Questions and answers

Question reference: S6T-01171

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that M&Co will close all of its 170 stores, resulting in almost 2,000 job losses.

Question reference: S6W-14280

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any plans to alter or replace the Franchising Policy Statement, which was published by Transport Scotland in March 2021.

The current UK railway legislation, which the Scottish Ministers have no power to change, requires that the Scottish Ministers produce a Franchising Policy Statement. Delays to the reform of the UK railway legislation continue to cause uncertainty on the way in which the provision of passenger rail services will be arranged in the future.

At this time, the Scottish Ministers do not plan to amend or replace the current Franchising Policy Statement, which was published by Transport Scotland in March 2021.

Question reference: S6O-01881

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has had from COSLA regarding the local government financial settlement.

Question reference: S6W-14046

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 26 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13027 by Mairi Gougeon on 23 December 2022, whether it will confirm which organisation failed the technical check process, and what the technical check was that it failed.

Question reference: S6W-13802

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans regarding proposed amendments to ticket office opening hours at many railway stations, in light of Transport Focus's consultation on those proposals, which reportedly found opposition to them.

Question reference: S6W-13293

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, as of 19 December 2022, how many people (a) are eligible for, (b) have applied for and (c) have received an under-22 bus pass through the Young Persons’ (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme.

There are an estimated 930,000 people eligible for the Young Person’s Free Bus Travel Scheme. This refers to the number of people aged 5-21 who have become eligible for concessionary travel as a result of the Young Person’s Scheme.

(b) Transport Scotland does not hold application information. The Improvement Service are in charge of applications made through getyournec.scot and parentsportal.scot, and all other applications are managed by the individual local authorities.

(c) As of end of day 19th December 2022, there were 561,623 cardholders under the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme.

This data is supplied by the National Entitlement Card Programme Office (NECPO). NECPO support the 32 local authorities by assisting with the integration of various national and local public services on the National Entitlement Card (NEC) and are the joint controller with local authorities of this data. The figure includes travel products collected from the Transport Scot Pass Collect mobile application.

Question reference: S6W-13292

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it (a) has taken and (b) is taking to encourage under-22s to apply for the Young Persons’ (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme.

In Autumn 2022 Transport Scotland launched a national marketing campaign across TV, radio, digital and social media and outdoor advertising channels. This has significantly increased awareness and understanding of the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme, and has encouraged even more young people to apply.

Additionally, since January 2022, Transport Scotland has undertaken extensive stakeholder communications to encourage uptake. This includes providing informational and promotional materials and advice to over 300 private, public and third sector organisations who work with children, young people, families, those in poverty, disability and carers groups, and others who may benefit from the scheme.

In October and November 2022, communications materials were also issued directly from Transport Scotland to all 2,500 Primary and Secondary schools across Scotland, providing access to bespoke resources and advice to communicate about the scheme with their pupils and families.

Information and resources for stakeholders are available on the freebus.scot website , which have already been widely used.

Transport Scotland continues to reach out to existing and new stakeholders to promote the scheme and encourage more young people to benefit.

Question reference: S6O-01785

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its response to the announcement from Amazon that it is to close its Gourock site.

Question reference: S6F-01697

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 January 2023

To ask the First Minister, in light of the extension of bus fare caps in England, whether the Scottish Government supports capping bus fares in Scotland for those aged between 22 and 60.

Question reference: S6W-13027

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 23 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12031 by Mairi Gougeon on 17 November 2022, which 16 organisations that applied to the Ayrshire Rural and Islands Ambition (ARIA) Fund progressed from the technical check stage to the assessment stage; which organisation failed the technical check process, and what the technical check was that it failed.

The outcome of the technical checks is detailed in the following table:

Project/Organisation	Decision
Carbon Reduction – Adventure Centre for Education	Approved
Dunlop Dairy Cheese Shop & Tasting Room	Deferred
Disabled access plus Disabled Toilet and Additional Toilet – Hareshaw Community Hall SCIO	Approved
Renewable Energy Infrastructure to New Tourist Accommodation Development – Millport, Jack Alt Stays	Approved
Little Peru Green Start, Little Peru Ltd	Deferred
The Community Regeneration of Millport Town Hall Ltd	Rejected
Arran Green Funding for Future – Arran Pioneer CIC	Rejected
Gaiety on Tour – Ayr Gaiety Partnership	Approved
The Geisland Project – Beith CDT	Approved
Access to Community for All – Crossroads Community Hubs Ltd	Approved
Ailsa Craig Visitor Centre for Feasibility Study – Girvan Town Team (on behalf of Girvan Community Led Tourism)	Approved
Brand Ambassador/Distillery Production Assistant – Isle of Cumbrae Distiller	Approved
Paths Network Feasibility Study – Kirkimichael Village Renaissance	Deferred
Newmilns Regeneration Feasibility Study – Newmilns Regeneration Association	Deferred
Business Sustainability and Resilience Advisor – Visit Arran Ltd	Approved
Opportunities for All – Crossroads Community Hub Ltd	Approved

Where a project is noted as ‘deferred’ this means that a final decision by the LAG is pending.

The application for The Community Regeneration of Millport Town Hall Ltd was rejected due to:

The lack of fit with the project itself (not completion of the town hall) and ARIA fund priorities. The Local Action Group considered the application did not make a strong enough link between the project and completion of the town hall to validate the priorities selected.
There was concern over the fire safety aspects at such a late stage in the overall project.

The application for the Arran Green Funding for Future (Arran Pioneer CIC) was rejected due to:

A lack of project outcomes being fully determined or specified.
The Local Action Group questioned the eligibility of the project under the guidance requirement for technical/feasibility studies to fully determine the project outcome.

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