Parliamentary questions

Murray Tosh

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

1 Sep 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer, further to the answers to questions S1W-233 and S1W-5937 by the Presiding Officer on 8 July 1999 and 5 April 2000 respectively, whether individual works packages are each allocated a budget to cover all costs associated with the package, or whether contingency allowances are not allocated…

Answer · David Steel: I understand from the Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group that individual works packages each have a budget allocation to cover all identified costs. The contingency is contained within a global sum from which amounts can be drawn down in the event of unf…

1 Sep 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer what progress has been made in improving communications and management in terms of paragraphs 9.3 and 9.4 of the Spencely Report on the Holyrood building project.

Answer · David Steel: The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body has established the Holyrood Progress Group (HPG) in accordance with the resolution passed by Parliament on 5 April 2000. In addition, the responsibilities of the previous Project Sponsor have been split between the r…

1 Sep 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer what progress has been made in achieving the #31-#44 million in savings on construction and other costs identified in paragraph 8.7 of the Spencely Report on the Holyrood building project.

Answer · David Steel: SPCB Report No 4 was endorsed by the Parliament on 5 April 2000. This made clear that, based on the latest design proposals, the Holyrood building could be delivered for £195 million. The Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group has reported to the SPCB that t…

1 Sep 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer whether the terms of agreement between the various members of the Holyrood design team and the client and between the construction manager and the client have been re-considered in terms of paragraph 6.9 of the Spencely Report and what the financial impact of any such re-consideration has …

Answer · David Steel: I understand from the Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group that the Design Team and Construction Manager's contracts have been revised in line with the increase in construction costs of the Holyrood building to £108 million agreed by Parliament on 5 April …

1 Sep 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer what the outcome was of the review of the basic construction costs recommended in paragraphs 6.3 and 6.8 of the Spencely Report on the Holyrood building project.

Answer · David Steel: Following the debate on 5 April 2000, the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body proceeded on the basis of the resolution that had been approved by Parliament, which endorsed the terms of SPCB report No 4 of 30 March 2000 and established a budget of £195 milli…

1 Sep 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer whether savings have been identified on the projected costs of the Parliament's existing accommodation in the event that MSPs and their staff occupy the new MSP block in advance of completion of the Holyrood building project, and if so, what the estimated savings are.

Answer · David Steel: The contract with the construction manager for the Parliament project does not allow for phased occupation of the Holyrood complex. The Holyrood Progress Group and the Corporate Body revisited this issue earlier in the year and concluded that it would be neit…

1 Sep 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer whether Bovis will be appointed to manage the fit-out of the new Parliament building; whose decision this will be and when it will be taken.

Answer · David Steel: The fit-out of the new Parliament building will be managed by the Holyrood Project Team acting together with the Scottish Parliament Procurement Office. It is envisaged that Bovis Lend Lease may have a role as the Parliament's agent in procuring some elements…

1 Sep 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer whether letting the first eleven works packages of the Holyrood building project has provided the project's cost consultants with sufficient evidence to assess the reliability of their projections and whether the contracts let to date have produced savings or over-runs in expenditure and b…

Answer · David Steel: I understand from the Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group that the collective value of the eleven works packages let to date is in line with the total of the individual expenditure projections. The details of the individual tender values are commercially …

1 Sep 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer who the Holyrood project's cost consultants are and what work they have done to date.

Answer · David Steel: As members will have read in numerous previous publications, the cost consultants for the Holyrood Project are Davis Langdon & Everest (DLE), one of the largest quantity surveyor practices in the world. Since their appointment in April 1998 DLE have under…

1 Sep 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer what fees the Holyrood project design team estimate would be charged on a traditional single stage lump sum procured building project worth #108 million and what the estimated comparable fees are for the Holyrood project under the procurement system being used.

Answer · David Steel: The Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group has informed me that there is no basis on which such a speculative exercise to estimate costs could be carried out. The overall figure for fees will be contained within the total project budget of £195 million, as a…

1 Sep 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer what risk assessment was carried out before the selection of a procurement method for the Holyrood project and what were the reasons for selecting the chosen approach.

Answer · David Steel: I am informed that all implications of the various methods of procurement were considered by The Scottish Office before a decision was made to opt for the Construction Management/works package approach to the Holyrood building project in July 1998. There has …

1 Sep 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer when the decision was made, and by whom, to procure the Holyrood project through a series of works packages, rather than by a traditional "single stage lump sum" procurement.

Answer · David Steel: The Auditor General for Scotland's report on the Holyrood project, published this week, explains in part 1 that the decision to adopt the "construction management" method of contracting was taken in July 1998 by "project management" in the…

29 Aug 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body why answered parliamentary questions are initially made available only on the Scottish Parliament Electronic Information Resource rather than on the main, publicly accessible, website.

Answer · David Steel: There is no daily cut-off time by which answers to written questions have to be made and in practice most answers are received by the Chamber Desk at the end of the working day. It is then necessary for the Chamber Desk to group questions by subject matter fo…

29 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5359 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 29 March 2000, whether an application for a scheduled monument consent has now been received in respect of Caisteal Tioram and whether any agreement has been reached between Historic Scotland and the owners of the building…

Answer · Rhona Brankin: I have asked Graeme Munro, Chief Executive of Historic Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:An application for scheduled monument consent in respect of emergency stabilisation works to the north-west curtain wall of Caisteal Tior…

29 Aug 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer, further to his answer to question S1W-8961 on 21 August 2000, whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will provide a full explanation of why it is felt appropriate to regard as commercially confidential the value of contracts awarded by it.

