Chamber and committees

Decisions have not yet been taken on the distribution of any future revenues which might result from increases in fuel duty.

The number of flights undertaken by all Scottish Executive Ministers and civil servants on official duty from 7 May 1999 to 31 January 2000 was 8,500. Flights outwith the UK were not always routed directly into Scotland where a direct Scottish route was available. Fifty-seven flights from outwith the UK were routed through London either to secure the best fare price or accommodate Ministers' or officials' schedules which may have required a stopover in London.

The Scottish Executive will legislate to place a duty on local authorities (or in the Strathclyde Passenger Transport area, the Passenger Transport Authority) to determine what bus information should reasonably be provided locally. Where agreement cannot be reached with operators to provide the required level of information, local authorities and the PTA will be able to provide such information and will have powers to recover reasonable costs from operators. No additional resources should be required by local authorities from the Executive and we would expect operators to recognise the commercial benefits of providing better information to the travelling public in terms of increased patronage and revenue generation.

Railtrack are currently improving infrastructure to reduce the journey time between Aberdeen and Inverness by 10 minutes by 2001. To meet the rail industry's aspirations of an increased frequency and a further reduction in journey time, additional upgrading of the route would be necessary. I understand that Railtrack and Highlands and Islands Enterprise are considering funding options for a loop between Keith and Elgin, including the possibility of European Regional Development Funding under the Special Programme for the Highlands and Islands.

The Executive's legislative proposals relate to joint ticketing arrangements between bus operators in Scotland. The Executive is also working with transport operators and user groups to develop better through ticketing across modes to ensure the most attractive system and maximum flexibility for public transport users. There are many initiatives, either already in place or in preparation, and we shall consider how best to disseminate best practice in this field.

The Scottish Executive expects bus operators to recognise the potential commercial benefits of the introduction of joint ticketing initiatives in terms of increased patronage and revenue generation. We would anticipate that such arrangements will lead to the introduction of pricing initiatives rather than any need for increases in fares. The Executive does not expect that its proposals will lead to resource implications for local authorities.

The new Single Programming Documents (SPD's) for Highlands and Islands Special Programme and for the Objective 2 Programme for West, East and South of Scotland require to be approved by the European Commission before any European Regional Development funding proposals can be put forward and considered.

In line with the terms of the current regulations, major rail infrastructure investment in Scotland will not be eligible to receive European Regional Development Fund in the future. However there may be some scope within the new Programmes to support activities indirectly connected with rail investment which provide additional economic development outcomes.

The Executive is currently considering information received from Highlands and Islands Enterprise about the possibility of extending the scope of the Rural Petrol Stations Grant Scheme to include as an eligible item of expenditure the cost of installing tanks and dispensers for the supply of Liquid Petroleum Gas.

The information requested has not been collated by the Executive. The responses to Tackling Congestion are, however, available in the Parliament's Information Centre. Additionality emerged as a key consideration, particularly for representatives of road users, during recent consultations on congestion charging.

The Scottish Executive has no plans to introduce grade separation at the Sheriffhall roundabout.