- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 February 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 5 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many new miles of rail track have been laid since May 1999.
Answer
Since May 1999, the Scottish Executive has supported several railway projects within Scotland, including the Stirling to Alloa to Kincardine and Larkhall to Milngavie schemes. However, with the exception of the opening of the Edinburgh Crossrail scheme, which utilised already operational freight lines, all of these projects are still at various levels of development. New track through Network Rail's (formerly Railtrack) maintenance and renewal programme is an operational matter for the company. This information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 27 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-6413 by Cathy Jamieson on 13 February 2003, whether the circular will clearly set out that no school should be closed on the basis of lack of funds for repairs and maintenance.
Answer
The circular will set out the uses to which the Schools Fund may be put. It will not advise education authorities on the issues they might take into account in considering the circumstances in which the closure of a school might be proposed.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 25 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable to complete the Aberdeen western peripheral route is; whether it will give a breakdown of how much funding is required for the project, and what percentage of the funding is expected to be provided by (a) it and (b) the North East of Scotland Transport Partnership.
Answer
The timetable estimated by NESTRANS is given on page 5 of the evidence provided by the North East Scotland Transport Partnership (NESTRANS) to the Transport and Environment Committee on 19 December 2001, a copy of which is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 26466). I understand that NESTRANS intend to publish an update report in the next few weeks and I will arrange for a copy to be sent to you.The estimated funding required to complete the Aberdeen western peripheral route is £120 million. The percentage of this funding to be provided by the Scottish Executive, and by the two councils, is yet to be determined.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 25 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give a breakdown of the (a) funding and (b) timetable to complete the modern transport system for Aberdeen.
Answer
The information requested is given on pages 1 and 2 of the evidence provided by the North East Scotland Transport Partnership (NESTRANS) to the Transport and Environment Committee on 19 December 2001, a copy of which is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 26466). I understand that NESTRANS intend to publish an update report in the next few weeks and I will arrange for a copy to be sent to you.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 February 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 20 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many new miles of trunk road have been constructed since May 1999.
Answer
The information requested, for the years 1999-2000 and 2000-01, is given in Chapter 5 paragraph 3.6, and table number 5.3 of Scottish Transport Statistics No. 21, a copy of which is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 23316). Figures for the year to March 2002 will be published in Scottish Transport Statistics No. 22 later this year.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 February 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 20 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what net increase there has been in bus services across Scotland since May 1999.
Answer
Data on the number of bus services in Scotland is not held centrally. Statistics from the Department for Transport, however, indicate a growth in bus passenger numbers on local bus services from 434 million in 1999-2000 to 441 million in 2001-02.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 19 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact will be in Scotland of the UK Communications Bill, in particular with regard to the roll-out of broadband technologies.
Answer
The UK Communications Bill will streamline the regulatory framework for communications across the UK, including Scotland. The bill is technology-neutral so it does not explicitly refer to broadband. However, the new amalgamated regulator, OFCOM, generally should be in a position to respond better and faster to developing and converging technologies such as broadband. The end result should be improved services for consumers in all parts of the UK. In addition, the bill introduces the concept of spectrum trading, which should make spectrum available for new services more quickly and could facilitate the delivery of wireless broadband in the future.Through our discussions with the UK Government and OFCOM, we are working to ensure appropriate representative mechanisms for Scotland within the new regulator. These mechanisms should help OFCOM to take account of the impact of their activities in Scotland including any that affect the roll-out of broadband technologies.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 6 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give a breakdown of (a) projects and (b) funding allocations under the #450 million package of transport improvements announced on 22 January 2003 and what the timetable of each project will be.
Answer
A breakdown of the projects and the consultants' estimate of likely costs is contained within the
Central Scotland Transport Corridor Studies - Decisions Report which is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 26080) and on the internet at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/transport/CSTCS_FinalDecisions.pdf.Preparations for the delivery of the major rail and roads projects have already begun. The Executive is setting up a Delivery Implementation Group consisting of key stakeholders who can play a significant role in assisting the delivery of the improvements.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 6 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether freight facilities grants and track access grants currently available in Scotland will continue to be available, given the recent announcement by the Strategic Rail Authority that new applications for England for the next financial year will be closed from January 2003 and, if such grants will also be closed in Scotland, how it will deliver its target to remove 25 million lorry miles off roads and onto rail by March 2006.
Answer
These grants will continue to be available in Scotland. We are confident of achieving our target of freight facilities grant awards being made by March 2006 which will remove 25 million lorry miles from Scotland's roads each year by transferring freight to rail and water-borne modes of transport.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 6 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it will issue to local authorities on how they should spend the funding being made available to them under the schools estate funding package.
Answer
The Scottish Executive Education Department will be issuing a circular to authorities in the course of the next few weeks which will provide further details.
