Questions and answers

Question reference: S3W-40334

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 17 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-33199 by Stewart Stevenson on 12 May 2010, which roads have had the highest number of (a) accidents and (b) fatalities in each of the last five years.

The following tables provide statistics requested and are ranked by estimates per km of road.

2005

Injury Road Accidents			Fatalities
Road	Number of Injury Road Accidents	per km of road	Road	Number of Road Accident Fatalities	per km of road
A8	277	3.51	A74	3	0.24
M8	223	2.55	A923	5	0.10
A761	76	2.41	A947	6	0.09
A814	107	1.62	A811	3	0.06
A721	76	1.61	A1	5	0.06
A803	88	1.59	A92	7	0.05
A726	77	1.58	A85	7	0.05
A89	92	1.56	A814	3	0.05
A71	143	1.29	A76	4	0.04
A1	110	1.25	A713	3	0.04
A77	152	1.00	A90	9	0.04
A90	235	0.97	A82	10	0.04
A7	126	0.96	A70	4	0.03
A96	139	0.83	A75	5	0.03
A92	120	0.81	A7	4	0.03
A82	209	0.77	A71	3	0.03
A70	87	0.71	A701	3	0.03
A702	72	0.54	A96	4	0.02
A85	73	0.48	A77	3	0.02
A9	192	0.44	A9	5	0.01

The tables show the roads with the highest number of accidents per kilometre. Other roads may have higher numbers of fatalities and some roads will have a similar rate per kilometre at the bottom of the table.

2006

Injury Road Accidents			Fatalities
Road	Number of Injury Road Accidents	per km of road	Road	Number of Road Accident Fatalities	per km of road
A8	308	3.90	A726	5	0.10
A761	81	2.57	A90	17	0.07
M8	224	2.56	A8	5	0.06
A726	92	1.89	A84	3	0.06
A814	112	1.69	A6105	3	0.06
A89	97	1.64	A947	4	0.06
A803	78	1.41	A76	5	0.05
A81	78	1.35	A96	9	0.05
A71	144	1.30	A75	8	0.05
A73	78	1.24	M8	4	0.05
A7	145	1.10	A71	5	0.05
A1	91	1.04	A97	4	0.04
A90	244	1.01	A95	4	0.04
A77	130	0.86	A9	17	0.04
A92	109	0.74	A82	10	0.04
A82	183	0.67	A91	3	0.04
A70	78	0.64	A701	4	0.04
A96	101	0.60	A72	3	0.04
A85	86	0.57	A92	4	0.03
A9	236	0.54	A77	4	0.03

2007

Injury Road Accidents			Fatalities
Road	Number of Injury Road Accidents	per km of road	Road	Number of Road Accident Fatalities	per km of road
A8	261	3.31	A8011	3	0.42
A761	76	2.41	A752	3	0.24
M8	193	2.21	A76	7	0.08
M74	85	1.62	A828	3	0.07
A89	92	1.56	M8	6	0.07
A814	100	1.51	A1	5	0.06
A803	72	1.30	A8	4	0.05
A1	103	1.17	A82	13	0.05
A71	126	1.13	A77	7	0.05
A90	248	1.02	A90	11	0.05
A7	118	0.90	A970	5	0.04
A77	135	0.89	A83	6	0.04
A82	228	0.84	A85	5	0.03
A92	114	0.77	A96	5	0.03
A70	80	0.66	A9	13	0.03
A96	109	0.65	A93	5	0.03
A85	94	0.62	A92	4	0.03
A702	76	0.57	A71	3	0.03
A75	79	0.51	A75	4	0.03
A9	217	0.49	A702	3	0.02

2008

Injury Road Accidents			Fatalities
Road	Number of Injury Road Accidents	per km of road	Road	Number of Road Accident Fatalities	per km of road
A8	203	2.57	A749	3	0.25
M8	224	2.56	A721	6	0.13
M74	107	2.04	A847	3	0.13
A89	87	1.47	B9022	3	0.12
A803	75	1.35	A904	3	0.10
A814	89	1.34	M8	8	0.09
A71	144	1.30	A947	5	0.08
A81	70	1.22	A96	4	0.06
A78	72	1.05	A91	5	0.06
A1	93	1.04	A92	6	0.06
A90	252	1.04	A98	4	0.05
A7	136	1.03	A8	3	0.04
A68	83	0.84	A90	9	0.04
A92	108	0.73	A82	10	0.04
A82	181	0.67	A71	4	0.04
A77	98	0.65	A9	15	0.03
A70	79	0.65	A75	5	0.03
A85	96	0.63	A85	4	0.03
A96	105	0.63	A1	2	0.02
A9	183	0.42	A68	2	0.02

