- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 23 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any major transport project with a benefit to cost ratio of 1.3 would meet the threshold requirements of (a) STAG appraisal or (b) the UK Government’s current green book methodology for project assessment and whether any scheme with such a ratio would be likely to secure approval and funding.
Answer
Within Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) and the Green Book, there is no thresholdrequirement for Benefit Cost ratios (BCRs). STAG ensures that the contribution of transport improvementsto the economy is fully assessed alongside contributions and impacts on the environment,accessibility and social inclusion, safety, and integration. Approval for funding is based on the assessmentof the project across all five criteria.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 23 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-1811 by Stewart Stevenson on 24 July 2007, whether the decision to adopt the Miltimber option for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route allows any narrowing of the range of projected costs.
Answer
No. The current costestimate, in the range £295 million to £395 million, is based upon the MilltimberBrae Option including costs for the Stonehaven Fastlink. The cost range gives atruer picture of the inherent risks and uncertainties associated with planning andconstructing such a major piece of infrastructure. The final cost will not be knownuntil tenders have been returned and the contract completed.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 23 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-1811 by Stewart Stevenson on 24 July 2007, when the cost estimate from the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route was first made.
Answer
The £295 million to£395 million cost estimate for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route was first made prior to the announcement of the preferredroute choice in December 2005.
- 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 John Swinney on 23 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish baseline information to show how each element of programmed efficiency saving within each ministerial portfolio is being delivered under its new efficiency programme that is expected to deliver at least 1.5% annual savings across the public sector.
Answer
I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-3008 on 23 August 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 John Swinney on 23 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will set targets for each department or ministerial portfolio to allow detailed scrutiny of its new efficiency programme that is expected to deliver at least 1.5% annual savings across the public sector.
Answer
The final report onthe current efficiency programme will not be published until September 2008. Thedetail of the efficiency programme for 2008-11 will be announced following the conclusionof the 2007 Strategic Spending Review.
- 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 23 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans or proposals to extend eligibility for the bus and ferry concessionary travel scheme and whether it has received representations from MSPs or organisations about extending eligibility.
Answer
The Scottish Executivehas no plans at present to extend the eligibility criteria for the Scotland-WideFree Bus Travel Scheme and ferry concessions for older and disabled people. We have,however, given a commitment to review the scheme in its third year of operation.Representations have been received from various bodies about extending eligibility.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 23 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether ministers have requested independent expert studies to investigate the practicalities and costs of introducing an individual 18-week patient guarantee.
Answer
I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-2940 on 23 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: Friday, 03 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 23 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of the costs of preparing for and implementing the waiting list targets announced in 2004 which are due to take full effect in December 2007.
Answer
NHSScotland is makingexcellent progress towards delivery of the waiting times targets announced in 2004and scheduled to come into effect at the end of 2007. This is bringing benefitsto patients across Scotland. However, we believe that performance improvementneeds to go further to meet the expectations of patients and the public in Scotland. That is why we have announced our intention to introducea target of a maximum 18 weeks from GP referral to treatment for delivery by theend of 2011.
To achieve the performanceimprovements made to date, the NHS has invested in additional capacity, serviceredesign, extended staff roles, more productive equipment and more modern facilitiesand in training clinical staff. Expenditure by the NHS in Scotland in 2006-07 was£10.1 billion, compared with £8.86 billion in 2004-05. It is not possible to separateout the different components of this expenditure in relation to each of the waitingtimes targets or to other elements of service change and improvement implementedover the last three years. Audit Scotland’s report Tackling waiting times inthe NHS in Scotland, published in February 2006, concluded that“all elective care makes a contribution to tackling waiting times and spending elsewherein the health system can also affect waiting times indirectly. It is not possibleto identify this spending separately.”
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 23 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive where, in the event of the introduction of an 18-week patient guarantee, legal liability in the event of any breach would reside.
Answer
I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-2943 on 23 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: Thursday, 02 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 23 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-1819 by Stewart Stevenson on 17 July 2007, whether ministers requested that the Forth Estuary Transport Authority notify employees involved in toll collection prior to the announcement of the abolition of tolling and when employees were informed of ministers’ proposals.
Answer
Ministers did notrequest that the Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) notify its employees priorto the announcement to abolish tolls. When employees were informed is a matter forFETA.
The proposals to abolishthe tolls were well publicised and contained in this Government’s pre-election documentA New Approach: Our First Steps.
