Parliamentary questions
David Stewart
1,651 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
6 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much Freight Facilities Grant has been spent on (a) rail projects and (b) shipping projects in each of the last three years.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Payments of Freight Facilities Grant for rail totalled £2,045,081 in 2004-05, £1,664,207 in 2005-06 and £2,796,575 in 2006-07. For shipping projects payments totalled £318,263 in 2004-05, £72,269 in 2005-06, with no payments in 2006-07.</p>
6 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much the Freight Facilities Grant was in (a) 2004-05 and (b) 2005-06.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: </b>The budget for Freight Facilities Grant was (a) £14.6 million in 2004-05 and (b) £15.4 million in 2005-06.></b></p>
6 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to subsidise rail travel on commuter lines to ease traffic congestion and reduce greenhouse gases.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: In addition to the fares collected by train operators, the Scottish Government currently subsidise the rail network and services in Scotland by over £650 million per annum. This means that individual passenger journeys are already subsidised: we work hard to …
6 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to extend the concessionary travel scheme to include rail travel.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: We have no current plans to do so.</p>
6 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in establishing high speed rail links to Inverness.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Our High Level Output Specification (HLOS) sets out plans to reduce significantly journey times between Edinburgh and Glasgow and Inverness. Feasibility work on how this will be achieved is currently underway.</p>
6 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will fund the necessary rail gauge enhancements to enable a switch from road to rail in the highlands and islands.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: We are committed to encouraging modal shift of freight from road to rail. Funding from Scottish Government has provided gauge enhancement between Mossend and Elgin. The enhanced route encourages increased movement of freight by rail and allows larger containe…
6 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support it provides to local authorities and others wishing to develop park and ride schemes utilising rail services.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government will be providing local government in Scotland with record levels of funding over the period covered by the spending review 2008-11.</p> <p >Following both the recent Scottish Budget settlement, and the concordat signed between the S…
6 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in requiring Inverness and Elgin to produce strategies for enhanced park-and-ride schemes.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Following both the recent Scottish Budget settlement, and the concordat signed between the Scottish Executive and COSLA, decisions on prioritising and funding local and regional transport interventions including enhanced park and ride facilities will be for l…
6 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to electrify any Highland rail routes.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The High Level Output Specification (HLOS) outlines our plans for electrification of rail routes between 2009-14. Electrification of Highland routes is not included within that medium-term plan. The Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) will identify lon…
6 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the work on the Orton loop on the Inverness to Aberdeen rail line to commence and be completed.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Our High Level Output Specification (HLOS) outlines plans for an hourly service to be provided between Aberdeen and Inverness and asks Network Rail, during the period 2009-14, to produce a plan for how this will be delivered. At this stage no firm date is spe…
6 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it has set to reduce travel times on the (a) Inverness to Perth, (b) Inverness to Wick/Thurso, (c) Mallaig to Glasgow and (d) Oban to Glasgow lines.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: No specific targets have been set to reduce travel times on the Inverness to Wick/Thurso, Mallaig to Glasgow and Oban to Glasgow lines. We are, however, committed to improving journey times across Scotland.</p> <p >We have an aspiration to upgrade the Highla…
6 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to cut Aberdeen to Inverness rail journey times.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-9407 on 25 February 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.Scottish Parliament.uk/weba…
6 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in developing an integrated payment card for public transport use.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The card already exists in the form of the National Entitlement Card, although this does not preclude transport operators choosing to develop their own cards for this purpose.</p> <p >The new breed of smartcard enabled Electronic Ticket Machines “ capable of…
6 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it has set in respect of rail passenger growth in the Highlands over the next three years.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: No targets have been set in respect of rail passenger growth in the Highlands over the next three years. The passenger increase, as stated in the High Level Output Specification (HLOS), is anticipated to be 3% per annum.</p>
6 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in developing a national rail improvement plan.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Our High Level Output Specification (HLOS), published in July 2007, builds on the Scotland''s Railways document, and sets out our commitment to enhancing the rail network between 2009-14. The Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) will identify an investm…
6 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it has set in respect of goods traffic growth in the Highlands over the next three years.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: We have no targets for goods traffic growth in the Highlands or any other part of Scotland.</p>
6 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will encourage road freight to move to rail and, if so, what help it will provide.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: We operate three freight grant schemes which all encourage the transfer of freight from road to rail. Rail freight grants awarded in Scotland over the last 10 years have to date transferred over 58 million lorry miles from road to rail. Our budget for support…
31 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what preparations are being made for future structural fund planning, in light of the recent Fourth European Cohesion Forum report.
