Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S3W-06441

Asked by: Derek Brownlee, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 21 November 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the costs of £29 million, £30 million and £60 million for 2008-09 to 2010-11 outlined on page 19 of Scottish Budget: Spending Review 2007 relate to the abolition of the graduate endowment fee.

Question reference: S3W-05077

Asked by: Derek Brownlee, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 October 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 20 November 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what its latest estimates are of the (a) cost and (b) date of completion of the (i) Stirling/Alloa/Kincardine rail line, (ii) Borders rail line, (iii) Airdrie to Bathgate rail line, (iv) Glasgow Airport rail link, (v) M74 completion, (vi) upgrade of the M80 Stepps to Haggs, (vii) M8 Baillieston to Newhouse project and (viii) A90 Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

Latest estimates forthe following projects:

(i) Stirling/Alloa/KincardineRail Line

The cost for the construction of the Stirling – Alloa – Kincardine project is currently estimated tobe up to £85 million and the project remains on target to commission in March 2008with operational services forecast to commence in May 2008.

(ii) Borders RailLine

Transport Scotland is continuing a due-diligence review of the Borders railwayas it prepares to take on the role of Authorised Undertaker for the railway, a rolethat it is assuming at the behest of the previous Administration. Therefore, untilthis exercise is complete, it is not prudent to speculate what the final cost anddate of completion of the project is likely to be.

(iii) Airdrie to BathgateRail Line

The estimated costof the Airdrie to Bathgate rail line is an outturn of up to £375 million, with adelivery date of December 2010.

(iv) Glasgow Airport Rail Link

As announced in Parliament on 27 June 2007, StrathclydePartnership for Transport (SPT) and Network Rail (NR) are working together to combinethe Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL) with NR’s Paisley Corridor Renewal (PCR) project,with the consequence that GARL services would be introduced around a year laterthan previously advised.

Transport Scotland, SPT and NR have, over the Parliament’ssummer recess, worked to develop the detailed schedule, cost and risk models forthe integrated projects and we will provide the Parliament with an update as soonas is possible.

The integration of these two projects will minimise thedisruption on what is one of Scotland’s busiest rail corridors.

(v) M74 Completion

The current cost estimateis £375 million to £500 million. The project is currently being tendered and thefinal cost and delivery date will not be known until this process is concluded.

(vi) Upgrade of theM80 Stepps to Haggs

The current cost estimateis in the range £130 million - £150 million. The project is currently being tenderedand the final cost will not be known until this process is concluded. We anticipateconstruction completion 2010-11

(vii) M8 Bailliestonto Newhouse Project

The current cost estimateis in the range £170 million - £210 million, based on the risks as currently identified,but we will continue to monitor both in light of prevailing tender prices for roadscontracts. We anticipate construction completion 2012-13.

(viii) A90 AberdeenWestern Peripheral Route

The current cost estimateis in the range £295 million - £395 million, based on the risks as currently identified,but we will continue to monitor both in light of prevailing tender prices for roadscontracts. We anticipate construction completion by the end of 2012.

Question reference: S3W-05478

Asked by: Derek Brownlee, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 October 2007
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 12 November 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has utilised the dispute resolution procedure outlined in the concordat between HM Treasury and the Executive.

Question reference: S3W-05477

Asked by: Derek Brownlee, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 October 2007
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 12 November 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive on what dates since 1999 formal liaison meetings have taken place between officials of the Executive and HM Treasury.

Question reference: S3W-05845

Asked by: Derek Brownlee, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 October 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 12 November 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5075 by Stewart Stevenson on 25 October 2007, which of the factors that contributed to the increase in subsidy provided to CalMac Ferries Ltd were included in the increase in the Ferry Services for Scotland budget outlined in the 2006-07 spring budget revision.

None of the factorsthat are listed in the answer to question S3W-5075, on 25 October 2007, were included in the increase in the Ferry Servicesfor Scotland budget outlined in the 2006-07 spring budgetrevision.

The increases in subsidythat are detailed in that answer all relate to the 2007-08 financial year, sincethey arise from the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services contract that took effectfrom 1 October 2007.

Question reference: S3W-05874

Asked by: Derek Brownlee, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 October 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 12 November 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what the reduction in the number of homeless (a) families and (b) individuals is projected to be in each of the next five years if the proposal to end the right to buy for new-build social housing is implemented, broken down by local authority area.

The Scottish Governmenthas proposed to end the right to buy for new-build properties except, for example,for those tenants who are forced to move permanently as a result of demolition orrefurbishment. The proposed changes would help local authorities and housing associations to meet housing needarising in their areas by enabling them to retain newly-built homes for rent andwould provide an added incentive for them to undertake new build programmes.

Those housed in thenew properties retained in future by landlords may include homeless families andindividuals, as well as others who require housing in the social rented sector,but it is inappropriate to link directly the government’s proposals on theright to buy to reducing levels of homelessness.

Future homelessnesslevels will depend on a variety of factors including the effectiveness of localprevention strategies. The Scottish Government remains committed to preventing homelessnessand to the abolition of the priority need distinction in homelessness legislationby 2012.

Question reference: S3W-05843

Asked by: Derek Brownlee, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 8 November 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what items of expenditure were incurred under the heading of “Transfer from Air Services to Calmac for restructuring costs” in Schedule 3.10 of the 2006-07 spring budget revision.

Question reference: S3W-05476

Asked by: Derek Brownlee, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 October 2007
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 November 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Executive has requested a review of the concordat between HM Treasury and the Executive, and if so, on what date.

Question reference: S3W-05881

Asked by: Derek Brownlee, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 October 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 7 November 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5226 by Stewart Maxwell on 29 October 2007, how many applications for a rural home ownership grant were received in each local authority area in each of the three years listed.

I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is asfollows:

The total number ofapplications for rural home ownership grants over the three year period was 329.This is broken down by local authority area and financial year in the followingtable.

RHOG Applications

Unitary Authority	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
Aberdeenshire	2	1	1
Argyll and Bute	10	9	15
Highland	45	33	33
North Ayrshire	1	0	0
Moray	0	0	0
Orkney	39	36	43
Perth and Kinross	25	3	1
Shetland	4	4	3
The Scottish Borders	6	5	2
Western Islands	3	2	3
Scotland Total	135	93	101

Question reference: S3W-05479

Asked by: Derek Brownlee, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 October 2007
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 6 November 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive when the next edition of Government Expenditure and Revenues in Scotland will be published.