- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 June 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 16 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many services subject to support from the Route Development Fund have been withdrawn or otherwise ceased and what these services cost the Executive.
Answer
Of the total 27 year-round routessupported since the inception of the Executive’s Route Development Fund (RDF),seven have subsequently ceased.
The RDF is structured to ensurethat investment is only provided when the airline has carried passengers to andfrom Scotland. Payments are made in arrears on the production of invoicesby the airports. This enables the risk to the public sector investment element tobe mitigated. The level of investment in the routes that no longer operate was atotal of £95,423.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 June 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 16 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many new air services from Scottish airports were initially subject to support from the Route Development Fund.
Answer
A total of 27 year-round routeshave been supported by the Route Development Fund since the inception of the schemeby the Scottish Executive.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 June 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 16 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average increase in the use of air services within the Highlands and Islands has been in the last 15 years compared with the increase in air passengers to and from Scotland and what the reasons are for any difference.
Answer
Over the last 15 years, the averageincrease in air passengers in the Highlands and Islands was 0.7% per annum compared to 8.5% per annum for Scotland.
The principal reasons for thedifference are the commencement of air services by no-frills carriers at Scotland’s mainairports and the decline in oil related traffic at airports in the Highlands andIslands.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 June 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 16 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on which EU countries use public service obligations (PSOs) to support air service networks in remote communities, how many services PSOs cover and how this position compares with the situation in the Highlands and Islands.
Answer
The EU countries which use PublicService Obligations (PSOs) under EC Regulation 2408/92 to support air service networks,including routes in and to peripheral communities, are:
France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
United Kingdom.
The Scottish Executive does not have definitive up-to-date information on the number of PSOs imposedon air routes in these countries. The 2002 HITRANS’ commissioned report PublicService Obligations in Europe: a comparative study compared the extent to which PSOs are applied acrossdifferent European Union/European Economic Area member states and features of theway PSOs are applied in each country.
The 16 PSOs which have been imposedon lifeline air routes in the Highlands and Islands are as follows:
three by the Scottish Executive to Campbeltown, Tiree and Barra from Glasgow;
six by Orkney Islands Councilto Westray, Papa Westray, North Ronaldsay, Eday, Stronsay and Sanday from Kirkwall;
five by Shetland Islands Councilto Foula, Papa Stour, Out Skerries, Fair Isle and Unst (not operated) fromTingwall/Sumburgh, and
two by Comhairle nan Eilean Siarbetween Stornoway-Benbecula and Benbecula-Barra.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 June 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 16 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many air services from Scottish airports initiated under the Route Development Fund scheme are still operating.
Answer
A total of 27 year-round routeshave been supported since the inception of the Route Development Fund by the Scottish Executive. Of these routes, seven have ceased and the remaining 20 routes are continuingto operate on a year-round basis.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 June 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 16 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive which permanent senior staff of the consultant assisting it with its review of the HITRANS proposals have worked with major international airlines as airline route planners, airline economics specialists or in similar capacities and for how long.
Answer
The consultancy company employedby the Scottish Executive is AviaSolutions. The company’s website address is
www.aviasolutions.co.uk on which thekey personnel are listed.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 16 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the First Minister will reply to my letter of 3 March 2005 regarding bank accounts for employees who are not UK citizens.
Answer
Mr Tom McCabe, the Minister forFinance and Public Service Reform, replied on 13 June 2005.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 April 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 10 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-13270 by Nicol Stephen on 24 January 2005, whether there are costs relating to the Smartcards other than those stated in that answer and, if so, what these other costs are and what the total cost is of the Smartcard scheme including all categories of costs.
Answer
In addition to the costs set out in my answer to question S2W-13270, we estimate that the cost of the Smartcards themselves including distribution will be of the order of £3.6 million.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 7 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the review team of NHS 24 is studying complaints made about the service and what efforts it has made to make contact with those who have expressed dissatisfaction with the service.
Answer
Some members of the public have made complaints to the NHS 24 Review Team about experiences they have had with the services provided by NHS 24 and these comments have been considered by the team during its preparation of the interim report. However, if someone has a complaint about NHS 24’s services and they wish it to be investigated, they should continue to write to the Patient/Customer Relations Manager at NHS 24.
Some members of the public have also written to the review team in support of NHS 24 praising what was for them a positive patient care experience.
Over the course of the next few months, the review team will be meeting with some patient representative groups to discuss their experiences of NHS 24 and to identify ways in which the service could be improved.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 2 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with (a) interested parties and/or key stakeholders, (b) the UK Government and (c) the European Commission concerning Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on market access to port services, published by the European Commission on 13 October 2004.
Answer
Scottish Executive officials met with their Department for Transport counterparts and representatives of the Scottish ports industry on 9 February to discuss the proposed Directive on market access to port services. The UK Government’s position on the Directive is a reserved matter but representations will be made by the Executive, where appropriate, in order to reflect Scottish interest.
