- Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 May 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 9 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) cars and (b) lorries used the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry link in each of the last three years.
Answer
This is a matter for Forth Ports. The information requested is not held centrally. However, Department for Transport do publish maritime statistics which include unitised traffic and accompanied passenger vehicles. This information is on their website at:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/.
- Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 May 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 9 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans are in place to support holiday makers who will no longer be able to use the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry link.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-13695 on 9 June 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: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 5 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact of rising fuel prices on local authorities.
Answer
Information on expenditure by local authorities on fuel is not held centrally. Under the arrangements set out in the concordat, the Scottish Government is in regular contact with COSLA on a range of issues affecting local authorities.
- Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 27 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding is available to its Sustainable Transport Unit in each year of the spending review period, broken down by funding stream, and showing what proportion will be spent on (a) cycling and (b) walking, broken down by project.
Answer
As published in the budget document, the Sustainable and Active Travel budget line of £11 million per year over the course of the spending review will be administered by the Sustainable Transport Team. Currently 60% of the total budget available will be spent on cycling projects in 2008-09, as follows:
| Sustrans | £3.5 million for capital projects including NCN, national routes, short links and tackling the school run projects. £1.515 million for resource projects including training events and resources for School travel Coordinators and professionals; roll out of the Travelsmart and get Active Getting There projects. |
| Cycling Scotland | £1.540 million resource and project funding to provide advice and guidance to local authorities in the design of cycling infrastructure; increase capacity to deliver cycle training in schools through training of trainers; to promote cycling through promotional activities such as Pedal for Scotland and Tackling the School Run. |
| The Bike Station | £86,000 over 3 years to run the Build Your Own Bike course for young people from deprived communities who are not in full time education and are at risk of offending. |
Within the Active Travel budget, up to £15 million will be available to local authorities over the spending review period for the Smarter Choices Smarter Places project. Participating local authorities will use this funding to implement intense activity on sustainable travel and related physical activity interventions, including walking and cycling.
The Physical Activity strategy will invest a further £12 million over the next three years for physical activity initiatives in schools, workplaces, homes and across communities. This includes funding of £200,000 to Living Streets and £1 million per year to the Paths for All Partnership which will help to promote walking initiatives.
- Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 27 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive which organisations and bodies funded in whole or in part by it have received one year funding allocations for 2008-09 only.
Answer
The Scottish Government provides financial support to many organisations and bodies and funding arrangements are discussed and agreed with each of them. This includes support for a number of third sector organisations, where some funding is competitive in nature and, therefore, the number and identity of the organisations cannot be identified at this stage. Information is not held centrally about the precise agreements made in each case.
- Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 27 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the success of the school travel co-ordinator scheme.
Answer
There has been no formal assessment made of the school travel co-ordinator grant scheme. Since 2003, the Scottish Government has provided ring-fenced funding to local authorities for school travel co-ordinator posts. This funding has now been rolled up into the block grant as part of the concordat agreement with COSLA and it is up to local authorities to prioritise local needs.
In 2008, over 61% of Scottish schools are working on or implementing a travel plan to encourage more children to walk and cycle to school and to reduce the numbers of vehicles on the road during the school run periods. In East Dunbartonshire every primary school has implemented a travel plan and in Inverclyde 100% of its schools, primary and secondary, are working on a travel plan. This is evidence of the success of the school travel coordinators'' work.
- Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 27 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding was allocated to Cycling Scotland in each of the last three years.
Answer
Cycling Scotland has been allocated funding in each of the last three years as follows:
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
| £350,000 | £1,550,000 | £962,000 |
In 2006-07 Cycling Scotland was awarded project funding for the first time. Funding of £1.150 million was used to provide cycle training resources for every primary school in Scotland.
- Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 27 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will maintain capital funding for Sustrans beyond 2008-09.
Answer
I do expect that Sustrans shall receive some capital funding beyond 2008-09. As I have previously stated in the answer to question S3W-11802 on 30 April 2008, further years'' allocations will be based on the outcomes of this year''s projects.
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: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 27 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations it held on the proposal to disband the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland with (a) the committee itself and (b) other disability groups.
Answer
A wide-ranging consultation seeking views from organisations representing disability and mobility interests about incorporating the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland (MACS) into the Public Transport Users'' Committee for Scotland (PTUC) was carried out during the passage of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005 between December 2005 and March 2006.
We recently consulted MACS and over 70 other key stakeholders and organisations seeking their views on the practical implications of the amalgamation.
- Asked by: Alison McInnes, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 27 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether a disability impact assessment was carried out on the proposal to disband the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland and whether any such assessment is publicly available.
Answer
The decision to move to full incorporation of MACS and the PTUC was taken following a wide-ranging consultation carried out between December 2005 and March 2006. The requirement to undertake an equality impact assessment in relation to disability came into effect in December 2006.
An equality impact assessment is currently being undertaken. This is examining the effect of the amalgamation of the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland (MACS) with the Public Transport Users'' Committee for Scotland (PTUC), taking on board evidence from stakeholders as gathered in the recent consultation. This will be published once it has been completed.
