- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 July 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 15 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to notify the Parliament when the structure and local plans of local authorities are (a) submitted for approval and (b) approved.
Answer
This has not been the practice in the past and there are no plans to introduce it in the future. Information relating to the progress of structure and local plans is, however, contained in the Planning Bulletin which is published by the Scottish Executive Development Department and I shall arrange for copies of the Bulletin to be made available 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: Friday, 27 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 15 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has responded, or intends to respond, or whether it intends to ask the Scottish Parliament to respond, to the Home Office Review of Fixed Penalty Levels for Motoring Offences.
Answer
The Scottish Executive did not respond to this public consultation exercise, whose closing date was 23 July. Road Traffic law, including fixed penalties, is a matter mainly reserved to Westminster. In these circumstances the Executive has no plans to seek the Parliament's views on this matter.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 10 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact of New Housing Partnerships on employment in the building trades, what plans it has to ensure that locally provided training is available to meet additional demand for skilled labour in each local authority area, and what adjustments it will permit to Councils' and schools' targets for retaining pupils beyond the minimum leaving ages in order to release pupils for training at age 16.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is consulting relevant bodies on the employment and training opportunities arising from New Housing Partnerships.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 10 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government regarding the impact of energy taxes on the costs and competitiveness of high energy using Scottish industries, and what response it has had to these representations.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government across a range of issues, including those relating to the proposals for a climate change levy.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 July 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 6 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive to detail the capital and revenue expenditure by each local authority in Scotland on roads and transportation, in cash and in real terms, in each of the past four financial years and the projected expenditure by each authority in the current financial year.
Answer
Because the information is lengthy I have arranged for it to be sent directly to the member and also placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 July 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 26 August 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the most recent estimated cost of each road construction project under consideration in its Strategic Road Review.
Answer
Seventeen major road schemes are being considered in the Strategic Roads Review. For 3 of them, 2 options are under consideration, producing a total of 20 options. The estimated capital costs of these options (excluding VAT, expressed in second quarter of 1998 prices and rounded to the nearest million pounds) are set out in the table below. A final cost figure can only be determined after a scheme has been put out to tender and none of the schemes in the review have reached this stage.
OPTION | ESTIMATED CAPITAL COST |
A1 Haddington - Dunbar (Draft Order scheme) | £36m |
A1 Haddington - Dunbar (Expressway) | £32m |
A68 Dalkeith Northern Bypass | £22m |
A78 Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston Bypass | £26m |
A8000 Forth Road Bridge to M9 | £15m |
A830 Arisaig - Kinsadel | £10m |
A876 Kincardine Bridge | £60m |
A9 Helmsdale to Ord of Caithness | £11m |
A90 Balmedie - Tipperty | £18m |
A92 Preston - Balfarg | £21m |
A96 Fochabers - Mosstodloch Bypass | £12m |
A96 Keith Bypass | £11m |
A985 Rosyth Bypass | £17m |
M74 Northern Extension | £180m |
M77 Fenwick - Malletsheugh | £60m |
M8 Baillieston - Newhouse (off-line option) | £108m |
M8 Baillieston - Newhouse (on-line option) | £100m |
M8/M6 Fastlink | £90m |
M80 Stepps - Haggs (on-line option) | £130m |
M80 Stepps - Haggs (Kelvin Valley option) | £153m |
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 July 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 26 August 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive to detail the public money made available to each of the water authorities in Scotland in each financial year from 1995/1996 to 2001/2002, in cash and in real terms, either by way of revenue/capital grants or by the allocation of borrowing consents.
Answer
The new water authorities were set up in July 1995 but did not take over operational control of water and sewerage services until 1 April 1996. For the period July 1995 to March 1996 they were grant aided, as below.
£m
| | Cash | At 1999-00 Prices |
North of Scotland Water Authority | 3.2 | 3.5 |
| East of Scotland Water Authority | 3.3 | 3.6 |
| West of Scotland Water Authority | 3.2 | 3.5 |
The tables below show the External Finance Limit (EFL), for each authority for 1996-97 and subsequent years. Borrowing constitutes almost all the authorities' uptake of EFL. However, for the first 3 years of their existence, the authorities additionally received Domestic Sewerage Relief Grant which was a transitional grant to allow the phasing in of sewerage charges, which were previously included in Council Taxes.
