ScotRail has a franchise commitment to ‘use all reasonable endeavours to maintain a minimum staffing level for every train service of two members of staff’.

Transport Scotland through the service quality incentive regime, inspect approximately 180 services per four weekly period. Two aspects are audited for on train staff.

One aspect covers train staff and customer care on the trains. This includes ‘general provision of customer care duties including provision of information to passengers and helping hand assistance’ and also ‘taking appropriate measures to deal with unruly behaviour by any passengers’.

The minimum threshold level for this schedule is 90%, and if exceeded the maximum financial penalty for this schedule is £10,800.

The other is specifically for ticket inspections on trains. Where for ‘each train there shall be a person whose duties shall include revenue protection comprising inspection of tickets, issuing of tickets to persons not in possession of a valid tickets and collection of revenue’.

The minimum threshold level for this schedule is 95%, and if reached the maximum financial penalty for this schedule is £50,000.

During the last year of SQUIRE audits (from June 2015) the following results were returned.

		Trains audited	Fails recorded	%
2015-16	Period 3	186	2	1.075
2015-16	Period 4	187	1	0.535
2015-16	Period 5	187	0	0.000
2015-16	Period 6	178	0	0.000
2015-16	Period 7	185	1	0.541
2015-16	Period 8	180	4	2.222
2015-16	Period 9	179	5	2.793
2015-16	Period 10	183	3	1.639
2015-16	Period 11	192	0	0.000
2015-16	Period 12	187	3	1.604
2015-16	Period 13	177	0	0.000
2016-17	Period 1	191	2	1.047
2016-17	Period 2	193	0	0.000
2016-17	Period 3	191	3	1.571

Based on information provided by ScotRail, 91,686 assisted travel bookings have been made since April 2015 up to and including May 2016. Of this number, based on ScotRail data, 91,439 (just over 99.7%) customer received assistance. ScotRail advise that passenger assistance is apportioned to stations and not trains, although actual assistance can be provided at a station or on a train.

The ScotRail franchise sets out our requirements for service provision, including that the franchisee must use all reasonable endeavours to have a second member of staff on each train. Beyond this ministers do not specify the method of train operation.

ScotRail has put in place contingency arrangements to deliver as many services as possible during periods of disruption. ScotRail has an obligation to ensure appropriate training of competencies for all staff temporarily carrying out conductor duties, and assuring the safety regulator (Office of Road and Rail) of these contingency plans. We are not aware of gateline or station staff being trained to operate trains during industrial action.

There are 214 unstaffed stations in Scotland. Further details are available on the ScotRail website; https://www.scotrail.co.uk/plan-your-journey/stations-and-facilities

Through the franchise the Scottish Government requires ScotRail to consult with passengers across a number of stakeholder forums.

Driver-controlled operation trains with a second staff member have operated safely over the last three decades and currently operate on 51% of ScotRail services, carrying circa 59% of passengers. Any change to working practices, including the introduction of new trains is subject to Office of Road and Rail (ORR) scrutiny and approval. I have written to the ORR to seek their views and will provide the member with a copy of the reply.

This is an operational decision for ScotRail.

This is an operational decision for ScotRail.