- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 13 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what mechanism exists for roads not included in the recent Scottish Strategic Roads Review to be assessed in future for major upgrading by the Scottish Executive.
Answer
The Executive has prepared Route Profiles of all routes in the trunk road network. These Profiles summarise the key aspects of each route in terms of its operation, safety and maintenance. These profiles are currently being updated and will be used to highlight problems and issues relating to each route as an aid to strategic decision-making. There are also Route Action Plan Studies on 10 trunk roads, focusing on those with the greatest operational safety and maintenance problems. Three further studies are underway. I will write to Mr Tosh shortly with details. Each study has identified a phased and targeted programme of low to medium cost improvements. A significant number of these have been implemented and others will follow as resources permit.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 13 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will conduct a further review of strategic roads and transport corridors.
Answer
The recently completed strategic roads review examined the schemes inherited in May 1997. The Executive has no plans for a further review. We will be concentrating our efforts on delivering the five schemes and the corridor studies announced on 4 November.I also refer Mr Tosh to my answer to question S1W-2899. It explains how we intend to identify future priorities for investment in the motorway and trunk road network.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 12 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to assess the residual life of non-trunk road surfaces in Scotland and to ensure that grant-aided expenditure allocations to local authorities resource them adequately to maintain that part of the roads network which is their responsibility.
Answer
The assessment, maintenance and improvement of such road surfaces is entirely a matter for the Councils as local roads authorities. The total of grant-aided expenditure which the Scottish Executive allocated to local authorities in 1999-2000 allowed for a real terms increase in expenditure. It is for the Councils to determine their priorities and allocate resources for road maintenance accordingly.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 12 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2810 by Mr Alasdair Morrison on 25 November 1999, whether it will allow Scottish Enterprise to contribute directly from its own annual budget to a procurement and funding process developed by City of Glasgow and South Lanarkshire Councils.
Answer
Detailed consideration of this project would, in the first instance, be a matter for Scottish Enterprise and the local enterprise companies. If Scottish Enterprise decided to contribute to the M74 project at a level above their delegated authority, the proposal would come to the Scottish Executive for approval.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 12 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the Minister for Transport and the Environment's statement on the Strategic Roads Review, when it will make an announcement of further corridor studies, and whether the announcement and implementation of such studies will be accelerated in the light of the Department of Transport, Environment and the Regions' decision to accelerate parallel studies in England and Wales.
Answer
The Executive's proposals for corridor studies were set out in the Report of the Strategic Roads Review published on 4November. These studies will be set in hand as soon as practicable.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 12 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was invited to participate in the "Road Summit" held by the Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions on 29 November 1999, or whether it has been briefed subsequently on his proposals to accelerate major road projects in England and Wales.
Answer
The "Road Summit" dealt with issues mainly relating to England and invitations were extended to those for whom this was directly relevant. Roads in Scotland are devolved and decisions on projects, timing of investment and the allocation of resources are for the Scottish Executive.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 12 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether work on the M77 (Malletsheugh to Fenwick) will be allowed to commence prior to the resolution of all outstanding issues surrounding the Glasgow South Orbital Road and, if not, why this decision has been made and what the implications for the proposed M77 Extension of the Glasgow South Orbital Road not proceeding would be.
Answer
Scottish Executive officials have already met officials of East Renfrewshire and South Lanarkshire Councils, the promoters of the Glasgow Southern Orbital (GSO), to discuss co-ordination of the M77 (Malletsheugh to Fenwick) and the GSO. One key objective will be to ensure a safe linkage between the two new roads. On the timing of the M77 project, I refer Mr Tosh to the answer I gave to question S1W-2394 on 22 November.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 12 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publicise the targets for road traffic reductions identified by each local authority in their interim Road Traffic Reduction Act reports; whether it has accepted these targets, and what action it will take in the event that it does not accept the local authority targets.
Answer
Local authorities were invited to submit interim Local Transport Strategies and Road Traffic Reduction Reports in July 1999. Not all local authorities chose to submit an interim report on road traffic reduction, since the provisions of the Road Traffic Reduction Act 1997 have still to be commenced in Scotland and there was therefore no statutory requirement for them to do so. Given the interim nature of these reports, I do not consider it appropriate to make any estimates public at this stage.Revised guidance on full Local Transport Strategies and Road Traffic Reduction Reports will be issued in early 2000. This will incorporate our comments on how local authorities can assess existing levels of traffic on their roads, forecast expected growth in these levels and set targets for reducing levels of local road traffic. The revised guidance will be accompanied by an audit report, commenting on the content of the interim Strategies and Road Traffic Reduction Reports. I will place a copy of both documents in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 12 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has collated about the condition of bridges on non-trunk roads; whether it intends to ensure that grant-aided expenditure allocations to local authorities provide them with sufficient resources to bring these bridges up to the required standard, and when it expects that the programme of bridge upgrading will be completed.
Answer
The Scottish Executive receives the results of surveys conducted by the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland (which represents the 32 local authorities) of Councils' bridge assessment and strengthening programmes.Grant-aided expenditure allocated to local authorities is not (specifically) hypothecated for upgrading bridges. The single allocation to local authorities by the Scottish Executive for capital expenditure covers all non-housing capital programmes including expenditure on roads and transport. It is for local authorities to prioritise upgrading of bridges and allocate the necessary funding from the resources available to them. The Scottish Executive is therefore not in a position to estimate when this work will be complete.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 11 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by Mr Jack McConnell on local government finance on 8 December 1999, whether it will publicise the criteria for allocating the #15 million held back from the total allocation for discussion between the Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities and the Deputy Minister for Local Government and indicate whether councils in rural areas will be eligible for any part of the allocation.
Answer
The criteria for allocating the £15 million are under consideration and will be announced in due course. No restrictions have been applied on which councils might be eligible to benefit from these resources.
