- 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 highest benefit-to-cost ratio.
Answer
On a like for likebasis, M8 Baillieston to Newhouse has the highest 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 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: Tuesday, 31 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 3 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the benefits of the Waverley railway project is attributable to new houses being built in the Scottish Borders Council area in places that will be served by new stations and how many new houses are planned to be built.
Answer
Information on thenumber of new houses planned to be built, and the anticipated proportion of benefitsthat is attributable to the new houses being built in the Scottish Borders Councilarea in places that will be served by new stations, can be found in the promoter’sOutline Business Case which can be accessed at the following website:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/committees/waverlyRB/docs/wr04-bc-00.htm.
- 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 estimates have been made of the subsidy that would be required to meet the expected operational deficit linked to the Waverley railway line.
Answer
As I announced inmy statement to Parliament on 26 June 2007, Transport Scotland is continuing a due-diligencereview of the Borders railway as it prepares to take on the role of Authorised Undertakerfor the railway, a role that it is assuming at the behest of the previousadministration. Until this exercise is completed, it is not prudent to speculateon expected findings.
- 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 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: Thursday, 09 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Linda Fabiani on 30 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions are taking place with the UK Government regarding future representation of the Executive in the United States of America and Europe.
Answer
We are currently consideringthe replacement of the First Secretary of Scottish Affairs in the USA. In this, as in other overseas representation, we arekeeping the Foreign and Commonwealth Office informed.
- 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 Maxwell on 29 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any forecast has been made of expenditure resulting from any works required under section 31 of the draft Glasgow Commonwealth Games (Scotland) Bill and, if so, what the forecast is of such expenditure.
Answer
I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-3222 on 29 August 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.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 29 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will re-examine current legislation, along with financial arrangements and guidance to local authorities and housing associations, to encourage allocation and management arrangements that promote tenant safety and security in multi-storey tower blocks.
Answer
We have no plans tore-examine legislation or financial arrangements regarding allocation and managementof multi-storey tower blocks. We have commissioned research on landlords’ viewsof tensions in allocations policy and practice, and expect to publish this in theautumn.
The key to promotingtenant safety and security rests with effective crime prevention and antisocialbehaviour strategies and tenancy management. In relation to tenancy management,a model tenancy agreement embodying strong conditions relating to behaviour wasissued to all social landlords in 2001 to help strengthen the management of allScottish secure and short Scottish secure tenancies. Social landlords must enforcetenancy conditions and have many management tools available to tackle antisocialbehaviour, including the power to offer probationary style tenancies to those foundguilty of antisocial behaviour.
