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-36316

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 April 2025
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 24 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comment by the Cabinet Secretary for Transport during the debate on motion S6M-15612 on 27 November 2024 that the actions recommended in the March 2023 report, Women's and girls' views and experiences of personal safety when using public transport, "have been carried out", whether it will confirm (a) how and (b) when each of the 10 recommendations was actioned.

The report on women and girls’ safety on public transport recommends measures to enhance security and comfort. These include better lighting, surveillance, greater staff presence, clear reporting, use of technology, public awareness campaigns and stricter enforcement of safety policies. These recommendations align to work underway by the transport industry and Transport Scotland. Therefore not all have specific commencement dates, but build on already established activities.

To share good practice and improve awareness, in May 2024 Transport Scotland published research around the use of personal safety apps in public spaces. In November 2024, Transport Scotland launched a dedicated webpage which provides links to the Transport Scotland’s research and engagement, as well as how violence against women and girls is being tackled by the Scottish Government.

Transport Scotland continues to work with the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) to support sharing of best practice amongst bus operators including on data, education and driver training, and last met in January 2025. In addition, Transport Scotland are developing actions to tackle antisocial behaviour on the bus network, which includes the development of a behaviour code for those using the National Concessionary Travel Schemes and a process for temporary suspension or withdrawal of concessionary travel entitlement.

On the rail network, ScotRail, Network Rail and British Transport Police are working together with stakeholders to deliver a activities to reduce anti-social behaviours. British Transport Police’s (BTP) “Text 61016” service allows all passengers to discreetly report any incidents they witness on trains or at stations directly to BTP. ScotRail are reviewing their existing processes for responding to customer reports of anti-social and unacceptable behaviour, and in February 2025 further expanded their “Travel Safe Team”. To further improve joint working and reporting, BTP have established a Strategic Safer Transport Group which ensures partnership working between organisations to create a safer transport network across Scotland.

Regarding staff presence, ScotRail must have a member of staff other than drivers on all train services and they are reviewing changes to ticket office opening hours to allow more staff to be present at train stations. ScotRail have piloted conflict management training for front-line staff with a view to rolling this out further. Transport Scotland’s SQUIRe team inspect trains and all stations in Scotland in a four week period, ensuring that aspects such as CCTV, station help points and lighting are all working appropriately.

Question reference: S6W-36712

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 17 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the plan by the UK Government, through its Crime and Policing Bill, to increase police powers related to antisocial behaviour on off-road bikes, what consideration it is giving to introducing similar legislation.

Police Scotland have a range of existing robust powers under road safety and antisocial behaviour legislation and common law to take appropriate action such as seizure of vehicles and disposal where appropriate. We continue to work and engage with Police Scotland to ensure they have the powers they need.

We also liaise with the UK Government where there are reserved matters relating to road safety, including vehicle licencing, off-road vehicles and legal use of both e-scooters and e-bikes. This ongoing collaboration ensures that Scottish interests are considered in any UK-wide decisions affecting road safety including the current legislative proposals. We plan to take this work forward through a cross-party approach.

Question reference: S6W-36711

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 17 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the approach taken in Staffordshire regarding addressing antisocial behaviour on off-road bikes, and whether it will consider a similar approach being taken in Scotland, including in the Mid Scotland and Fife region.

The Scottish Government is aware of this approach.

Police Scotland have a range of existing powers under road safety and antisocial behaviour legislation and common law to take appropriate action such as seizure of vehicles and disposal where appropriate. They have also pursued awareness campaigns, such as in December 2024, that highlighted concerns around illegal e-bikes, clarified the legal position, and publicised the number of such vehicles that had been seized.

Police Scotland also pursue a range of initiatives based on identified local need such as increased and targeted patrols at hot-spot areas, use of off-road vehicles for pursuit where safe to do so, and potential measures such as use of drones. This flexible local needs approach is undertaken by policing divisions including Mid Scotland and Fife.

Question reference: S6W-36714

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 17 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Police Scotland regarding the use of drones as part of the response to antisocial behaviour on off-road bikes.

Operational decisions are rightly a matter for Police Scotland. They use a range of existing powers under road safety and antisocial behaviour legislation to take appropriate action in response to the illegal use of off-road vehicles. This includes various initiatives which take account of local need such as local engagement, increased and targeted patrols at hot spot areas, use of off-road vehicles for pursuit where it is safe to do so. We are aware that drones have been used operationally by Police Scotland and it is their decision when they are utilised.

We continue to consider ways forward in partnership with Police Scotland and Local Authorities for tackling vehicle nuisance and related safety issues.

Question reference: S6W-36713

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 17 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with (a) Police Scotland and (b) other organisations to address antisocial behaviour on off-road bikes, and what recent action it has taken regarding this.

We continue to support and work in partnership with Police Scotland and Local Authorities in tackling vehicle nuisance and related safety issues.

Police Scotland have a range of existing powers under road safety and antisocial behaviour legislation and common law to prevent and tackle vehicle misuse. They have also pursued educational awareness campaigns and highlighted that 442 vehicles had been seized in 2024 comprising of 327 e-bikes and 115 e-scooters.

We welcome the development of innovative tools such as the recent use of SelectaDNA tagging spray, which provides a forensic link, by officers in Hawick as part of ongoing work to combat antisocial behaviour connected with off-road bikes.

Ministers met recently with ��˿�� and Police Scotland about this issue and as a result of that, options are being explored including liaising with the UK Government, and on its legislative proposals, as part of a cross-party approach. We will also continue to liaise with the UK Government where there are reserved matters relating to road safety, including vehicle licencing, off-road vehicles and legal use of both e-scooters and e-bikes.

Question reference: S6O-04554

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking, including through work involving Police Scotland and local authorities, to address antisocial behaviour in Mid Scotland and Fife.

Question reference: S6W-36360

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 April 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 30 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the active travel budget has been used for that purpose in each year since 2020-21.

Question reference: S6W-35526

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the outcome was of the most recent research it has carried out into the affordability of rail fares for (a) average and (b) low income households.

Question reference: S6W-35527

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action is has taken to encourage a modal shift to rail following the end of the removal of peak fares pilot, and how it is monitoring the effectiveness of any such interventions.

I have instructed ScotRail to continue to offer 20% discounts on season tickets until September 2025. The value for money of Flexipass remains permanently improved and recognising the increased popularity of this product since the end of the pilot, ScotRail has recently expanded its availability to cover all gated stations. ScotRail is committed to the ongoing development of this ticket type.

We are seeing an increase in passengers on our railway - passenger journeys on our publicly owned train services are up 4.5% for each 4-week period this year compared to the same period last year when the trial was running.

ScotRail will continue to develop fare initiatives to attract more passengers while providing savings and additional value to existing rail users, such as the launch of its new app ‘Tap&Pay’, which will automatically provide the best value fare.

Question reference: S6W-35528

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 24 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to update the ScotRail Peak Fares Removal Pilot Final Evaluation Report to cover the whole of the trial period.

Transport Scotland is currently analysing data to the beginning of March and expects to publish results shortly. This will cover the whole period of the pilot and beyond. As detailed in the answer to S6W-35525 on 24 March 2025, daily journeys have increased (on average) since the pilot ended and the analysis is exploring this further.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers