- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Mike Watson on 25 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have visited Scotland on holiday to participate in outdoor pursuits in each year since 1997.
Answer
Figures prior to 2000 are not available. The information requested for the years since 2000 is as follows.Participation in Outdoor Activity
| | Activity at All during Trip | Activity as Main Part of Trip |
| All Visits Trips (million) | Holiday Visits Trips (million) | All Visits Trips (million) | Holiday Visits Trips (million) |
| 2000 | 11.6 | 9.1 | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| 2001 | 11.0 | 8.3 | 1.3 | 1.2 |
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Mike Watson on 25 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive in what way the British Tourist Authority (BTA) will be accountable to the Parliament and what representation it will have on the new BTA or its committees.
Answer
The Executive has agreed with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) that the BTA will in future report on, and account for, its overseas marketing activities entirely separately from its new responsibilities for marketing England, and that the former report and accounts will be laid before the Parliament each year. In addition, the Executive will be consulted by DCMS on the new management statement that will set out the BTA's revised structure and modus operandi, while the Chairman of VisitScotland will continue to be a board member of the BTA.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Mike Watson on 25 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive when it was first consulted by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport regarding the changes to the British Tourist Authority (BTA) and, in particular, the combination of functions of the BTA with the English Tourism Council; what representations it has made and to whom on this matter; when it advised and sought the views of VisitScotland on this matter; what amendments it or VisitScotland proposed to the changes; which such amendments were accepted by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and when, and by whom, it was advised of the final proposals.
Answer
The Executive keeps in close touch with DCMS on a range of issues, including tourism. As they are obliged to do under the terms of the Concordat between the two departments, DCMS gave the Executive advance notice of their proposals for changes to the structure of the BTA, and these were the subject of discussion at both ministerial and official level before they were finalised. The Executive kept VisitScotland informed accordingly.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 21 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29377 by Hugh Henry on 11 October 2002, whether it will bring forward legislative proposals on the storage or placement of flammable or otherwise dangerous materials in proximity to a railway line or siding in the light of the recent disruption to rail services in Kirkcaldy following an explosion at an industrial estate and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has no plans at present to legislate in such a way. The Scottish Executive is of the view that the existing statutory controls on the storage or placement of flammable or otherwise dangerous materials are appropriate with regard to possible disruptions to rail services.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 19 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what equipment will be installed and located in Scotland by Band X with regard to the broadband trading platform being created by Scottish Enterprise; whether that equipment is more than an interface and switch to a London connection and, if so, whether it will give technical details, and whether equipment can be accessed directly from Scotland and, if so, how, or must be routed through London and, if so, how that will benefit Scottish internet service providers.
Answer
This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 19 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether and, if so, in what way Scottish internet service providers will be able to sell into the broadband trading platform being created by Scottish Enterprise.
Answer
This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 19 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been paid to Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd under the PFI contract for the construction of the terminal at Inverness Airport in each year from the inception of the contract to date; what the estimated costs are from now until the conclusion of the contract; what the estimated final total cost of the contract will be, and what the estimated cost of construction would have been if no PFI scheme had been entered into.
Answer
Under the terms of the PFI contract, no money has been paid to Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) for the construction of the terminal at Inverness Airport. The total amount to be paid by HIAL to the terminal's owners and operators, Inverness Air Terminal Ltd, over the contract years, is dependent on throughput at the terminal. Expansion of the terminal, to be funded by the PFI contractor, will be determined by enhanced passenger numbers. The cost of the terminal's construction under PFI, as measured against procurement by public sector, represented value for money for the taxpayer. The details are commercially confidential.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 18 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any assurances have been given in respect of congestion charging for a journey from Juniper Green or Baberton Mains onto the bypass to leave Edinburgh or travel around Edinburgh; if so, what these assurances were, who made them and to whom they were made, and whether it will detail any other assurances made in respect of congestion charges in the Edinburgh area.
Answer
Detailed proposals for congestion charging in Edinburgh are a matter for the City of Edinburgh Council. The council's Executive Member for Transport, Councillor Andrew Burns, has emphasised that the exact location of any potential camera equipment is still at a very preliminary stage. He has also said publicly that Edinburgh's proposed outer cordon would be inside the A720, and that it is not the city council's intention to charge for access to the A720 where the only way to gain access is by going over or under the bypass and then entering it. He has said that it would be entirely possible to position cameras in such a way as to allow all vehicles going to and from the A70 from Currie or Balerno to get on and off the bypass at Baberton Mains without incurring a charge.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 31 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 18 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken, or plans to take, to promote the European white paper, European transport policy for 2010: time to decide, with regard to short sea shipping; what assessment it has made of the limitations of the white paper on this matter and whether funding and support of short sea shipping routes is consistent with the paper.
Answer
The promotion of specific aspects of the EU white paper European transport policy for 2010: time to decide is not a matter for the Scottish Executive. The Executive remains in contact with the UK Government on a range of matters including the implications of the White Paper for Transport Policy in the UK. The Executive will continue to liaise with the UK Government on any specific EU proposals to ensure that any resulting legislation benefits transport, including short sea shipping, throughout the UK, and is consistent with the Executive's policy and support for this sector. The Executive meantime continues to encourage modal shift of freight transport away from road to water and rail, and provides support under the Freight Facilities Grants Scheme.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Elish Angiolini on 15 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) (i) reports to and (ii) proceedings taken by procurators fiscal and (b) convictions there have been in each of the last three years under section 55(1) of the British Transport Commission Act 1949 as amended.
Answer
Figures for the number of reports submitted to procurators fiscal under the stated section are not separately identifiable. Figures for persons proceeded against and convictions obtained are in the following tables. It should be noted that where a person is proceeded against for more that one crime or offence, only the "main charge" is recorded for statistical purposes. The main charge is that which is the most serious and receives the severest penalty.Table 1: Persons Where Main Offence Under Section 55 of the British Transport Commission Act 1949, 1998-2000
| Year of Sentence | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
| Persons proceeded against | 82 | 36 | 35 |
Source: Scottish Executive Justice Department.Table 2: Persons Where Main Offence Under Section 55 of the British Transport Commission Act 1949, 1998-2000
| Year of Sentence | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
| Persons with charge proved | 78 | 31 | 32 |
Source: Scottish Executive Justice Department.
