Parliamentary questions

Alison McInnes

1,004 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

29 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce legislation to require all owners of non-domestic buildings to conduct a carbon and energy assessment and produce a programme for upgrading, as recommended in A Low Carbon Building Standards Strategy for Scotland, and how it will empower local authorities or…

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard, Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency, to answer. His response is as follows: A consultation paper is currently being drafted on proposals for reducing the carbon emissions associated with existing …

29 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to support training in new technologies, new products and new standards for low and zero carbon buildings, as recommended in A Low Carbon Building Standards Strategy for Scotland.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard, Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. His response is as follows: The Scottish Government is aware that as the market for low and zero carbon technologies increases, there is the …

29 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is considering the role that building regulations can play in terms of smart meters, as recommended in A Low Carbon Building Standards Strategy for Scotland.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard, Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency, to answer. His response is as follows: A review of the energy standards in Scottish building regulations has recently commenced. The role that building regulat…

29 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what body will carry out monitoring of recent private and public sector low carbon domestic and non-domestic buildings in Scotland, as recommended in A Low Carbon Building Standards Strategy for Scotland, and what the timescale is for this.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard, Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency, to answer. His response is as follows: It is intended that contractors will be appointed by competitive tender to undertake this work. This work will only be p…

29 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to publish the results of research to review the performance achieved in use and any issues found for buildings designed to be low energy, low carbon, zero energy or zero carbon, as outlined in A Low Carbon Building Standards Strategy for Scotland.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard, Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. His response is as follows: Research that is commissioned as a direct result of A Low Carbon Building Standards Strategy for Scotland</i…

29 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to conduct research to review the performance achieved in use and any issues found for buildings designed to be low energy, low carbon, zero energy or zero carbon, as recommended in A Low Carbon Building Standards Strategy for Scotland.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard, Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. His response is as follows: Options are currently being considered with regard to this research. This may include research which is currentl…

18 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it expects the additional funding allocated to the budget line for the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) in 2008-09 to have on the current BSOG rate of reimbursement of 39.21 pence per litre.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Following the budget statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth on 6 February 2008, I can confirm that it is our intention that the total funding available for Bus Service Operators Grant will be around £61 million in 2008-09 which …

18 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the additional funding allocated to the budget line for the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) in 2008-09 will have to be used to cover the shortfall between the original budget for Support for Bus Services in Scottish Budget: Spending Review 2007 and the estimated cost of BSOG cl…

18 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects the budget of £57.2 million for Support for Bus Services in Scottish Budget: Spending Review 2007 in 2008-09 to be sufficient to cover Bus Service Operators Grant claims for mileage.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Following the budget statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth on 6 February 2008, I can confirm that it is our intention that the budget for Bus Service Operators Grant will be around £61 million in 2008-09.

18 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated cost of Bus Service Operators Grant claims for mileage is in 2008-09.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: We estimate that the cost of Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) in 2008-09 will be approximately £61 million. Following the budget statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth on 6 February 2008, I can confirm that it is our intentio…

15 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to support the introduction of a permanent hovercraft link across the Forth and, if so, whether it will ensure that the service is operational before the commencement of next year’s planned major engineering works on the Forth Road Bridge.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The timing of engineering works on the Forth Road Bridge is a matter for Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) as the bridge authority. The FETA board considered, at its meeting on 22 February 2008, proposals to limit the potential disruption from the engi…

15 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what further resources will be available to fund additional public transport links between Edinburgh and Fife as an alternative to private car travel during periods of lane closures on the Forth Road Bridge.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Planning for major works involving possible lane closures on the Forth Road Bridge is at an early stage. No assessment has been made at this stage of the need for possible traffic mitigation measures. However, the provision of public transport services is pri…

15 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact on journey times in and out of Edinburgh resulting from the introduction of a continuous contraflow on the Forth Road Bridge for at least eight weeks.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Responsibility for any assessment of such impacts is a matter for the Forth Estuary Transport Authority, as the authority with responsibility for maintaining and operating the Forth Road Bridge.

15 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the economic costs associated with the introduction of a continuous contraflow on the Forth Road Bridge for at least eight weeks.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Responsibility for any assessment of such costs is a matter for the Forth Estuary Transport Authority, as the authority with responsibility for maintaining and operating the Forth Road Bridge.

15 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide additional funding options to the Forth Estuary Transport Authority to enable engineering work to install temporary ramps on the Forth Road Bridge to ease traffic disruption during repairs to the bridge’s main expansion joints.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: There are no plans to provide funding options beyond those already available to the Forth Estuary Transport Authority.

15 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding options are available to the Forth Estuary Transport Authority to provide the resources for engineering measures such as building temporary ramps on the Forth Road Bridge to ease traffic disruption during repairs to the bridge’s main expansion joints.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Grant funding has been made available within the recently agreed budget settlement, to cover the Forth Estuary Transport Authority's (FETA) estimated running and maintenance costs, as they were estimated at the time. Should the option of using tempor…

15 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Forth Estuary Transport Authority on proposals to build temporary ramps on the Forth Road Bridge to ease traffic disruption during repairs to the bridge’s main expansion joints.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Officials from the Scottish Government and the Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) meet regularly to discuss a number of issues. On 15 January FETA hosted a meeting of key stakeholders, including the Scottish Government, to discuss the possible use of te…

30 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the timescale is for the creation of a bus priority lane on the approach to the Forth Road Bridge.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Bus priority measures, as part of the toll plaza remodelling and associated works, are a matter for the Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) and the City of Edinburgh Council, in conjunction with SESTRAN. These measures are currently being taken …