- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 14 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make Copaxone available to multiple sclerosis patients through the NHS.
Answer
Copaxone (Glatiramer) has been recently licensed for use in the treatment of certain patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. It is a matter for each health board to determine its prescribing policy on drugs, taking into account advice from local Drug and Therapeutics Committees.
The Health Technology Board for Scotland is at present carrying out an assessment of Beta Interferon and Copaxone in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 13 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive which organisations have responded to its consultation letter of 24 March 2000 on the European Commission White Paper on Environmental Liability and whether it intends to publish the response it forwards to the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions.
Answer
The following organisations have responded to the Scottish Executive consultation on the European Commission White Paper on Environment Liability:
| Aberdeen City Council | Orkney Islands Council |
| Accounts Commission | Renfrewshire Council |
| Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland | Royal Environmental Health Institute for Scotland |
| British Energy. | Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors |
| Clackmannanshire Council | Royal Town Planning Institute in Scotland Scottish Borders Council |
| Convention of Scottish Local Authorities | Scottish Borders Council |
| Crofters Commission | Scottish Centre for Infection & Environmental Health |
| Common Services Agency | Scottish Enterprise |
| Crown Estate Office | Scottish Environment Protection Agency |
| Defence Estates Scotland | Scottish Grocers Federation |
| Dundee City Council | Scottish Natural Heritage |
| Environmental Law Section of the Society of Public Teachers of Law | Scottish Power |
| East Ayrshire Council | Scottish Sports Council |
| East of Scotland Water Authority | Scotch Whisky Association |
| Faculty of Advocates | Stirling Council |
| Glasgow University | Writers to the Signet Society |
| Highland Council | West Dumbartonshire Council |
| Highlands & Islands Enterprise | West of Scotland Water Authority |
| Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland | West of Scotland Water Authority |
| Institute for European Environmental Policy | World Wide Fund for Nature Scotland |
| National Farmers Union of Scotland | United Kingdom Environmental Law Association |
| North Ayrshire Council | United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority |
| North Lanarkshire Council | United Kingdom Major Ports Group |
| North of Scotland Water Authority | University of Edinburgh Law Faculty |
Copies of all the responses received, together with a summary of the responses, have been lodged in the Scottish Executive library. A copy of this summary has been sent to the Department of Environment Transport and the Regions, and is also available at http:// www.scotland.gov.uk/library2/doc16/envliab.asp.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 13 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Borders Council has considered traffic calming or road stopping measures in Selkirk in the evaluation of the A7 Route Action Plan.
Answer
Consideration is being given to traffic calming measures within Selkirk as part of the A6091/A7 Route Action Plan study.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 11 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were employed and at what cost in the Scottish Development Department's National Roads Directorate and how staffing was allocated in the Directorate in 1997; what the comparable complement and costs are in 2000, and what reallocation of duties there has been since 1997 in the light of any reduction in motorway and trunk roads construction since that date.
Answer
The number of staff employed in the National Roads Directorate in October 1997 was 93.5. The staff cost for the year 1997-98 was £2,376,726.
The staff deployment was:
Senior Management and support | 6 |
Project Design Division | 28 |
Project Construction Division | 27 |
Network Management Division | 32.5 |
In 1999, the Directorate was reorganised to provide two new divisions with the following deployment and the complement in March 2000 was:
Road Network Management and Maintenance Division | 51 |
Design and Construction Division | 44 |
The staff costs for this year 2000-01 is expected to be £2,591,757.
The changes reflect the priority now being given to redressing maintenance backlogs on the existing network and the investment targets set out in Travel Choices for Scotland, Strategic Road Review.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 11 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total numbers and percentages of its staff based at Victoria Quay are who live within the City of Edinburgh and other local authority areas.
Answer
The information requested is set out in the table below, as at 1 August 2000.
| Local Authority (home address) | Number of Permanent Staff (headcount) | Percentage of all staff |
| Edinburgh | 713 | 59% |
| East Lothian | 124 | 10% |
| Midlothian | 94 | 8% |
| Fife | 74 | 6% |
| West Lothian | 70 | 6% |
| Glasgow | 33 | 3% |
| Borders | 15 | 1% |
| Perth & Kinross | 14 | 1% |
| Falkirk | 15 | 1% |
| Other/unknown | 56 | 5% |
| TOTAL | | 100% |
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 11 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it gives to planning authorities about the identification, excavation, conservation and presentation of battlefield sites and what advice it has given to Stirling Council either directly or through Historic Scotland in connection with current development proposals on land bounded by the Bannock Burn, Pelstream and Balquidderock Wood east of Stirling.
Answer
National Planning Policy Guideline (NPPG) 18 - Planning and the Historic Environment was published in April 1999. This guideline indicates that historic battlefields are a particularly significant element of Scotland's historic environment.
In addition, Historic Scotland is currently reviewing ways of pursuing the recognition and protection of Scotland's battlefield sites and a position paper has been prepared. This is sent to anyone seeking advice on battlefield protection. Stirling Council's archaeologist has received a copy.
I understand that no development proposals have been submitted to Stirling Council for the land to which you refer and, accordingly, no advice has been given in this respect by the Scottish Executive.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 11 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether its commitment to implement the A1 special road extension from Haddington to Dunbar will stand in the event that any delays in finalising design details or obtaining statutory consents cause any slippage in the previously announced timetable for implementation and funding of the project.
Answer
Our commitment is to deliver the A1 scheme. Our plan is to start next year but as the Strategic Roads Review: Scheme Decisions states, this is subject to satisfactory completion of statutory procedures. If there are significant procedural delays, the situation will have to be reviewed when the statutory procedures are complete.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 11 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received a request from Fife Council to abolish tolls on all estuarial bridges as part of its response to the consultation on the Transport (Scotland) Bill and what its position would be in relation to any such request.
Answer
Fife Council recognise the need to tackle congestion on the Forth Road Bridge and support legislation in the Transport (Scotland) Bill to establish a new Joint Board with wider powers.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 8 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1943 by Sarah Boyack on 22 November 1999, what effect its Green Transport Plan has had on the transport modal split for its employees at Victoria Quay and what further initiatives it plans to take to reduce car use.
Answer
The Executive intends to assess the effectiveness of its Green Travel Plan following the completion of the Ocean Terminal development and the associated public transport improvements.
A range of initiatives are underway or planned to encourage more sustainable travel practices by Scottish Executive staff, including:
- an intranet-based Green Travel website, which has areas for car-sharers and bicycle users, public transport timetable information and links, and other information of practical use for members of staff;
- interest-free loans for purchasing annual travel tickets and bicycles and cycling equipment;
- enhanced bus services direct to Victoria Quay, including Lothian Buses' no 22 service, and the recently introduced Stagecoach service from Kirkcaldy, the X50;
- discounted annual travel tickets for Lothian Buses services; and
- the provision of pre-paid books of bus tickets for business travel.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 31 July 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 8 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive which Ministers have been allocated questions S1W-2735, lodged on 23 November 1999, S1W-3953, lodged on 25 January 2000 and S1W-4675, lodged on 24 February 2000, and why no responses have yet been given to these questions.
Answer
I have today answered questions S1W-2735, S1W-3953 and S1W-4675.
