Parliamentary questions

Murray Tosh

706 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

16 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Minister for Transport and the Environment on 28 September 2000, whether it intends to commit to the construction of a Kincardine bypass before final decisions are taken on the proposed new crossing enhancements and whether it intends to provide a Kincardi…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Consultants are due to report shortly on the proposed Eastern Link Road bypassing Kincardine. A decision on whether or not to start construction of this road in advance of the new crossing will be taken in the light of that report.

16 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Minister for Transport and the Environment on 28 September 2000, what precisely it is committed to delivering at Kincardine, in relation both to the village and to the river crossing.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: I refer Murray Tosh to my answer to question S1W-10434. The Executive's commitment regarding Kincardine will clearly depend on the recommendations of the consultants' study.

16 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Minister for Transport and the Environment on 28 September 2000, whether the M74 northern extension will be adopted as a trunk road/motorway.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Executive, directly and with our partners, is committed to the delivery of the M74 Northern Extension as a strategic link for the west of Scotland. It is too early to say what form the route will take. We will consider adoption of the route as a trunk roa…

16 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Minister for Transport and the Environment on 28 September 2000, whether it will support the M74 option which currently has planning permission in the event that the transport corridor study shows that the full scheme is necessary to accommodate projected …

Answer · Sarah Boyack: In my statement on 28 September I made it clear that the M74 option which currently has planning permission is not acceptable, in terms of both its environmental impact and value for money. Nor would it deliver the strategic transport link that the west of Sc…

16 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Minister for Transport and the Environment on 28 September 2000, how much money for the construction of the M74 northern extension is included in the sums announced in the statement and in Making a Difference for Scotland: Spending Plans for Scotland 2001-…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Further details of transport expenditure will be provided in the full budget document to be published in the New Year.

16 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Minister for Transport and the Environment on 28 September 2000, how the additional #68 million for trunk roads and motorways in 2002-03 and 2003-04 will be allocated in each year between new construction and improvement and repair and maintenance, in curr…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Details of the allocation of the additional £68 million for trunk roads and motorways will be available in the full budget document for 2001-02 and beyond. This will be published in the New Year.

16 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Minister for Transport and the Environment on 28 September 2000, whether bridge replacement schemes, such as that for Montrose harbour, will be eligible for awards from the #70 million fund for road and bridge repairs.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: I refer Murray Tosh to the answer to question S1W-10435. The decision to fund a replacement bridge at Montrose harbour is a matter for the relevant local authority.

16 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Minister for Transport and the Environment on 28 September 2000, whether the #70 million to be made available to local authorities for repairs to local roads and bridges will be provided through specific capital grants or consents, non-ring fenced capital …

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The additional allowance for local authority investment in local roads and bridges will be included within the single allocation for their non-housing capital programme, covering roads and transport, social work, private housing and general services. I expect…

16 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Minister for Transport and the Environment on 28 September 2000, whether the #70 million to be made available to local authorities for repairs to local roads and bridges will be allocated on a pro rata basis or through a bidding process.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: There will not be bidding process for these resources. These resources will be included within councils' single non-housing capital allocations, which are distributed on a formula basis, agreed following consultation with the Convention of Scottish Local Auth…

16 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Minister for Transport and the Environment on 28 September 2000, whether it will consider bids from local authorities for resources from the Public Transport Fund for local roads projects, where such projects bring environmental benefits, reduce traffic co…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: No; the Public Transport Fund was specifically created to assist local authorities in providing key value for money developments to their public transport network. Some of the public transport projects supported include improvements to the local road infrastr…

16 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Minister for Transport and the Environment on 28 September 2000, whether the #200 million additional funding for local authorities in the period to 2004 will be supplemented by additional borrowing consents or Grant Aided Expenditure allocations to local a…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: I refer the member to the answer I gave to question S1W-10435.

16 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Minister for Transport and the Environment on 28 September, whether it will detail how the extra #200 million for local authorities in the period to 2004 will be paid, identifying the budget headings and specific funds through which the resources will be p…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Decisions on the allocation of the additional £200 million for local authorities, including decisions on the specific budget heads or funds affected, the timing of the allocations and the method of payment in each case will be taken following discussions with…

16 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Minister for Transport and the Environment on 28 September 2000, whether it will give a commitment similar to her statement that the M74 northern extension "will be delivered" in relation to the Kincardine Bridge and the A80/M80 and A8/M8 projects.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: My statement of 28 September committed the Executive, directly and with its partners, to implement the decisions flowing from the studies into the A8, A80 and M74 corridors and the study into the second Kincardine bridge. That commitment stands.

4 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has been asked for, and has supplied, any information on the costs of construction of its headquarters office at Victoria Quay to Mr John Spencely or EMBT-RMJM Ltd. in the context of work undertaken for the Scottish Parliament, Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body or Holyrood …

Answer · Tom McCabe: No such information has been requested or supplied. RMJM were the developer's architects for the Victoria Quay project.

2 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider allowing local authorities to retain income from fines for litter offences to offset enforcement costs and to fund anti-litter initiatives.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Local authorities may retain the proceeds of litter fixed penalty notices. The amount of the fixed penalty is currently set at £25. Fines imposed by the district court following prosecution are retained by the court. We have no plans to introduce any changes.

