Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is responsible for maintaining an efficient transport system, and is committed to delivering transport interventions that will most effectively contribute towards our purpose of promoting sustainable economic growth.

We will introduce measures into the planning, operation and maintenance of our trunk road network, including the M8, to ensure that our transport system continues to adapt to climate change and addresses future demand.

In addition, we are working with the airport and its stakeholders to deliver the airport''s existing surface access strategy (2009-13) and the targets it sets.

The overriding factor which resulted in our reluctant decision to cancel the branch line element of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link Project was the significant pressures which arose in our budget for 2010-11, including budget reductions imposed upon us by the UK Government, and the expectation that this pressure would grow in subsequent years.

We have reviewed the current NEWGARL proposals from thgRail, which would appear to be a rebranding of its previous proposal for a heavy rail link to Glasgow airport. It is essential that all projects are affordable and all budgets sustainable, and there is nothing within the proposal which addresses this issue satisfactorily. Therefore we do not consider that it would provide any basis for the reinstatement of the branch line element of the GARL project.

The current and proposed rail projects with a higher benefit cost ratio than the Glasgow Rail Link are: the Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvements Programme: Airdrie to Bathgate; Borders, and Edinburgh Trams.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-31076 on 4 February 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Rickets is a disease of growing bones in children and therefore only affects children. Information on the number of children treated in hospital and hospital stays at which a diagnosis of rickets has been recorded are shown in the following table. The information cannot be shown at NHS board level or by age group as there is a risk of patient disclosure due to small numbers.

The figures presented in table 1 are those with a diagnosis of the condition and presenting for hospital treatment. Patients treated in the community are not included.

Table 1. Rickets: Numbers of Patients Aged 16 and Under

	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Stays	5	6	7	17	14	4	7	3	6	11	12
Patients	5	3	7	5	9	3	5	3	6	8	10

Source: Information Services Division Scotland. Scottish Morbidity record 01 (SMR01).

Notes:

1. These statistics are derived from data collected on discharges from non-obstetric and non-psychiatric hospitals (SMR01) in Scotland. Data are based on date of discharge.

2. The basic unit of analysis for these figures is a continuous stay in hospital. Probability matching methods have been used to link together individual SMR01 discharge episodes for each patient, thereby creating linked patient histories.

3. Up to six diagnoses (one principal and five secondary) are recorded on SMR01 returns. All six diagnosis positions have been used to identify rickets diagnoses. The following International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision (ICD-10) code has been used to identify rickets: E550 Active rickets.

 

The Paisley Corridor Renewal is a Network Rail planned project to renew the existing signalling on the Glasgow to Paisley rail corridor which has become life expired. It is appropriate that the equipment is renewed in a manner which caters for anticipated growth in rail demand.

All of this work must be considered within the context of this government''s investment in the railway network which, through a combination of capacity enhancements, essential renewals works and the introduction of new electric rolling stock will improve:

The length of trains to address overcrowding;

The robustness of service;

Punctuality, and

Capacity at the busiest station in Scotland (Glasgow Central).

The Glasgow Airport Rail Link project has been subject to Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) appraisal during its development.

As we have stated previously the overriding criteria which resulted in our decision to cancel the branch line element of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link Project were the significant pressures which arose in our budget for 2010-11, including budget reductions imposed upon us by the UK Government, and the expectation that this pressure would grow. It is essential that all projects are affordable and all budgets sustainable.

The cancellation of the Branch Line element of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link has not resulted in any loss of economies of scale.

The reason for this is that the identified economies of scale were associated with the integration of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link and Paisley Corridor Renewals projects on the existing main line between Glasgow Central station and Paisley Gilmour Street station. These works are continuing under the auspices of the Paisley Corridor Improvements project and are due to be complete early in 2012.

As we have previously stated the level of information that this government has made publicly available is entirely consistent with the arrangements put in place by previous administrations and we do not propose to change this.

We have provided this Parliament with details of the three-year capital programme, plus broader indications including: 10-year figures; three-year proposals; three-year revisions; all of which are subject to performance.

We consider the range of information that we have already put into the public domain to be substantial and that it therefore provides this Parliament with a comprehensive basis upon which to consider our budget proposals.

During the progress of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link Bill through the Scottish Parliament in 2006-07 a number of stakeholders including: Glasgow Airport Limited; Glasgow City Council; Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, Renfrew Chamber of Commerce, and Scottish Enterprise were questioned as to whether they would be prepared to make a contribution towards the cost of the project. With the exception of Glasgow Airport Limited''s contribution with respect to the costs of providing a pedestrian link structure from the new airport station to the terminal building none was prepared to contribute.

Similarly Renfrew Chamber of Commerce''s evidence stated that the airlines then operating from Glasgow airport did not want to contribute to the cost of construction and servicing, as they remained unconvinced about the benefits.

During its development the Glasgow Airport Rail Link project did however secure co-financing of ‚¬1,700,000 from the European Union, trans-European transport network budget, for the purposes of developing the project to the Guide to Railway Investment Projects Level 4 (GRIP Level 4).