2009

Injury Road Accidents			Fatalities
Road	Number of Injury Road Accidents	per km of road	Road	Number of Road Accident Fatalities	per km of road
A8	204	2.58	B9080	3	0.23
M8	185	2.11	A977	3	0.11
M74	87	1.66	M74	5	0.10
A726	74	1.52	A199	3	0.07
A89	83	1.40	M8	5	0.06
A814	90	1.36	A76	4	0.04
A90	262	1.08	A835	4	0.04
A71	108	0.97	A90	9	0.04
A77	130	0.86	A75	5	0.03
A1	76	0.85	A95	3	0.03
A7	110	0.83	A78	2	0.03
A82	198	0.73	A77	4	0.03
A92	107	0.72	A70	3	0.02
A96	106	0.63	A96	4	0.02
A68	61	0.62	A7	3	0.02
A70	68	0.56	A82	6	0.02
A85	84	0.55	A68	2	0.02
A702	73	0.55	A93	3	0.02
A93	86	0.49	A9	7	0.02
A9	207	0.47	A702	2	0.02

Question reference: S3W-40344

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 17 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has taken on the potential undergrounding of the Beauly Denny power line since the Beauly Denny public inquiry closed.

The Scottish Government has requested that both SSE Power Distribution and Scottish Power Transmission Ltd examine options for undergrounding the Beauly Denny upgrade in their respective areas as part of the process of developing proposals for visual mitigation schemes. The Scottish Government have taken advice on the options for these schemes from Stirling Council, Scottish Natural Heritage, internal planning colleagues, and local parties and landowners, as well as maintaining an interest in developments elsewhere in Europe, and the publication of reports on undergrounding such as the recent ENTSO-E report published in December 2010. Scottish ministers recently requested that further dialogue take place between Stirling Council and Scottish Power Transmission Ltd to examine all the options, including partial undergrounding of the main Beauly Denny line, to inform proposals for the Stirling Visual Impact Mitigation Scheme.

Question reference: S3W-40347

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 17 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline the planned investment to improve Perth train station.

ScotRail is currently finalising designs for the refurbishment of public toilets at Perth Station, which is expected to take place this summer. The refurbishment will be funded through the Station Investment Fund.

Network Rail is also developing plans to install three new lifts and a footbridge to provide step free access to all platforms at the station. The work will be funded through the Department for Transport''s Access for All Fund, and is expected to commence in late 2012.

This is in addition to the £350,000 invested to renew the Customer Information System (CSI), as well as installing CCTV and expanding the station car park.

Question reference: S3W-40339

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 17 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-27817 by Stewart Stevenson on 28 October 2009, how many petrol stations there have been in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

The following table shows the number of petrol stations in operation in Scotland between 1999 and 2010. The data is taken from a Scottish extract of the Inter Departmental Business Register (IDBR) which is maintained by the Office for National Statistics.

Number of Business Sites^1,2of Registered Enterprises in SIC Code 50.5: Retail Sale of Automotive Fuel by Local Authority Area³ for 1999 to 2010⁴

Local Authority	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Aberdeen City	40	40	30	25	25	20	20	20	15	20	20	15
Aberdeenshire	55	50	50	45	45	40	40	40	40	30	35	35
Angus	15	15	20	15	15	15	15	10	10	5	5	5
Argyll and Bute	35	35	35	35	40	35	35	35	35	30	30	30
Clackmannanshire	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	0	0	0	0	0
Dumfries and Galloway	50	50	40	40	40	35	35	30	30	30	30	30
Dundee City	25	15	15	15	15	10	10	10	5	5	5	5
East Ayrshire	25	25	20	20	20	20	20	15	20	20	20	15
East Dunbartonshire	20	20	15	20	15	15	10	15	10	10	5	10
East Lothian	15	15	10	10	10	10	10	10	5	10	10	5
East Renfrewshire	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	5	5	5	5
Edinburgh, City of	35	30	45	40	45	45	35	30	20	20	25	20
Eilean Siar	10	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	10	10	10
Falkirk	25	20	20	20	20	15	20	15	15	15	15	15
Fife	65	65	55	40	40	30	30	35	30	20	15	20
Glasgow City	60	60	60	50	55	50	50	40	40	35	30	20
Highland	70	65	65	65	60	55	60	60	60	60	50	50
Inverclyde	5	5	0	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5
Midlothian	5	10	10	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	0	0
Moray	25	25	25	25	25	30	25	20	20	20	20	20
North Ayrshire	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	15
North Lanarkshire	45	45	35	40	35	30	30	35	35	25	25	25
Orkney Islands	10	5	10	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5
Perth and Kinross	40	40	40	35	35	35	30	30	25	20	15	15
Renfrewshire	25	25	30	25	30	25	25	20	15	15	10	5
Scottish Borders	15	15	20	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15
Shetland Islands	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5
South Ayrshire	20	15	15	15	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	5
South Lanarkshire	50	45	40	35	40	40	40	40	30	25	25	20
Stirling	10	10	15	10	10	15	15	10	10	5	5	5
West Dunbartonshire	10	10	10	10	15	10	10	10	10	5	10	5
West Lothian	25	25	30	25	25	20	20	20	15	10	15	15
Total	880	835	810	750	745	700	680	645	575	510	490	450

