Margaret Smith

19 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that local authorities and housing associations are aware of their responsibilities in meeting the costs of cleaning homes where a homicide has occurred.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government is working with the Chartered Institute for Housing (CIH) Scotland to publish, in April 2009, guidance advising housing providers of their responsibilities in the aftermath of a homicide or other serious incident. The Scottish Governme…

19 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that individuals and families who have experienced a homicide in their homes are informed of the assistance available to meet any associated cleaning costs.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government publishes an information pack for families bereaved by homicide, which explains the legal system as well as giving advice on practicalities and on sources of support and help. The pack is normally given to families by police Family Lia…

12 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make an announcement on the location of the proposed Gogar railway station.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Scottish ministers announced on 10 December 2008 that the new railway station would be situated on the existing Fife line to the north of the A8 Gyle Roundabout. The announcement was made to the Scottish Parliament as part of the Strategic Transport Projects…

12 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish ministers have met the owners of the Gyle Shopping Centre to discuss the siting of the proposed Gogar railway station and any related transport interchange.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland officials, on behalf of Scottish ministers, have met previously with William Ewart Properties Limited and will continue to have discussions with them regarding the new station.</p>

12 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a delay in making a decision about the siting of the proposed Gogar railway station has resulted from a change or delay to the Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (TIE) tram works programme at the Gogar depot.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Scottish ministers announced on 10 December 2008 that the new railway station would be situated on the existing Fife line to the north of the A8 Gyle Roundabout. The announcement was made to the Scottish Parliament as part of the Strategic Transport Projects…

12 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider siting the proposed Gogar railway station on the south side of the A8 next to the Gyle Shopping Centre and a tram stop.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Scottish ministers announced on 10 December 2008 that the new railway station would be situated on the existing Fife line to the north of the A8 Gyle Roundabout. This followed consideration of a number of sites, including options on the south side of the A8.…

30 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how often the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning has met representatives of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council and Scottish Parent Councils Association in the last twelve months.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I have not met formally with either organisation in the past year, although I regularly engage with representatives of individual parent councils and parent teacher associations during the course of visits to schools. The Minister for Children and Early Years…

30 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made towards setting up an independent body to represent the parents of school pupils.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: In October 2008 we commissioned a survey of parent council views on this issue. I expect to have the benefit of the results by Easter.</p>

30 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to improve funding mechanisms for colleges.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The mechanism used to distribute funds to Scotland''s colleges is a matter for the Scottish Funding Council. I have asked its chief executive to write to the member.</p>

30 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the ongoing revenue and maintenance costs will be of the existing Forth Road Bridge following the opening of the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Maintenance of the existing Forth Road Bridge will remain a matter for the Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA). The Scottish Government hold regular discussions with FETA regarding their capital programme and the costs associated with this.</p> <p >We a…

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many buses it expects to cross the existing Forth Road Bridge on a daily basis following the opening of the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The forecast for assumed minimum bus numbers crossing the Forth Road Bridge is based on existing services which call at Ferrytoll park and ride and cross the Forth Road Bridge. The current bus service level to and from Ferrytoll and crossing the Forth are 537…

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what body will be responsible for the administration of the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland will be responsible for the Forth Replacement Crossing project on behalf of Scottish ministers.</p>

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason there will be no dedicated space for pedestrians or cyclists on the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: As the existing facilities for pedestrians and cyclists on the Forth Road Bridge are more than adequate, additional provision on the replacement crossing is neither required nor a good use of resources.</p>

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason the timetable for the building of the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing has not been reduced, given the downgrading of the bridge design and related road networks.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The timetable for constructing the Forth Replacement Crossing has not changed: the bridge is the critical construction activity and although the width of the bridge has been reduced, the design and construction operations have to be undertaken in a certain se…

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will decide on any compensation package to be available to householders affected by the building of the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The law relating to compensation and compulsory purchase is complex and the rules that will apply to the Forth Replacement Crossing will not be finally defined until the Act has been secured.</p> <p >In the meanwhile, affected householders have been advised…

