Des McNulty

16 Sep 2009 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister whether Transport Scotland was asked to assess the transport and economic consequences of the cancellation or scaling back of the programme of major transport projects in order to assure the capital budget’s sustainability and, if so, whether the cancellation of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link …

Answer · Alex Salmond: <i >This question 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/sor0924-01.htm">http://www.scott…

10 Sep 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure that the work of the Lighthouse in Glasgow to promote architecture and design in Scotland can be continued.

Answer · Michael Russell: I refer the member to my earlier answer in response to question S3O-07761.</p>

9 Sep 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions are taking place with Glasgow City Council and the architecture and design professions regarding the future of the Lighthouse in Glasgow.

Answer · Michael Russell : <i > This question 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/sor0917-01.htm">http://www.scot…

3 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reasons opportunities resulting from the replacement Forth bridge to maximise public transport provision such as park-and-ride are to be developed in parallel with the scheme rather than being legislated for in the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing Bill.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: There is no reason to depart from normal consent procedures to take forward measures complementary to the Forth Replacement Crossing contained within the Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR).</p>

6 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the up-to-date projected commencement date for construction of the Waverley line, is based on the latest information available to Transport Scotland and Scottish Ministers.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Construction of the main railway infrastructure is forecast to commence in 2011. A significant package of advance works will be delivered in advance of the main line construction, diverting key utilities from the line. This work is scheduled to commence in wi…

30 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence it has that its funding investment for cycling through local authorities represents a greater share of its spending than in previous years, broken down in monetary terms.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Through our concordat with COSLA we have given local authorities more funding than before and greater flexibility to invest in local priorities. The table below shows the increase in the level of grant to local authorities from 2007-08:</p> <table border=1 …

30 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its Cycling Action Plan for Scotland: Consultation that indicates that extra funding will not be made available for cycling until the next spending review period that begins in April 2011, how it will reach its target of 10% of journeys being made by bike by 2020.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The target of 10% of journeys by bike is a proposed target as part of the consultation exercise on the <i >Cycling Action Plan for Scotland</i>. As stated in the consultation document, the Scottish Government will review all current funding streams in order t…

30 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many school travel co-ordinators there are and how many there were in (a) 2007 and (b) 2008, showing the number of schools for which they are or were responsible.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: As part of the concordat agreement between COSLA and the Scottish Government, the budget for school travel coordinators was rolled up into the local authority grant settlement in 2008-09. It is up to each local authority to manage these posts and the priorit…

30 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that every school should have access to a schools active travel coordinator in order to increase significantly the number of children cycling to school from the national average of 1%.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: As part of the concordat agreement with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the budget for school travel coordinators was rolled up into the block grant as part of the local authority settlement. It is, therefore, up to individual local authorities …

30 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executivewhether it is aware that the level of funding that each local authority can apply for from Sustrans, for initiatives like Tackling the School Run, has been reduced by 45% as a result of its reduction in funding for Sustrans.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: In 2008-09, Sustrans received £5.015 million in grant from the Scottish Government. In 2009-10, the total grant is £3.555 million, of which at least £2.285 million includes school travel.</p> <p >For the last two years, local authorities have contributed a d…

30 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reasons there has been a decrease in the funding of Sustrans from £8.525 million in 2007-08 to £3.555 million in 2009-10, given the continued success that Sustrans has had in getting people involved in active travel.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: From 2006-08, Sustrans had been awarded the majority of the two year non-baselined budget of £10 million which was earmarked for a yellow school buses pilot project. Following consultation with local authorities, it was decided to redirected this funding to p…

19 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cities provided a park-and-ride strategy showing what it would do to enhance park-and-ride provision for bus or train or both within six months of the 2007 election and whether it will list those that have produced a park-and-ride strategy since 2007.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-25065 on 16 July 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/B…

19 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will (a) list the local authorities with which it has worked to ensure that every effort is made to fast-track park-and-ride schemes and (b) indicate what progress has been made for each.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-25065 and 16 July 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/…

19 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many park-and-ride schemes that were planned by the previous administration have been approved since 2007.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Park and Ride schemes are delivered by Local Authorities and Regional Transport Partnerships.</p> <p >However, within the first six months of the 2007 election, the Scottish Government signed a Concordat with COSLA, which provided local authorities with reco…

18 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-17783 by Stewart Stevenson on 21 November 2008, whether it is possible for a resident who has submitted a written objection to the proposed Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) to find out whether it fell within the remit and was considered by th…

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The reporters appointed to conduct the public local inquiry and to report to Scottish ministers into objections received against the proposed Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route have considered all objections passed to them by Transport Scotland. The remit of t…

