- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 6 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance will be given to pensioners to reduce their energy use.
Answer
The Executive has invested over £200 million in our central heating and warm deal programmes installing over 60,000 central heating systems and providing insulation measures for a further 200,000 households. Our central heating programme provides pensioners with a number of free measures including central heating, and insulation along with a free benefits health check and advice on how to reduce energy use. In addition to this, the Executive provides grant funding to the Energy Saving Trust in Scotland to deliver a range of programmes and advice to promote energy efficiency in the domestic sector and to assist people to reduce their energy use.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 December 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21051 by Tavish Scott on 8 December 2005, what plans it has to re-brand Strathclyde Passenger Transport and how much of the existing First ScotRail franchise budget will be put towards the costs of re-branding.
Answer
It will be for StrathclydePassenger Transport and the new Regional Transport Partnership to decide whatapproach they wish to take for RTP West activities. The Executive has no plansto require that First ScotRail direct any of the existing franchise budget specificallyto re-brand SPT.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 20 December 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-10147 by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 September 2004, whether its review of prescription charge exemptions will include existing exemptions for chronic conditions, such as diabetes and asthma, with a view to maintaining such exemptions.
Answer
The consultation document is currently being drafted and will be published early in the new year. The purpose of the consultation will be to encourage debate on ways of addressing acknowledged anomalies and inconsistencies in the current NHS prescription charge and exemption arrangements. Whether or not the current list of exempted chronic conditions should be altered is a central issue and one where the responses to the consultation will inform future decisions by the Executive.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 20 December 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21147 by Tavish Scott on 8 December 2005, whether it will provide a breakdown of the £16.3 million it has spent to date on the Edinburgh Tram Network.
Answer
A breakdown of the £16.3 million spend to date is summarised in the following table:-
| Area of Spend | Background | Value |
| Business Case Development | Interim Outline Business Case development to determine the optimum finance and procurement strategy ahead of project commencement | £1.2 million |
| Design Partnering and Franchise Operating | Operational expertise brought in to inform the design programme. | £1.5 million |
| Project Implementation | Detailed design and costs | £12.7 million |
| Parliamentary Bills | Support for costs of taking both Private Bills through Parliament. | £0.9 million |
| Total | | £16.3 million |
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 19 December 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how much will be spent on the upgrade and refurbishment of Waverley Station by (a) it, (b) Network Rail, (c) the City of Edinburgh Council and (d) any other source, broken down by specific project.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is fully funding the enhancement of capacity for more trains and improvements to station accessibility in the Waverley Station Phase 1 project. The cost of these works is estimated to be £150 million.
Maintenance and renewal of the fabric of the existing station facilities at Waverley is the responsibility of Network Rail and they are already fully funded for these responsibilities. Network Rail are considering how best to enhance the appearance of Waverley Station to complement the enhancement works funded by the Scottish Executive.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 19 December 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to reduce the journey time by rail between Edinburgh and Glasgow and what targets it has for such a reduction.
Answer
We are currently consulting on what our strategic priorities for rail should be, in preparation for producing rail strategy next summer. Reducing journey times may emerge as a conclusion of that work.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 19 December 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive when each phase of the upgrade and refurbishment of Waverley Station will (a) begin and (b) be completed and how much it envisages each phase will cost.
Answer
The construction work for Phase 1 of the re-development of Waverley Station will commence in January 2006. The target date for completion of Phase 1 is November 2007. The Scottish Executive is fully funding Phase 1 of the redevelopment of Waverley Station at an estimated cost of £150 million.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 16 December 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive when a Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance assessment of the new Stonehaven to Milltimber section of the Aberdeen Western Periphal Route will be completed.
Answer
We expect to complete and publish a STAG part 1 assessment within the next few months.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 16 December 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be further public consultation following the announcement of a different route for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route from that of the five options consulted on by the former Minister for Transport.
Answer
We will be discussing throughout next year the implications of the developing design with affected parties and statutory bodies. Formal consultation will then take place in association with the publication of the draft Roads Orders and Compulsory Purchase Order.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 16 December 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the schemes of compensation for those properties affected by the new Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route, including timescales for application, scales of payments, details of proximity qualification and total budget available.
Answer
A leaflet entitled
A guide to the compulsory purchase process and compensation is available and can also be downloaded from the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route scheme website:
http://www.awpr.co.uk/downloads/awpr_a_guide_to_cppc.pdf. It is too early to say what properties will qualify for compensation. An allowance has been made for compensation within the overall scheme budget which will be subject to detailed negotiations once the detailed design is complete.
