- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 4 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made representations to Her Majesty's Government to ensure that VAT levied on any fuel tax increases above the rate of inflation will be hypothecated for transport spending, in addition to the fuel duty itself, and reflected in the Scottish Block.
Answer
Fuel duty was not raised above the rate of inflation in the budget, but I am very pleased that the Assigned Budget was nonetheless enhanced by some £15.9 million which we intend to allocate for transport purposes.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 4 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what audit process exists to ensure that value for money has been achieved from awards under the Freight Facilities Grant Scheme.
Answer
Each project that has received Freight Facilities Grant is fully assessed during the application procedure to ensure it meets the programme's criteria and delivers value for money. It is monitored throughout its lifetime to ensures it fully delivers the environmental benefits for which it was funded. The programme itself is subject to periodic internal audit. The last such audit occurred in 1997.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 3 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what role it will have in the consultation announced recently by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions into the possibility of setting up Marine Environmental High Risk Areas, and whether it will involve the Transport and the Environment Committee in any response to the consultation.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is participating in the DETR consultation exercise. Our view on this matter, which will reflect the Executive's transport, environmental and marine protection interests, will be copied to the Transport and Environment Committee. It is of course open to the Transport and Environment Committee to respond separately.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 2 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive why the Minister for Transport and the Environment, in her answer to question S1O-803 on 9 December 1999, did not advise the Parliament of the existence of the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority's Infrastructure Funds or of the budget available over a three year period under the Rail Passenger Transport Scheme and Infrastructure Fund; whether her answers in relation to the Rail Passenger Partnership Schemes apply equally to the Infrastructure Fund, and what the estimated value is of applications currently the subject of consultation between it and the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority with respect to services in, and originating or terminating in, Scotland.
Answer
The Infrastructure Investment Fund has yet to be launched by the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority. This is awaiting the outcome of the Rail Regulator's review of Railtrack's track access charging regime, expected to report this summer. Consequently no applications have been lodged for support under this scheme. When launched, the scheme will be targeted at infrastructure "pinch points" throughout the GB rail network. The combined budget for the Infrastructure Investment Fund and the Railway Passenger Partnership (RPP) is £105 million for the period 1999-2002. To date, £800,000 of RPP funding has been awarded to Edinburgh Crossrail.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 2 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has compared the proposed Borders railway with the lottery funded Snowdon railway in Wales and whether it will support an application for lottery funding for the Borders railway.
Answer
No comparison between the proposed Borders railway and the lottery-funded Snowdon Railway has been undertaken.
A working party charged with developing proposals for reinstating the Borders railway, and set up by Scottish Borders Council on 15 February, is to explore funding sources.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 27 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give a timetable for the completion of each multi-modal corridor study announced in the Strategic Roads Review and whether it plans to publish an action plan to achieve the accident reduction targets indicated in the Review.
Answer
Following advertisement in early January, we expect to appoint consultants to undertake the scoping study shortly. This phase of the corridor study is likely to take some three to four months. Subsequent timing is dependent on the findings of that study. Our present expectation is that the main study will be commissioned late this summer and will take some 18 months to complete.The Scottish Executive and the UK Government will shortly be publishing a road safety strategy for the period to 2010. The strategy will underpin new and challenging targets for casualty reductions, which will build on the progress already made. Fatal and serious casualties in Scotland have halved since the early 1980s.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 25 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2310 by Sarah Boyack on 1 February 2000, whether (a) it will produce a revised table to show how much public sector investment has been funded to date in Scotland's rail network from sources other than the Scottish Block and how much investment is anticipated from the same sources in the period up to 2003-04; (b) it will state whether total investment is expected to match the #271 million cumulative reduction in revenue support over the same time period and (c) whether it has made or will make any representations to Her Majesty's Treasury to ensure that reductions in revenue support are vired to support public sector capital investment in the rail network.
Answer
The rail network is in the private sector. Investment in the network is funded in various ways, including direct funding from the public sector and charges paid by train operators who are themselves supported by the public sector. The table below shows the amount of public sector funding going into, or contributing towards, the rail network in Scotland and which comes from sources outside the Assigned Budget.
