Chamber and committees

Improving the Road Network (£ Million)

Improving the Road Network (£ Million)

Note: * Construction on the M74 commenced in 2008-09 (due for completion 2011-12).

The amount spent on improving public transport networks since 1997 is shown in the following table:

Improving Public Transport Networks (£ Million)

Improving Public Transport Networks (£ Million)

Note: *Responsibility for Rail was devolved to the Scottish Government in 2006.

The number of journeys undertaken by each method is shown in the following table:

Journeys via each method of Transport (000)

Journeys via each method of Transport (000)

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/12/22091243/154.

2. The following tables provide figures on capital spending on improving the cycle network from 1999-2000 to 2010-11 in both (a) cash and (b) real terms (Table 1) and how many bicycle journeys (measured in millions of kilometres) have been undertaken in each year since 1997 (Table 2).

Table 1. Capital Spending on Improving the Cycle Network from 1999-2000 to 2010-11

Notes:

# = Real terms figures calculated using UK GDP deflator (Source HM Treasury)

* = 2010-11 figure is an estimate based on June 2010 UK Budget forecast.

The total funding in the table above includes allocations to:

Local authorities for Cycling Walking and Safer Streets for 1999-2000. Between 1999-2000 and 2007-08 an average of 20% was spent on cycling projects from this grant. In 2008-09 this percentage increased to 36%;

Sustrans to extend and maintain the National Cycle Network from 2001-02;

Transport Scotland, for the Trunk Road Cycling Initiative from 2006, and

Smarter Choices Smarter Places Programme funding for cycling interventions from 2008-09.

Table 2. Bicycle Traffic Estimates “ Scotland, 1998 - 2008 (Million Vehicle kms)*

*Source: Department for Transport (published in Scottish Transport Statistics No 28. 2009 edition).

For journeys on official business undertaken by bicycle the rate payable is £0.20 per mile. The travel and subsistence system only holds expenses data since 2005. Details of amounts paid in bicycle allowance for staff employed by different public bodies since 2005 are as follows:

Information about the rates paid by other publicly funded bodies is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government has approved an expenditure of £60,000 for the initiative.

The invitation to tender will specify the range and geographical spread of the participants but it will be up to the contractor to suggest how these participants will be identified and engaged.

The specific aim of this debate will be:

to identify options to provide greater protection for young drivers, involving youth groups, the police and advanced driving experts in the process.

Money already allocated from the 2010-11 budget is as follows:

Young Driver''s Debate - £60,000

NHS Injury Data Collection Pilot - £7,000

Seatbelt campaign promotional materials - £6,670

Young people safety pilot - £32,500.

Cash Terms

Total of £60 Conditional Offer Fines Paid by Drivers Speeding or Failing to Obey a Red Traffic Signal by Cameras

*Provisional unaudited figures.

Real Terms

Total of £60 Conditional Offer Fines Paid by Drivers Speeding or Failing to Obey a Red Traffic Signal by Cameras

*Provisional unaudited figures.

Notes:

1. 2000-02 Strathclyde Safety Camera Partnership Pilot “ Glasgow area only

2. 2002-03 Fife and North East Safety Camera Partnerships established. Strathclyde SCP expands to cover 4 local authority areas.

3. 2003-04 Dumfries and Galloway and Lothian and Borders Safety Camera Partnerships established. Strathclyde expands to cover all 12 local authority areas.

4. 2004-05 Northern Safety Camera Partnership established

5. 2006-07 Central Scotland Safety Camera Partnership established

6. *Denotes provisional figures.

The information requested on electricity generation from wind farms is not held centrally in the format requested. Scottish renewable electricity statistics for wind and wave power from 2000 onwards are collated by the UK Government Department of Energy and Climate Change and detailed in the following table. These statistics are also available from the Scottish Government website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk.

Wind and Wave Generated Electricity as a Percentage of Total Generation

Total generation is the amount of electricity generated in Scotland by the major power producers and other generators. It includes generation from nuclear fuel, coal, oil, gas, hydro and other renewables (for example, landfill gas and wind power). Wind and wave statistics cannot be published in a disaggregated form because to do so could disclose data that relate to individual companies.

The Scottish Government''s Travel and Subsistence rules state that staff incurring car parking fines for illegal parking whilst on official business will not be reimbursed from official funds. As such the electronic Travel and Subsistence claim form that is utilised to submit and process claims does not include a separate code for claiming this expense.

Exceptionally, in cases where a car parking fine is issued as a result of a member of staff being unavoidably detained on official business for reasons beyond their control consideration may be given to reimbursing the cost of the fine, which could be claimed through a miscellaneous cost code or against parking costs. Counter signing officers would need to be prepared to defend this decision to internal auditors. In addition, the Travel and Subsistence team carries out regular audit checks of claims submitted and these checks have not disclosed any such payments.

However, the number of claims actually settled, if any, could only be obtained by printing off and manually examining each individual claim form and associated receipts.