- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 10 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it would cost to extend the fuel duty rebate to taxis.
Answer
Fuel duty rebate is a mechanism to reimburse bus operators for the duty paid on fuel consumed in operating local registered services, subject to specific regulated operating conditions e.g. that the services are available to the public in general and have a predetermined route and timetable.We have no plans to extend the FDR scheme to taxis. We have no information centrally about fuel consumption by taxis and therefore no estimate of the cost has been made.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 10 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the Cross-Forth Passenger Ferry Study and what plans it has to implement the recommendations of the study.
Answer
The study, produced by Napier University, was co-funded by the Forth Transport Infrastructure Partnership, Forth Ports PLC and Stagecoach PLC. A decision on publication has not yet been made by the funding partners.Decisions on future cross-Forth transport initiatives will be taken within the context of the work of the Forth Transport Infrastructure Partnership.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 10 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2857 by Sarah Boyack on 12 January 2000, what plans it has to extend the Central Edinburgh Rapid Transit scheme to provide a link to Holyrood.
Answer
The Scottish Executive (and previously the Scottish Office) has participated, jointly with the City of Edinburgh Council and Lothian and Edinburgh Enterprise Ltd, in a study into options for improving public transport access to the new Parliament at Holyrood, but decisions on the extension of CERT are a matter for negotiation between the City of Edinburgh Council and ConCERT as their preferred bidder for the project.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 9 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive when an announcement will be made about Rural Community Transport Grant funding for 2000-01; whether such funding will continue beyond 2000-01, and by what mechanism any such funding will be made available.
Answer
I expect to make an announcement in the near future about the level of funding for rural transport in 2000-01, including the Rural Community Transport Grant Scheme. The current scheme is proving very successful with over 70 projects around Scotland currently receiving funding. The Executive is considering the issue of funding for the scheme beyond 2000-01.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 8 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2666 by Mr Jim Wallace on 3 December 1999, whether it has any plans to provide air support services for other emergency services and, if so, to detail them.
Answer
The Scottish Ambulance Service already receives funding of some £4 million for the Patient Air Transport Service which it provides. There are no plans to provide air support for the fire service.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 7 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote light rail transport in Scotland.
Answer
The development of local transport initiatives such as light rail is the responsibility of the relevant local authorities. They would have to be convinced that sufficient demand exists to justify the substantial investment required for projects such as an electric tram network or light railway scheme. Proposals from authorities would be eligible for support by the Executive under the Public Transport Fund.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 7 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive which air quality monitoring sites failed to meet the targets of four days and 35 days for particulate levels in each of the last three years and on how many days in each year each site failed to meet either of these targets.
Answer
Air quality statistics for particulates are not available for all Scottish monitoring sites for each of the last three years. The information available is as follows:-
Air Quality Statistics for Particulates (PM10)
| Site | Type | Year | Days exceedence |
| Edinburgh CentreEdinburgh CentreEdinburgh CentreGlasgow CentreGlasgow CentreGlasgow CentreGlasgow KerbsideGlasgow Kerbside | URBAN CENTREURBAN CENTREURBAN CENTREURBAN CENTREURBAN CENTREURBAN CENTREKERBSIDEKERBSIDE | 19971998199919971998199919981999 | 302*1466*6428* |
* Provisional
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 7 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will direct and advise the Strategic Rail Authority that the franchise for the East Coast line must include a contract to electrify the section from Edinburgh to Aberdeen within a reasonable timescale.
Answer
Under the terms of the devolution settlement for railways announced on 31 March 1998, the Scottish Ministers will be able to issue guidance to the Strategic Rail Authority for daytime cross-border passenger rail services. This may cover matters such as frequency and journey times but not infrastructure as such. It is then for the train operating company and Railtrack to ensure the availability of the necessary infrastructure to meet the terms of the franchise.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 4 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve public transport to Holyrood.
Answer
The Scottish Office, the City of Edinburgh Council and Lothian and Edinburgh Enterprise Ltd jointly commissioned a study into strategic access options to the new Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, which reported in February 1999. Following publication of Oscar Faber's report, the Scottish Office (latterly Scottish Executive)/CEC/LEEL partnership has continued to meet on a regular basis to consider how best Faber's recommendations may be taken forward; albeit that implementation will rest primarily with CEC and transport operators.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by David Steel on 3 February 2000
To ask the Presiding Officer, further to the answer to question S1W-3620 by Sir David Steel on 20 January 2000, whether the materials removed from the Holyrood site were sent to landfill or for land reclamation use and, if so, what percentage was sent for each purpose.
Answer
The material removed from the Holyrood site following the demolition of the old Scottish & Newcastle buildings became the property of the demolition contractor. Amounts and percentages of how much of that material went to landfill, land reclamation or other uses are not known, though it is understood that some went for land reclamation at Leith.
