- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an assessment of existing roads which (a) require urgent upgrade and improvements and (b) would significantly benefit from upgrades and improvement and how demand for funding for such upgrade and improvement has related to available funding for each of the last four financial years.
Answer
The condition of the trunk roadnetwork is assessed annually by manual road condition surveys. The current conditionof the network is shown in table 5.5 of
Scottish Transport Statistics, No.22, 2003 Edition. The targets for the condition of the network by 2006 are shownin Objective 1, Target 2 of
Building a Better Scotland: Spending Proposals 2003-2006.Both of these publications are held in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.
Non-trunk roads are the responsibilityof the local authorities concerned, and their funding forms part of the generalLocal Government Finance Settlement. It is a matter for the individual authoritiesto decide what priority should be given to the maintenance and improvement of eachroad. Information on the need for urgent upgrade and improvement is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1979 by Nicol Stephen on 1 September 2003, what powers are envisaged for the National Strategic Transport Authority and whether they will include ownership or regulatory powers.
Answer
We opened the consultation onthe new transport agency and regional partnerships on Wednesday 17 September. Theconsultation paper
Scotland’s Transport - Proposals for a New Approach to Transportin Scotland is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre and from the ScottishExecutive website.
The consultation specificallyseeks views on what powers the agency, Transport Scotland, will need.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to invest public money to facilitate new and regular ferry links from Scotland to Europe; whether any such investment is affected by European Union state aid rules, and whether it has investigated the potential boost to the tourist industry and improvements in cultural and social interaction which new ferry links would bring.
Answer
We recognise the benefits thatmay result from additional ferry links to mainland Europe and weare committed under the Partnership Agreement to improving those links. Any additionalservices would have to be commercially viable and we could not, under European Unionstate aid rules, offer direct subsidy. We shall be considering all possible meansof encouraging new developments, including for example the appropriate use of FreightFacilities Grant.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 3 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how much (a) has been committed to date and (b) will be made available to Glasgow Airport from the route development fund and how many new routes have been secured for Glasgow Airport as a result of Executive action and/or the use of route development fund money.
Answer
To date, no routes to or fromGlasgow Airport have been subject to investment from the Interim RouteDevelopment Fund. New routes from Glasgow would be eligible, provided they meet the same Scotland-widecriteria that apply to the fund. The fund cannot be used to distort the market,or override commercial decisions of airlines. Glasgow Airport has been,and will continue to be, actively promoted through engagement with airlines.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 3 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to promote and support organ donation through organ donor cards, in particular through the NHS UK Transplant's Vote for Life scheme, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
Encouraging people to carry organ donor cards and to add their names to the NHS Organ Donor Register maintained byUK Transplant has always been the main focus of the Executive’s organ donation publicityinitiatives. In relation to the Vote for Lifescheme, I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-2720 today. All answersto written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, thesearch facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 1 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it expects to spend under PFI/PPP schemes in each of the next three years, broken down by individual project.
Answer
Anestimate of the amount the Executive expects to spend under PFI/PPP schemes ineach of the next three years, broken down by individual project, is shown inthe following table.
| | Project Name | 2003-04 (£ Million) | 2004-05 (£ Million) | 2005-06 (£ Million) |
| Health | Argyll and Clyde Acute | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Ayrshire and Arran Primary Care Trust | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| Dumfries and Galloway Acute | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| Yorkhill NHS Trust | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| South Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust – 210 bed unit | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.7 |
| South Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust - Hospital Information System | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| Highland Primary Care Trust | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.4 |
| Lanarkshire Acute - Hairmyres | 15.2 | 15.5 | 15.9 |
| Lanarkshire Acute - Wishaw | 22.2 | 22.8 | 23.3 |
| Lanarkshire Acute - Hospital Information System | 0.5 | 0.5 | - |
| Lanarkshire Health Board - 40 bed unit | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| Lothian Primary Care Trust - Ferryfield House | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| Lothian Primary Care Trust - Ellen’s Glen House | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| Lothian Primary Care Trust - Findlay House | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| West Lothian Healthcare NHS Trust | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Lothian University NHS Trust - New Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh | 35.1 | 35.8 | 35.5 |
| Lothian University NHS Trust - Hospital Information System | 2.6 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Tayside Primary Care Trust | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.8 |
