Parliamentary questions

Murray Tosh

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

19 Jun 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what adjustments were made to the Scottish assigned budget in (a) 2000-01 and (b) 2001-02 as a result of any differential movements in Scotland, compared with England, in the level of (i) public sector housing benefit, (ii) private sector housing benefit and (iii) council tax benefit bein…

Answer · Angus MacKay: No adjustments were made in 2000-01. I expect adjustments to be made in 2001-02 in respect of both 2000-01 and 2001-02. These will not include the effects of differential movements in private sector housing benefit, as changes in level of private sector rents…

18 Jun 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many bids for freight facilities grants it is currently considering; how many of these bids have been returned to the applicants requesting further information, and whether existing guidance to applicants on how to bid for freight facilities grants is adequate.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: There are currently 14 Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) applications being considered which are at varying stages of processing. The rigorous consideration process to ensure value for money usually entails further enquiries with applicants, either by telephone …

17 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 removed, or the draft Title Conditions (Scotland) Bill is intended to remove, any remaining provisions in the Schools Sites Act 1841 which require education authorities to restore to feudal superiors land granted under that A…

Answer · Iain Gray: The Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 did not make any provision regarding the School Sites Act 1841. The draft Title Conditions (Scotland) Bill, as prepared by the Scottish Law Commission, does contain proposals for reversions created under…

17 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-15005, S1W-15006, S1W-15009, S1W-15010, S1W-15011, S1W-15012, S1W-15013, S1W-15014, S1W-15015 and S1W-15016 by Mr Jack McConnell on 2 May 2001, whether it intends to ensure that the information to be provided by the Chairman of the Scottish Qualifi…

Answer · Jack McConnell: As my answers to questions S1W-15005, S1W-15006, S1W-15009, S1W-15010, S1W-15011, S1W-15012, S1W-15013, S1W-15014, S1W-15015 and S1W-15016 noted the subject of those questions were matters for the Scottish Qualifications Authority. Accordingly, I have asked t…

17 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-14972 and S1W-14973 by Mr Jack McConnell on 1 May 2001, whether it intends to ensure that the information to be provided by the Chairman of the Scottish Qualifications Authority to Mr Brian Monteith will be made available to all MSPs and how it int…

Answer · Jack McConnell: As my answer to questions S1W-14972 and S1W-14973 noted the subject of those questions were matters for the Scottish Qualification Authority. Accordingly, I have asked the Chair to write to Mr Monteith, who asked the questions. That correspondence is a matter…

17 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the work of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency's Dounreay Particles Advisory Group, (a) where samples of suspected irradiated particles removed from Dounreay beach are sent for analysis, (b) how many samples have been analysed since directions were issued, (c) how …

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The number and level of irradiated particles found and removed from the beach at Sandside Bay near Dounreay are listed in the interim Dounreay Particles Advisory Group report. This is available on the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) website at t…

8 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional resources it has received or will receive as a consequence of the #100 million modernisation fund for the road haulage industry announced in the Pre-Budget Report in November 2000, whether it proposes to use any such consequential resources for modernising the road haulag…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The details of the fund announced in the Pre Budget Report related to proposals to take effect in England. Most of the subject areas concerned are, in a Scottish context, devolved and Scottish ministers will carefully consider the need for equivalent measures…

8 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to revoke decisions to call in planning applications and notices of intention to develop and whether it will detail each such decision revoked since 1 May 1997.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: There is no specific provision in planning legislation which provides the Scottish Ministers with the power to revoke a direction to call-in a planning application or notice of intention to develop. Accordingly, no such directions have been revoked during the…

8 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14599 by Sarah Boyack on 23 April 2001, why no resources have been committed to funding the preparatory work for the development of the proposed Aberdeen western peripheral route.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: My answer to question S1W-14599 set out the Executive's planned expenditure on the motorway and trunk road network 2001-02 to 2005-06. The proposed Aberdeen western peripheral is not a trunk road. On 14 March I announced a £1.25 million package of support to …

8 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements it has made following the award of the trunk road maintenance contracts regarding the sharing of ongoing revenue costs, including future maintenance and replacement costs, in relation to traffic lights at intersections of trunk roads and local authority roads.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive retains responsibility for all maintenance and repair costs for traffic signal installations at intersections of trunk roads and local authority roads. Where such signal installations are linked to local authority control rooms as part …

8 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements it has made following the award of the trunk road maintenance contracts regarding the funding of ongoing revenue costs, including future maintenance and replacement costs, in relation to street lights on trunk roads where these are on circuits together with local authori…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive retains responsibility for maintenance and replacement costs for all street lighting on trunk roads. Negotiations will commence very soon with the local authorities on the nature and scope of the work required, including the appropriate…

8 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring it undertakes of trunk road and motorway closures after serious accidents; what guidance is given to police forces and network managers about closures of and diversions on trunk roads, and what guidance and funding it makes available to local authorities to signpost and m…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive contracts with the new trunk road Operating Companies (OCs) contain procedures to address incidents which result in trunk road and motorway closures.The contracts require the OCs to record all incidents where a trunk road is closed a…

