- 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 Nicola Sturgeon on 18 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2938 by Shona Robison on 27 August 2007, what information it has been given by NHS Ayrshire and Arran regarding the anticipated impact of the retention of accident and emergency services at two hospitals on resources available to deliver the board’s primary care and community development programme.
Answer
None.
- 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 14 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what total payments were made to bus and ferry operators in respect of concessionary travel schemes in each of the last three years.
Answer
The totalpayments made to bus and ferry operators in respect of concessionary travelschemes were £154.56 million and £0.507 million respectively in 2006-2007 (thefirst year of operation of the schemes).
- 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 14 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the costs have been of each extension of eligibility for the bus and ferry concessionary fares scheme in each of the last three years.
Answer
There were noextensions to eligibility for Scotland-wide free bus travel for older and disabledpeople or to the ferry element of the scheme during 2006-07.
- 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 14 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the concessionary travel scheme has had on bus and ferry patronage levels in each of the last three years.
Answer
Scotland-wide freebus travel for older and disabled people commenced in April 2006. The journeynumbers for the first year of operation of the scheme were 156.1 million. Thisis an increase of 5.9% on the journeys made in the previous year (2005-06)under the previous local concessionary travel schemes for bus travel, whichtotalled 147.35 million. By comparison, the journeys made under the localconcessionary fare schemes for bus travel increased in 2005-06 by 1.35% on the2004-2005 concessionary bus journeys of £145.39 million.
- 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 14 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) projected and (b) actual cost was of the bus and ferry concessionary travel scheme in each of the past three years.
Answer
Scotland-WideFree Bus Travel for Older and Disabled People cost £154.56 million against abudget of £159 million in 2006-07 which was the first year of operation of theScheme.
The ferry elementof the scheme cost £0.507 million against a budget of £1.7 million in 2006-07which was the first year of operation of the Scheme.
- 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 14 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected cost is of the bus and ferry concessionary travel scheme for each of the next three years.
Answer
The projectedcost of Scotland Wide Free Bus Travel for Older and Disabled People is £163 millionin 2007-08 as reflected in the
2007-08 Draft Budget. Spending plans for2008-09 and 2009-10 financial years will be determined as part of the currentspending review process SSR07.
The projectedcost of the ferry element of the scheme is £0.73 million in 2007-08.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 14 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to make its views known on the Regional Transport Strategy for the West of Scotland submitted by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport.
Answer
I have been examiningall seven Regional Transport Strategies in detail. They are complex documents thatdeserve careful consideration. I wish to take further time before making my viewsknown.
- 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 14 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost was of administering the bus and ferry concessionary travel scheme and what proportion this represents of the budget for the scheme in each of the last three years.
Answer
The cost ofadministering the Scotland-wide concessionary travel scheme for older and disabledpeople was £4.163 million in the financial year 2006-07 (the first year ofoperation of the scheme). This figure represents 2.59% of the budget for the schemefor the same period.
Data from anefficient government savings exercise revealed total Scottish local authorityexpenditure on administering the local concessionary travel schemes to be£8.487 million in 2004-05. This figure represents 5.28% of the budget for theScotland-wide concessionary travel scheme for older and disabled people.
- 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 14 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what estimates have been made of what proportion of people eligible under the bus and ferry concessionary travel scheme are currently making use of it and of the pattern of use.
Answer
There arecurrently around one millionScottish residents with a valid national entitlement cards allowing them toaccess Scotland wide free bus travel for older and disabled people.
There arecurrently 1.2 million people eligible for the bus and ferry scheme, and of thisone million people are making three million journeys per week.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 14 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether consideration will be given to locating the Glasgow city-region strategic development planning authority in Clydebank.
Answer
Strategic DevelopmentPlan Authorities (SDPAs) are not proposed to be freestanding corporate bodies, butwill consist of a joint committee of members representing the constituent planningauthorities.
The current consultationpaper on statutory guidance for SDPAs recommends the establishment of small dedicatedteams of officials to service the committee and to prepare and review the strategicdevelopment plan. These teams will require permanent offices, which thegovernment would wish to see provided in the most cost effective way. Although theguidance suggests that neutral location be considered, that should be necessaryin limited cases.
Further views on thesematters may be received in the course of the current consultation and will be consideredbefore the guidance is finalised.
