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-07650

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 4 January 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what costs were involved in the establishment and launch of Scottish Water Business Stream.

Question reference: S3W-07652

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 4 January 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how much financial profit Scottish Water Business Stream is projected to make in each financial year to 2010-11.

Question reference: S3W-07648

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 4 January 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive which department is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the work of Scottish Water Business Stream.

Question reference: S3W-07647

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 4 January 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation took place with business water users before the establishment of Scottish Water Business Stream.

Question reference: S3W-07938

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 December 2007
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 18 December 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish a report on the first three years’ progress in implementation of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy for the purposes of section 2(7)(a) of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004.

I am today publishingScotland’s Biodiversity: It’s In Your Hands - A ProgressReport 2005-07 which outlinesprogress on implementation of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy over the last threeyears. Copies are available on the Scottish Government website.

This is the firstprogress report on implementation of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy since thestrategy was published in 2004.

It records activityon biodiversity conservation carried out by government, non-government and otherorganisations working in partnership. It addresses the Strategy objectives for Speciesand Habitats, People, Landscapes and Ecosystems, Integration and Co-ordination andKnowledge.

The report outlinesactivities which the Scottish Government and other public bodies have undertakento implement the Biodiversity Duty, which was imposed by the Nature Conservation(Scotland) Act 2004, which requires all public bodies in Scotland to “further theconservation of biodiversity” in carrying out their functions.

The publication of the progress report on implementation of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy satisfiesthe requirements of section 2(7)(a) of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act to publish such a report by the end of 2007.

Question reference: S3W-07505

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 December 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 17 December 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what the recommended design maximum is for (a) daily and (b) hourly peak traffic flows for dual (i) two-lane and (ii) three-lane motorways.

There are no recommendeddesign maxima for traffic flows for any category of road in either daily or hourlyterms. The Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) Volume 5, Advice Note TA 46/97“Traffic Flow Ranges for Use in the Assessment of New Rural Roads”,sets out opening year flow ranges for use only as starting points in the designand economic assessment of new rural road links. These are as follows:

Carriageway Standard	Opening Year AADT
Carriageway Standard	Minimum	Maximum
Dual 2 Lane Motorway	Up to 41,000
Dual 3 Lane Motorway	25,000	67,000

Note: AADT is Annual Average Daily Traffic in vehiclesper day.

These flows do not represent maximum throughputs whichdepend on vehicle type mix, driver behaviour, junction spacing, maintenance considerations,etc.

No hourly peak trafficflow ranges are given in the DMRB.

Question reference: S3W-07504

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 December 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 13 December 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on motorway and trunk road construction in each of the last eight years.

Question reference: S3W-07506

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 December 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 13 December 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what aspirations it has for future traffic levels.

The recently publishedScottish budget set out our national performance framework. Fifteen national outcomessupport our plans to deliver a wealthier and fairer, smarter, healthier, safer andstronger and greener Scotland.

Working in partnershipwith local authorities, progress on these outcomes will be measured by nationaltargets and indicators including our commitments to “reduce the number of driverjourneys delayed due to traffic congestion” and to “increase the proportion of journeysto work made by public or active travel”.

Question reference: S3W-07640

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2007
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 13 December 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) local authority, (b) NHS board and (b) government agency PFI/PPP contracts have increased in scope or complexity from the original proposals since 1999.

The information requestedis not held centrally for local authorities and NHS boards.

Of the threeGovernment PPP contracts (M6 DBFO, M77/GSO, HM Prison Kilmarnock) none haveincreased in scope or complexity to such an extent that there has been a major changefrom the original proposals.

As PPP contractsare for the long term, they contain provisions which allow for variations to bemade to the contract and this is carried out in accordance with prescribedchange procedures.

Question reference: S3W-07639

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2007
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 13 December 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scottish companies that have entered into PFI/PPP contracts with (a) local authorities, (b) NHS boards and (c) government agencies have subsequently been acquired by companies based outside Scotland since 1999.