Chamber and committees

Transport Scotland meets regularly with Scotland Transerv to review the timetable for the completion of the works and is currently looking for opportunities to accelerate the programme for completion.

The Scottish Government recognises that road infrastructure in Scotland is hugely important in promoting sustainable economic growth. Since 2007, over £8.2 billion has been invested in our Motorways and Trunk Road Network and we are currently committed to the largest road investment programme that Scotland has ever seen.

We also recognise that in order to support this investment in new infrastructure, a considerable part of Transport Scotland's budget must continue to be directed to maintain and safely operate the existing network, despite cuts to the Scottish Government Capital budget by the UK Government. In 2015-16, we allocated £275 million for the maintenance of motorways and trunk roads and strengthened or resurfaced 378 lane-km of trunk road carriageways.

While the responsibility for local road repairs lies with local authorities, we are committed to working with local government through the Road Collaboration Programme to improve the condition of roads throughout Scotland.

Furthermore, Transport Scotland has commissioned a study to estimate the contribution of the motorway and trunk road network to the society and economy. This study will seek to quantify the social and economic cost and benefits of roads maintenance spending in Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-02824 on 27 September 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Investing in rail is a key priority of the Scottish Government, with over £7 billion committed since 2007 to support Network Rail’s operation, maintenance, renewal and enhancement of the rail infrastructure, and to deliver the economic and social benefits of the ScotRail franchise contract across the full network. This core investment is not disaggregated to individual route levels.

With respect to improvements between Kilmarnock and Dumfries, additional capacity has been provided as patronage levels have grown with longer trains operating at peak periods, and station facilities have been enhanced along the route. Further improvements for passengers are also planned from 2017, with the introduction of refurbished rolling stock and additional weekday and weekend services.

The Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 places statutory responsibility for local roads, including structures, improvements, maintenance and repair with local roads authorities. The Scottish Government has allocated over £10.3 billion to local government in 2016-17 and it is for individual councils to allocated funding based on local needs and priorities, including funding for road repairs.

In August 2016, Audit Scotland reported a significant variation in road condition among councils. For example, in 2014-15, the proportion of local roads in acceptable condition ranged from 44% in Argyll and Bute Council to 79% in Orkney Islands Council.

From a national perspective the Scottish Government continues to co-fund the Roads Collaboration Programme and uses that forum to actively engage with councils to explore opportunities for the sharing of services for road maintenance activities.

The area of land adjacent to the M74 between Moffat and Gretna which the Scottish Government owns is approximately 3.01 million square metres, that includes any area of land which, if found to be surplus to Scottish Government requirements, will be subject to disposal in accordance with appropriate procedures.

Transport Scotland has two main office locations, one in Glasgow and one in Edinburgh, with additional staff on site at the Forth Replacement Crossing, Fife. Both the main Glasgow and Edinburgh locations are where the bulk of Transport Scotland staff are permanently based. Transport Scotland staff travel across Scotland to fulfil their duties in the planning and delivery of infrastructure projects, engaging with communities as well as providing oversight to the performance and operation of service contracts including those for rail and ferries services.

The following table details the staff numbers by year and local authority area.

The Scottish Government continues to invest in the maintenance of the A76 trunk road. Investment over financial years 2014-15 and 2015-16 has totalled £5.76 million. This includes continued expenditure on landslip/embankment stability works which include ground investigation, geotechnical design and construction works. So far (from winter 2014) the Scottish Government has committed approximately £456,000 towards the delivery of improvement works to resolve these.

The Scottish Government is continuing to co-fund the Road Collaboration Programme. The Programme was established in December 2013 to explore opportunities for road authorities to share services and is overseen by a Board comprising Transport Scotland, members of the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland (SCOTS), SOLACE, COSLA and the Improvement Service. The Programme's aims include encouraging and supporting authorities to share best practice, innovation and expertise.

Furthermore, the Scottish Road Research board meet quarterly to commission and co-ordinate research projects.

to deliver improvements in safety, construction, operation and maintenance to both the trunk and local road network. The Board's objectives include promoting and delivering innovation, sharing new products, techniques and knowledge across Scotland’s road sector.

Transport Scotland has regular programming meetings with its Operating Companies to ensure all safety-critical work is prioritised, so that risks to delivery and public safety are effectively mitigated and managed. The criteria for inspection and repairs on the trunk road network are set out in the Operating Company contracts, which can be accessed at: http://www.transport.gov.scot/road/maintenance/operating-companies.