Kenny MacAskill

4 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive who will be responsible for funding any remedial works on the Forth Bridge in addition to normal care and maintenance.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1O-6078 on 12 December 2002, which is available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:<P><A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/search.htm">http://www.scottish.parlia…

4 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has regarding studies being carried out into the care and maintenance of the Forth Bridge and who commissioned, and is paying, for any such studies.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1O-6078 on 12 December 2002, which is available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:<P><A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/search.htm">http://www.scottish.parlia…

26 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated administrative and related costs are of re-letting the passenger rail franchise.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: In the period running from the beginning of the process until the date that the reletting is completed in 2004, costs are likely to have been incurred directly and indirectly by a range of parties, including the Scottish Executive, Strathclyde Passenger Trans…

26 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of competition rules relating to possible passenger rail franchises and, in particular, whether there have been any developments relating to FirstGroup and, if so, what these developments have been.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Competition is reserved, and the assessment of competition rules as they may apply to potential franchisees is not a matter for the Scottish Executive. The Strategic Rail Authority will address how competition issues are handled within the franchise re-lettin…

12 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent under the modern facilities at stations scheme, broken down by project and date of expenditure, since the inception of the scheme; how much remains to be spent, and what future projects are planned, broken down by date and cost.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The modern facilities at stations scheme is the responsibility of the Strategic Rail Authority.

12 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will fund or support an action for judicial review against the Strategic Rail Authority in relation to its recent announcements on cuts in expenditure; if so, to what extent; which aspects of the decisions will be reviewed, and what the reasons are for its position on the matt…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: No.

12 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what effect the recent announcements by the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) will have on any construction of rail links to Edinburgh and Glasgow airports; what funding the SRA has indicated that it will provide for such projects, and when any such funding will be made available.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Scottish ministers are considering the consultants' report on options for rail links to Glasgow and Edinburgh airports, published on 12 February. The SRA were members of the study's steering group. Final decisions on the options have not been taken by ministe…

12 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what effect the recent announcements by the Strategic Rail Authority will have on the service provided currently, and due to be provided in the future, on the East Coast Main Line.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Current and future proposals, which the Strategic Rail Authority has for the East Coast Main Line, in common with those it has for the rest of the UK railway network, are laid out in its <I>Strategic Plan</I>, published in January.

12 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff (a) were recruited by and (b) left VisitScotland in each month since June 2002, broken down by department and salary band.

Answer · Mike Watson: This is an operational matter for VisitScotland.

12 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33304 by Lewis Macdonald on 5 February 2003, whether the figure of 1.4 million lorry miles removed from roads was an estimated figure; if so, on what basis the figure was calculated and what the actual number of miles removed from roads has been.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The 1.4 million lorry miles figure referred to in the previous answer was the actual number, based on data collected from the companies concerned as part of the Scottish Executive's Freight Facilities Grant monitoring programme.

12 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff have been employed by VisitScotland and what the staff costs have been in each year since 1999, broken down by department and salary band.

Answer · Mike Watson: This is an operational matter for VisitScotland.

12 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which organisation is, or will be, implementing the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 with regard to the provision of rail infrastructure; what funding has been allocated towards the cost of implementing such requirements; what action it plans to take on the matter, a…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 with regard to the provision of railway infrastructure is the responsibility of the Department of Transport.

7 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive who has responsibility for closure of the Erskine Bridge as a result of adverse weather or road traffic circumstances; with whom that organisation is required to consult, and to whom it notifies its decision.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The operating company, Amey Highways Ltd, manages and maintains the Erskine Bridge as part of the A898 trunk road. On receipt of adverse weather reports from the Met Office or for road traffic circumstances, Amey liases with the police, who have the legal pow…

29 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to the Civil Aviation Authority regarding the economic impact on travellers and the cost of flights from Scotland as a result of the increased landing charges at Heathrow Airport.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive does not plan to make representations to the Civil Aviation Authority about landing charges at Heathrow Airport.

