- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 24 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many journeys have been taken by ministers since their appointment in May 2007 by (a) official car, (b) air, (c) rail and (d) ferry.
Answer
The number of journeystaken by ministers since their appointment in May 2007, by official car, air, rail,and ferry is shown in the following table:
| | Official Car | Air | Rail | Ferry |
| Alex Salmond | 254 | 2(R) 3(S) | 0 | 0 |
| Nicola Sturgeon | 198 | 3(R) | 0 | 0 |
| John Swinney | 200 | 1(R) | 1(S) | 0 |
| Fiona Hyslop | 178 | 1(R) | 0 | 0 |
| Kenny MacAskill | 117 | 1(R) | 1(R) | 0 |
| Richard Lochhead | 144 | 3(R) 1(S) | 2(S) | 0 |
| Bruce Crawford | 98 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Linda Fabiani | 177 | 5(R) | 1(R) 1(S) | 0 |
| Shona Robison | 105 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stewart Maxwell | 175 | 2 (R) | 0 | 0 |
| Jim Mather | 117 | 2 (R) | 0 | 0 |
| Stewart Stevenson | 94 | 1(R) 2(S) | 1(R) 4(S) | 0 |
| Maureen Watt | 78 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adam Ingram | 80 | 0 | 1(R) | 0 |
| Fergus Ewing | 48 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Russell | 94 | 1(R) 2(S) | 0 | 3(S) |
| Elish Angiolini | 181 | 3(R) | 0 | 0 |
| Frank Mullholland | 133 | 1(R) | 1(R) | 0 |
| Total | 2,471 | 26(R) 8(S) | 5(R) 8(S) | 3(S) |
Notes:
i. The table coversthe period 16 May 2007 to 28 August 2007.
ii. The table includes all official car journeys organised by GCS and undertaken by ScottishCabinet Secretary/ministers plus journeys necessary for the separate transportationof their official documents/boxes.
iii. Eachleg of a car journey is enumerated separately in the table. So a straightforwardreturn is shown as two journeys. Whereas, air and rail travel are split betweenreturn and single journeys; (R) Return (S) Single.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 21 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what figures were used in calculating the present value of (a) benefits and (b) costs to determine the benefit to cost ratio for the completion of the M8 motorway between Baillieston and Newhouse, giving the respective values concerned, and whether these figures represent current assessments of benefits and costs.
Answer
The most recent economicassessment for the M8 Baillieston to Newhouse indicates a present value of benefitsat £11,630.3 million with a present value of costs of £163.9 million. These willbe updated following the next reassessment of the scheme estimate.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 21 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what figures were used in calculating the present value of (a) benefits and (b) costs to determine the benefit to cost ratio for the M74 extension, giving the respective values concerned, and whether these figures represent current assessments of benefits and costs.
Answer
The most recent economicassessment for the M74 Completion indicates a present value of benefits at £2,298.8million with a present value of costs at £300.3 million. These will be updated followingthe next reassessment of the scheme estimate.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 21 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what figures were used in calculating the present value of (a) benefits and (b) costs to determine the benefit to cost ratio for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route, giving the respective values concerned, and whether these figures represent current assessments of benefits and costs.
Answer
The most recent economicassessment for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route indicates apresent value of benefits at £1,950.7 million with a present value of costs at £407.6million. These will be updated following the next reassessment of the scheme estimate.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 21 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive why charges levied for the use of Gourock pier are significantly higher than those levied for the use of Dunoon pier and whether this raises any competition issues under European maritime cabotage, state aid and competition rules.
Answer
The differentapproaches to charging adopted at Gourock and Dunoon Piers make meaningfulcomparisons difficult. However, the Scottish Government is content that theapproach taken at Gourock Pier does not raise any competition issues.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 21 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2276 by Stewart Stevenson on 7 August 2007, on what grounds disclosure of information on costs and revenues on the Gourock to Dunoon ferry route would substantially prejudice Caledonian MacBrayne’s commercial interest when private operators have to provide similar information in their annual returns to Companies House.
Answer
Cowal Ferries Ltdcommended trading on 1 April this year as part of the restructuring of theformer Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd, and has since that date operated the Gourockto Dunoon ferry service. I can confirm that the company will publish its ownannual accounts, separate from other subsidiaries of David MacBrayne Ltd, from2007-08 in full compliance with company law requirements. I consider that thisrepresents a reasonable degree of transparency in terms of the financialperformance of the company and is in line with the obligations placed onprivate operators.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 21 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2276 by Stewart Stevenson on 7 August 2007, whether, and if so how, withholding information on costs and revenues on the Gourock to Dunoon ferry route can be deemed consistent with meeting requirements on Caledonian MacBrayne to seek commercial opportunities outwith the approved services, as set out in section 3 of the guidelines on business activities outside the scope of the undertaking issued by the Scottish Office in March 1995.
Answer
I do not acceptthat there is any inconsistency between these issues.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 21 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many pages the recent CalMac bid to operate services between the Scottish mainland and the islands off the west coast contained; how much it cost the company to prepare; whether the cost has been properly audited, and what timescale was involved in the bid’s preparation.
Answer
CalMac submitted itsClyde and Hebrides ferry services bid electronically in linewith Scottish Executive procurement arrangements. The bid represented more than200 pages of text plus extensive supporting financial, technical and backgroundinformation.
CalMac estimates thatbetween 14 December 2006 when the Scottish Executive’s invitation totender was received and 11 May 2007 when the bid was submitted,the costs of external consultants to support the company’s bid preparations was£316,318. Although substantial company staff time was also required to prepare thebid, no payments were made to any staff in addition to their normal salaries.
The company’s bidcosts will be audited in due course as part of the normal annual audit of its financialrecords.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 20 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many illegal drug-related deaths there have been in (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) East Dunbartonshire in each year since 1996.
Answer
The followingfigures were compiled by the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS).
Drug-Related Deaths, by Local Authority Area, 1996-2006
| Local Authority Area | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
| Scotland | 244 | 224 | 249 | 291 | 292 | 332 | 382 | 317 | 356 | 336 | 421 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 5 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 6 | 8 | 15 | 12 |
Source: GeneralRegister for Scotland Drug Related Deaths, 2006 (table 2a):
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data/drug-related-deaths/drug-related-deaths-in-scotland-2006/drug-related-deaths-in-scotland-2006-tables.html.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 20 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether every local authority will have used the additional funding announced on 20 June 2007 to employ an extra 300 teachers to secure the employment of probationary teachers by 19 September 2007 and, if not, which councils will have been unable to do so.
Answer
Funding has beenprovided to local authorities which will allow the employment of 300 additionalteachers. The timing of the employment and the deployment of the extra teachersis a matter for each local authority.
As at end August,we are aware there were local authority plans that would employ around 200 additionalteachers resulting from the announcement of extra funding, while other localauthorities had still to advertise posts.
We will monitorthe employment of the extra teachers through the National Priorities ActionFund.
