Parliamentary questions
Andrew Wilson
771 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
7 Nov 2001 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received regarding the range of powers that the Scottish ministers have in relation to the rail industry.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: I receive representations from a wide range of interests about this and other issues relating to the rail industry in Scotland.
31 Oct 2001 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the UK rail modernisation fund will be allocated to railway investment projects in Scotland.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Rail Modernisation Fund is administered by the Strategic Rail Authority on a UK basis.
22 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive (a) whether it will publish an anonymised account of the full report of its internal investigation into the failure to renew the Erskine Bridge toll order, (b) what the specific reasons are for its position on this matter and (c) how its position reflects its stated aims for open governme…
Answer · Sarah Boyack: We undertook during the debate on the Erskine Bridge Tolls Bill to publish the conclusions and recommendations of the investigation. We did so on 15 October. These cover what happened, and the next steps to avoid a recurrence. The publication of this informat…
17 Oct 2001 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-3669 by Mr Alasdair Morrison on 28 June 2001, whether there is now a target rate of growth for the Scottish economy and whether it expects the long-term trend rate of growth to rise, fall or stay the same in the coming five years.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The Executive does not have a target rate for economic growth in Scotland and does not make economic forecasts.<P>What is important is that the Executive is addressing the underlying conditions for growth and prosperity in the modern economy. We are set upon …
26 Sep 2001 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on the development of light railways and tram systems.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: We would welcome proposals from local authorities and other bodies for light rail systems as part of the delivery of an integrated transport policy. Such projects may qualify for support under the Public Transport Fund and Integrated Transport Fund.
12 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why lighting was active on Kincardine Bridge in daylight on the afternoon of 10 September 2001; on what dates and for what reason any similar situation has arisen since AMEY Highways Ltd took over the maintenance contract from April 2001, and why the bridge's "magic eye" system was not op…
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Following recent repairs to electrical equipment on Kincardine Bridge, the road lighting was subject to extensive testing between 4 and 17 September 2001 to check the performance of the system. During this period the "magic eye" was de-activated and…
10 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any maintenance work will be required on the land erosion affecting an exposed pile at pier 19 of the Kincardine Bridge; whether it will give details of any such work; when this problem was first identified; whether it has been reported to it by any agencies since and, if so, by …
Answer · Sarah Boyack: A potential scour problem at pier 19 of the Kincardine Bridge was first identified some years ago, and both the Forth Local Authority Consortium and Amey Highways Ltd have subsequently monitored the situation. Scouring of the bed of a river is a complex proce…
10 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how regularly and by whom locking bolts/pins and expansion joints were checked for the local authority responsible for maintenance on the Kincardine Bridge prior to the contract being awarded to AMEY Highways Ltd and how regularly and by whom these points have been checked since.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Prior to April 2001, when responsibility for maintenance of the Kincardine Bridge passed to AMEY Highways Ltd as part of the trunk road maintenance contracts, this responsibility lay with Falkirk Council on behalf of the Forth Local Authority Consortium. As p…
10 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there have been any incidents on the Kincardine Bridge involving fire since AMEY Highways Ltd became responsible for the maintenance of the bridge and, if so, what type of incidents these were; on what dates the incidents took place; whether staff were on site at the outbreak of …
Answer · Sarah Boyack: There was a fire on the Kincardine Bridge on the evening of 3 August 2001 on the timber jetty in the vicinity of the central pier. An electrical fault is believed to have been the cause and there was local damage to timber members as a result.<P ALIGN="JUSTIF…
10 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether permission to use salt for the purpose of clearing ice on the Kincardine Bridge has been sought by or given to AMEY Highways Ltd since they became responsible for the maintenance of the bridge.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: In winter certain major bridges are sprayed with the anti-icing chemical ethylene glycol rather than salt. During a short period pending the release of spraying equipment by the former maintenance organisation, AMEY Highways Ltd requested and were given permi…
10 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether lighting to assist motorists has been operational on the Kincardine Bridge every night since AMEY Highways Ltd became responsible for the maintenance of the bridge and, if not, whether it will detail any dates when no lighting was provided, specifying the reason in each case.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The road lighting on Kincardine Bridge is at the end of its useful life, much of it dating back to 1936 when it was first installed. AMEY Highways Ltd has experienced intermittent problems with the road lighting since they took over responsibility for mainten…
10 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a contractual obligation on AMEY Highways Ltd to employ a full-time bridge attendant in connection with the maintenance of the Kincardine Bridge; if so, whether such an attendant has been employed, and, if not, why no such attendant has been employed.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: There was no requirement in the term road maintenance contracts for the South East Unit for AMEY Highways Ltd to employ a full-time bridge attendant in connection with the maintenance of the Kincardine Bridge. <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">However, the contract requires…
10 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the local authority responsible for maintaining the Kincardine Bridge prior to the maintenance contract being awarded to AMEY Highways Ltd employed a full-time bridge attendant and, if so, whether this was a contractual obligation.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: During the term of the previous contract, Falkirk Council maintained Kincardine Bridge on behalf of Forth Local Authority Consortium (FLAC). A council employee was based full-time at the adjacent depot to undertake certain duties in connection with the bridge…
30 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it will allocate to the planned Larkhall to Milngavie rail link; to which organisation that funding will be paid, and what rights of ownership and management direction it will have in relation to the link as a result of this funding.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Executive is taking forward the Larkhall to Milngavie rail route project in partnership with Strathclyde Passenger Transport and will allocate £16 million to Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority as part of a joint £23 million package. All enhancement…
30 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16761 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 17 July 2001, whether it will detail the projects whose implementation was delayed and the implications for project timescales.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-17081 answered on 15 August 2001.
