- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 7 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether allegations of unreasonable delay, incompetence or unfairness of any kind by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in the handling of applications from Aviemore resort hotels were made to ministers or civil servants and, if so, who made the allegations and on what dates, whether any evidence supported the allegations and what steps were taken to ensure that incorrect allegations were refuted.
Answer
Several Members of the Scottish Parliament and a member of the United Kingdom Parliament expressed concern to Scottish ministers between 6 and 11 December 2007 about the handling of Aviemore Highland Resort''s planning applications suggesting that the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) might be responsible for delaying matters. The Environment Minister discussed these concerns with the Chief Executive of SEPA to satisfy himself that SEPA was not unnecessarily delaying the applications. The First Minister subsequently wrote to several of these members to reassure them that SEPA was handling the applications as promptly as possible.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 3 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what the performance level of Network Rail was in terms of delays for (a) the Glasgow/west of Scotland area and (b) Scotland in each 28 day period in 2008 and in 2009 for which information is available.
Answer
The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) sets the contractual and financial framework within which Network Rail operates the network, ensuring that the company carries out its activities efficiently and well. This includes monitoring and enforcement of Network Rail''s required outputs, as defined by Scottish Ministers'' High Level Output Specification.
Performance statistics are published by the ORR. They are issued quarterly, and the details of the latest information available are set out in the following table. The periods available are from year 2007-08 and 2008-09. Each recording year commences in April. The latest figures available are for Quarter 2 in 2008-09.
The measure used is Public Performance Measurement (PPM) which combines punctuality and reliability of the service in comparison with the advertised timetables.
| Performance Period | PPM % |
| 2007-8 Q3 | 87.3 |
| 2007-8 Q4 | 88.7 |
| 2008-9 Q1 | 93.6 |
| 2008-9 Q2 | 92.8 |
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 3 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-20901 by Stewart Stevenson on 9 March 2009, whether it can confirm that eight meetings of the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland took place in 2007 and that a move to quarterly meetings in 2009 would mean a reduction in the number of meetings from eight to four compared with the last year in which the committee, in its previous form, was operational.
Answer
In 2007, eight meetings of the main committee of the then Mobility and Access Committee (MACS) took place. The decision to meet more often than the statutory requirement is a matter for the Convener and Members of MACS. The committee consider that meeting four times a year is appropriate, but will keep the matter under review. In addition to the main committee meetings, members are involved in attending meetings with stakeholders, and we anticipate members working around 12 days a year.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 3 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent quality targets for punctuality within the rail franchise have been affected by delays attributable to Network Rail in 2008 and in 2009 for which information is available and what action ministers or Transport Scotland officials can take when delays reach an unacceptable level.
Answer
Network Rail operates under a network licence and is accountable to the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) if they do not meet the conditions of its licence and the outputs specified within it. If Network Rail fails to meet their specified outputs the ORR can require Network Rail to take remedial action and may also impose monetary penalties.
Network Rail is required to take into consideration the reasonable requirements of Scottish ministers as funders and specifier of the Scottish rail network.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 3 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether ministers or Transport Scotland officials have raised concerns over delays attributable to poor performance on the part of Network Rail during 2008 or 2009 and, if so, on what dates these were raised and what response was received from Network Rail.
Answer
Ministers met with Network Rail representatives at least every six months. In addition, Transport Scotland officials met frequently with their Network Rail counterparts to progress issues relating to the rail network in Scotland. Ministers met with Network Rail''s Chief Executive on 2 June 2008 and 3 March 2009. Transport Scotland officials met with Network Rail officials on 10 April 2008, 18 August 2008, 11 September 2008, 10 November 2008, 3 December 2008, 25 February 2009 and 5 March 2009. These meetings consider trends in performance, and delays arising from particular problems or incidents. Network Rail responds by explaining its analysis of the causes of delay, and its plans to reduce these delays in future.
There are also frequent meetings at functional levels to discuss topical issues and handling of specific incidents.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 3 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how much will be allocated to the budget for Transport Strategy and Innovation in 2009-10 and what organisations it will support.
Answer
£8.6 million will be allocated to the Transport Strategy and Innovation Budget in 2009-10. As well as supporting the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland, it will support the Regional Transport Partnerships, Innovative Transport Solutions, and Passengers'' View Scotland.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 27 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether consideration has been given to asking Transport Scotland to take over responsibility as client for the delivery of the contract for the Edinburgh tram project if Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (TIE) fails to fulfil its duties and preparatory works.
Answer
Responsibility for the delivery of the Edinburgh Tram project is a matter for the City of Edinburgh Council.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 27 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has sought assurances that the progress of utility works for the Edinburgh tram scheme will be completed by the original and anticipated date.
Answer
Transport Scotland maintains standard monthly promoter reporting procedures which covers cost and programme issues.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 27 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-9066 by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008, whether an official from the Rural Directorate was asked to contact Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) about the planning applications on 29 November 2007 and, if so, what the basis is for the Minister for Environment’s statement that his involvement in discussions with SEPA on the Aviemore resort hotels planning applications resulted from an approach by a cross-party group of parliamentarians.
Answer
I refer the member to the question S3W-21698 on 19 March 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.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 25 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-9066 by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008, for what reason at the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee meeting on the 19 March 2008 the Minister for Environment said “I have never intervened in a planning process” (Official Report c. 614).
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-9059 on 25 February 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.
