Parliamentary questions
Andrew Wilson
771 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
3 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail any submission it made to the consultation exercise by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) on the use of national symbols on vehicle registration plates in Scotland; when any such submission was made, and what feedback it has received since.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including vehicle number plates. The Executive welcomes the DVLA consultation and has made clear the view of Scottish ministers that people should have the freedom …
3 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to paragraph 2.10 of the Appendix to Annexe A of The new trunk road contracts, what its position is on the separate designations of roads for the purposes of determining the responsibility and funding available for the maintenance of trunk roads.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the Member to the answer given to Question S1W-20533, in response to publication of the Auditor General's report.
3 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to paragraph 2.10 of the Appendix to Annex A of Audit Scotland's The new trunk road contracts, what provision it has made to prevent any situation arising in which different organisations would have gritters and snow-clearing lorries attempting to travel on, but not being abl…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the Member to the answer given to Question S1W-20533, in response to publication of the Auditor General's report.
3 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to paragraph 2.10 of the Appendix to Annex A of Audit Scotland's The new trunk road contracts, whether any objectives of it and local authorities in respect of social inclusion, decentralisation of services and rural development have been compromised and what the reasons are …
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20533 on 29 November 2001, in response to publication of the Auditor General's report.
3 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to paragraph 2.10 of the Appendix to Annex A of Audit Scotland's The new trunk road contracts, whether any projected rise in costs of managing and maintaining the local road network will have any impact on other public services and, if so, whether it will give details of (a) …
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20533, in response to publication of the Auditor General's report.
3 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to paragraph 2.10 of the Appendix to Annex A of Audit Scotland's The new trunk road contracts, whether unit costs for maintaining the whole road network are likely to rise, even if it achieves lower unit costs for the trunk roads, and what the reasons are for the position on …
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20533 on 29 November 2001, in response to publication of the Auditor General's report.
3 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to paragraph 2.10 of the Appendix to Annex A of Audit Scotland's The new trunk road contracts, whether management and maintenance of trunk roads has become a less customer-oriented service under the new trunk roads maintenance contracts and what the reasons are for the positi…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20533 on 29 November 2001, in response to publication of the Auditor General's report.
3 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to paragraph 2.44 of Audit Scotland's The new trunk road contracts, why its Development Department considered that it was not necessary to take any special measures to protect the staff of its existing providers.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20533 on 29 November 2001, in response to publication of the Auditor General's report.
3 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to paragraph 2.40 of Audit Scotland's The new trunk road contracts, whether any new working methods have been identified and proposed by (a) Amey Highways Ltd and (b) BEAR Scotland Ltd and what the timescale for implementation is in each case.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20533 on 26 November 2001.
29 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to paragraph 2.40 of Audit Scotland's The new trunk road contracts of November 2001, (a) what problems were identified, (b) which such problems remain unresolved and (c) whether its Development Department (i) is confident that improvements are being made and (ii) expects to s…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20533 on 29 November 2001, in response to publication of the Auditor General's report.
29 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to paragraph 2.39 of Audit Scotland's The new trunk road contracts, what monies have been withheld from (a) Amey Highways Ltd and (b) BEAR (Scotland) Ltd in respect of any failure to meet trunk road maintenance contractual requirements.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20533 on 26 November 2001.
29 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to paragraph 2.37 of Audit Scotland's The new trunk road contracts, what routine work has not been done to the level or standard required by (a) Amey Highways Ltd and (b) BEAR (Scotland) Ltd and what remedial action has been taken by (i) it and (ii) the contractor in respect …
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20533 on 26 November 2001.
29 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to paragraph 2.37 of Audit Scotland's The new trunk road contracts, what specific resources (a) Amey Highways Ltd and (b) BEAR (Scotland) Ltd have lacked "for full operations in some areas" and what remedial action has been taken to date by (i) it and (ii) the contractor in r…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20533 on 29 November 2001, in response to publication of the Auditor General's report.
29 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to paragraph 2.37 of Audit Scotland's The new trunk road contracts, what specific difficulties in fully meeting operational requirements Amey Highways Ltd and BEAR (Scotland) Ltd have each experienced and what remedial action in respect of each difficulty has been taken to da…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20533 on 29 November 2001, in response to publication of the Auditor General's report.
28 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the financial sanctions taken against the companies operating the trunk roads maintenance contracts referred to in paragraph 2.36 of Audit Scotland's The new trunk road contracts, what the value of each sanction was; in respect of which contractor each sanction was taken, …
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20533 on 29 November 2001, in response to publication of the Auditor General's report.
28 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to paragraph 2.35 of Audit Scotland's The new trunk road contracts, why Amey Highways Ltd and BEAR (Scotland) Ltd did not meet the initial performance requirement of the trunk roads maintenance contracts to have ready a computerised management information system by 1 April 20…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-20533 on 29 November 2001, in response to publication of the Auditor General's report.
