Parliamentary questions
David Mundell
955 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
12 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost was, including installation, of the cycleway signs on the cycletrack adjacent to the B7076 between Gretna and Beattock Summit.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The cycletrack between Kirkpatrick Fleming and Beattock was constructed as part of a number of individual contracts during the upgrading of the A74 between Gretna and Millbank. Several of these contracts were in the form of lump sum design and build and the s…
12 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cycleway signs there are on the cycle track adjacent to the B7076 between Gretna and Beattock Summit.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The number of cycleway signs on the 61km of cycleway and cycletrack between Kirkpatrick Fleming and Beattock where it is adjacent to the B7076 is in the order of 307.
12 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost was, including installation, of the cycleway signs within 100 yards of the roundabout on the B7076 at Kirkburn Farm, Lockerbie.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The installation of the cycleway signs was included in a package of work awarded under a lump sum form of contract ancillary to the M6 DBFO project. Consequently it is not possible to identify the contractor's costs for individual elements of the package of w…
12 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cycleway and road signs are located within a 100 yard radius of the roundabout on the B7076 at Kirkburn Farm, Lockerbie.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Both the roundabout and the B7076 in the vicinity of the roundabout are local roads for which Dumfries & Galloway Council are the local roads authority. Nevertheless, it is understood that the number of cycleway signs is in the order of 30 and the number …
12 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any guidelines on the maximum number of cycleway and road signs to be provided at any one location.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Guidance on road signing, including signs for cycleways, is given in the Traffic Signs Manual, which is published by the Stationery Office. Its purpose is to provide traffic authorities with the codes to be followed in the use, siting and illumination of road…
12 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines exist for the provision of signage on cycleways.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Where the cycleway forms part of the public road network, only those signs specified by the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 1994 or authorised by the Scottish Ministers may be used. Guidance on road signing, including signs for cycleways, is …
13 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government, OFTEL or telecommunications companies regarding the practicalities of local loop unbundling throughout Scotland and its impact on the Executive's policy on the promotion of information and communication technologies and on the …
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive has no function in relation to the condition inserted in BT's licence that mandates local loop unbundling. However, the Executive holds discussions with the UK Government and other organisations, including OFTEL as necessary. The Execut…
13 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the ownership of unadopted roads subject to public vehicular and pedestrian use is identified.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, a road (which by definition is any way over which there is a public right of passage) can either be a public road or a private road. If it is a public road, responsibility for managing and maintaining it rests with the rel…
13 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the article on the A75 regarding a possible move of the port for the Northern Ireland through route from Stranraer to Troon in the Galloway Ga'ette on 8 December 2000 and what response it is planning to make to the article.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: I have seen the article concerned and the suggestion that the Scottish Executive favours Troon over Loch Ryan as a port for ferry services to Northern Ireland is wholly without foundation.
13 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Government regarding the A75 and the draft Multi Annual Indicative Transport Programme to be published by the European Commission on 18 December 2000.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: To be considered for funding under the trans-European Network (TEN) Multi-annual Indicative Programme (MIP) schemes had to be submitted to the Commission as part of a combined UK bid by 16 October 2000. The two schemes currently identified for the A75 were no…
12 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to paragraph 2.1.3 of Strategic Priorities for Scotland's Passenger Railway, what the increase in passenger numbers and services has been.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Since the franchise was let in April 1997, ScotRail has reported an eight million increase (15%) in annual passenger journeys (53.4 million in April 1997 to 61.4 million in September 2000). There has been a significant number of service enhancements across th…
12 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to paragraph 2.1.2 of Strategic Priorities for Scotland's Passenger Railway, what the circumstances are where it considers the advantages of rail transport to be the greatest.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive has outlined its understanding of what it considers to be the advantages of passenger rail transport in part three of its consultation document <I>Strategic Priorities for Scotland's Passenger Railway</I>.
12 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to paragraph 1.4.14 of Strategic Priorities for Scotland's Passenger Railway, what mechanisms it has in place to ensure that the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) is managing expenditure efficiently and effectively and what options it has available to it should the SRA not fu…
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Grant-in-aid from the Scottish Executive to the SRA in support of the Scottish passenger rail franchise will be subject to appropriate systems of audit and accountability.
12 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to paragraph 1.4.9 of Strategic Priorities for Scotland's Passenger Railway, what processes it has in place to ensure that it is made aware of what the priorities of rail users are in rural areas such as Dumfries and Galloway, in order to represent them to the Strategic Ra…
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The publication of the Scottish Executive's consultation document <I>Strategic Priorities for Scotland's Passenger Railway</I> provides a major opportunity for all those interested in the development of Scotland's railway network to express their aspirations.…
12 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to paragraph 1.4.4 of Strategic Priorities for Scotland's Passenger Railway, whether and how it will ensure that the quality of rolling stock used to service rural and less profitable lines will be of the same standard as that used on more profitable and popular lines once…
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive will seek to ensure through a new Scottish passenger rail franchise that the rolling stock for rural services will be of a high standard.
