Questions · Alison McInnes

28 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information was used as the basis for the decisions made about the distribution of £7.7 million of additional funding for college places announced by the Scottish Funding Council on 9 July 2009 and whether this information is publicly available.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Decisions on the funding of individual colleges are a matter for the Scottish Funding Council. I will ask the Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council to reply to the member.

28 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria were used when deciding which local authorities would receive funding from the additional £7.7 million for college places announced by the Scottish Funding Council on 9 July 2009.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Decisions on the funding of individual colleges are a matter for the Scottish Funding Council. I will ask the Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council to reply to the member.

28 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria were used when deciding which colleges would receive funding from the additional £7.7 million for college places announced by the Scottish Funding Council on 9 July 2009.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Decisions on the funding of individual colleges are a matter for the Scottish Funding Council. I will ask the Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council to reply to the member.

28 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it gave the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) on which colleges should receive funding from the additional £7.7 million for college places announced by the SFC on 9 July 2009.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Decisions on the funding of individual colleges are a matter for the Scottish Funding Council. I will ask the Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council to reply to the member.

28 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional support will be made available to those colleges that did not receive a share of the £7.7 million to tackle the rise in student applications due to the recession.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Decisions on the funding of individual colleges are a matter for the Scottish Funding Council. I will ask the Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council to reply to the member.

8 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it has done to promote take-up of the Young Persons Concessionary Travel Scheme.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scotland-wide Young Persons Concessionary Travel Scheme started on 8 January 2007. In preparation for this, and since the scheme started, various marketing activities have taken place in order to increase uptake. Transport Scotland has worked in …

8 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on promoting the Young Persons Concessionary Travel Scheme in each year since it was introduced.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scotland-wide Young Persons Concessionary Travel Scheme started on 8 January 2007. In preparation for this, and since the scheme started, various marketing activities have taken place in order to increase uptake. The marketing costs associated wi…

8 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have applied to the Young Persons Concessionary Travel Scheme in each year since it was introduced.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The application process for the Young Persons Concessionary Travel Scheme is the responsibility of individual local authorities. Transport Scotland does not have any information regarding applications. In terms of the numbers of young people accessi…

3 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is supportive of the UK Government’s nationalisation of the east coast main line.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-25565 on 29 July 2009. 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/Apps2/…

3 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the nationalisation of the east coast main line and when these discussions took place.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-25565 on 29 July 2009. 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/Apps2/…

3 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the nationalisation of the east coast main line will affect Scottish rail services and, if so, in what ways.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The terms of the east coast franchise means that the Department for Transport (DfT) has the right to step in as operator of last resort should a franchisee, such as National Express East Coast, experience financial difficulties. This is a temporary measure wh…

10 Jun 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what investment it will make in the current financial year towards achieving the target of having 10% of all journeys made by bicycle by 2020.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson : This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link: <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0618-01.htm">http://www.scot…

29 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of private car journeys made by its officials and staff in 2007-08, as indicated in the Scottish Government Environmental Performance Annual Report 2007/08, was made by participants in car-sharing schemes.

Answer · John Swinney: The travel data contained in the Scottish Government Environmental Performance Annual Report relate to business travel, while car-sharing schemes are aimed at commute to work travel. On that basis, none of the private car journeys referred to in the r…

29 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what provision it makes for car-sharing schemes for users of the Scottish Government estate.

Answer · John Swinney: In July 2008, the Scottish Government launched a car-sharing scheme in partnership with Liftshare, Tripshare Edinburgh and SESTRAN (South East of Scotland Transport Partnership). Dedicated parking spaces for the car-sharing scheme are available at Victoria Qu…

29 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the private car journeys made by its officials and staff in 2007-08, as indicated in the Scottish Government Environmental Performance Annual Report 2007/08, showing how many of the journeys covered distances of (a) less than one, (b) between one and…

Answer · John Swinney: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

29 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the rise in private car journeys made by its officials and staff in 2007-08, as indicated in the Scottish Government Environmental Performance Annual Report 2007/08.

Answer · John Swinney: The level of private car mileage in the Scottish Government has fallen considerably in recent years, with the 2007-08 figure being 56.3% of the 2004-05 level. The Scottish Government will continue to deploy a range of initiatives aimed at improving the sustai…

28 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-23364 by Stewart Stevenson on 8 May 2009, how potential locations for the installation of variable-message signs on the trunk road network are identified prior to the specific siting criteria being applied.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The potential locations for the installation of variable message signs on the trunk road network have been determined following a review carried out in 2005 which looked at existing provision and future needs.

28 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has carried out on the impact on safety of variable-message signs located along the trunk road network.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland has not undertaken any specific research into the impact on safety of variable message signs (VMS) located along the trunk road network. The Design Manual for Roads and Bridges is used to ensure that the variable message signs are installed…

28 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the criteria are for siting new variable-message signs along the trunk road network.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland considers the following criteria for siting new variable message signs (VMS) along the trunk road network: Distance from the junction (to allow decision making time for driver); Road alignment and visibility of variable …

28 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many new variable-message signs have been installed along the trunk road network in each of the last five years.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The number of variable message signs (VMS) installed on the trunk road network in each of the last five years is as follows: 2005 - 14 2006 - 5 (in addition three signs were installed on the A90 non-trunk road) 2007 - 2 200…

28 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many variable-message signs are located along the trunk road network.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: At April 2009 there are a total of 164 Variable Message Signs (VMS) located along the trunk road network.

15 Apr 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its 10-year road safety strategy.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson : This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link: <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0423-01.htm">http://www.scott…

26 Mar 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact on staffing of the reduction to the Regional Transport Partnership Travel Plan Grant for 2009-10.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The delivery of the terms and conditions of this grant is an issue for the Regional Transport Partnerships (RTPs). The Scottish Government discussed the impact and as a result developed the grant with incremental reductions, to achieve the mainstreaming of tr…

23 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many civil service jobs have been relocated to each city in each year since 2004.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-4401 on 26 September 2007. 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.parlia…

23 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of civil service jobs is located in each city, also expressed as a percentage of the city’s population.

Answer · John Swinney: We only hold information for the core Scottish Government and the agencies and other organisations staffed by civil servants for which we provide an HR Service. For these organisations the percentage of jobs located in each city, also expressed as a…

19 Mar 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the new Care Environment Inspectorate regime to address hospital-acquired infections will be extended to care homes.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate will concentrate their activities on NHS acute hospitals. The Care Commission inspects care homes against the relevant legislation and the National Care Standards. There is a statutory requirement on care home providers…

12 Mar 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to improve road safety among young drivers in rural areas.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link: <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0312-01.htm">http://www.scot…

9 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings have taken place in the last 12 months between representatives of the Scottish Government or Transport Scotland and the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK regarding the reimbursement of concessionary fares and whether it will provide a copy of the minutes of any such me…

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: There have been a number of meetings between representatives of the Scottish Government and/or Transport Scotland with the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK over the last 12 Months, where the issue of the reimbursement of concessionary fares would have …

29 Jan 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated completion date is for the replacement of HMP Peterhead.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link: <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0129-01.htm">http://…

22 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding mechanism will be used for work on the A90 Balmedie-Tipperty dual carriageway.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: It is anticipated that the scheme will funded by conventional means, such as a Design Build Fixed Price Lump Sum.