Answer · Jim Mather: The current Structural Funds programming period lasts from 2007-13. It is too early to make any assumptions about the level and nature of Structural Funds that Scotland might receive post-2013. The focus of the Scottish Government remains on maximising the va…
30 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty’s Government on future funding of the new Forth crossing.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Preliminary discussions have been held with officials regarding funding options including Trans-European Network (TEN-T) funding.</p>
30 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive by what date heavy goods vehicles will no longer be able to use the existing Forth Road Bridge.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Following inspection work carried out by the Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) in 2004 and 2005, a significant level of corrosion was found in the main cables of the Forth Road Bridge. It was determined that the loss of strength lay between 8 to 10%.</…
30 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the powers of the Water Industry Commissioner for Scotland.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: None.</p>
30 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what sanctions are available to the Water Industry Commissioner for Scotland in the event of poor performance by Scottish Water.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Under section 3 of the Water Industry (Scotland) Act 2002, the Water Industry Commission for Scotland has a function to advise ministers on the standard of service provided by Scottish Water. Any such advice would then allow Scottish ministers to take appropr…
30 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of Scottish Water’s leakage rates were of all the water that it treated in (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05, (c) 2005-06, (d) 2006-07 and (e) 2007-08 to date.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The information is as follows:</p> <p >Distribution Input (Treated Water Supplied to Scottish Water''s Networks)</p> <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td rowspan=2 valign=top > <p align=left ><b> </b></p> </td>…
30 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what Scottish Water’s average leakage rates were in (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05, (c) 2005-06, (d) 2006-07 and (e) 2008 to date, expressed in units per day.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The average leakage rates were as follows:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td width=199 valign=top > <p align=right ><b> </b></p> </td> <td width=54 nowrap valign=bottom > <p align=center > </p> </td>…
30 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what mechanism is planned to collect water and sewerage charges under a local income tax.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The government intends to consult later this year on proposals for future domestic water charging arrangements.</p>
30 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will encourage more secondary schools to become eco-schools.
Answer · Maureen Watt: Eco Schools Scotland have a secondary schools development officer who is looking at ways in which the Eco Schools programme could be better tailored to staff and pupils in the secondary sector. A module on international issues, comprising themes of particular…
30 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the schemes in the Scottish Rural Development Programme will be implemented.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The various elements of the new Scotland Rural Development Programme, including Rural Development Contracts “ Rural Priorities, will be rolled out over the coming weeks.</p> <p >The precise timetable for implementation depends upon the receipt of formal, wri…
30 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it anticipates any future changes in the rate of voluntary modulation to help stimulate agri-environment schemes.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: One of my first decisions when I became Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment was to announce that the level of Voluntary Modulation for the new Scotland Rural Development Programme 2007-13 would be 5% in 2007, 8% in 2008, 8.5% in 2009 and 9…
30 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be any changes in available funding after the planned common agricultural policy “health check”.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) health check should not affect the overall funding allocated to CAP as this has been agreed as part of the EU Budget for 2007-13. It may, however, have implications for the distribution of funding. The Scottish Government …
30 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much can be spent on agri-environment schemes and biodiversity projects under the Scottish Rural Development Programme.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scotland Rural Development Programme includes around £400 million for agri‘environment measures, including biodiversity. Actual expenditure will depend on submission by land managers of proposals which will deliver the Scottish Government''s priority outc…