28 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to paragraph 2.26 of Audit Scotland's The new trunk road contracts, whether its Development Department has levied any lane occupation charges on any companies operating trunk roads maintenance contracts at any time since 1 April 2001 and, if so, whether it will give details o…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20533 on 29 November 2001, in response to publication of the Auditor General's report.
28 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to paragraph 2.25 of Audit Scotland's The new trunk road contracts, what internal guidance it has established to help clarify circumstances where contract termination may be warranted, why such guidance was not established at the outset of the contracts and on what date the d…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20533 on 29 November 2001, in response to publication of the Auditor General's report.
28 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether its Development Department has on any occasion (a) stepped in to remedy any default in respect of non-compliance by any operating company with any aspect of its trunk road maintenance contract, (b) recovered any costs incurred by taking such action from the operating company and (…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20533 on 29 November 2001, in response to publication of the Auditor General's report.
28 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why there was no opportunity for bidders for trunk road maintenance contracts to offer innovative proposals from the outset of the contracts involving any change in the level of service or the work specifications, as reported in paragraph 2.14 of Audit Scotland's The new trunk road contra…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20533 on 29 November 2001, in response to publication of the Auditor General's report.
28 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why its Development Department clarified aspects of each bidder's quality proposals with the knowledge of the initial results of the financial assessment of bids, as reported in paragraph 1.63 of Audit Scotland's The new trunk road contracts.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20533 on 29 November 2001, in response to publication of the Auditor General's report.
28 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why its Development Department's initial assessment was that it was not clear that each bidder's tendered final quality proposals for trunk road maintenance contracts fully met the required quality threshold, as reported in paragraph 1.62 of Audit Scotland's The new trunk road contracts.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-20533 on 29 November 2001, in response to publication of the Auditor General's report.
28 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why its Development Department considered that it did not need a quality:price ratio when assessing tenders for trunk road maintenance contracts, as reported in paragraph 1.51 of Audit Scotland's The new trunk road contracts.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20533 on 29 November 2001, in response to publication of the Auditor General's report.
28 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-19889 by Sarah Boyack on 26 November 2001, why it did not provide a detailed response to the question and how much it spent on answering the question.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Question S1W-19889 was answered adequately. As the member will be aware, it is not usual to provide details of discussions between ministers and third parties.<P>The estimated cost of answering the member's question S1W-19889 is £60.
28 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-19833 by Sarah Boyack on 23 November 2001, whether it will give specific details on whether it has ever been consulted by, or instigated consultation with, the Strategic Rail Authority on the allocation of the UK rail modernisation fund to railway in…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: No. As the member will be aware, it is not usual to provide details of discussions between ministers and third parties.
28 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-19848 by Sarah Boyack on 23 November 2001, (a) on what dates since 1 March 2001 it has had meetings at which the subject of vertical integration of the rail network was discussed and (b) with which relevant bodies and individuals each such meeting wa…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: There is nothing further to add. As the member will be aware, it is not usual to provide details of discussions between ministers and third parties.
28 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-19833 by Sarah Boyack on 23 November 2001, why the information requested in questions S1O-4059 and S1W-19848 was not provided in the answers to those questions on 8 and 23 November respectively and what the cost of providing each of those answers was.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Questions S1W-19833, S1O-4059 and S1W-19848 were answered adequately. As the member will be aware, it is not usual to provide details of discussions between ministers and third parties.<P>The estimated cost of answering each of the member's questions is as fo…
26 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive (a) why, under section 2.1 (iii) of Schedule 3, Part 4 of the Term Contract for Management and Maintenance of the Scottish Trunk Road Network, Amey Highways Ltd and BEAR (Scotland) are prevented from responding to any "correspondence regarding matters of Scottish Executive policy or fund…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: This condition, which is no different to that in the previous contracts, was included to define areas of responsibility between the Scottish Executive and the Operating Companies in respect of dealings with particular types of correspondence.<P>Politically se…
26 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why, under section 2.1 (ii) of Schedule 3, Part 4 of the Term Contract for Management and Maintenance of the Scottish Trunk Road Network, Amey Highways Ltd and BEAR (Scotland) Ltd are prevented from responding directly to enquiries from the media and why the media were so specified.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: This condition, which is no different to that in the previous contracts, was included to define areas of responsibility between the Scottish Executive and the Operating Companies in respect of dealings with the media.
26 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why, under section 2.1 (i) of Schedule 3, Part 4 of the Term Contract for Management and Maintenance of the Scottish Trunk Road Network, Amey Highways Ltd and BEAR (Scotland) Ltd are prevented from responding directly to enquiries from MPs and MSPs and why those groups were so specified.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: This condition, which is no different to that in the previous contracts, was included to define areas of responsibility between the Scottish Executive and the Operating Companies in respect of dealings with MPs and MSPs.