- 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 whether any of the rail projects in its current capital programme were of sufficient significance at UK level to have merited consideration by the Strategic Rail Authority; which projects were considered by the SRA, and what comments were made.
Answer
Until October 2005the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) had statutory responsibility for the improvementand development of railway facilities across Great Britain and therefore considered all proposed railway enhancementsin Scotland up to that date. The SRA provided commentsto project promoters on their schemes.
Representatives of the SRA gave evidence to the committees considering the Stirling – Alloa – KincardineRailway and Linked Improvements Bill on 27 October 2003 and 3 November 2003 andthe Waverley Railway (Scotland) Bill on 14 March 2005.
The transcripts ofthese evidence sessions are available as follows:
Stirling – Alloa – Kincardine
www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/committees/sak-rail-bill/or-03/sa03-0202.htm#Col34.www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/committees/sak-rail-bill/or-03/sa03-0302.htm#Col97.Waverley Railway
www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/committees/waverlyRB/or/wr05-0402.htm#Col204.The Strategic RailAuthority led the Project Development Group for the redevelopment of Waverley Stationuntil October 2005 when the Scottish Executive took over this role.
The Strategic RailAuthority was represented on the Steering Group of the study into rail links toGlasgow and Edinburgh Airports and the report reflects the SRA’s contribution.The SRA was then represented at the Edinburgh Airport Rail Link Operating Groupand the Glasgow Airport Rail Link Wider Stakeholders Meeting.
- 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 3 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-92 by Stewart Stevenson on 1 June 2007, what actions it plans to take to maintain and enhance the quality of the natural heritage and built environment.
Answer
As indicated inmy earlier answer to question S3W-00092, answered on 1 June 2007 the planning system is being modernised to make itfit for purpose to achieve its objectives which include – maintaining andenhancing the quality of the natural and built environment.
National planningguidance on the natural and built environment is currently being revised. SPP14 Natural Heritage and SPP 23 Planning and the Historic Environmentrespectively will review and revise guidance on how the Government’s policiesfor the conservation and enhancement of Scotland’s natural and built heritage should be reflected in land use planning. Wewill be consulting on both documents.
All answers towritten parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website thesearch facility for 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, 08 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 3 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive on what legal basis the Air Discount Scheme is regarded as being not discriminatory against shipping operators.
Answer
The Air Discount Scheme(ADS) was approved by the European Commission as Aid of a Social Character. It isnot a subsidy to airlines, but instead provides for discounted fares to individualscheme members.
As a measure to facilitatesocial inclusion, the purpose of the ADS is to make air travel more affordable forresidents of the most peripheral parts of the Highlands and Islands.
- 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 M74 completion project.
Answer
The M74 project iscurrently being tendered. We expect to award the contract later this year but willonly do so if the bid demonstrates value for money benchmarked against an independentcost comparator.
- 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 Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.
Answer
I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-1811 on 24 July 2007. Allanswers 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/webapp/wa.search.
- 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 3 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what modal shift was attributed to the Air Discount Scheme in its first year of operation.
Answer
We do not currentlyhold definitive data on this.
- 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 3 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what factors explain the threefold increase in subsidy paid to Northlink Ferries in the 2002-05 period.
Answer
The circumstances relating to the operation of the public service contract with NorthLink Orkney and Shetland Ferries Ltd were fully investigated by the Auditor General for Scotland and his report, as published in December 2005, is availableelectronically at
www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/work.
- 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 3 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how the restrictions on eligibility under the Air Discount Scheme, disqualifying those residents outside the Highlands from benefiting from the scheme, meet the legal requirements of UK and European anti-discrimination and human rights legislation.
Answer
The Air Discount Schemewas approved by the European Commission as Aid of a Social Character. Under Article87(2)(a) of the EC Treaty, such aid can be granted to those resident in a specificregion of need, as long as the relevant air services are open to free competitionamong all community air carriers.
- 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 3 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what volumes of additional carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions were attributable to the Air Discount Scheme in its first year of operation.
Answer
These data are notavailable. The Air Discount Scheme provides for discounted fares for individualscheme members travelling on existing scheduled flights, rather than subsidisingthe flights that they travel on.
- 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 3 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken by ministers to prevent further cost over-runs by Northlink Ferries since 2005.
Answer
The public service contract with NorthLink Orkney and Shetland Ferries Ltd was amended in September 2004 to take account of the company’s commercial position and the additional payments that were necessary to maintain essential lifeline ferry operations whilst the contract was re-tendered.That re-tendering was completed in July 2006, with the award of a six-year public service contract in favour of NorthLink Ferries Ltd and that new operator commenced operations on 6 July 2006. As noted by the Auditor General for Scotlandin paragraphs 3.20 to 3.24 of his report into the operation of our contract withNorthLink Orkney and Shetland Ferries Ltd, as available electronically at
www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/work,lessons from that experience were reflected in revised tendering arrangements andcontract terms for the contract now in place with NorthLink Ferries Ltd.I can also confirm that all payments made to NorthLink Ferries Ltd since 6 July 2006 have been made in accordance with the terms of the contract.The company will publish its annual accounts for 2006-07 later this year.
