- 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 3 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many ministers have followed the example of the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change who stated “I’ve asked the civil servants to timetable engagements if they’re in Edinburgh, so I can walk between them”.
Answer
Scottish Governmentpolicy encourages everyone to consider the environmental impact of their traveland to make the most environmentally conscious and practical arrangements for attendingengagements.
Ministers have frequentlytravelled by foot between ministerial engagements in Edinburgh. We intend to continue to do this, on a regular basis, as and when circumstancesand our diaries permit.
- 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 3 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what environmental performance benchmarks will be used when determining which vehicles will be used by ministers and officials.
Answer
We aim to ensure thatall vehicles used by ministersand officials demonstrate goodenvironmental performance for their category. This means in practice that vehiclespurchased in the near future for use by ministers and officials are likely to bemainly diesel powered and compliant with Euro IV; the current European environmentalstandard defining the acceptablelimits for exhaust emissions of new vehicles sold in EU member states. We regularly assess new technologies thatmight improve environmental performance and have recently also acquired a numberof hybrid petrol/electric vehicles.
- 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 Stewart Stevenson on 3 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to reduce the number of smoky vehicles on roads to help reduce pollution from motor vehicles and lessen the impact on the environment.
Answer
Vehicletesting and licensing is supervised through the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency(VOSA) across the UK with the aim of improving the roadworthinessstandards of vehicles.
The Executive providessupport to local authorities enabling them to undertake roadside vehicle emissionstesting using VOSA approved equipment, complementing enforcement and random roadsidetesting undertaken by VOSA and the standard MoT test.
- 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 Stewart Stevenson on 3 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive which road project in its current capital programme costing in excess of £100 million has the lowest benefit-to-cost ratio.
Answer
On a like for likebasis, A876 Kincardine Bridge has the lowest benefit to cost ratio.
- 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 3 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total carbon emission was from the transportation of ministers by (a) official car, (b) air, (c) rail and (d) ferry in the last year for which figures are available.
Answer
During 2006-07 theequivalent CO
2 emissions relative to the travel of ministers for officialpurposes by official car, air and rail was as follows:
| Energy Type | Emission (tonnes CO2e) |
| Official car | 195 |
| Air | 51 |
| Rail | 1 |
| Total | 247 |
The emissions fortravel by ferry were minimal.
- 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 3 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the context of the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth’s statement on the objectives of the Audit Scotland review when he said “My priority is to protect the Scottish taxpayer and ensure that any major transport project is value for money, delivering real benefit to the travelling public and the Scottish economy. I want to be absolutely sure about the calculation of the costs involved in these projects, and the assessment of risk involved, before they progress any further”, he is now absolutely sure about the calculation of the costs and assessment of risk involved in the M8 Baillieston to Newhouse project.
Answer
The current cost estimateis in the range £170 million to £210 million, based on the risks as currently identified,but we will continue to monitor both in light of prevailing tender prices for roadscontracts. The absolute costs will not be known until tenders have been returnedand the contract completed.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 3 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, when options were prepared in 2004 for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route, what the relative costs were of the (a) Murtle, (b) Pitfodels, (c) Miltimber Brae, (d) Peterculter/Charleston and (e) Peterculter/Stonehaven routes.
Answer
(a) £210 million to£280 million
(b) £245 million to£335 million
(c) £265 million to£365 million
(d) £270 million to£370 million
(e) £295 million to£405 million.
All costs are predictedout-turn costs at time of completion of each option.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 3 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2526 by Stewart Maxwell on 14 August 2007, what legislative or administrative proposals it is considering in relation to promoting the successful and sustainable transformation of communities across Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Governmentwill be bringing forward proposals for the successful and sustainable transformationof communities in the context of the spending review. We will make announcementsin due course.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 3 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2526 by Stewart Maxwell on 14 August 2007, how it will create the right environment for private and public investment.
Answer
I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-3318 on 3 September 2007. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 3 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2526 by Stewart Maxwell on 14 August 2007, how it will devolve power to the local level.
Answer
I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-3318 on 3 September 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
