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 MSPs 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: S7W-01430

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any risk that resourcing constraints within (a) the Marine Directorate’s Licensing Operations Team and (b) NatureScot could affect the ability of Scottish offshore wind projects to participate in the Contracts for Difference auctions.

The Marine Directorate’s Licensing Operations Team (MD-LOT) and NatureScot have worked hard to plan for an increase in offshore wind applications for some time. Scottish Government resource requirements continue to be monitored, with staff deployed flexibly to help process applications as expeditiously as possible. Best efforts are made to meet a determination timeline of 12 months from initial application, noting that more complex applications may take longer. However, where additional information is required this will impact determination timelines.

In April 2026 Nature Scot implemented a new charging model to enable full cost recovery associated with providing advice to MD-LOT and developers. These approaches have helped ensure timescales do not present unnecessary barriers to projects seeking to participate in Contract for Difference Allocation Rounds.

Question reference: S7W-01410

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 10 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has commissioned any independent evaluation of the Just Transition Fund, including its effectiveness in achieving its stated objectives and in facilitating a just transition for oil and gas workers, and whether it can provide evidence-based figures on the number of jobs created and safeguarded as a direct result of the Fund.

The Scottish Government commissioned an independent evaluation of the first two years (2022-2024) of the Just Transition Fund (JTF), which was published in 2025. This assessed the economic, social and environmental impacts of the JTF through a combination of interviews with project leads, an online survey and a review of project reports. We intend to undertake a fresh evaluation of the project impacts over the course of the last Parliament, which covers the first four years of the Fund, and this will include evidence-based figures on the number of jobs created and safeguarded as a direct result of the Fund.

Question reference: S7W-01400

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the use of Class 158 trains on ScotRail services between Aberdeen and the Central Belt provides an appropriate standard of rolling stock for these journeys, and what discussions it has had with ScotRail regarding the allocation of rolling stock to these routes.

Question reference: S7W-01402

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many ScotRail services between Aberdeen and Edinburgh or Glasgow have used Class 158 trains since January 2025, broken down by month, and what proportion this represents of all passenger services allocated to those routes.

Question reference: S7W-01401

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it (a) approved and (b) was consulted on ScotRail’s allocation of Class 158 trains to services between Aberdeen and Edinburgh and Glasgow, and what criteria were used to determine whether these trains were suitable for these routes.

Question reference: S7W-01246

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the ScotRail Spirit of Scotland pass, (a) for what reason it is limited to trains departing after 9.15am, (b) whether consideration has been given to local exclusions and exclusions reflecting timetabling of services in areas outside the Central Belt, and (c) whether it plans to review this restriction.

ScotRail Spirit of Scotland pass is aimed at leisure travellers, with morning timing restrictions in place to encourage travel at quieter times out with busy commuting times.

For those who wish to travel earlier, we’ve reduced the cost of rail travel by removing ScotRail peak fares for good, saving 17% on average on previously peak fares. We’ve also frozen rail fares this year. Given these significant savings already in place for rail passengers before 9:15 am, we have no plans to review the conditions of the Spirit of Scotland pass.

Question reference: S7W-01249

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions is attributable to rail transport.

Question reference: S7W-01247

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the planned programme of discontinuous electrification of sections of Scotland's railway, what the total cost is and what the projected cost would be if those sections were to be covered by full overhead line continuous electrification.

Question reference: S7W-01248

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the projected whole-life cost is of the battery electric multiple units (BEMUs) to be used on stretches of Scotland's railway network with discontinuous electrification, and how this compares with the equivalent whole-life cost for locomotives with fully electric engines.

Question reference: S7W-01245

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the financial case for the £2 bus fare cap, including the total projected (a) cost of reimbursements to bus companies and (b) reduction in rail ticket income.

The purpose of the £2 bus fare cap pilot in the Highlands and Islands is to test the impact on bus patronage and subsequent modal shift of such an intervention. The focus of the analysis of the pilot will include evaluation of the impact on bus patronage, car use, and rail passengers, and will be published following the conclusion of the pilot.

Work is underway to progress a £2 bus fare cap to Glasgow, Ayrshire, Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire and Inverclyde within the first 100 days of this government. We are also committed to bringing forward legislation for a £2 bus fare cap across Scotland by the end of this parliament, building on the evidence from the current pilot.

The Highlands and Islands pilot is providing us with valuable real-world evidence on customer behaviour, pricing impacts and operator engagement, which will directly inform how we design future schemes.