| Tayside University Primary Care Trust | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.5 |
| Justice | Kilmarnock Prison | 13.5 | 13.5 | 13.5 |
| Local Authorities | Aberdeenshire Council - schools | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| Argyll and Bute Council – waste management | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| City of Dundee Council – waste to energy | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 |
| City of Edinburgh Council - schools | 4.0 | 5.9 | 5.9 |
| City of Glasgow Council – schools | 14.7 | 14.7 | 14.7 |
| East Lothian – schools | - | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| East Renfrewshire Council – schools | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| Falkirk Council – schools | 8.6 | 8.6 | 8.6 |
| Fife Council - schools | 2.5 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| Highland Council - IT | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| Highland Council - schools | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Midlothian Council - schools | 2.1 | 3.1 | 3.1 |
| Moray Council – education IT | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Perth and Kinross Council – office accommodation | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| Stirling Council - schools | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Strathclyde Police – training college | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.2 |
| West Lothian Council - schools | 1.9 | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| National Roads and Transport | M6 | 21.9 | 22.3 | 19.3 |
| M77* | - | 2.2 | 10.5 |
| Skye Bridge | 1.9 | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| Nationalised Industries | Inverness Airport Terminal Building | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| Social Work | Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Water and Sewerage | Almond Valley and Seafield | 19.3 | 19.8 | 20.3 |
| Levenmouth | 7.8 | 8.0 | 8.2 |
| Aberdeen | 15.1 | 15.6 | 15.8 |
| Highland | 8.4 | 8.6 | 8.8 |
| Moray Coast | 10.1 | 10.3 | 10.5 |
| Tay | 20.4 | 20.7 | 20.9 |
| Ayrshire | 11.3 | 11.5 | 11.8 |
| Daldowie | 16.4 | 16.7 | 17.1 |
| Dalmuir | 7.2 | 7.3 | 7.4 |
Note:
*This is a joint PPP projectbetween Scottish Executive and East Renfrewshire Council.
The Executive has madeprovisional commitments to other PPP projects but the amount and timing of thefunding of these will not be known until the project procurements reachfinancial close. For instance, funding will be available to support schools PPPprojects to a total capital investment value of £2 billion over the next fewyears.
In addition to the table,which shows projects where direct Executive funding support has beenestablished, projects in the further education sector have been indirectlyfunded by the Executive as a result of support for the funding councils.Details of their contributions towards PPPs are available from the councils.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 29 September 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to issue specific instructions and guidance to chief constables in regard to the treatment of persons who use cannabis in light of the new instructions issued to police forces in England and Wales.
Answer
I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2F-206 on 18 September 2003, which is available on the Parliament’swebsite, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/sch/search.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 29 September 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the treatment of those who use cannabis in Scotland in comparison with the treatment of those who use cannabis in England and Wales and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.
Answer
The police have a duty to upholdthe law. Possession and supply of illegal drugs, including cannabis, is illegalunder the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Cannabis will remain an illegal drug followingits reclassification from Class B to Class C.
In England and Wales, it isnormally the police who decide whether or not to start criminal proceedings forcannabis possession. In Scotland, this is a matter for procurators fiscal. Procuratorsfiscal have a range of options, including alternatives to prosecution, such as issuinga warning, a fiscal fine or diversion to treatment agencies. Guidance is availableregarding the treatment of cases involving the misuse of controlled drugs, and thisis kept under review by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 26 September 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners had to "slop out" in each of the last four years, and in which institutions "slopping out" has taken place over this period.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:
The number of prisoners is notrecorded. The establishments that have required prisoners to “slop out” in the lastfour years are: all of HM Prison Peterhead and HM Young Offenders Institution Glenochil(now closed) and sections of HM Prison Barlinnie, HM Prison Edinburgh, HMPrison Perth and HM Young Offenders Institution Polmont.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 September 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many citi'ens were registered as waiting for organ transplants, broken down by organ, in each of the last five years.
Answer
The information, which relatesto the transplant units in Scotland, is set out in the following table. The figures do notinclude Scottish residents waiting for a lung or heart-lung transplant, as theyare included on the Newcastle waiting list.
| | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
| Kidney | 577 | 584 | 562 | 559 | 577 |
| Pancreas | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Kidney-Pancreas | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 8 |
| Heart* | 36 | 32 | 0 | 9 | 5 |
| Liver | 7 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 18 |
| Total | 622 | 624 | 578 | 592 | 609 |
Source: UK Transplant.
Note:
*Scottish residents waiting fora heart transplant were included on the Newcastle waiting list while heart transplant operations were suspendedat the Scottish Heart Transplant Unit between May 2000 and September 2001.