18 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19360 by Stewart Stevenson on 19 January 2009, how many of the 9,379 written objections to the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) project were (a) passed to and (b) considered by the reporter for the AWPR public local inquiry.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: All objections received by Transport Scotland were passed to the Reporters for their consideration.</p>

27 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support moves to reduce the speed limit on single carriageway rural roads from 60mph to 50mph and, if so, when it expects the reduced limit to be introduced.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Inappropriate and excessive speed is a major cause of death and injury on the roads. The Scottish Government is keen to encourage initiatives to cut speed, particularly near schools and in residential areas. However, we consider that local authorities are bes…

27 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-20559 by Stewart Stevenson on 2 March 2009, what progress has been made in implementing and promoting the Cycle to Work Scheme for Scottish Government staff.

Answer · John Swinney: A Cycle to Work Scheme for core Scottish Government staff was introduced on 4 March 2009. Two windows for applications were agreed for the first year: 4 March to 3 April 2009, and September 2009.</p> <p >In the first application window, 71 staff applied unde…

21 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to legislate to make site waste management plans mandatory within the construction industry for projects over £300,000, as is the case in England.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Climate Change (Scotland) Bill, currently under consideration by the Parliament, would give Scottish ministers a power to make regulations requiring the preparation of waste prevention and management plans, and compliance with them. As the Policy and Fina…

8 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases have been dealt with by the In Care Survivors Service Scotland since it was set up in November 2008.

Answer · Adam Ingram: The In Care Survivors Service Scotland, a government-funded support service for adults who suffered childhood abuse in care and their families which was set up in November 2008 is required as part of its contract to report on numbers of cases dealt with to Sc…

8 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the concerns of the victims of historic child abuse that the In Care Survivors Service Scotland fails to address their key demand for legal support in order to pursue the individuals and organisations responsible for their abuse through the courts, whether it will review the …

Answer · Adam Ingram: There are no plans to review the remit of the In Care Survivors Service Scotland. In accepting the recommendations of independent expert Tom Shaw, the Scottish Government agreed to set up a national hub to provide advocacy, mediation and counselling services …

8 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will respond to requests from victims of historic child abuse for legal support to take their cases through the courts.

Answer · Adam Ingram: While part of the remit of the In Care Survivors Service Scotland is to provide an advocacy and signposting service on accessing the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme and other relevant legal services, it was not set up to provide legal support to help su…

8 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether recent changes to the legal aid system will allow victims of historic child abuse to seek redress through the courts.

Answer · Adam Ingram: The changes to legal aid that came into force on 7 April 2009 extended the financial eligibility thresholds, allowing a million more Scots to be potentially eligible for legal aid if they have a disposable income of £25,000 or less. In addition to financial q…

8 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many calls have been received by the In Care Survivors Service Scotland since it was set up in November 2008.

Answer · Adam Ingram: The In Care Survivors Service Scotland, a government-funded support service for adults who suffered childhood abuse in care and their families, which was set up in November 2008 is required as part of its contract to report on numbers of calls received to Sco…

7 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what statistics or information from the last five years it is using to establish how to reduce the emissions from its key transport projects.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Decisions on key transport projects are informed using the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG). One of the five criteria appraised in STAG is environment, which includes an assessment of the change in physical carbon emissions.</p> <p >Carbon emiss…

7 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is working towards cutting CO2 emissions from key transport projects and what estimates it has of the emissions associated with projects where the construction phase has not yet commenced and that are due to be delivered between 2009 and the start of implementation of the Strat…

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government is working towards cutting CO₂ emissions from key transport projects as outlined in the Government Economic Strategy, National Transport Strategy and the Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR).</p> <p >The following tab…

7 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many meeting requests it or Transport Scotland has received from concerned people living near the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing and how many meetings have taken place.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland has arranged and met with all directly affected landowners.</p> <p >Through residents'' associations and community council meetings, Transport Scotland has sought to address concerns raised by residents. These meetings will be on-going th…

7 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many responses Transport Scotland have issued to people living near the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing who are concerned about the proposed bridge or seeking information.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22810 on 8 May 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Busine…

7 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many times Transport Scotland has been contacted by people living near the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing looking for further information on how the proposed bridge may affect them and their family.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Correspondence to the Forth Replacement Crossing team is not logged in a way which would allow exact numbers to answer the terms of this question. The Forth Replacement Crossing team is committed to responding to all correspondence and enquiries regarding the…

7 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what stakeholder organisations it expects to consult in the preparation of a Scottish Sustainable Procurement Action Plan.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is producing the action plan to assist the public sector to understand what sustainable procurement is, why it is important and how to go about achieving it. Consultation has taken place with all key stakeholders and relevant policy ar…