Chamber and committees

The Scottish Executive has asked relevant local authorities for details of their current ferry services. This information will be taken into consideration in forming a judgement on whether services, including the Renfrew Ferry, need to be tendered.

The Executive welcomes any development of commercial air or sea services between Scotland and the Faroes which provide economic or social links. The promotion of these links is primarily a matter for the transport operators involved.

The Scottish Executive is currently discussing the suggestion for an oil and gas Centre of Excellence with a number of interested parties, including Scottish Enterprise and the Department of Trade and Industry's Aberdeen Office. Any firm proposals that emerge to help the oil and gas industry consolidate its position in the Scottish and UK economy would be put forward for consideration by the Industry/Government Pilot Task Force.

I refer to my answer today to question S1W-9342. The modal split of projects being funded from the Public Transport Fund, its predecessor the Transport Challenge Fund and the South Fife Rail initiative from 1999-2000 is as follows:

Mode	1999-2000 £ million	2000-01 £ million	2001-02 £ million
Bus	16.045	12.668	9.107
Rail	6.930	9.385	7.795
Air	0.000	0.323	0.000
Cycle/Walking	0.000	0.802	0.000
Ferry	0.265	0.000	0.000
Harbour	0.000	3.000	0.750
Causeway	0.900	2.000	1.200
Road	5.350	1.350	0.300
National Timetable	0.000	0.350	0.150
Ticketing	0.075	0.125	0.100
Total	29.565	30.003	19.402

The resources from the Public Transport Fund form part of the local authority non-housing capital allocation provision with local authorities issued with consent under section 94 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. Carry forward of sums allocated from the PTF is, generally, a matter for individual local authorities within the carry forward parameters that operate in relation to their mainstream capital programmes.

A study has been commissioned by Edinburgh and Lothians Tourist Board to determine the provision of accommodation in the area. The purpose is to provide information on market trends for potential developers to enable them to make informed decisions on accommodation development.

Under the provisions made in the UK Transport Bill introduced on 1 December 1999, the Scottish Ministers will be able to issue directions and guidance to the Strategic Rail Authority for the franchise which provides passenger rail services that both start and end in Scotland, and non-binding advice for daytime cross-border services. Since the Bill has not completed its passage through Parliament at Westminster, the Scottish Ministers are not yet able to exercise these powers.

In advance of legislation, however, the SSRA invited the Scottish Executive to contribute towards the current franchise replacement procedure for the East Coast Main Line. The non-statutory advice submitted by the Scottish Executive included strategic priorities for the route in Scotland but did not prescribe specific infrastructure enhancements or additions. It will be for the train operating company, in conjunction with Railtrack, to ensure the availability of the necessary infrastructure to meet the terms of the franchise.

We will shortly be consulting on strategic priorities for Scotland's railways as part of the process of developing directions and guidance for the Scottish passenger rail franchise. During this process we will give consideration to a wide range of issues, including capacity constraints such as those between Montrose and Usan.

The Public Transport Fund was announced in the Scottish Transport White Paper. £30 million per year for three years from 1999-2000 has been made available. The allocations detailed below are those made to date from the PTF and include commitments from the previous Government's Transport Challenge Fund and South Fife Rail.

	1999-2000 £ million	2000-01 £ million	2001-02 £ million
Allocation	29.565	30.003	19.402

Bids to the next round of the PTF for projects commencing in 2001-02 are currently being considered.

The number of visitors to Edinburgh in each of the years 1997, 1998 and 1999 was approximately 2.4 million. Visitor numbers are expected to increase by 6% annually.

In 1999, there were a total of 15,301 rooms available in serviced accommodation. Growth in hotel room supply over the next five years is projected at 28%. No growth is expected in the guest house and B&B sectors.

The Scottish Legal Aid Board does not currently record separately mileage costs incurred by staff, solicitors, counsel and professional witnesses.