Parliamentary questions
David Mundell
955 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
18 Sep 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the commitment in the transport section of Building a Better Scotland - Spending Proposals 2003-06: What the money buys to increasing capacity on the rail network in and around Edinburgh will translate to a fully-financed commitment to a tram system in Edinburgh and, if so, how mu…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive has provided £6.5 million to fund the development of the North Edinburgh tram to parliamentary order stage and to look at options for the Edinburgh South Suburban Railway, and a further £5 million to do the same for the West Edinburgh T…
18 Sep 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance will be issued to army personnel in advance of any deployment of them on firefighting duties in dealing with particular situations and what training they will have had ahead of any deployment as a result of any such guidance.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Personnel are being drawn from all three services across the whole of the defence establishment. In total across the UK this will involve about 19,000 personnel. Personnel will be trained and equipped to provide basic emergency fire and rescue cover. Some exi…
18 Sep 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there has been any assessment of the insurance implications for local authorities of not being able to provide a normal fire service in the event of a strike by firefighters.
Answer · Jim Wallace: In the event of industrial action by the Fire Brigades Union, it is our understanding that no claim would lie against the Fire Authority for an alleged breach of its statutory duty under the Fire Services Act 1947 to provide fire cover.
18 Sep 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what emergency planning arrangements are in place for the use of army personnel during any strike by firefighters; how many army personnel would be required, and what appliances and specialist equipment they will have available to them.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Contingency plans exist for a range of possible scenarios including industrial action in the Fire Service. In Scotland a total of 2,000 service personnel would be involved. There would be over 100 Green Goddess fire tenders, 36 Breathing Apparatus Rescue Team…
18 Sep 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the removal of fire cover due to a strike by firefighters would have on the operation of (a) football grounds, (b) theatres, (c) cinemas, (d) airports, (e) the rail network, and (f) care homes for the elderly, given the conditions under which public safety licences affecting …
Answer · Jim Wallace: The key to safety in many situations in the event of fire is evacuation time, which does not rely on the presence of the Fire Service. Advice is being issued which will request those responsible to review evacuation procedures and fire prevention measures, ta…
18 Sep 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what importance forestry has to the economy.
Answer · Allan Wilson: Forestry is a significant asset to the economy, particularly in rural areas. Forestry and primary wood processing in Scotland currently provide over 10,000 full-time equivalent jobs, and contributes around £800 million per year to the economy. Timber producti…
16 Sep 2002 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Executive remains committed to the dispersal of government jobs throughout Scotland.
Answer · Jack McConnell: Cabinet discussed this issue yesterday.<P>We remain committed to dispersal and we have already taken significant steps to implement this.<P>We have located or are currently planning to relocate 650 jobs outwith Edinburgh and of the seven reviews planned, five…
13 Sep 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council applies in the awarding of strategic change grants.
Answer · Iain Gray: This is a matter for the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC). <P>Information on the strategic change grant can be found on the SHEFC website at: <A HREF="http://www.shefc.ac.uk/content/shefc/strategy/scg.html#higher">www.shefc.ac.uk/content/shef…
11 Sep 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the next stage of the report on a university of the south of Scotland will be published.
Answer · Iain Gray: The report <I>Higher Education in the South of Scotland</I>, launched in Dumfries by Wendy Alexander on 24 October 2001, was the final report of the South of Scotland University Steering Group. <P>As recommended in the report, the Scottish Funding Councils we…
5 Sep 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what performance reports on the maintenance of trunk roads were completed by local authority operators in each year since 1999.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: None.
2 Sep 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what existing laws and regulations govern allotments and their use and whether it has any plans to review them.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The relevant legislation governing allotments is the Allotments (Scotland) Acts 1892, 1922 and 1950. Sections 23-27 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1959 and sections 73 and 74 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 are also relevant.<P>Th…
28 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost to the NHS is of a road fatality.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Information about estimated road accident costs are published annually in Road Accidents Scotland. Table 12 of Road Accidents Scotland 2000, copies of which are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 17733), contains a breakdown of costs …
20 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any procedure for the extra judicial reviewing of adoption orders once granted and, in particular, what scope there is for adopted children to return to their natural parents if the children so wish.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: There is no procedure for adoption orders to be reviewed outside the judicial process. <P>The effect of an adoption order is to transfer all parental rights and responsibilities to the adoptive parents, as if the child had been born into that family. This inc…
19 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Braidwood House, Lanarkshire is a suitable location for Airborne Initiative (Scotland) Ltd to house offenders and what discussions it has had with (a) the company and (b) South Lanarkshire Council on this issue.
Answer · Richard Simpson: The Scottish Executive has been aware for some time of the organisation's desire to find an alternative location and premises to its current site at Abington. As a voluntary sector organisation, decisions on the most suitable site for its operations are essen…
19 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many offenders placed with Airborne Initiative (Scotland) Ltd (a) failed to complete their placement and (b) reoffended since completing their placement in (i) each of the last three years and (ii) the current year.