28 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will process Anglo-Scottish freight facilities and track access grants, given that the Strategic Rail Authority has announced that there will be no new grants of this type in 2003-04.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive will continue to process Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) applications where they relate to facilities or traffic flows within Scotland. We will also continue to process applications which involve traffic flows between Scotland and Englan…

28 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the future of freight facilities and track access grants is in Scotland, given that the Strategic Rail Authority has announced that there will be no new grants of this type for 2003-04.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The freight facilities and track access grant schemes, as administered by the Scottish Executive, will continue to be available in Scotland. We remain fully committed to encouraging the modal shift of freight from road to rail and water. This is demonstrated …

27 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been (a) committed and (b) spent in respect of route development for direct airlinks.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: A total of £6.8 million has been allocated to the Interim Route Development Fund. This includes £1 million from Scottish Enterprise and £300,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Payments under the fund will be made only once services start.

27 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether route development funding for direct air links will be focused on low-cost or scheduled flights; which airports are being considered for such links, and what the reasons are for the position on this matter

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Interim Route Development Fund is intended to promote the creation of new air services from Scotland which provide the maximum benefit in terms of business links, inward investment and in-bound tourism, whether those services are low-cost or full service …

21 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to prioritise European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund payments to further education colleges in order to aid cash flow.

Answer · Peter Peacock: In the main, European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund payments are made in order of receipt. The Scottish Executive aims to pay correctly completed claims within 30 days of receipt of a valid claim but always seeks to respond sympatheticall…

21 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much (a) European Regional Development Fund and (b) European Social Fund funding has been (i) applied for and (ii) received by each further education college in each year since 1999 and whether it will give details of any funds still to be remitted.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The volume of information requested is large and detailed. I have therefore arranged for the information in table form to be placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 26178). The table shows the value of correctly completed claims received by t…

20 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many awards granted for freight facilities grant and track access grant schemes in 2001-02 depended upon an element of funding for Anglo-Scottish flows from the Strategic Rail Authority and what the economic and environmental benefit of such awards has been.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: None.

20 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many lorry miles have been removed from the road network as a result of Anglo-Scottish freight facilities grant and track access grant schemes awards

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Awards of Freight Facilities and Track Access Grants to rail projects with traffic flows between Scotland and England and funded by the Scottish Executive and the Department for Transport have, up to 31 March 2002, removed a total of 1.4 million lorry miles f…

20 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much public subsidy (a) freight and (b) passenger rail operations received in 2001-02.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive did not pay any rail freight operating subsidies in 2001-02. However, during this period it disbursed Freight Facilities Grant payments totalling £8,064,558. The amount paid in 2001-02 for passenger rail operations was £150.8 million.

20 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much public subsidy the rail infrastructure operator received for Scotland in 2001-02.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The information requested is not held centrally.

20 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the contribution of awards for freight facilities grants and track access grants to achieving of Her Majesty's Government's target of 80% growth in rail freight traffic by 2010.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: We achieved our own target of making awards of Freight Facilities Grant, by March 2002, that will remove 18 million lorry miles from Scotland's roads each year. We are also confident of meeting our future targets of making awards by March 2003 and March 2004 …

20 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a growing rail freight industry plays an important role in developing Scotland's economic potential.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive recognises the important contribution rail freight makes to the economy and the environment, and will continue to support the rail freight industry in Scotland through the administration of the Freight Facilities and Track Access Grant …

14 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional resources will be made available to local authorities for the local bus travel concessionary fares scheme from April 2003 for extension of the scheme to men aged between 60 and 64, broken down by local authority.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Executive will make available an additional £10 million to local authorities from April 2003 to extend eligibility for concessionary local bus travel to men aged 60 to 64. These resources are part of the unhypothecated general block grant allocation paid …

14 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a public private partnership is being considered as a method of finance for the construction and maintenance of the A8000 and what guidelines are being given to the Forth Estuary Transport Authority regarding such financing.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Responsibility for funding the A8000 upgrade project lies with the Forth Estuary Transport Authority. At their meeting on 21 June 2002, the authority decided to take the project forward as a Design and Build scheme, under traditional procurement arrangements.

13 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) amount and (b) percentage of support to ScotRail has been paid to Railtrack in track access charges in each year since 1997, broken down into (i) maintenance and renewals by contractors and (ii) any other charges and what estimates have been made of the (1) amount and (2) percen…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Full details of ScotRail's income and expenditure can be found in the statutory accounts of ScotRail Railways Limited which are filed at Companies House.<P>Future track access charges levied will be set by the Rail Regulator.

13 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Lothian and Borders Police officers in the City of Edinburgh area have had less than (a) one year's service and (b) two years' service in each year since 1999, broken down by division.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Information at this level of detail is not held centrally. It would be for Lothian and Borders Police to provide.