- Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 13 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the frequency of updates from First ScotRail regarding the number of train services running in December 2010 as a result of the cold weather conditions
Answer
The provision of timely and accurate information by ScotRail and Network Rail is essential. We welcome the independent review commissioned by the Office of Rail Regulation into passenger information during disruption and will want the industry to ensure the recommendations from this are fully implemented.
- Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 13 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how many army personnel were involved in assisting with the severe weather conditions between 29 November and 8 December 2010
Answer
This information is not held by the Scottish Government. It is a matter for the UK Government.
- Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 13 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines it provides to local authorities regarding the amount of salt and grit that they should keep in storage
Answer
Individual local authorities are responsible for setting their own policy regarding the amount of salt and grit that they should keep in storage.
The report by the Scottish Salt Group recommended that all local authorities should ensure they had adequate salt supplies before the onset of winter. A copy of this report can be found on the Transport Scotland website at:
http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/strategy-and-research/publications-and-consultations/j13001-00.htm.
- Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 13 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how many army personnel were involved in assisting motorists stranded on the (a) M8, (b) M73 and (c) M80 on 6 December 2010
Answer
The armed forces have made a valuable contribution to Scotland''s winter resilience, assisting a number of Scottish communities during the recent period of severe weather. Whilst the Scottish Government assisted responder organisations by providing them with guidance on the process to be followed in making a request for military assistance, requests were not made by the Scottish Government and the assistance itself was approved by the UK Government. Therefore, the information sought is not held by the Scottish Government and is a matter for the UK Government.
- Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 13 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what activities the army carried out to assist with the poor weather conditions between 29 November and 8 December 2010
Answer
The armed forces have made a valuable contribution to Scotland''s winter resilience, assisting a number of Scottish communities during the recent period of severe weather. Whilst the Scottish Government assisted responder organisations by providing them with guidance on the process to be followed in making a request for military assistance, requests were not made by the Scottish Government and the assistance itself was approved by the UK Government. Therefore, the information sought is not held by the Scottish Government and is a matter for the UK Government.
- Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 13 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost has been of involving the army in assisting with the severe weather conditions between 29 November and 8 December 2010
Answer
The armed forces have made a valuable contribution to Scotland''s winter resilience, assisting a number of Scottish communities during the recent period of severe weather. Whilst the Scottish Government assisted responder organisations by providing them with guidance on the process to be followed in making a request for military assistance, requests were not made by the Scottish Government and the assistance itself was approved by the UK Government. Therefore, the information sought is not held by the Scottish Government and is a matter for the UK Government.
- Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 13 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authority areas made use of the army during the period of poor weather between 29 November and 8 December 2010
Answer
The armed forces have made a valuable contribution to Scotland''s winter resilience, assisting a number of Scottish communities during the recent period of severe weather. Whilst the Scottish Government assisted responder organisations by providing them with guidance on the process to be followed in making a request for military assistance, requests were not made by the Scottish Government and the assistance itself was approved by the UK Government. Therefore, the information sought is not held by the Scottish Government and is a matter for the UK Government.
- Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 13 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what average annual percentage of trains run on time between Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street stations
Answer
The passenger charter punctuality measure for the Edinburgh Waverley to Glasgow Queen Street route is trains arriving within 10 minutes of the timetabled arrival. For the year to March 2010 95.8% of trains arrived on time or within 10 minutes and for the nine rail periods from April 2010 to mid December 2010 94.9% arrived on time or within 10 minutes.
- Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 13 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines it provides to local authorities regarding their policies on opening schools during cold weather conditions
Answer
The Scottish Government has not issued guidelines on matters which are best judged and decided locally. In a letter of 2 December 2010 to Directors of Education, I drew local authorities'' attention to areas of good practice regarding such decisions. A copy of the letter is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 52270).
It is for schools and/or authorities to decide on the opening or closure of schools, in consideration of the health and safety of staff and pupils, in light of locally prevailing or forecast conditions.
- Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 13 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what levels of salt and grit are in storage in each local authority area
Answer
The salt stocks in each road authority are being monitored by the Scottish Salt Group during the winter. As at 11 January 2011, the stocks recorded in each local authority and trunk road operating company are noted in the following table:
| Council/Trunk Road Operating Company | Current Stock in Tonnes at 11 January 2011 |
| Aberdeen City | 1,628 |
| Aberdeenshire | 1,703 |
| Angus | 2,563 |
| Argyll And Bute | 2,741 |
| City Of Edinburgh | 1,721 |
| Clackmannanshire | 601 |
| Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles) | 100 |
| Dumfries And Galloway | 2,428 |
| Dundee City | 580 |
| East Ayrshire | 2,155 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 2,808 |
| East Lothian | 928 |
| East Renfrewshire | 743 |
| Falkirk Council | 1,149 |
| Fife | 3,386 |
| Glasgow City | 2,305 |
| Highland | 11,285 |
| Inverclyde | 1,205 |
| Midlothian | 2,385 |
| Moray | 3,600 |
| North Ayrshire | 1,272 |
| North Lanarkshire | 2,615 |
| Orkney Islands | 2,048 |
| Perth and Kinross | 3,171 |
| Renfrewshire | 673 |
| Scottish Borders | 1,110 |
| Shetland Isles | 3,223 |
| South Ayrshire | 929 |
| South Lanarkshire | 3,024 |
| Stirling | 1,245 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 1,832 |
| West Lothian | 2,608 |
| Sub Total | 69,764 |
| Trunk Road South West (Amey) | 751 |
| Trunk Road North West (Transerve) | 2,788 |
| Trunk Road South East (Bear) | 940 |
| Trunk Road North East (Bear) | 2,800 |
| Trunk Road M6 DBFO | 736.5 |
| Trunk Road M77 DBFO | 338 |
| Sub Total | 8,354 |
| Total | 78,118 |
