- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings and correspondence it has had with Aberdeenshire Council to discuss its plans to renew its schools estate.
Answer
I discussed school estate issues when I met with Aberdeenshire Council on 17 August 2007. There have also been subsequent letters from Councillor Richard Stroud, Chair of the Council''s Education, Leisure and Learning Committee and from Councillors Jean Dick and Ian Gray.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will decide whether Aberdeenshire Council’s plans to renew its schools estate will be appropriate for funding through the Scottish Futures Trust.
Answer
The government''s proposals for a Scottish Futures Trust are at the consultation stage. It is and will continue to be for Aberdeenshire Council to consider the appropriateness of all funding options for capital investment.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how much bus travel is worth to the economy of the north east.
Answer
Bus services provide the sustainable mass public transport necessary to support economic growth. Bus is an important enabler for Scotland''s economy by carrying people daily to and from their place of employment (currently 12% of the Scottish workforce use the bus to travel to work) and by providing access to retail, leisure and sports facilities.
Information on the value of bus travel to the economy of the north east is not available. However, statistics on bus use in the north east are contained in Bus and Coach Statistics: 2005-2006. It is available on line at www.scotland.gov.uk/transtat/latest.
These show that around 30% of adults in the north east use buses at least once per week.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of MRSA were recorded in NHS Grampian in (a) 2002, (b) 2003, (c) 2004, (d) 2005, (e) 2006 and (f) 2007.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-9073 on 25 February 2008. 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/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 25 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are for regenerating the rail network north of Aberdeen.
Answer
Our High Level Output Specification (HLOS), published in July 2007, sets out the improvements we expect to make to the rail network. Tier 3 of the HLOS includes improvements to the Highland Main Line to reduce journey times between Inverness and Edinburgh/Glasgow. It also highlights that we expect to move towards an hourly service between Aberdeen to Inverness. The longer term needs of the transport corridor between Aberdeen to Inverness are being considered through the Strategic Transport Projects Review.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 21 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for increasing the number of apprenticeships available for young people who leave school early in the north east.
Answer
The Scottish Government has committed to the provision of at least 50,000 appropriate training opportunities over the next three years. This will include an increase in the total number of modern apprenticeships.
From April this year, the allocation of funding for the modern apprenticeships programme by geographical area will be an operational matter for Skills Development Scotland. It will be for Skills Development Scotland, who will assume responsibility for all our national training programmes, to determine all the delivery arrangements from next financial year.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 21 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to tackle commuter congestion on peak time trains in the north east and across Scotland.
Answer
In addition to improving journey times, through infrastructure enhancements and timetable changes, we are investing in new services and we are enhancing rolling stock to provide increased capacity for passengers.
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-9161 on 21 February 2008. A rolling stock programme identifying and responding to rolling stock needs to deliver Transport Scotland''s priorities for rail is being developed.
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/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 21 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase spending on tackling organised crime in the north east.
Answer
We have established the serious organised crime taskforce to provide political support and momentum across Scotland to enforcement efforts to tackle the global problem of serious organised crime. However, operational decisions about tackling specific crimes, including the allocation of resources, are for chief constables and other law enforcement agencies. Scottish ministers will continue to support the police with record levels of funding and through the delivery of an additional 1,000 officers to strengthen operational policing in our communities.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 21 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to provide extra carriages for peak time train travel across Scotland.
Answer
A rolling stock programme identifying and responding to rolling stock needs to deliver Transport Scotland''s priorities for rail is being developed.
- Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 21 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many pensioners held free bus passes in (a) Aberdeen, (b) Aberdeenshire and (c) Angus in (i) 2002, (ii) 2003, (iii) 2004, (iv) 2005, (v) 2006 and (vi) 2007.
Answer
Transport Scotland do not hold any information prior to April 2006 and we cannot guarantee the accuracy of any figures prior to that date. Information obtained from local authorities, who administered local concessionary travel schemes is as follows. The following table represents those people who qualified and received a card to access free bus travel.
| | Aberdeen City | Aberdeenshire | Angus |
| 2002 | No figures available | No figures available | No figures available |
| 2003 | No figures available | 21,825 | No figures available |
| 2004 | No figures available | 25,964 | No figures available |
| 2005 | No figures available | 29,281 | No figures available |
| 2006 | No figures available | 29,377 | 24,178 |
| 2007 as at 31 March 2007 | 33,322 | 35,175 | 20,718 |