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessments have been undertaken by Transport Scotland of baseline air quality and noise levels in the residential areas affected by the building of the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland is currently undertaking an assessment of air quality and noise, including assessment of baseline levels within the route corridor, as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing.</p> <p >The res…

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether estimates have been made of the increase in carbon emissions that would result from the construction and operation of the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The carbon emissions from the construction have been estimated and will be detailed in the Study Reports planned for publication before the end of February 2009.</p> <p >Those arising from the operation of the replacement crossing will be estimated as part o…

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what traffic modelling has been undertaken to identify the impact on traffic levels of the proposed new road layout of the A904 at Newton.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Traffic modelling has been undertaken using the Transport Model for Scotland. This supplies traffic forecasts which take into account travel demand associated with household and jobs growth and trip distribution and mode choice.</p>

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions Transport Scotland has had with the City of Edinburgh Council, bus operators and other key stakeholders about increasing public transport availability as a result of the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Since the feasibility stage of the Forth Replacement Crossing project, Transport Scotland has held regular discussions with the local authorities, SEStran, and key stakeholders with regards to the project development, including possible measures to increase p…

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it would cost to build a park-and-ride facility at Echline and whether that cost is included in the proposed costs of between £1.7 and £2.3 billion for the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The cost of building a park-and-ride facility at Echline still stands to be established.</p> <p >By utilising the existing road construction and lighting, the costs would be minimised, and would likely be in the order of £1 million to £1.5 million.</p> <p >…

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the status is of the suggestion to build a park-and-ride facility at Echline.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The construction of a park-and-ride facility at Echline is currently under consideration.</p> <p >Transport Scotland will continue to work with the local authorities on this matter.</p>

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the potential costs of any changes needed to public transport provision around the existing Forth Road Bridge were included in the estimated cost of the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The cost estimates of £1.7 billion to £2.3 billion include scope for facilitating improvements to public transport, but not specific provisions beyond the use for buses. We are continuing to work with the local authorities regarding specific measures.</p>

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will improve public transport provision around the existing Forth Road Bridge following the decision to use it for public transport instead of the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing, as originally planned.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Yes, improving public transport provision remains a key objective of this project and the Strategic Transport Projects Review.</p>

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether studies of public transport provision around the existing Forth Road Bridge will be undertaken following the decision to use it for public transport instead of the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing, as originally planned.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Studies of public transport provision around the existing Forth Road Bridge are on-going.</p>

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what studies were undertaken on the public transport provision around the existing Forth Road Bridge prior to the decision to use it for public transport instead of the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing, as originally planned.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: We plan to publish the study reports which support the decision to use the Forth Road Bridge as a dedicated public transport corridor by the end of February 2009.</p>

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will allow local authorities to make use of tax increment financing in relation to business rates

Answer · John Swinney: We will consider any proposals from local authorities which make use of tax increment financing so long as these make financial sense. The City of Edinburgh Council is currently exploring the use of tax increment financing with the Scottish Futures Trust.</p>…

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made by local authorities to address the issue of equal pay.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is not involved in the negotiations taking place at local authority level on equal pay. These are matters for local authorities as independent corporate bodies. However, I am aware that written evidence provided by COSLA to the Equal O…

22 Jan 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it is giving to local authorities to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill sites.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: <i> This PQ was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link:</i></p> <p ><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0122-01.htm">http://www.scottish.pa…

15 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact of the proposal to lease out 25% of the most commercially-viable, publicly-owned Scottish forests for up to 75 years on Forestry Commission Scotland’s staffing numbers in Edinburgh.

Answer · Michael Russell: The consultation has just concluded and the responses are being carefully considered. However, we have already stated that there will be no compulsory redundancies as a result of any leasing arrangement arising from the consultation exercise and wider options…

12 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to assist local community organisations affected by cuts in Fairer Scotland Fund grants.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The Fairer Scotland Fund (FSF) assists community planning partnerships (CPPs) in tackling issues related to poverty and disadvantage in the most locally appropriate way. Investment of the FSF is a matter for each CPP. It is for local partners to decide which …