- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 16 September 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 30 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many representations it received in favour of the proposal for an islands regional transport partnership, announced in its news release 105820 on 21 July 2005.
Answer
One.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 16 September 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 30 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will bring forward its proposals for the boundaries of the regional transport partnerships under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005.
Answer
Proposals for boundaries of the regional transport partnerships were included in the draft Regional Transport Partnership (Establishment and Constitution) (Scotland) Order 2005 that was circulated to local authorities and SPT on 21 July 2005. I am currently considering all comments received on those proposals and will be lodging the final Order before Parliament soon.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 16 September 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 30 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the boundaries of the regional transport partnerships under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005 will accord with those referred to in its news release 105820 on 21 July 2005.
Answer
A draft Regional Transport Partnership (Establishment and Constitution) (Scotland) Order 2005 was circulated to local authorities and SPT on 21 July 2005. This included proposals for the boundaries of the regional transport partnerships. I am carefully considering all comments received, on boundaries and other matters, before lodging the final Order in Parliament.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 29 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been allocated (a) in total and (b) broken down by scheme to the Track Access Grant and Freight Facilities Grant schemes (i) in each year since inception and (ii) for the next two years.
Answer
Budget allocated to the Freight Facilities Grant and Track Access Grant schemes by the Scottish Executive:
| Financial Year | Freight Facilities Grant Scheme (£) | Track Access Grant Scheme (£) |
| 1999-2000 | 6,100,000 | Nil (*) |
| 2000-01 | 7,100,000 | 750,000 |
| 2001-02 | 9,803,000 | 1,000,000 |
| 2002-03 | 12,121,000 | 1,000,000 |
| 2003-04 | 14,438,000 | 1,000,000 |
| 2004-05 | 14,638,000 | 1,000,000 |
| 2005-06 | 15,400,000 | 1,000,000 |
| 2006-07 | 12,900,000 | 1,000,000 |
| 2007-08 | 12,900,000 | 1,000,000 |
Note: *Powers to award Track Access Grants were transferred to Scottish Ministers during financial year 2000-01 from DfT.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 29 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent it regards the Track Access Grant and Freight Facilities Grant schemes as successful; what monitoring is carried out of compliance with the conditions of grant; whether it considers that such monitoring has been sufficient; whether an audit of each of the schemes has been undertaken and, if so, whether the audit included a check of the transference of freight from road to rail, and whether it considers that any audit arrangements have been adequate.
Answer
These freight grant schemes are successful, having removed at least 60 million lorry miles from Scotland’s roads since 1999. The Freight Facilities Grant scheme has had a significant and positive impact on the freight infrastructure of Scotland as a catalyst to the building of over £70 million of new rail and water freight facilities across the country.
A fully effective monitoring and audit system for freight grants is in place. Each Freight Facilities Grant project is monitored annually to track the actual level of freight transferred from road to rail and water and the corresponding environmental benefits which have been generated. Track Access Grants are paid in arrears based on actual freight carried by rail; these claims are audited by independent accountants annually. All Scottish Executive freight grant schemes are audited both internally and by Audit Scotland.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 29 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Track Access Grant is payable in arrears.
Answer
Yes. Track Access Grant is paid in arrears based on actual freight carried by rail.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 August 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 26 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the letter of 14 July 2005 from the Minister for Transport and Telecommunications in respect of the tendering costs of the first bid for lifeline ferry services currently provided by Caledonian MacBrayne, whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre each piece of the external advice commissioned at a cost of £286,000 and, in particular, the research into the application of the EU rules in other member states.
Answer
Much of the work undertaken by consultants commissioned by the Executive has contributed to the development of Scottish Executive policy on this subject and has been reflected in documents that have already been published. These documents include the following:
The consultation paper and draft service for the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services that were published in June 2002;
The consultation paper and draft service specification for the Gourock to Dunoon route that were published in March 2003;
The consultation paper and draft service specification for the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services that were published in December 2004;
The Research into the application of the EU rules in other member states that was published on 12 September 2005, and
The Report Clyde and Hebrides Lifeline Ferry Services Scottish Executive’s Consideration of the Requirement to Tender that was published on 12 September 2005.
In addition, I shall lodge in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre within the next few weeks, a summary paper (Bib. number 37522) on the research on the uniqueness of the CalMac fleet that was commissioned in 2001 but which has not been published. I shall write to the member to let him know when the documents has been published.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive when it estimates that the (a) M74 extension, (b) A68 Dalkeith Bypass, (c) A8000 upgrade and (d) new crossing of the Forth at Kincardine will commence and be completed and what the current estimated total cost is of each project.
Answer
I cannot add to the information given on the M74 in my previous reply to parliamentary question S2W-18488 answered on 9 September 2005. 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.
The other information you ask for is given in the following table.
| Scheme | Date for Commencement | Date for Completion | Current Estimated Total Cost (£ Million) |
| A68 Dalkeith Bypass | Summer 2006 | Summer 2008 | 38.7 |
| Upper Forth Crossing at Kincardine | Summer 2006 | Summer 2008 | 110.0 |
The A8000 upgrade is a local road and therefore a matter for the City of Edinburgh Council.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the delay to the M74 extension will have on its transport budget in the current financial year and each of the next two years and whether it will provide a table comparing the provision for this scheme in this financial year and the next two years (a) before and (b) after the decision to delay its commencement.
Answer
We expect that the allowance previously made for the acquisition of land for the M74 in the current financial year will not now be fully utilised and therefore £54.5 million will be set aside to meet deferred payment in future years. Future provision for construction will depend on the outcome of the Court of Session hearing scheduled for June/July 2006. Provision for this scheme is in the table below.
| | Estimates at 26 Oct 2004 (£ Million) | Current Estimates (£ Million) |
| 2005-06 | 125.447 | 77.839 |
| 2006-07 | 54.126 | Dependent on outcome of Court of Session Hearing |
| 2007-08 | 84.798 | |
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 August 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 20 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it updates its trunk road programme on a (a) regular and (b) monthly basis and whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre details of each of the programmes it has prepared since inception.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-18471
on 13 September 2005. 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.l
