- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 October 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 25 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive when a national concessionary travel scheme for young people will be implemented and whether the scheme will be “initially for all in full time education or training” as stated in A Partnership for a Better Scotland.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-28309 on 22 September 2006. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 24 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how much graduate endowment income it (a) has received in each of the last three years and (b) expects to receive in the next three years.
Answer
(a) The Graduate Endowment wasfirst collected during the 2005-06 accounting period and £2 million was received.
(b) The estimated income overthe next three years is £20 million per year.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in Aberdeen receive housing benefit.
Answer
The most recent figure for thenumber of recipients of housing benefit is published in Table 3 of the ScottishExecutive Statistical Bulletin (Housing Series)
Housing trends in Scotland: quarter ending 31 March.2006(HSG/2006/5). This is available on-line in the publications section of the housingstatistics branch reference site:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/housing/hsbref.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 9 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what view it would take of instances of pensioners with concessionary travel cards being required to go to the back of bus queues until all paying passengers have boarded.
Answer
Under no circumstances should concessionary travel scheme passengers be discriminated against in relation to fare paying passengers. However, some operators of long distance services operate a pre-booking system, and Cardholders are advised to pre-book their seats wherever this facility exists.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 9 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase bus capacity to cope with the demand arising from the national concessionary travel scheme.
Answer
This Scottish Government is providing substantial funding – up to £159m this year – to pay for the Scotland-wide Free Bus Scheme for Older and Disabled People. The reimbursement rate payable to bus operators takes account of both revenue forgone and additional costs which an operator might incur, including costs to provide additional capacity. The rate was agreed with the Confederation of Passenger Transport.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 9 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to remove the toll charges on the Tay Road Bridge.
Answer
We are currently undertakinga detailed examination of the economic, social and environmental costsand impacts of retaining or removing the Tay and Forth tolls. Ministers will consider the outcomes of thestudy carefully before taking decisions on the way forward.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 9 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the new Arbuthnott formula for NHS funding to be announced and whether it will seek to have it announced to the Parliament and have it debated before approval.
Answer
Over the past year, researchhas been undertaken to determine how the Arbuthnott Formula could be improvedand refined. This research was finalised at the end of May, and the NHSScotlandResource Allocation Committee (NRAC) issued the research reports on its website(
www.nrac.scot.nhs.uk) on 3 July 2006, withan overview document summarising the key issues, presenting options and raisingquestions. Feedback was sought by Friday 29 September 2006. The Committee is currently considering theconsultation responses and its further work and will be submitting itsrecommendations to Ministers in June 2007.
No decision on the Parliamentary handling of NRAC’s recommendations will be made until after theCommittee’s recommendations have been submitted to Ministers.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 9 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to change the graduate endowment charge.
Answer
There are no current plansto change the graduate endowment, other than to increase it in line withinflation each year.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 28 August 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 25 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what extra resources have been provided to Grampian Police to provide security for oil industry facilities in the north east in each of the last five years and what plans there are to provide extra resources in future, in light of any heightened threat to national security.
Answer
Security requirements are takeninto account in the overall allocation of resources to Grampian Police. It is anoperational matter for the Chief Constable how these funds are best deployed.
The policy of the UK Governmentand the Executive is not to comment on, or otherwise disclose details of, the resourcesthat are allocated for national security issues.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 28 August 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 22 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what extra resources have been provided to Grampian Police to provide security for the royal family when at Balmoral in each of the last five years and what plans there are to provide extra resources in future.
Answer
The policy of the UKGovernment and the Executive is not to comment on, or otherwise disclosedetails of, protection measures that are in place for royalty and other publicfigures as to do so could compromise their security and play into the hands ofthose who might wish to intimidate or cause them harm.
