- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 3 July 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3205 by Sarah Boyack on 13 January 2000, whether the land in question has now been successfully purchased, and whether it will state the costs incurred in purchasing the land and for legal, professional and other procedural purposes.
Answer
The Compulsory Purchase Orders and General Vesting Declarations to complete the statutory procedure referred to in my previous answer (S1W-3205) have now been made. Ownership and entry to the land is now expected to be taken during this summer with the exception of Eastwood Golf Club's land where entry will be in July 2002. This extension is to permit alternative golf holes to be brought into operation. Negotiations to acquire some additional plots of land not in the Compulsory Purchase Order are also underway.
The level of compensation to be paid for the numerous plots of land covered by the Compulsory Purchase Order has not been settled. Compulsory purchase powers permit entry to be taken to land and for construction to be undertaken whilst compensation is being negotiated.
- 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 3 July 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail further the commitments for the A720 inherited from Lothian Regional Council, as identified on page 96 of Investing in You, and quantify the level of these commitments for the period from 1998-99 to 2001-02.
Answer
Following the trunking of the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass on 1 April 1996, the Secretary of State, in accordance with section 112 of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, became liable for payment of principal, interest and management fees on a portion of a £49 million covenant taken out with the Royal Bank of Canada by Lothian Regional Council. An 82.9% proportion of the covenant was used to construct the bypass. The responsibility passed to the Scottish Executive on 1 July 1999 and it is therefore liable for the proportion of the outstanding repayments until 28 February 2003.
Payments in 1998-99 and 1999-2000 were £3,438,708 and £3,272,078 respectively. Estimated payments for 2000-01 and 2001-02 are £3,081,536 and £2,896,714 respectively.
- 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 28 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the potential impact on the Scottish agricultural sector of the European Commission White Paper on Environmental Liability.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in the process of assessing the European Commission White Paper on Environmental Liability, including the potential impact on the agricultural sector.
- 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 28 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in considering any response it has made to the European Commission White Paper on Environmental Liability, it sought or obtained a definition of the public interest groups who would be entitled to a remedy in civil proceedings under the White Paper and, if such a definition was obtained, whether it will make the definition publicly available.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has neither sought nor obtained a definition of the public interest groups who may be granted rights to act under the White Paper on Environmental Liability, as it is known that the Commission's thinking on this matter is still emerging.
- 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 28 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has responded to the European Commission White Paper on Environmental Liability and, if so, whether its response accepted the principle of strict liability.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has not yet responded to the European Commission White Paper on Environmental Liability.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 26 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4928 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 9 June 2000, whether it will identify the specific land or property disposed of by Dumfries and Galloway Council, East Lothian Council, Scottish Borders Council and South Ayrshire Council.
Answer
The following consents have been granted since 1 July 1999:
South Ayrshire:
Plots 1 & 2, The Citadel, Ayr, to Carrick Housing Association
Dumfries & Galloway:
The former Grapes Hotel, Whithorn, to Loreburn Housing Association
East Lothian:
The former sun pavilion at North Berwick Harbour, to the Scottish Seabird Trust
Scottish Borders:
Land to the south of Morebattle Primary School, Morebattle, to Eildon Housing Association
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 26 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the provisional outturn figure of #486.44 million for roads and transport expenditure by Scottish local authorities in the financial year 1996-97, and the budget estimates for 1999-2000 of #354.79 million given by the Finance Minister in his answer to Parliamentary Question S1W-665 are accurate, and whether these figures are consistent with the answer given by the Finance Minister to the supplementary question to S1O-1636 on 4 April 2000.
Answer
I can confirm that the provisional outturn figure for 1996-97, adjusted to 1998-99 prices, was £486.44 million and the budget estimate figure for 1999-2000, in cash terms, was £354.79 million as given in my reply to question S1W-665. Since 1 April 1997 these figures have excluded support for Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive which was £105.6 million in 1997-98.
- 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 22 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will update the traffic flow measurements for the A7 illustrated in its 1994 leaflet, Hawick to the Border, in the light of (a) growth in traffic levels since then, (b) the completion of the southern sections of the M74 and (c) alterations to the status of the A68 south of the Border.
Answer
The traffic flow figures for the A7 shown in the 1994 brochure
A7 Route Action Plan-Hawick to the Border were derived as part of a large scale traffic study and current figures are not available in that format. However, the Scottish Executive records traffic data from key locations on the trunk road network and these are stored in the Scottish Roads Traffic Database.
There are four counters operating on a daily basis on the A7. The figures for 1994 and 1998 (the latest year for which fully validated figures are available) and associated % growth are:
A7 Annual Average Daily Flows (AADF)
LOCATION | 1994 AADF | 1998 AADF | % Growth |
| A7 South of Canonbie | 3,213* (3265 Feb) | 4,035 (3594 Feb) | 10% |
A7 Langholm | 3,442 | 3,246 | -6% |
A7 North of Langholm | 2,228 (1739 Feb) | 1,769** (1796 Feb) | 3% |
A7 Linhope South of Teviothead | 1,760 | 1,736 | -1% |
*January - March only (% growth based on February count only)
** February-March only (% growth based on February count only)
Requests for Scottish traffic information can be made through the Scottish Parliament Information Centre or can be obtained directly from the Scottish Executive Road Network Management and Maintenance Division.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 22 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-662 by Susan Deacon on 11 October 1999, whether health boards will be asked to absorb revenue costs to them of flouridating water supplies, including their share of capital costs, insofar as they are not met by the Executive, or whether their budgets will be adjusted, on a board by board basis, to compensate them for the costs incurred by flouridation.
Answer
This will be determined at the appropriate time as part of the Executive's wider consideration of fluoridation issues.
- 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 22 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the proposed expenditure on the Kingston Bridge in Glasgow, noted in page 95 of Investing in You, will allow the complete re-opening of the bridge.
Answer
Following the completion of the Kingston Bridge Phase 1 Strengthening contract in December 2000 the existing traffic restrictions on the bridge will no longer be required.
The ongoing programme of refurbishment works to the complex of approach viaducts and entry and exit ramps to Kingston Bridge will require separate traffic management schemes to allow the works to proceed safely.