8 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to increase utilisation of the rural Post Office network by promoting additional over the counter services, for example the sale of travel tickets.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Post Office and postal services are reserved matters for the UK Government, although the Executive recognises the important role which post offices play in communities across Scotland, and in particular in rural areas.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The Executive is k…
8 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10569 by Susan Deacon on 27 November 2000, what information it has on any cost to Dumfries and Galloway Health Board of treating patients from the North of England.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The treatment costs for patients who are resident in the North of England but have received treatment in Dumfries and Galloway are reimbursed by their host health authority. In the current year, Dumfries and Galloway will receive a total of £176,018 from the …
8 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has in place to promote and ensure Internet access to online public services for the elderly, particularly in rural areas.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Through its Digital Scotland initiative the Scottish Executive is working towards pervasive and affordable access to the web for people of all ages and in all areas of Scotland. We are committed to universal access to the web by 2005.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">We are…
8 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures it has in place to establish when rural areas such as Dumfries and Galloway are eligible for European Union funding and how it makes local authorities aware of funding opportunities.
Answer · Angus MacKay: The Executive works in close partnership with a wide range of public sector bodies, including local authorities and local enterprise companies, to develop, negotiate and implement European Union funded programmes in various spheres. Lines of communication and…
8 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that the interests of rural areas such as Dumfries and Galloway are represented in Europe.
Answer · Jack McConnell: Scottish interests in devolved matters including those of particular interest to Dumfries and Galloway, are fed by the Scottish Executive into the formulation of the UK line which is taken forward by the UK delegation at meetings with EU institutions and Memb…
6 Dec 2000 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will be represented at the EU Conference on Regional Policy and the Information Society to be held in Lyon on 16 December.
Answer · Jack McConnell: The conference being held in Lyon between 18-19 December is not an Inter-Governmental meeting and the Executive will not be represented. We welcome the aims of conference to discuss the development of the information society within the context of eEurope with…
4 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the figures for refuge spaces quoted in its press release of 29 November 2000 announcing the funding package to tackle domestic abuse include all refuge spaces provided by unaffiliated women's aid groups.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: Our current figure of 360 refuge spaces is an approximate one but does include both affiliated and unaffiliated groups.
30 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10567 by Mr Jack McConnell on 27 November 2000, what formal relationships it has or intends to establish with local or regional government bodies in the north of England for the purpose of identifying issues of common interest between Scotland and th…
Answer · Jack McConnell: As stated in my answer to question S1W-10567 on 27 November, the Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Government Offices in the North-East and North-West on issues of common interest. Local authorities in the south of Scotland are best placed to …
28 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take to ensure that information posted by the NHSiS on its website is clearly marked as being from the NHSiS and is secured against unauthorised alteration.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Health On the Web (SHOW) website acts as a host site for all NHS in Scotland organisations. It has compliance standards which require that the logo of the organisation (or its full name where a logo is not available) is indicated on the menu bar …
28 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10216 by Susan Deacon on 18 October 2000, how it will ensure the security of electronic information, in particular patient information, as part of its Electronic Clinical Communications Implementation programme in the NHSiS.
Answer · Susan Deacon: All patient identifiable electronic information exchanged between GPs and hospitals under the Electronic Clinical Communications Implementation programme must be transmitted on a private health service telecommunications network such as NHSnet which is dedica…
24 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what methods Learning and Teaching Scotland used to assess the applications it received for posts in its senior management team.
Answer · Jack McConnell: The appointment process for the post of Chief Executive was managed by the Education Department. It followed the procedures as set out in the Commissioner for Public Appointments' Guidance on Appointments to Public Bodies, including the involvement of an inde…
24 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how Learning and Teaching Scotland recruited the members of its senior management team; in particular, whether the posts were advertised externally; if so, in which journals and on what dates, and whether internal applicants were required to apply using the same process as external appli…
Answer · Jack McConnell: The senior management team of LT Scotland comprises a Chief Executive, and three Assistant Chief Executives.<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><P>The Chief Executive of Learning and Teaching Scotland was recruited following an external advertisement placed in <I>The S…
23 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10987 by Susan Deacon on 21 November 2000, why no targets have been set for the number of GP surgeries to have videoconferencing facilities by 2003.
Answer · Susan Deacon: In light of the current cost and quality of videoconferencing, the evidence is insufficiently compelling to recommend the widespread adoption of videoconferencing by GPs. This position will be kept under review and will be influenced by convincing evidence of…
23 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Telemedicine Action Forum has evaluated why the use of videoconferencing in GP surgeries is not more widespread.
Answer · Susan Deacon: To date, there has been no systematic evaluation of why videoconferencing facilities in GP surgeries are not more widespread.
23 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10985 by Susan Deacon on 21 November 2000, what the results were of the experiments using videoconferencing in GP surgeries.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The literature is mainly of limited pilot studies showing technological feasibility. It is likely that as the technology improves and prices fall, videoconferencing will, in time, become more routine. However, experience to date suggests that other developmen…