Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-04459

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 1 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reopen the Dumfries-Stranraer railway line.

The reopening of the Dumfries-Stranraer railway line is being considered within the second Strategic Transport Projects Review.

This option is one of a number investments in the rail network across Scotland, that are being appraised as part of the Review.

The interventions which are recommended in STPR2, when it is published this Winter, will seek to contribute to our vision of a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system helping deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for communities, businesses and visitors.

Therefore, we need to consider the social and economic benefits and to determine the overall Value for Money. This also takes into account risks, uncertainties and other factors such as affordability, deliverability and the wider acceptability of options. This will be an important consideration given pressures on current and future public finances.

Also underpinning STPR2 is the Sustainable Investment Hierarchy published in the National Transport Strategy, where we will aim first to reduce the need to travel unsustainably, then to make better use of and enhance existing infrastructure, before investing in new capacity. This hierarchy is also central to the Infrastructure Investment Plan.

Until the appraisal process is completed, it is not possible to make individual decisions on the reopening of lines such as the Dumfries-Stranraer line. The publication of the recommendations for investment will be followed by an appropriate statutory consultation period.

Question reference: S6W-03867

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 23 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many civil service jobs have been redistributed to the South Scotland region over the past five years, broken down by area.

During the last five years no civil service jobs within the Scottish Government have been specifically relocated to South Scotland region.

However, in the Scottish Government Main bargaining unit (SGM), which comprises Core SG Directorates and associated Agencies, there are approximately 560 jobs located within the South Scotland region. This represents 4.75% of staff in SGM. For example the Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate has regional offices in Ayr, Dumfries, and Galashiels. The Marine Scotland Directorate has coastal operations based in Ayr and Eyemouth. Executive Agencies Accountant in Bankruptcy and Scottish Public Pension Agency are located in Kilwinning and Galashiels respectively.

The Scottish Prison Service, Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service, and Forestry and Land Scotland are separate employers and also have a presence all over Scotland, including South Scotland region.

The Scottish Government is piloting a hybrid working model which will enable Scottish Government staff, where the role allows, to have more flexibility in their work location across Scotland and include a mix of home and office working. In March 2021, the Scottish Government’s Population Strategy recognised that changes to working norms may offer new opportunities to support civil servants who wish to live and work in locations outside of our main locations in Edinburgh and Glasgow. As part of this, the Scottish Government committed to actively considering its workplace footprint and exploring the opportunities of distributing its workforce in greater detail. This work is in its early stages. However, as a first step, the Scottish Government will be piloting local hubs outside of Edinburgh and Glasgow so that staff can work at office locations closer to their home.

Question reference: S6O-00376

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the COVID-19 vaccine passport scheme, including on the hospitality sector.

Question reference: S6W-03966

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 4 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a bid in place for the purchase of Glasgow Prestwick Airport, and if so, whether it is lower in value than previous bids made.

Question reference: S6W-03965

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 4 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the criteria, that the new owner of Glasgow Prestwick Airport must maximise the employment potential of the airport, will ensure there will be no immediate redundancies, should the airport be sold.

Question reference: S6W-03964

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 4 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether the sale of Glasgow Prestwick Airport will be subject to a requirement that commercial passenger flights from the airport must continue.

Question reference: S6W-03963

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 4 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it remains committed to ensuring that all of the loans it has made to Glasgow Prestwick Airport are repaid in full by the new owner, should the airport be sold.

Question reference: S6W-03961

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 2 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the use of non-animal alternatives in research and testing that currently uses animals.

The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 regulates the use of animals in scientific procedures in the UK. This is a reserved area of legislation.

The Scottish Government asks the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) to liaise with research institutes and outline their responsibilities.

The SFC have advised that they require institutions to comply with the Concordat to Support Research Integrity. The Concordat sets out principles and commitments to ensure that research produced by or in collaboration with UK universities is underpinned by the highest standards of rigour and integrity and that the public, government, business, and international partners can continue to have confidence in that research.

Question reference: S6T-00241

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to businesses and residents affected by recent flooding.

Question reference: S6W-03449

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 1 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much active travel funding it has provided to each local authority in each of the last three years, also broken down by support from the (a) Spaces for People and (b) Places for Everyone Fund.

Our active travel funding is predominantly provided to local authorities through national enabling bodies who have the expertise and manpower to appraise and work with them and other community partners to deliver local projects.

In this financial year two of our largest funds are being delivered by Sustrans, with over £55 million provided through the Places for Everyone programme, and over £6 million through the Spaces for People programme.

In addition to this, £23.9 million is being provided directly to local authorities, on a pro rata basis, through the Cycling Walking and Safer Routes programme.

These three major programmes together account for around 75% of the total
‎ 2020-21 Active Travel budget of £115.5 million. A breakdown of this funding, by local authority and for each of the last three financial years, has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. 62827).

The remaining 25% of the budget is provided through partners who deliver projects across many or all of the local authorities. This funding information broken down by local authority area may be held locally by some of these delivery partners, but it is not centrally collated by the Scottish Government.

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