Murray Tosh

15 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the potential impact on Hawick as a location for inward investment has been considered fully in the evaluation of the proposed Selkirk bypass in the context of the A7 Route Action Plan.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The potential impact on Hawick as a location for inward investment is not being addressed by the A6091/A7 Galashiels to Hawick Route Action Plan study. The purpose of this study is to examine the potential for improvement of the road by a programme of local i…

15 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Borders Council has made recommendations to its Road Network Management and Maintenance Division regarding the A7 Route Action Plan and to detail the criteria it will use to select specific road projects for inclusion in future programmes.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive Road Network Management and Maintenance Division expect to receive the Firm Strategy Report for the A6091/A7 Galashiels to Hawick Route Action Plan (RAP) from Scottish Borders Council by the middle of June.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Specific ro…

11 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the provisional outturn figure of #486.44 million for roads and transport expenditure by Scottish local authorities in the financial year 1996-97, and the budget estimates for 1999-2000 of #354.79 million given by the Finance Minister in his answer to Parliamentary Question S1W-66…

Answer · Jack McConnell: I can confirm that the provisional outturn figure for 1996-97, adjusted to 1998-99 prices, was £486.44 million and the budget estimate figure for 1999-2000, in cash terms, was £354.79 million as given in my reply to question S1W-665. Since 1 April 1997 these …

11 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 applies equally in Scotland as in England and Wales and, if not, whether there is any equivalent Scottish Act.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 applies throughout the UK and is reserved to the UK Government at Westminster.

25 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it anticipates responding to parliamentary questions S1W-2735, lodged on 23 November 1999; S1W-2963, lodged on 3 December 1999; S1W-3454, lodged on 20 December 1999; S1W-3946, lodged on 25 January 2000, and S1W-3953, lodged on 25 January 2000.

Answer · Tom McCabe: PQ's S1W-2963 and S1W-3946 were answered on 25 January and 2 May respectively. The delay in responding to the others is being investigated and answers will be issued as soon as possible.

6 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the Public Private Partnership (PPP) proposed for the A77/M77 upgrade (Malletsheugh-Fenwick) will differ from that used for the Paddy's Rickle Bridge-Cleuchbrae phase of the M74 and whether the A77/M77 PPP is intended to include operation and maintenance of any other section of the A7…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Decisions have yet to be taken on the nature and extent of the proposed Public Private Partnership and the extent of the scheme.

5 Apr 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer whether it will publish the cleaning specification and schedules for toilets in the Parliament Headquarters building together with the monitoring reports to date.

Answer · David Steel: I do not propose to publish either the cleaning specification, toilet cleaning schedules nor monitoring reports for PHQ as this information is readily available within the Facilities Management Office, Room 1.20, PHQ. Anyone wishing to peruse the information …

5 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5437 by Sarah Boyack on 31 March 2000, whether Ministers are permitted to publish legal advice received, regardless of the fact that the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information could be used to justify non-disclosure and, if so, …

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The general policy of the Scottish Executive is that it does not disclose legal advice, nor the fact that it has taken legal advice. It is not considered that there is any reason to depart from that policy in this case.

31 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4347 by Sarah Boyack on 21 March 2000, whether it will require the relevant local authorities to safeguard the routes identified in the answer when revised structure plans are submitted to it.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: No. Revised structure plans should include those schemes on which work is expected to commence in the plan period; other schemes should merit only description in the text, the level of detail dependant on the degree of commitment. As explained in answer to qu…

30 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why, given the requirement in the Scottish Ministerial Code that Ministers should refuse to provide information only when disclosure would not be in the public interest, it did not consider it to be in the public interest, in accordance with the relevant statute and the Government's Code …

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Disclosure of information which would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion is exempted from the commitment to provide information under the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive information.

23 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will amend its draft National Parks (Scotland) Bill to include a provision giving the Parliament specific power to amend all subordinate legislation which designates specific areas as National Parks, rather than providing for such subordinate legislation to take the form of an …

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Parliamentary procedures for subordinate legislation are a matter for the Parliament. The designation orders for National Parks will be based on proposals which will have gone through a wide publicity and consultation exercise, as provided for in the National…

21 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will identify all planning applications, notices of intention to develop, listed buildings applications and other such forms of application which have (a) been called in and are awaiting Public Inquiry and (b) been to Public Inquiry but which still await decision by Ministers, …

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The information sought is as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=616><TR><TD VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN=2><P ALIGN="CENTER">PLANNING APPLICATIONS</TD></TR><TR><TD VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN=2><I><P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">a) Awaiting public local inquiry</I><…

17 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the legal advice, or other advice which led the Minister for Transport and the Environment to instruct a public inquiry in relation to the application by Associated British Ports for the Troon Harbour Revision Order.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information provides at Part 11, paragraph 4(e) that the legal advice given to inform Ministers in their decision making is exempt from the commitment to provide information. A copy of this document is avai…

15 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to prevent Caisteal Tioram from collapsing.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The responsibility for the maintenance of the fabric of Caisteal Tioram rests with the owners. Any works affecting a scheduled monument such as Caisteal Tioram require scheduled monument consent from Scottish Ministers and my officials in Historic Scotland ar…

13 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any awards of Freight Facilities Grant made before 1 July 1999 remain to be paid and, if so, to specify which payments it will make and which are due to be paid directly from the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: £2.4 million of Freight Facilities Grant remains to be paid on awards made prior to 1 July 1999. All such payments will be made by the Scottish Executive.