North of Scotland Water Authority £m
| | | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-00 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 |
| External Finance Limit | cash 1999-00 prices | 65.9 70.5 | 48.7 50.9 | 46.5 47.4 | 51.0 51.0 | 40.0 39.0 | 40.0 38.1 |
| Domestic Sewerage Relief Grant | cash 1999-00 prices | 22.4 24.0 | 14.9 15.6 | 7.4 7.5 | - - | - - | - - |
East of Scotland Water Authority £m
| | | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-00 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 |
| External Finance Limit | cash 1999-00 prices | 70.0 74.9 | 55.9 58.4 | 54.7 55.8 | 70.5 70.5 | 76.0 74.1 | 76.0 72.3 |
| Domestic Sewerage Relief Grant | cash 1999-00 prices | 27.3 29.2 | 18.2 19.0 | 9.0 9.2 | - - | - - | - - |
West of Scotland Water Authority £m
| | | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-00 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 |
| External Finance Limit | cash 1999-00 prices | 83.9 89.8 | 62.5 65.3 | 71.3 72.7 | 85.4 85.4 | 90.9 88.7 | 92.0 87.6 |
| Domestic Sewerage Relief Grant | cash 1999-00 prices | 40.0 42.8 | 26.6 27.8 | 13.2 13.5 | - - | - - | - - |
Note: External Finance Limits for 2000-01 and 2001-02 are indicative figures only.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 July 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 20 August 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to restore funding to Planning Aid Scotland.
Answer
We have no plans to provide funding to Planning Aid for Scotland.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 July 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 20 August 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive to outline actual and planned public expenditure, other than by local government, on transport in Scotland for each financial year from 1995/1996 to 2001/2002, in both current and inflated-indexed prices, and to detail separately the expenditure on (a) road construction and improvement, (b) road management, (c) repair and maintenance and (d) support for transport, including Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL), CalMac and Scotrail.
Answer
The information requested is shown in the table. The outturn and planned expenditure have been extracted from the Scottish Office Report "Serving Scotland's Needs", a copy of which is available in the Parliament's Information Centre.
| | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-00 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 |
| | £m | £m | £m | £m | £m | £m | £m |
| | Outturn | Outturn | Outturn | Estimated Outturn | Plans | Plans | Plans |
| Motorway and Trunk Road Construction & Improvement Note 1 | 142 | 120 | 91 | 58 | 23 | 14 | 17 |
(Indexed Prices) Note 2 | 158 | 129 | 96 | 59 | 23 | 14 | 16 |
| Motorway and Trunk Road Repair & MaintenanceNotes 1&3 | 84 | 83 | 80 | 98 | 140 | 161 | 169 |
(Indexed Prices) | 93 | 89 | 84 | 100 | 140 | 157 | 161 |
Other Transport Programmes Note 4 | 45 | 44 | 46 | 64 | 65 | 65 | 65 |
(Indexed Prices) | 50 | 47 | 48 | 66 | 65 | 63 | 62 |
HIAL | 11 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 11 | 13 |
(Indexed Prices) | 12 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 11 | 12 |
CalMac | 15 | 14 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 17 | 16 |
(Indexed Prices) | 17 | 15 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 17 | 15 |
SPTE Note 5 | - | 71 | 102 | 94 | 88 | 78 | 71 |
(Indexed Prices) | - | 76 | 107 | 96 | 88 | 76 | 68 |
Scotrail Note 6 | - | - | - | - | - | 107 | 100 |
(Indexed Prices) | - | - | - | - | - | 104 | 95 |
Notes
1. Disaggregated figures are not available for road management costs. These cover a range of activities such as traffic calming and management, and consultants fees. The costs are included in these figures.
2. The Indexed prices are based on the GDP deflators at 22 March 1999, the latest available.
3. PFI payments in respect of the M6 DBFO are included from 1998-99 onwards.
4. Expenditure on "Other Transport Programmes" includes Freight Facilities, Grants to Shipping services, Rural Transport Measures, Bus Fuel Duty Rebate, Road Safety Measures, Loganair Subsidy and grants for Piers and Harbours including CalMac piers..
5. Figures for 1995/96 are not available as payments were made by DETR.6. Figures for 1995/96 to1999-00 are not available as payments were made by DETR. From 2000-01 payments will be made by the Scottish Executive.
- Asked by: Murray Tosh, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 July 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 10 August 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive further to the answer to question S1W-342 by Sarah Boyack on 21 July 1999, what representations has it made, or intends to make to Her Majesty's Government in advance of its anticipated decision on "fifth freedom" rights.
Answer
The UK Government have been kept fully aware of the Scottish Executive's recognition of the potential benefits to the Scottish economy which could arise through the further liberalisation of airfreight services. They are also aware that we are keen to ensure that economic development generally and inward investment are not disadvantaged by unnecessary restrictions on air services.