2 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-9784 by Sarah Boyack on 22 September 2000, whether it will clarify (a) how many funds are administered under the Powershift programme for Scotland, (b) whether a separate fund is available for applicants only from the Highlands and Islands, (c) wheth…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: There is a single fund for Powershift in Scotland. In respect of the additional £310,000 which I recently made available for Powershift, priority will be given to applications from rural areas of Scotland. I am presently considering with Powershift criteria f…

21 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5884 by Sarah Boyack on 22 June 2000, what carry forward expenditure is budgeted for each of the 49 projects for any subsequent years for which figures are available.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Current estimates for expenditure on each of the 49 schemes are as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 BORDERCOLOR="#000000" CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=604><TR><TD WIDTH="53%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=16>Sch…

20 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to set an advisory cost limit on answers to parliamentary questions, what any advisory cost limit would be, what research it has carried out into the cost of answers, how many questions it estimates have exceeded any proposed cost limit to date, and what potential savings…

Answer · Tom McCabe: A major study to establish the average cost of dealing with Scottish parliamentary questions is close to completion. Once the full results of this study are available, the question of whether to establish an advisory cost limit, and if so at what level, will …

15 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has powers to lift spinal cord removal restrictions on ewes in Scotland and, if so, whether it has any plans to do so.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Food Standards Agency advises Ministers in relation to Scottish Regulations safeguarding the food chain, including the requirement to remove the spinal cord in sheep as Specified Risk Material.New Regulations came into force on 1 Octobe…

14 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Forth Road Bridge Joint Board and the Tay Road Bridge Joint Board report to it annually; what the cost to its budget would be if, in the current three-year spending cycle, tolls on (a) the Forth Road Bridge and (b) the Tay Road Bridge were removed and existing maintenance comm…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Forth Road Bridge and the Tay Road Bridge Joint Boards do not report to the Scottish Executive. The boards publish annual accounts, which may contain some of the information sought. The Executive is not aware of the future expenditure plans of the Joint B…

14 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-1415 and S1W-7180 by Henry McLeish on 10 November 1999 and 3 July 2000 respectively, which technologies relevant to emission standards from road vehicles are promoted through the Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme (EEBPP), what funding it co…

Answer · Henry McLeish: No such technologies are promoted at the moment. The EEBPP may promote technologies if they are proven to deliver emission savings. In the meantime its focus is on promoting management measures like driver training, which have a proven record of delivering sa…

13 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its intentions are in relation to VAT on bridge tolls and in particular whether commitments by Her Majesty's Treasury to pay for tolls from Government funds will apply to Scotland, whether any comparable commitment in Scotland would have to be funded by the Executive, and whether the…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: VAT is a reserved matter and the UK Government is therefore responsible for implementation of the European Court of Justice decision that VAT should be levied on road, bridge and tunnel tolls not controlled by public authorities. Treasury Ministers have annou…

11 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any proposals to reduce or redistribute projected household formation to 2012 and, if it has no such proposals, whether it intends to ensure that structure plan areas identify sufficient effective land supply to ensure that an adequate supply of housing can be provided to m…

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Executive has no proposals to revise the current projections for the period 1998-2012, set out in Statistical Bulletin HSG\2000\4.National Planning Policy Guideline (NPPG) 3: Land for Housing requires structure plans to provide…

11 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is the breakdown of responsibilities between it and The Scotland Office in establishing and funding any subsidised ferry routes between Campbeltown and Ballycastle.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Scottish Ministers have powers under the Highlands and Islands Shipping Services Act 1960 to maintain and improve sea transport services serving the Highlands and Islands and those powers are used to support lifeline services currently provided by Caledonian …

11 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-9271 by Mr Jack McConnell on 8 September 2000, how much was paid to members of staff at Victoria Quay in 1999-2000 in respect of (a) mileage claims, (b) car hire, (c) public transport and (d) taxi hire for official business.

Answer · Jack McConnell: Information in the form requested regarding official business expenses for members of the Scottish Executive divided by building occupied or location is not held centrally.

11 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the EC guidelines on state aid to maritime transport permit exceptions to competitive tendering for public service obligations and contracts "in the case of island cabotage involving regular ferry services" and whether it will identify the relevant section of those EC directives, …

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Executive is aware of, and has considered, the exception mentioned. However, Article 4 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 3577/92 provides that "whenever a Member State concludes public service contracts or imposes public service obligations, it shall do…

11 Sep 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer, further to resolution S1M-720 passed by the Parliament on 5 April 1999, what the consequences will be if the final costs for the Holyrood building project exceed the #195 million budget.

Answer · David Steel: The Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group reported to the Corporate Body on 19 September that the Holyrood building project remains on course for completion within the £195 million budget approved by Parliament on 5 April 2000. Any change to this position w…

8 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what payments it has made in the current financial year to fund new vehicle conversion costs under the Powershift scheme; whether the funds are equally accessible to all applicants from Scotland; what finance remains available as at 8 September 2000, and whether it intends to commit furth…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Funds under the Powershift programme are allocated by the Energy Saving Trust against a number of criteria including age and type of vehicle, suitability of proposed use and impact on air quality and climate change. When funds available in Scotland in the cur…

5 Sep 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer, further to the answer to question S1W-579 by the Presiding Officer on 3 August 1999, whether that answer was based on advice from the Holyrood project team; whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) now accepts, following the Spencely Report's use of benchmarking, that it i…

Answer · David Steel: The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body remains of the opinion that to compare the construction costs of recent major public works projects in Scotland such as schools, museums, hospitals, courts, offices etc with a Parliament building would be inadvisable.…

1 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether objections to the proposal to close Holyrood Road were lodged; what procedures were used to consider the proposal and any objections and whether the Road Closure Order has now been approved.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: This is a matter for the City of Edinburgh Council.