Answer · Richard Simpson: Since January 1998, there have been 495 participants on the Airborne programme of whom 321, or 65%, have successfully completed the programme. The remaining 174 participants failed to complete for a variety of reasons. <P>The information requested on re-offen…
19 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many convictions offenders placed with Airborne Initiative (Scotland) Ltd have had in (a) each of the last three years and (b) the current year and what the nature of the convictions were.
Answer · Richard Simpson: The information requested is not collected on a routine basis by the Scottish Executive. However, an independent evaluation by Stirling University commissioned by the Executive and published in June 2000 suggested that the average programme participant had 10…
19 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many offenders it has placed with Airborne Initiative (Scotland) Ltd and what the cost has been in (a) each of the last three years and (b) the current year.
Answer · Richard Simpson: The Executive does not place offenders with the Airborne Initiative (Scotland) Ltd. The courts have the option of imposing an additional specific condition to attend the Airborne programme, as part of a probation order. Since January 1998 to date, there have …
19 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it or any of its agencies are providing any financial guarantees to Airborne Initiative (Scotland) Ltd in connection with the acquisition of Braidwood House, Lanarkshire.
Answer · Richard Simpson: The Scottish Executive has not provided any financial guarantees to the Airborne Initiative (Scotland) Ltd in respect of the purchase of Braidwood House. Whilst the Executive is providing a three-year funding package towards the organisation's annual running …
1 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has agreed to any request by Amey Highways Ltd for funding to replace traffic lights on the A7 at Skippers Bridge, south of Langholm.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The replacement of the traffic light installation on the A7 at Skippers Bridge, south of Langholm will be included in a carriageway maintenance scheme programmed for 2003-04.
31 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many recorded fatalities and injuries there were on the (a) motorway and (b) trunk road networks in (i) 1999, (ii) 2000 and (iii) 2001.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The information requested is given in the following tables.<P>Motorway Casualties - January 1999 to December 2001<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=264><TR><TD WIDTH="18%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>Year</TD><TD WIDTH="18%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>Fatal</TD><TD WID…
19 Jul 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Government on the timescale for the completion of the M74 from Gretna to Carlisle.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Executive is in regular contact with Her Majesty's Government on a range of transport issues in England with implications for Scotland, including construction of the M6 from Carlisle to Guards Mill at Gretna.
11 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for any delay in providing funding to Communities Scotland for the construction of new Women's Aid accommodation for disabled women in Dumfries and when the funding will be made available.
Answer · Margaret Curran: Dumfries and Galloway Council have been awarded £34,400 in the current financial year to aid in the construction of the accommodation for disabled women in Dumfries. Further funding of £71,582.98 is also now available, following the conclusion of End Year Fle…
19 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the relaunch of the Freight Facilities Grant Scheme has now been completed.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Strategic Rail Authority is currently reviewing the scheme particularly with regard to the Sensitive Lorry Mile criteria which apply in assessing the environmental benefits of a project. The Scottish Executive is being fully consulted as part of this proc…
17 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive who has been invited to the question and answer event with the First Minister in Dumfries on 17 June 2002; what organisation each represents, and how each was selected.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The event was organised by the Scottish Executive in co-operation with Dumfries and Galloway Council. The council proposed to us a list of some 50 representatives of local groups and invitations were sent to them, as well as to a group of senior schoolchildre…
12 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the resignalling on the Forth Bridge will be completed.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The resignalling of the Forth Bridge is included within the Strategic Rail Authority's Incremental Output Statements programme for infrastructure. Although this is a matter for the Strategic Rail Authority, I understand that the expected date of completion is…
12 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when there will be an increase in the level of rail services between Paisley and Glasgow.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: ScotRail restored its full weekday service between Paisley and Glasgow on 2 June, following the end of industrial action by drivers. Further enhancements, above the minimum level set out in the Passenger Service Requirement of the current franchise agreement,…
10 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what response it has made to the lack of budgetary provision for the acquisition of sites for new schools referred to in the bid from Dumfries and Galloway Council to it for funding for school improvements and what effect this omission will have on its consideration of the council's bid.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: We shall be responding to all the bids for revenue support for school PPP projects which we have received from local authorities, including Dumfries and Galloway Council, soon.
10 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give the same guarantees in respect of its future funding of housing following stock transfer in Dumfries and Galloway as it gave in respect of the transfer of housing stock in Glasgow.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The issue of resources for housing regeneration in Dumfries and Galloway will be considered when the council has prepared a comprehensive housing strategy in consultation with Communities Scotland and the Registered Social Landlords operating in its area.
10 Jun 2002 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what support the Scottish Executive will give to the development of new nuclear power stations.
Answer · Jack McConnell: The development of a new nuclear power station would be a commercial matter for the industry, but any proposal to construct such a nuclear power station in Scotland would require the consent of Scottish ministers.
6 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21259 by Mr Andy Kerr on 21 January 2002, what the key modernising priorities for the public sector are.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Executive's ultimate objective is to provide people with better services, including easy access to information. In pursuit of that, we are committed to joining up delivery across the public sector in Scotland according to citizens' needs. Our key modernis…