Notes:

Totals may not equal the sum of the constituent parts due to rounding.

Due to rounding to the nearest five, a local business site count of 0 could represent 1 or 2 business sites.

1. Excludes central and local government.

2. It is likely that the SIC code 50.5: Retail Sale of Automotive Fuel will not capture petrol stations that are attached to large supermarkets. The activities of these petrol stations may come under the retail SIC code of the supermarket. The SIC code of a business site is determined by its main activity.

3. Includes June 2002 local authority boundary changes between the City of Edinburgh and West Lothian and Glasgow City and Renfrewshire.

4. For 1999 to 2004 the extract used from the IDBR was taken in November. For 2005 to 2010 the extract used from the IDBR was taken in March.

Question reference: S3W-40338

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 17 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many postbus services have been withdrawn in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the withdrawal of individual bus services. The Traffic Commissioner for the Scottish Traffic Area is the licensing authority for the bus and coach industry in Scotland and applies the regulatory regime. Operators are legally required to register their local services with the Commissioner and to run these services to the registered timetable. Operators must also notify the Traffic Commissioner of their intention to withdraw services. The Traffic Commissioner can be contacted at Office of the Traffic Commissioner, The Stamp Office, 10 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3EG.

Question reference: S3W-40335

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 17 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) accidents and (b) fatal accidents took place on the A9’s single carriageway sections in each of the last five years.

The following table shows the number of reported personal injury accidents on the single carriageway sections of the A9 in each of the last five full years for which data is available.

	Fatal	All
2005	4	94
2006	10	118
2007	7	107
2008	7	101
2009	5	109

Transport Scotland collates information on reported personal injury accidents on trunk roads in Scotland and this database is updated periodically, as data provided by the Police is checked and verified. The year-end figures for 2010 have yet to be finally verified.

Question reference: S3W-40342

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of (a) children and (b) adults in Tayside has access to an NHS dentist at the latest date for which information is available.

Question reference: S3W-40343

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has taken on the potential health hazards of a 400kV electricity transmission line being routed near households and communities since the Beauly Denny public inquiry closed.

In responding to the SAGE report and following a direct request from the Scottish Government Health Directorate, our principal advisers on the health effects of radiation, the UK Health Protection Agency (HPA) has agreed to keep under review the possible relationship between childhood leukaemia, other causes of ill-health and exposure to elevated levels of extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields in the home and/or through proximity to powerlines, and to advise the UK Government and devolved administrations accordingly.

Since the Beauly Denny public inquiry closed, no new advice has been forthcoming from the HPA that would affect the stance of the Scottish Government on this issue.

Question reference: S3W-40341

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 15 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is regarding the quality of broadband coverage of the eastern Perthshire area.

Our digital strategy, Scotland''s Digital Future: A Strategy for Scotland, published on 3 March 2011, outlines our ambition for availability of next generation broadband throughout the whole of Scotland, including eastern Perthshire, by 2020 with significant progress being made by 2015.

To achieve this, we are already working with local authorities, enterprise agencies, industry and others to collectively develop a strategic Scotland-wide broadband plan. I jointly hosted a Rural Broadband Summit on 9 March 2011 with the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment to progress this issue, and Perth and Kinross Council were represented at the meeting.

Question reference: S3W-40340

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 15 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is regarding the quality of broadband coverage of the highland Perthshire area.

Our digital strategy, Scotland''s Digital Future: A Strategy for Scotland, published on 3 March 2011, outlines our ambition for availability of next generation broadband throughout the whole of Scotland, including highland Perthshire, by 2020 with significant progress being made by 2015.

To achieve this, we are already working with local authorities, enterprise agencies, industry and others to collectively develop a strategic Scotland-wide broadband plan. I jointly hosted a Rural Broadband Summit on 9 March 2011 with the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment to progress this issue, and Perth and Kinross Council were represented at the meeting.

Chamber and committees