At the time of letting the franchises it was not the Government's intention to direct cost savings to investment in the rail network but rather to secure the provision of the existing level of service provision (i.e. the Public Service Requirement), plus agreed enhancements, at a reduced level of public sector support.
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority concerning publicly funded investment in the rail network.Public Funding of Scottish Rail Network from Outwith Assigned Budget (£ millions) | YEAR | OPRAF payments to ScotRail1 | SSRA Funds (RPP & IFF)3 | Freight Facilities Grants from DETR3 | Track Access Grants Payments from DETR4 | OPRAF payments to Virgin Trains (Cross Country services)5 | OPRAF payments to Virgin Trains (West Coast services)5 | OPRAF payments to GNER5 |
| 1996-19971997-1998* | 135.982 | | | The contracts so far awarded amount to £2.01 million. | 30.68115.93 | 5.8376.63 | 61.4755.05 |
| 1998-1999** | 130.902 | | | | 101.45 | 70.21 | 37.40 |
| 1999-2000*** | 120.39 | 0.80 | 6.60 | | 86.78 | 59.24 | 17.36 |
| 2000-20012001-20022002-2003 | 112.88 105.89 100.56 | | | | 78.0871.5553.33 | 56.6955.19(4.10) | 6.562.110.14 |
| 2003-2004 | 97.31 | | | | 42.77 | (55.66) | 6 |
| TOTAL | 803.91 | 0.80 | 6.60 | 2.01 | 580.57 | 264.03 | 180.09 |
* Feb 1997 prices ** Feb 1998 prices *** 1999 - 2004: Feb 1999 prices.Notes:1. The OPRAF payments to ScotRail will fall to be met from the Assigned Budget from a date to be determined.2. The figures for 1997-98 and 1998-99 include incentive payments to ScotRail.3. Future SSRA funded schemes and FFG will be awarded on the basis of individual application and therefore can not be anticipated.
4. Certain DETR TAG awards include freight services on the Scottish network. A separate breakdown for Scotland is not available. Each award is made on an individual basis and the duration of each project may differ. The amount shown is the total volume of the awards.
5. The figures for GNER and both services operated by Virgin Trains are the total OPRAF payments. Amounts in brackets will be paid by the train operating companies to OPRAF. Separate breakdowns for Scotland are not available.6. Franchise terminates 31 March 2003.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 20 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how the Public Private Partnership (PPP) proposed for the A77/M77 upgrade (Malletsheugh-Fenwick) will differ from that used for the Paddy's Rickle Bridge-Cleuchbrae phase of the M74 and whether the A77/M77 PPP is intended to include operation and maintenance of any other section of the A77/M77 corridor than that to be constructed.
Answer
Decisions have yet to be taken on the nature and extent of the proposed Public Private Partnership and the extent of the scheme.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by David Steel on 19 April 2000
To ask the Presiding Officer whether it will publish the cleaning specification and schedules for toilets in the Parliament Headquarters building together with the monitoring reports to date.
Answer
I do not propose to publish either the cleaning specification, toilet cleaning schedules nor monitoring reports for PHQ as this information is readily available within the Facilities Management Office, Room 1.20, PHQ. Anyone wishing to peruse the information should contact the Helpdesk (Ext. 85100) and suitable arrangements will be put in place.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 17 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how it was possible for Chris Mullin MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary at the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, in a letter of 11 January 2000 to the secretary of Glasgow Prestwick International Airport Consultative Committee, to refer to Sarah Boyack's answer to question S1W-2922, which has not been answered in the Parliament and how many days elapse on average between answers to Parliamentary Questions being finalised and being given by e-mail to the relevant MSP and the Parliament.
Answer
Question S1W-2922 tabled by Mr Ian Welsh referred to the Scottish Airports and Air services Study which is currently being undertaken jointly by the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) and the Scottish Executive. A draft response to the question was passed by the Scottish Executive to DETR for comment, where it was incorrectly assumed, at the time of Mr Mullin's letter, that the question had been formally answered. Mr Welsh had, however, resigned his seat in the Scottish Parliament by the time Mr Mullin's reply was issued and the question was not subsequently answered.