8 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what directions have been issued regarding the detection and prompt removal of irradiated particles on the beach at Dounreay; whether any such directions have now been fully implemented; whether the beach is now clear of such particles, and, if not, when it is anticipated that all such pa…

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive has issued no directions regarding irradiated particles.The Secretary of State for Scotland wrote to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in 1998 asking it to ensure that there was sufficient monitoring at Sandside Beach…

25 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its accommodation costs were in 1999-2000 and 2000-01; what its projected accommodation costs are in each year from 2001-02 to 2003-04, expressed in the prices used for the Scottish Budget 2001 in each case and detailing any non-recurring maintenance expenditure in each of these year…

Answer · Angus MacKay: Accommodation costs for the period requested are set out in table 1 (actual costs for 1999-2000 and 2000-01 and projected costs for the subsequent years).Table 1: Accommodation Costs (£ million)<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=595><TR><TD WI…

25 Apr 2001 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer what the accommodation costs were in 1999-2000 and 2000-01 for the accommodation currently occupied by the Parliament; what the projected accommodation costs in respect of the current accommodation are in each year from 2001-02 to 2003-04 and what the annual projected accommodation costs a…

Answer · David Steel: The Parliament's accommodation costs (i.e. rent, rates, utilities and building maintenance) for 1999-2000 and 2000-01, and the equivalent budgeted figure for 2001-02, are shown below expressed in cash terms. The projected costs for subsequent years are still …

29 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what instructions or guidance it has issued or plans to issue to local authorities to streamline and manage development plans in the light of the Research Paper 1998/50, Review of Development Planning in Scotland, by Hillier Parker, Dundas & Wilson.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The revised NPPG 1: The Planning System, published in November 2000, includes guidance on the need for brevity, clarity and precision when preparing development plans and on the importance of managing the process of the preparation of plans more…

28 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what expenditure is currently planned for each of the continuing and new trunk road projects referred in Scottish Executive News Release SE0818/2001 in each year from 2001-02 to 2005-06.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The information requested is set out in the following table. These estimates may vary as procurement proceeds.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=586><TR><TD WIDTH="52%" VALIGN="TOP">Motorway…

23 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it proposes to take on the recommendations made in the recently published research report, Obsolete Commercial and Industry Property, prepared by Ekos and Ryden Property Consultants for the Central Research Unit.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The recommendations will inform a range of current and future work including, for example, the review of National Planning Policy Guideline 2: Business and Industry.

22 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1419 by Sarah Boyack on 27 September 1999, what its estimate is of the capital value of the trunk road and motorway network at 1 April 2001.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The estimated capital value of the trunk road and motorway network as at 1 April 2001 is not yet available.

22 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3338 by Sarah Boyack on 18 January 2000, what action it proposes to take to upgrade or replace bridges then and subsequently identified as being unsuitable for reassessment.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Sub-standard bridges will be strengthened or replaced on a prioritised basis as part of the annual trunk road bridge maintenance programme. It is expected this work will take 5 years to complete but the actual timescale will depend on competing priorities and…

22 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3338 by Sarah Boyack on 18 January 2000, how many of the 20 confirmed sub-standard bridges have now been brought up to standard or placed on a firm programme of works for upgrading; what the re-assessment of the remaining bridges has shown, and which…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Four of the 20 bridges have been strengthened and 6 reassessed as adequate. With the exception of the A8 Orchard Farm Rail bridge, which has been strengthened by propping as an interim measure pending the outcome of further studies into the options for M8 Ba…

16 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it anticipates saving over the life of the new trunk road maintenance contracts as a result of any substitutions of money purchase schemes for certified pension schemes in relation to employees of existing contractors who are transferred under the Transfer of Undertakings (Prote…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The provision, by the companies who have been awarded the contracts, of pension arrangements for staff, including those who transfer from local authority employment under TUPE, is a matter for the companies to determine.

7 Mar 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it proposes in response to new evidence from the National Radiological Protection Board that there may be a connection between overhead power lines and certain cancers.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Executive welcomes this new study.The NRPB, which provides expert advice on these matters, considers that this new report provides no additional scientific evidence to require a change in exposure guidelines.That said, the Executive fully supports t…

2 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what files it, its Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies hold on Mr Peter Cherbi and whether it will disclose the contents of these files to him.

Answer · Jim Wallace: In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998, any information on whether or not files are held on Mr Cherbi and, if they are, whether contents would be disclosed, would need to be considered in response to a subject access request submitted by Mr Cherbi.

8 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the judgement in the case of the City of Edinburgh versus the Secretary of State for Scotland 1998 SLT 120 applies equally to Scottish Ministers in cases where they decide not to exercise their powers to call in for determination notifiable applications and notices of intention t…

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Section 25 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 (formerly section 18A of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1972) requires that where, in making any determination under the planning Acts, regard is to be had to the development plan, …