13 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has compared the proposed Borders railway with the lottery funded Snowdon railway in Wales and whether it will support an application for lottery funding for the Borders railway.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: No comparison between the proposed Borders railway and the lottery-funded Snowdon Railway has been undertaken.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">A working party charged with developing proposals for reinstating the Borders railway, and set up by Scottish Borders Council on 1…

13 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what audit process exists to ensure that value for money has been achieved from awards under the Freight Facilities Grant Scheme.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Each project that has received Freight Facilities Grant is fully assessed during the application procedure to ensure it meets the programme's criteria and delivers value for money. It is monitored throughout its lifetime to ensures it fully delivers the envir…

13 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects applications for assistance from the Freight Facilities Grant Scheme to exceed the #18.3 million available over the current three year period; whether it intends to increase the money allocated to this scheme, and how it intends to prioritise grant allocations to ensure…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: It is up to the private sector to come forward with applications under the Freight Facilities Grant scheme. Awards under the scheme are managed within the funds available.

13 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Minister for Transport and the Environment to the Transport and the Environment Committee on 19 January 2000, whether it will define the 11 areas for which area waste plans were to be considered; whether any local authorities have been made representations…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The waste strategy areas referred to were defined in the National Waste Strategy: Scotland which the Executive adopted in December 1999. A copy is in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. The areas are set out on page 37 and are outlined in the followin…

13 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will report on progress in finalising the proposed Private Finance Initiative scheme for the Larkhall railway.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: I refer the member to the answer I gave to question S1W-3811.

13 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Minister for Transport and the Environment to the Transport and the Environment Committee on 19 January 2000, whether it has the power to issue instructions to the Strategic Rail Authority in respect of what is currently the ScotRail franchise and, if so, …

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Under the provisions made in the UK Transport Bill, introduced on 1 December 1999, the Scottish Ministers will be able to issue directions and guidance to the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority for passenger rail services that begin and end in Scotland. Since th…

3 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to give local authorities three-year figures for grant-aided expenditure and aggregate external finance within the context of the next stage of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Answer · Jack McConnell: My Ministerial colleagues and I will be considering a wide range of policy options during the course of the current spending review and we are currently discussing with CoSLA the possibility of three-year planning for local government finance.

2 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much capital expenditure was approved by the Water Industry Commissioner for each of 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2001-02, to identify how much of that expenditure should be met by (a) external finance limits and (b) charges on consumers in each year; and how much would have had to be…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Commissioner's assessment of investment requirements underlying his advice on charges is set out in that advice, which has been published. The external finance limits (EFLs) for the relevant years were set out in written answers S1W-1902 and S1W-3565. EFL…

2 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Ministry of Defence, or any other Government Ministry, agency or other public body, owns land in the areas being considered for inclusion in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs and Cairngorm National Parks, and whether the Concordats between it and Her Majesty's Government will allo…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Many public bodies, including the Ministry of Defence, own land within the proposed Loch Lomond and the Trossachs and Cairngorms National Park areas.<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><P>The Concordats agreed between the Scottish Executive and UK Government Department…

2 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact of the draft Water Framework Directive on the Scotch whisky industry, and what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government and the European Council of Ministers on this matter.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The forthcoming EC Water Framework Directive is currently under negotiation. Its possible effects on industry, including the Scotch whisky industry, could include tighter controls on some waste-water discharges. The draft Directive would also require a system…

2 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive (a) when general permission for local authorities to generate additional section 94 borrowing consent through the capitalisation of long leases ended, (b) whether it still has any discretionary powers to permit the capitalisation of long leases for such purposes, (c) whether it has exerci…

Answer · Jack McConnell: The provision to generate notional receipts from the capitalisation of long leases where a local authority is the lessor was withdrawn on 31 March 1996. Local authorities, as lessees, can still generate notional receipts on termination of their interest in a …

2 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to identify all requests it has granted to local authorities seeking to dispose of property, or enter into loans or other contractual arrangements at less than the full market value.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: Below is a breakdown by council of successful applications to Scottish Ministers for consent to dispose of property or land at less than full market value since 1 July 1999.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=616><TR><TD WIDTH="25%" VALIGN="TOP"><…

1 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what role it will have in the consultation announced recently by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions into the possibility of setting up Marine Environmental High Risk Areas, and whether it will involve the Transport and the Environment Committee in any response to…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is participating in the DETR consultation exercise. Our view on this matter, which will reflect the Executive's transport, environmental and marine protection interests, will be copied to the Transport and Environment Committee. It is o…

1 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the survey which the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (CoSLA) commissioned by EKOS Ltd into economic development, whether it has had or plans to have discussions with CoSLA about the weaknesses identified in monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of loc…

Answer · Henry McLeish: I have already arranged to meet with the President of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to discuss the role of local government in economic development. The report by EKOS Ltd on councils' economic development activities will be one of a range of m…

1 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made representations to Her Majesty's Government to ensure that VAT levied on any fuel tax increases above the rate of inflation will be hypothecated for transport spending, in addition to the fuel duty itself, and reflected in the Scottish Block.

Answer · Jack McConnell: Fuel duty was not raised above the rate of inflation in the budget, but I am very pleased that the Assigned Budget was nonetheless enhanced by some £15.9 million which we intend to allocate for transport purposes.