- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 9 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what further steps the Scottish Government will take to address outstanding concerns of parents, pupils and teachers regarding the implementation of the Curriculum for Excellence.
Answer
We are committedto working with the UK Government to ensure the safety of Scotland’s roads. The new offence, provided by section 21 of the Road Safety Act 2006, of causing death by driving while unlicensed,disqualified or uninsured reflects the fact that drivers who bring a car onto the road illegallyput the public at risk. It is entirely proper that those who deliberately floutthe law in this manner should be held responsible for any fatal consequenceswhich arise from their decision to drive. The new offence is expected to come into force laterthis year.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 7 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with Western Ferries on a users’ charter or quality contract for ferry services between Gourock and Dunoon or Hunter’s Quay and McInroy’s Point and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
A proposal for a Users’Charter was submitted to the previous administration by the Managing Directorof Western Ferries in 2004. This proposal, amongst other issues was discussed,at several meetings between Executive officials, Ministers and Western Ferries.The discussions were exploratory in nature and the proposal was not pursued.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 7 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what its interpretation is of the Hitrans data regarding ferry services between Gourock and Dunoon and how it differs from the interpretation placed on it by the managing director of Western Ferries.
Answer
The Executive considers thatWestern Ferries’ interpretation of the HITRANS data very significantlyunderstates the extent to which passengers on the CalMac service betweenGourock and Dunoon travel to and from Gourock Pier by train. The survey datasuggest that the relevant percentages were twice those quoted by WesternFerries.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 7 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive on what basis ministers have argued that any virtual monopoly vehicle ferry service between Greenock and Dunoon would be unregulated.
Answer
Scottish Ministers have notargued that this would be the case.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 7 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the justification was in 1982 for restricting the ferry service between Gourock and Dunoon provided by Caledonian MacBrayne to an hourly frequency and in its time of operation.
Answer
I understand that therestrictions were introduced in 1982, following consideration of a number ofother options aimed at removing what was seen as the anomaly of a commercialservice facing competition from a service that was receiving Governmentsubsidy. These restrictions were put in place to limit the impact of thesubsidised service on the unsubsidised service.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 7 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, if Caledonian MacBrayne is not prevented from providing commercial services on an unsubsidised basis, what discussions have taken place with the company regarding provision of unsubsidised ferry services on the Greenock-Dunoon route.
Answer
Caledonian MacBrayne was oneof the operators invited by the former administration in July 2006 to tenderfor an unsubsidised Gourock-Dunoon ferry service. Neither CalMac nor the otheroperators invited to tender submitted a bid.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 7 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what costs are involved in operating the ferry service between Gourock and Dunoon provided by Caledonian MacBrayne and where detailed cost information is made publicly available.
Answer
Caledonian MacBrayne’spublished Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements for 2005-06indicate that the loss on the Gourock-Dunoon route in that year was £2.451 million.The company does not publish more detailed information on costs and revenues onthe grounds that release of such information would be likely to prejudicesubstantially its commercial interests.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 7 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the European Commission has made any statement or offered advice regarding restrictions on the ferry service between Gourock and Dunoon provided by Caledonian MacBrayne; whether any such statement is publicly available, and whether it will publish any relevant correspondence.
Answer
There have been a number ofexchanges over several years between the European Commission, the UK Governmentand the Scottish Executive on a range of ferry issues including the Gourock-Dunoonservice. The general convention is that such communications are not published.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 7 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the subsidy per passenger is for the ferry service between Gourock and Dunoon provided by Caledonian MacBrayne.
Answer
Caledonian MacBrayne’sAnnual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements for 2005-06 indicate thatthe operating loss on the Gourock-Dunoon ferry service was £2.451 million. The2006 edition of Scottish Transport Statistics indicates that in 2005 624,700passengers travelled on Caledonian MacBrayne’s Gourock-Dunoon route. On thatbasis the average subsidy per passenger in 2005-06 was £3.92.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 7 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Caledonian MacBrayne is restricted in any way from providing commercial services on an unsubsidised basis.
Answer
Guidelines were issued on 1 March 1995 by thethen Secretary of State for Scotland to Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd. Those guidelinesregulate how the company should operate business activities beyond thoserequired to deliver the network of services that qualify for subsidy. Theguidelines permit the company to undertake such activities provided that priorapproval has been given by the Scottish Executive and subject to a number ofconditions. The major condition relates to the need for the activities to becarried out on a fully commercial basis, with no leakage of subsidy from thecompany’s core activities.
