- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 16 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make decisions on each of the local authority PFI/PPP road schemes currently under negotiation.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is not currently in negotiations with the two local authorities who are leading the projects. Level Playing Field Support will be given provided that in each case a contract is signed before 31 March 2002 and the project is approved as a PPP scheme for capital consent purposes in terms of Section 94 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. The latter will be dependent on the local authority providing the Executive with a full business case and confirmation from their external auditor that the project is off the authority's balance sheet.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 16 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional staff have been engaged and what unbudgeted staffing costs have been incurred since May 1999 in connection with answering parliamentary questions.
Answer
More than 3,300 parliamentary questions have been lodged since May. This is about three times the comparable total for the previous year.The Scottish Executive's expenditure plans for 1998-99 and 1999-2000 provided for an increase in staff numbers in its core Departments of somewhere around 250 staff, depending on grade mix. The increase in business relating to parliamentary proceedings, including parliamentary questions, is being handled by staff working in the relevant policy areas: additional staff have not been employed solely to prepare answers to parliamentary questions.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 16 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the event that the proposed Public Private Partnership for the M77 Fenwick to Malletsheugh motorway cannot demonstrate value for money, it intends to fund the proposed stretch of motorway from its budget.
Answer
I refer the member to my answer to question S1W-2395.The Executive's expenditure plans for the years after 2001-02 will be set following the review of expenditure programmes planned next year.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 16 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the event that the proposed Public Private Partnership for the M77 Fenwick to Malletsheugh motorway cannot demonstrate value for money, it intends to fund the proposed stretch of motorway from its budget.
Answer
I refer the member to my answer to question 2395.The Executive's expenditure plans for the years after 2001-02 will be set following the review of expenditure programmes planned next year.
- 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 15 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government regarding the upgrading to full motorway status of the section of the M6/M74 corridor which is the responsibility of Her Majesty's Government.
Answer
I met recently with the Secretary of State for Scotland and Lord Macdonald of Tradeston to emphasise the importance of this section of the route to Scotland and the north west of England. The Executive is also represented by an official on the Steering Group considering the options for improving this section of the route.
- 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 14 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the contribution of sleep apnoea to fatal road accidents is being considered as part of the UK-wide review of speed policy in which it is participating.
Answer
The GB Road Safety Strategy for the period to 2010, which is nearing completion, will address issues related to driver fatigue including sleep related accidents. The GB Speed Policy review itself, however, is not looking at the contribution of sleep apnoea to fatal road accidents.
Current research by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) on behalf of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, due for completion in June 2000, is looking at sleepiness as a factor in road accidents. The latest edition of the Highway Code, published in February, offers advice to drivers, based on the early results of the research, about what to do if they feel ill or tired whilst driving.The Scottish Executive will consider the need for education and publicity measures relating to driver fatigue in the light of the outcome of the research.
- 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 14 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1493 by Sarah Boyack on 9 September 1999, whether it plans to erect safety barriers along the dualled section of the A82 in Dumbarton.
Answer
There are no plans to install central reserve safety fencing on the urban section of the A82 trunk road in Dumbarton, which is subject to a 40 mph speed limit.
- 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 14 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will project a target date for completing work on the 91 bridges identified in Travel Choices for Scotland.
Answer
A programme to reassess 58 of the 91 bridges that failed the first level assessment is in progress. To date 18 structures have been redetermined as adequate with 20 confirmed failures. Reassessment of the remainder is expected to be complete by the middle of next year. Until then we cannot give a target date for completing the strengthening and replacement of sub-standard bridges.
- 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 14 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the refurbishment work required on the Kingston Bridge, noted in paragraph 2.6 of Travel Choices for Scotland, is programmed in the Transport and Environment budget and when it anticipates that the Kingston Bridge will become fully operational.
Answer
Finance is committed to complete the current phase 1 strengthening contract. In addition provision has been made in the Motorway and Trunk Road Programme for 2000-02 to commence the programme of refurbishment work.Until the programme for the refurbishment works has been finalised we cannot say when the current traffic restrictions will be removed and the bridge restored to full operation.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 10 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what the anticipated cost will be to its own budget in the event that each of the local authority PFI/PPP road schemes currently under negotiation is allowed to proceed.
Answer
There will be no additional cost to the Scottish Executive budget.