Answer · David Steel: The Scottish Parliament's Procurement Manual states that "openness and accessibility must be promoted except where the disclosure of commercially sensitive information would be likely to cause significant damage to the legitimate commercial intere…

29 Aug 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer, further to his statement in his answer to question S1W-4753 on 10 March 2000 that "details of the amount of fees to all the professional consultants are commercially confidential" why the Spencely Report was able to reveal the estimated value of professional fees for the Holyrood Project.

Answer · David Steel: The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body regards details of the amount of fees paid to professional consultants as commercially confidential since the publication of such information could prejudice consultants' legitimate commercial interests and impede fai…

29 Aug 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer, further to his statement in his answer to question S1W-233 on 8 July 1999 that "a figure for contingency... is commercially confidential", why the Spencely Report was able to reveal the estimated value of contingency costs for the Holyrood Project.

Answer · David Steel: Under normal circumstances, a public body would not publicise the sum of money set aside for contingency before or during a major capital project in order to protect its negotiating position. This is in line with standard public procurement guidance and my an…

29 Aug 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer what guidance has been given to the MSPs on the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body about the degree of detail on estimates and costs in respect of the Holyrood Project which they can divulge to colleagues, including in discussions at party group meetings.

Answer · David Steel: The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body has established internal working practices which include operating on a collective basis. Under these arrangements, no detailed information on costs will be divulged unilaterally by any member of the SPCB to individua…

29 Aug 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer what guidance has been given to the MSPs on the Holyrood Progress Group about the degree of detail on estimates and costs in respect of the Holyrood Project which they can divulge to colleagues, including in discussions at party group meetings.

Answer · David Steel: The Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group has informed me that the group has established internal working practices, which include operating on a collective basis. Under these arrangements, no detailed information on costs will be divulged unilaterally by a…

29 Aug 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer whether information on cost estimates, the value of let contracts and risk assessment and value management exercises in respect of the Holyrood Project is routinely provided to the MSPs on the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body.

Answer · David Steel: Under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two bodies, the Holyrood Progress Group is required to provide the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body with detailed monthly reports on progress and expenditure. The latest cost estimates…

29 Aug 2000 · SPCB Written Question

Answer · David Steel: I understand from the Convener that all members of the Holyrood Progress Group are updated on this information on a fortnightly basis.

25 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-8805 by Sarah Boyack on 21 August 2000, whether it is satisfied that the timescale for all possible planning and legal procedures in connection with the Glasgow Southern Orbital is such that procurement of it and the M77 through a single Public/Priva…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: I refer to my answer to question S1W-8805 on 21 August 2000. A single Public/Private Partnership contract for the M77 and the Glasgow Southern Orbital could only proceed if East Renfrewshire Council and South Lanarkshire Council are able to complete the statu…

24 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make Copaxone available to multiple sclerosis patients through the NHS.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Copaxone (Glatiramer) has been recently licensed for use in the treatment of certain patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. It is a matter for each health board to determine its prescribing policy on drugs, taking into account advice from local…

21 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what notification procedures were followed by City of Glasgow Council in relation to proposals for a retail and leisure development at Auchinlea Park, Easterhouse and what response it made to any such notification.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: This planning application is under consideration by Glasgow City Council and has not been notified to the Scottish Ministers.

21 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it gives to planning authorities about the identification, excavation, conservation and presentation of battlefield sites and what advice it has given to Stirling Council either directly or through Historic Scotland in connection with current development proposals on land bo…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: National Planning Policy Guideline (NPPG) 18 - Planning and the Historic Environment was published in April 1999. This guideline indicates that historic battlefields are a particularly significant element of Scotland's historic envir…

21 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received a request from Fife Council to abolish tolls on all estuarial bridges as part of its response to the consultation on the Transport (Scotland) Bill and what its position would be in relation to any such request.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Fife Council recognise the need to tackle congestion on the Forth Road Bridge and support legislation in the Transport (Scotland) Bill to establish a new Joint Board with wider powers.

21 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total numbers and percentages of its staff based at Victoria Quay are who live within the City of Edinburgh and other local authority areas.

Answer · Jack McConnell: The information requested is set out in the table below, as at 1 August 2000.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=616><TR><TD WIDTH="33%" VALIGN="TOP">Local Authority (home address)</TD><TD WIDTH="33%" VALIGN="TOP">Number of Pe…

21 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many workplace parking spaces it provides for employees at Victoria Quay and what steps it is taking to reduce the number of spaces.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The total number of car parking spaces at Victoria Quay, including disabled and visitor spaces, is 680. I refer Mr Tosh to the answer given to question S1W-9268 which sets out the steps we are taking to encourage sustainable transport practices by staff at Vi…

21 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were employed and at what cost in the Scottish Development Department's National Roads Directorate and how staffing was allocated in the Directorate in 1997; what the comparable complement and costs are in 2000, and what reallocation of duties there has been since 1997 in …

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The number of staff employed in the National Roads Directorate in October 1997 was 93.5. The staff cost for the year 1997-98 was £2,376,726.The staff deployment was:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=616><TR><TD WIDTH="50%" VAL…

21 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its commitment to implement the A1 special road extension from Haddington to Dunbar will stand in the event that any delays in finalising design details or obtaining statutory consents cause any slippage in the previously announced timetable for implementation and funding of the p…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Our commitment is to deliver the A1 scheme. Our plan is to start next year but as the Strategic Roads Review: Scheme Decisions states, this is subject to satisfactory completion of statutory procedures. If there are significant procedural delays, the s…