- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Adam Ingram on 6 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases have been dealt with by the In Care Survivors Service Scotland since it was set up in November 2008.
Answer
The In Care Survivors Service Scotland, a government-funded support service for adults who suffered childhood abuse in care and their families which was set up in November 2008 is required as part of its contract to report on numbers of cases dealt with to Scottish Government on a six-monthly basis. The first such report is therefore not yet available. However, we understand that the service currently has a caseload of over 60 clients.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Adam Ingram on 6 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether recent changes to the legal aid system will allow victims of historic child abuse to seek redress through the courts.
Answer
The changes to legal aid that came into force on 7 April 2009 extended the financial eligibility thresholds, allowing a million more Scots to be potentially eligible for legal aid if they have a disposable income of £25,000 or less. In addition to financial qualification, applicants must meet two other statutory tests: they must have a legal basis for the case and it must be reasonable in the particular circumstances of the case that they should receive legal aid. This applies to all applicants, including those seeking to make claims in relation to historic child abuse.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 5 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive for what reasons the publication of the official notice advertising the contract for the Waverley railway project has been delayed until May 2009.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22694 on 5 May 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottishparliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 5 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest benefit-to-cost ratio is for the Waverley railway project and whether these estimates have been affected by the current economic downturn and problems in the financial markets.
Answer
The latest Benefit-to-Cost Ratio (BCR) for the Borders Railway is 1.36 following recent changes in the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) to the way in which the BCR is calculated. Sensitivity testing has demonstrated that the business case remains resilient despite the economic downturn, as it is calculated over a 60 year appraisal period in accordance with the STAG.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 5 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether provision has been made in the revised costings for the Waverley railway project for buying the land needed to connect the new line to existing tracks.
Answer
Yes, provision has been made.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 5 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the delay in advertising the contract for the Waverley railway project will result in extra costs.
Answer
No additional costs are expected in advertising the contract for the Borders Railway project at a later date than previously anticipated.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 5 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any discussions regarding tram line 3 have considered extending the tram line to Midlothian.
Answer
No material proposal to extend the tram line to Midlothian has been considered.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 5 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Network Rail has agreed to connect the Waverley railway project to the rail network; what costs have been identified, and who is responsible for meeting these costs.
Answer
Network Rail has agreed to connect the Borders Railway to the existing rail network. The requirement to facilitate the connection to the main network was set out in the High Level Output Statement (HLOS) which details what Ministers require Network Rail to deliver between 2009 and 2014. This has subsequently been included in Network Rail''s Strategic Business Plan and associated Control Period 4 Delivery Plan (2009).
A sum of £3 million has been allowed in the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) Periodic Review (2008) for Network Rail''s part in the delivery of the Borders Railway.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 5 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on land acquisition in connection with the Waverley railway project and whether the land acquisition has been completed.
Answer
£6.8 million has been spent to date on land acquisition for the Borders Railway Project. Land assembly has been substantially completed with all land required to build the railway now purchased. A small number of ancillary plots adjacent to the route remain to be purchased. These are on schedule to be acquired during 2009. The assembly of rights of access and servitude will be formally initiated during the procurement phase.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 5 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the estimated cost of the Waverley railway project remains as between £235 and £295 million.
Answer
Yes. I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-15552 on 10 September 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