30 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive on what date it will announce any underspend in the budget for 2000-01 and the implications of any such underspend for detailed budgets.
Answer · Angus MacKay: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18253 on 19 September 2001.
30 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16761 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 17 July 2001, how the one-off savings accrued from a delay in project implementation can be allocated to pay for on-going budgets such as the budget to meet the commitment to personal care for elderly people.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Regional Selective Assistance is a demand-led scheme. The savings on the scheme's expenditure, as identified in the answer to question S1W-16761 answered on 17 July 2001, reflected existing commitments and the expected future flow of new cases. Anticipated co…
17 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of (a) the total number of people, (b) the long-term unemployed and (c) the young unemployed who left the unemployment register during the last year are currently categorised as being in employment, broken down by parliamentary constituency.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: There is no available information on whether people who left the claimant count during the past year are currently in employment.<P>Data on the total number of people who left the claimant count, where the reason for leaving at that time was that they had fou…
17 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the private sector training providers involved in delivering employment training, skills or other related initiatives, broken down by initiative, and what relationship it has with such providers.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands & Islands Enterprise.
17 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people who have taken part in an employment training, skills or other related initiative in the last five years are now in work.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Information on the current status of all such people is not available. However, data is collected on job outcomes following the completion of training programmes. For the Training for Work programme, the number of starts and the percentage of programme leaver…
17 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total annual cost is of administering and delivering employment training, skills or other related initiatives, including money spent by Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and other relevant bodies.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Information on the total annual cost is not available.<P>Expenditure on skills and learning by the Enterprise Networks is expected to amount to £121.508 million in 2001-02. This figure excludes costs of administration.
17 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the destinations of all those leaving each New Deal programme in each year since the inception of each programme.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Information is available on the destinations of leavers from New Deal for Young People, New Deal 25+ and New Deal for Lone Parents on the Scottish Executive website (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00105-00ap). Data from this is shown as follows:<F…
17 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline the relationships its ministers and officials have, in connection with the New Deal, with (a) Ministers and officials of Her Majesty's Government and (b) each of the organisations involved in delivering this programme.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing organisations.<P>The Scottish Executive is in regular contact…
6 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total allocation through the Barnett formula for transport in Scotland was in each year since the formula's inception, in both real and cash terms.
Answer · Angus MacKay: The Barnett formula provides consequentials of increases in spending in comparable UK programmes. It is for Scottish ministers to allocate funding across all the Executive's programmes, including transport, within the resources available.
6 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much, in both real and cash terms, was allocated to transport in each year since 1997.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The information is set out in the table. It excludes expenditure by local authorities.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=608><TR><TD WIDTH="31%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>Allocations (£ million)</TD><TD WIDTH="12%" VALIGN="TOP"><P ALIGN="CENTER">1997-98</T…
6 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been allocated for transport grants in each of the next three financial years; what projects will be supported, and how much each project will receive, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Funding for grant schemes across the transport programme was detailed in the Scottish Executive's Annual Expenditure Report published on 30 March 2001. The funding available to particular schemes and the amounts allocated to individual projects will continue …
6 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been allocated for rail services in each of the next three financial years; what projects will be supported, and how much each project will receive.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-17142 on 16 August 2001.
6 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the #5 million for road safety projects announced by the Minister for Finance and Local Government on 28 June 2001 will be sourced in the light of the #25 million net change in the transport budget over the period 2001-02 to 2003-04, broken down by local authority area, project and a…
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The statement of 28 June committed £5 million for key priorities across the transport programme. This money has been allocated as part of the realignment of the Executive's overall budget.
6 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the #5 million for road safety projects announced by the Minister for Finance and Local Government on 28 June 2001 will be allocated, broken down by local authority area and by project.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The statement of 28 June committed £5 million for key priorities across the transport programme. We propose to allocate £25,000 of this money in the current year, and a further £200,000 in 2003-04 to a pilot Child Pedestrian Training scheme. No decisions have…
6 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authority transport programmes will be affected by the #25 million net change in the transport budget over the period 2001-02 to 2003-04 announced by the Minister for Finance and Local Government on 28 June 2001.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Local authority programmes will not be affected by the changes to the Executive's transport budget.