great Britain is measured using the Public-Performance Measure (PPM), which counts all trains planned to run, which run and arrive within five minutes of their scheduled arrival time. ScotRail provides Transport Scotland with performance information by Sector Group and these are monitored against the specified benchmarks contained in the Franchise Agreement.

Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how it will minimise any disruption to train services over the festive period arising from an increase in the number of passengers. (S5W-13429) Humza Yousaf: ScotRail is required through the Franchise Agreement to manage the delivery of rail services, to accommodate the anticipated increase in rail traffic around the festive holiday period. While the responsibility for day to day operation rests with ScotRail, Transport Scotland has contractual processes in place to regularly monitor ScotRail’s performance in delivering the obligations of the Franchise Agreement. This includes ensuring that services are punctual and reliable by achieving contractual targets for arriving on schedule and minimising cancellations. It also includes ensuring that ScotRail provides the capacity that they have committed. In the event of any unplanned disruption, ScotRail are obliged to ensure customers are kept well informed in a timely manner through announcements at stations and on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter; and their customer service app provides live updates, and a live map of where the disruption is happening. There are no planned engineering works that would affect ScotRail’s services over this period (the planned work at Edinburgh Waverley and at Stirling station, will be on days when trains will not be running). The work at Glasgow Queen St is external to the railway proper.

Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government when a pedestrian crossing will be put in place at Balbirnie on the A92, north of Cadham. (S5W-13430) Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government recognises the concerns of the local community following the tragic death of Logan Carrie in 2015 on the A92 north of and is committed to improving crossing provision on the route. We have invested over £35.1 million on the A92 since 2007 to ensure it continues to operate safely and efficiently. We have also been evaluating potential measures, which have highlighted a number of issues and we are considering alternatives which may be more appropriate for this location. We have recently constructed a new footpath alongside part of the A92 and reduced the speed limit in this area. As previously discussed with community representatives, we will meet them again early in the new year to discuss our progress on the A92 around Glenrothes and Freuchie.

Brian Whittle (South Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist ): To ask the Scottish Government, further to the meeting with the A77 and A75 Action Group on 15 November 2017, during which the Minister for Transport and the Islands reportedly committed to commence an infrastructure review for these trunk roads as links to the port of Cairnryan within a month or two, when this review will commence; when the results are expected, and what the parameters of the review will be. (S5W-13460) Humza Yousaf: The South West Scotland Transport Study will consider the rationale for improvements to road, rail, public transport and active travel on the key strategic corridors including the A75, A77 and the railway corridors to Stranraer and Carlisle via Kilmarnock / Dumfries and will have a particular focus on access to the ports at Cairnryan. It will examine the case for change in relation to transport infrastructure investment. The procurement of consultants to undertake the study is currently underway with appointment likely to take place in January 2018 and with final reporting expected in Autumn 2018.

Bill Bowman (North East Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been carried out of the possible impact of severe winter weather on major transport infrastructure in the north east, and whether it will provide details of any extra measures and resources being made available to ensure that transport links remain available. (S5W-13464) Humza Yousaf: Whilst we know severe weather will cause disruption in the north east, this Government has taken a wide range of steps to improve our resilience to the challenges of winter in this area, to mitigate its impacts and to recover our transport networks, businesses and get daily life back to normal as quickly as possible. This has been done in partnership with a broad range of public, private and third sector partners and has included new investment, development and innovation - all learning the lessons from recent winters. Transport Resilience The Traffic Scotland National Control Centre (TSNCC) at Queensferry co-ordinates a more joined-up response during major travel incidents and severe weather, as well as targeting reduced journey times across the transport network. The TSNCC hosts the Transport Scotland Multi-Agency Response Team (MART) arrangements which enable a strategic overview of event and incident handling. This is a joint process with Police Scotland and includes trunk road Operating Companies, the Met Office and others. We have also seconded personnel from Police Scotland, British Transport Police and the Met Office to enhance closer partnership working. Transport Scotland has a specific Resilience Team, which ensures there are arrangements in place to prepare and provide support for major impacts to the transport network. They played a full part in all recent, major resilience events in Scotland including the closure of the Forth Road Bridge and the partial closure of the M80 in February as a result of snow. They are currently focusing on working alongside the UK Government departments to prepare for Counter Terrorism responses. Transport Scotland, through Traffic Scotland, has developed and utilises multiple technology platforms to inform transport network users of issues, alternative routes and methods of travel to minimise transport disruption. These platforms include desktop and mobile websites, smartphone apps, internet radio, a customer care line and social media. Trunk Roads The winter service, provided across Scotland from the start of October through to mid-May, is a critical front-line service. With the actions we are taking and with road users playing their part by planning ahead, together we can get Scotland moving throughout the winter. New contract specifications, greater use of technology and getting information to people ‘on the move’ are just a few of the ways we have strengthened the winter treatments, decision making and communication with road users. The enhanced preparedness is also beneficial outside of winter, as the procedures and practices such as the MART improve our resilience for other severe weather events and major events such as T in the Park and The Open golf. With climate change and the prediction of wetter winters, flooding will continue to be an area that has the potential to cause disruption on the trunk road network. The trunk road network has known areas that are susceptible to flooding which are monitored during periods of heavy or sustained rainfall to provide an appropriate response endeavouring to keep roads open where possible or close them should the flooding compromise the safety of road users. Our Operating Companies have flooding management plans in place for areas that are susceptible to flooding and have appropriate plant, equipment and traffic management strategically placed across the trunk road network to deal with these events in a timely and effective manner. To mitigate the impacts of high level flooding events, Transport Scotland has procured a Relief Vehicle, which will be strategically located. The unit will be custom fitted with items such as a radio remote controlled crane and pump. In summary, our winter service operations allow the safe movement of users of the trunk road network and minimises delays and disruption caused by severe weather. With a fully mobilised winter fleet, our winter service capability has never been higher; and our pre-winter preparations, audits, scenario workshops and weekly winter calls will ensure that there is no room for complacency in our winter service, despite the recent mild winters. Rail We are working with The ScotRail Alliance to prepare for potential severe winter weather and expect to see further improvements in operational and customer services and travel advice offered. This will include: Continued improvements across all ScotRail fleets to improve their robustness to the issues caused by winter weather in previous years. ScotRail depots and maintenance facilities to have winter maintenance equipment installed and undertake a winter resilience check at all depots and train fleets. Winter working preparation for all stations, ensuring de-icing equipment and materials will be in place. Network Rail will carry out a winter resilience check both at regional and local level. Network Rail will again make available the mobile snow and ice clearance machine that can thaw junctions quickly. In addition, all local teams will be equipped with winter clearance equipment and provided with latest weather forecast and impact briefing. A robust communications plan will be delivered ensuring passengers are prepared for adverse weather, including customer road shows at key stations throughout December, and the creation of a dedicated website and social media campaign for key messages. Ferries The Scottish Government is committed to maintain and improving lifeline ferry services that play a key role in supporting the economic, social and cultural development of island and remote communities. During periods of bad weather the ferry operators providing lifeline ferry services to the Scottish Government under a Public Service Contract will, where possible, advise the travelling public in advance of any potential disruption. This information is provided via the ferry operator’s website, texting, social media, as well as the national and local media. In addition, where periods of bad weather are anticipated, the ferry operator will seek to try and flex the scheduled ferry service timetable to provide sailings in advance of, or following on from, the disruption to the timetabled services, to try and minimise any impact on our remote and island communities. Ferry travel has its own distinct challenges, particularly high winds, and the ship’s Master has a duty to ensure the safety of passengers above other considerations. The Merchant Shipping (Master’s Discretion) Regulations 1997 gives the ship’s Master sole responsibility for deciding whether it is safe to sail. Aviation Aberdeen Airport has a fully robust winter plan in place which has been used in previous years and is ready for implementation as and when the weather arrives. This includes both airside and landside facilities, access and egress for passengers and staff and additional staff resource when required.

