Chamber and committees

During the resurfacing works, traffic flow will be restricted to one lane in each direction on the Kessock Bridge. Traffic modelling exercises have been carried out to assess the impact of the works on both the trunk road and local roads network. Workshops have also been held with the Highland Council to review the impact on the local roads network. Traffic will not be signed to follow the old A9 (A862), however some traffic is expected to divert along this route.

The Scottish Government is committed to pursuing greater efficiency, effectiveness and speed of delivery of public services. The extent to which developments in technology can enable service transformation is dependent upon specific business requirements. Technology will be used where appropriate to support delivery of our Purpose and National Outcomes.

The Scottish Government is presently conducting research into the as is position of the public sector ICT infrastructure and this will inform the development of proposals for policy and delivery.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-27879 on 26 October 2009. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The Public Procurement Reform Programme has introduced a range of measures to improve procurement practices in local authorities and the public sector as a whole. For example, the national and sectoral centres of expertise established under the programme are able to pursue collaborative contracting opportunities and promote best practice to help maximise value for money in ICT procurement.

The Scottish Government has kept the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) informed of progress in developing minimum pricing for alcohol in Scotland. OFT has provided guidance on completing competition assessments to assist us develop the documents that will be published alongside the Alcohol Bill.

The report is now expected to be published at the end of December 2009. This is due to the need for more detailed traffic impact assessments to be carried out in relation to committed development proposals in this area.

Following successful completion of the Scottish Government''s Broadband Reach Project in May 2009, the Scottish Government has already extended basic broadband connectivity (defined as 512Kbps) to the Isle of Eigg. This is in line with the Scottish Government''s commitment to provision of basic broadband to known demand. The project is currently providing a broadband service to over 2,100 premises previously unable to receive a broadband service due to distance from the exchange, including 37 properties on Eigg.

The European Commission''s guidelines substantially restrict start-up aid to airlines in a number of ways, including the following:

Aid can only be given to EU registered carriers operating on intra-EU routes. No intercontinental services can be supported;

For routes from airports with between five and 10 million passengers per annum (including Glasgow International and Edinburgh Airports), aid would only be considered in duly substantiated cases, in particular where an airport is located in a disadvantaged region;

Destination airports would have to have under five million passengers per annum, and

Support may not exceed an average of 30% of eligible costs over the period supported. Aid is restricted to allowable non-recurring start-up costs and cannot cover aeronautical charges.

None, and there is no reason why NHS boards would be consulted.