Questions and answers

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 ��˿�� 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: S6W-34430

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) contributes to its efforts to reduce road freight traffic, and what impact this has had on (a) road congestion and (b) air quality.

Question reference: S6W-34471

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many signs are located along the (a) A82, (b) A828, (c) A83, (d) A835, (e) A85, (f) A86, (g) A87, (h) A887, (i) A889, (j) A9, (k) A95, (l) A96 and (m) A99, and what proportion does not meet current standards for visibility and effectiveness, broken down by Category (i) 1 and (ii) 2 defects.

Category 1 defects are defined within the term maintenance contract as those that present, or could present, an immediate hazard to trunk road users. They are typically detected during the twice weekly driven safety related inspections. Category 2 defects are defined as those which do not present an immediate hazard to road users and are typically identified during walked annual inspections.

The following table contains the number of signs on the routes requested along with the number of signs with open defects of all types as at 12 February 2025.

	Number of signs	Category 1 defects	Category 2 defects
A82	5517	17	1600
A828	971	3	87
A83	2050	9	711
A835	1033	0	239
A85	3028	2	958
A86	1545	2	339
A87	2341	3	481
A887	188	0	67
A889	289	0	153
A9	6062	18	1374
A95	1157	0	84
A96	3064	18	274
A99	430	2	63

Question reference: S6W-34470

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many signs located along the (a) A82, (b) A828, (c) A83, (d) A835, (e) A85, (f) A86, (g) A87, (h) A887, (i) A889, (j) A9, (k) A95, (l) A96 and (m) A99 that were categorised as having a Category 1 defect did not receive a temporary or permanent repair by 6.00 am on the day following identification, in each year since 2021.

Transport Scotland’s Operating Companies are required to either repair or make safe Category 1 sign defects within 24 hours of detection. The following table provides the number of Category 1 sign related defects that were not recorded as either repaired or made safe within 24 hours.

	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
A82	0	3	3	1	0
A828	1	1	0	0	0
A83	0	1	0	3	2
A835	0	1	0	0	0
A85	1	2	0	0	0
A86	0	0	0	0	1
A87	0	2	1	0	0
A887	0	0	0	0	0
A889	0	0	0	0	0
A9	1	6	2	0	0
A95	0	1	2	0	0
A96	1	2	0	1	0
A99	0	1	1	0	0

Question reference: S6O-04386

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the ways in which local authorities engage with stakeholders regarding the implementation of the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024.

Question reference: S6W-34413

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) scheme has supported the growth of Scotland’s ports and logistics infrastructure, and what improvements have been made to port facilities as a result of this funding.

Question reference: S6W-34408

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs have been created or supported by projects funded through the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG), and what sectors have seen the most job growth as a result.

Question reference: S6W-34406

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the most common types of transport projects funded through the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) have been since 2016, and how these projects align with its transport and sustainability goals.

The most common type of schemes funded under Freight Facilities Grant since 2016 has been for the creation and expansion of rail terminals.

Heavy goods vehicles are a major contributor to emissions within the Scottish economy. Emissions from rail are considerably lower. Scottish Government policy to encourage the shift of freight from road to rail and other, more sustainable forms of transport aligns with the priority to “take climate action” in the National Transport Strategy 2 and supports the legislative target for Scotland to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.

The Scottish Government has set regulatory targets for rail freight growth. The target for the period 2024 to 2029 is 8.7% and, if achieved, is forecast to result in an additional 2,200 annual trains by 2029.

Question reference: S6W-34399

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 25 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the highest (a) fine and (b) custodial sentence imposed has been each year under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2021; how many people received this, and how this compared with the maximum sentence that was available.

The worrying of livestock by dogs is completely unacceptable and is something the Scottish Government takes very seriously and any dog attack is one too many.

We welcome the fact that in Scotland we have tough legislation in place to deal with livestock worrying. The Scottish Government supported Emma Harper’s member’s bill when it was introduced, to provide Police Scotland and the courts with greater powers to deal with those who allow their dogs to worry, attack or kill livestock in Scotland’s countryside. Under this law owners of dogs that attack or worry livestock can be fined up to £40,000 or face a prison sentence of up to 12 months.

Please find below the number of accused convicted based on the financial year of conviction in relation to the fines and custodial sentences handed down. Please note that The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2021 came into force on 5 November 2021. The 2021 Act amends the offence under the 1953 Act so all proceedings are still under the 1953 Act (as amended).

Table 1: Number of accused convicted with at least one protection of livestock from dogs crime, given a fine or imprisonment

Financial Year of Conviction	Disposals	Number of case-accused
5 Nov 2021- March 2022	Fine	3
2022-2023	Fine	5
2023-2024	Fine	8
April 2024-June 2024	Fine	0
	Imprisonment	1

Source: Scottish Government Justice Analytical Services

Table 2: The highest fine imposed each year and number of accused who received it:

Financial Year of Conviction	Highest Fine	Number of case-accused
5 Nov 2021 - March 2022	£200	2
2022-2023	£360	1
2023-2024	£400	1
April 2024-Jun 2024	NA	0

Source: Scottish Government Justice Analytical Services

Table 3: The highest custodial sentence imposed each year and number of accused who received it:

Financial Year of Conviction	Custodial sentence length	Number of case-accused
5 Nov 2021- March 2022	NA	0
2022-2023	NA	0
2023-2024	NA	0
April 2024-Jun 2024	5 months	1

Source: Scottish Government Justice Analytical Services

Question reference: S6W-34411

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many successful applications have been made for the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) in each of the past three financial years, and what the total funding awarded has been for each year.

Question reference: S6W-34403

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions the businesses that have submitted an application for a Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) have asked for the information that they provide to be treated as confidential and therefore not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Information provided in any application for Freight Facilities Grant (FFG), including personal information, may be subject to publication or disclosure in accordance with legislation including the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs) and the Data Protection Act 1998.

All applicants are asked if any of the information they provide as part of the process is to be treated as confidential with an explanation of why this is so. If Transport Scotland receive a request for disclosure of this information we will take full account the explanation given. However, due to our obligations under the relevant legislation we have never given an assurance that information supplied to us, even in confidence, would not be disclosed.

To date, no FOI in relation to confidential information supplied as part of an application for FFG has been received by Transport Scotland.