Elaine Smith (Central Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what the benefits are expected to be for the local community in the Grangemouth area in relation to the (a) construction and (b) functioning of the new Forth Ports Training Academy. (S5W-13480) Humza Yousaf: Forth Ports has not yet selected the construction company for the construction of the facility and is going through a tender process at present. Once operational it is envisaged that the facility will be used by local businesses helping to assist the growing logistics industry in the Grangemouth and Falkirk areas. They also hope to see extended links to local schools and colleges once the facility is operational and already have 25 Modern Apprentices in training based in Grangemouth. Skills Development Scotland have been engaged with the company for a number of years, most recently discussing further work based learning opportunities. Elaine Smith (Central Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to ensure good public transport access to the new Forth Ports Training Academy at Grangemouth. (S5W-13481) Humza Yousaf: Forth Ports have selected a location for the facility at the entrance to the Port to ensure that general access and the use of public transport is as easy as possible. The Port of Grangemouth has motorway and road access adjacent to the M9 and is served by local bus services linking to the rail station. Elaine Smith (Central Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether the local childcare infrastructure in the Grangemouth area has the capacity to support the workforce that is anticipated for the construction of the new Forth Ports Training Academy, and what support it can offer to build capacity. (S5W-13482) Humza Yousaf: This private development has only recently been announced and we have no indication of the scale of the development or of any additional childcare need that may arise.

Rachael Hamilton (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government what research it has carried out on extending concessionary travel passes to people in rural areas aged up to 26 who are in (a) further education and (b) the first year of employment; how much it would cost to introduce this; whether it plans to do so and, if so, by what date. (S5W-13518) Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government is committed to introducing a Job Grant, comprising a cash payment and a 3 month bus pass, for young people aged 16-24 years who have been unemployed for 6 months or more. We are currently engaging with local partners, as well as young people, to develop the detail of the Grant and we will announce a date for implementation in due course. In addition, we have consulted on our pledge to provide free bus travel to young modern apprentices, many of whom will be undertaking further education as part of their apprenticeships. We estimate that it would cost around £8 million per annum to provide free bus travel to all Modern Apprentices aged under 21 and around £16 million to extend the offer to all Modern Apprentices. We will be working next year with our partners to develop a pilot Scheme for Modern Apprentices.

Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and ) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government which transport strategies are predicated on increasing levels of motor vehicle traffic, broken down by local authority area. (S5W-13534) Humza Yousaf: The existing National Transport Strategy (NTS) was published in 2006 and set out a 20 year vision to 2026 and strategic framework setting out our priorities for transport in Scotland. A Refresh of the National Transport Strategy was undertaken and published in January 2016, keeping the overall NTS framework and updating the strategic context whilst also recommending fuller, collaborative Review of the NTS. The full Review of the NTS is underway building on the earlier work. Both the existing 2006 National Transport Strategy and on-going Review are not predicated on any one source of evidence but are informed by a range of available evidence. This includes a call for evidence issued to support the work of the Review: https://www.transport.gov.scot/consultation/national-transport-strategy-call-for-evidence/. The Transport (Scotland) Act 2005 placed a duty of each Regional Transport Partnership to develop a regional transport strategy (RTS) for their area. The RTS should have regard to the needs of the region and take account of and guidance given to it by the Scottish Ministers such as the National Transport Strategy. The Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 enables local authorities to prepare local transport strategies. Local transport strategies are a way in which local authorities can have regard to the statutory RTS and are able to detail how they intend to deliver on national objectives at a local level, and provide an action plan for meeting local challenges and objectives.