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The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Strategic Rail Authority on a wide range of issues including the east coast main line.  The publication of an east coast main line route utilisation strategy is a matter for the Strategic Rail Authority as is the east coast main line passenger rail franchise reletting process. I understand that an Invitation to Tender has not yet been issued to bidders.

For several years, the Scottish Executive has published statistics of the numbers of passengers for various ferry routes in Scottish Transport Statistics. The latest available figures appear in Tables 10.14 and 10.16 of the 2003 edition, which is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 29044). They show that, in 2002, Caledonian MacBrayne services accounted for 64% of the total number of passengers on all the services for which figures were provided by Caledonian MacBrayne, P & O Scottish Ferries, NorthLink Orkney and Shetland Ferries, Orkney Ferries, Shetland Islands Council, Western Ferries, Argyll and Bute Council, Highland Council, Bruce Watt Cruises and Strathclyde Passenger Transport.

The new franchise will deliver rail services. Infrastructure is procured by other means. The lead responsibility for rail infrastructure improvements – including electrification – lies with the Strategic Rail Authority and Network Rail.

The business case for investment in an air service between Inverness and Stockholm was prepared by aviation consultants, AviaSolutions, in conjunction with Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd and Snowflake. The analysis of demand indicated that there was potential for a limited frequency with a 72-seateraircraft service. The Executive’s Route Development Fund (RDF) cannot prescribethe aircraft to be used in any service. It is up to the operator to ensure thatthe operational characteristics of any service match the assessed market.

The Inverness to Stockholm route demonstrated the need for public sector investment to share some of the risks associated with the establishment of this air service. Once new routes commence with RDF support airports and airlines should work closely to understand how the routes are performing and whether any actions are necessary to improve performance. The Executive is always willing to support this process, to help ensure the long-term success of new routes.

The information requested is available from tables 8.1 and 8.3 of ScottishTransport Statistics No. 22 published by the Scottish Executive in 2003 a copyof which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 29044).

There are no current plans to increase regulation of the bus industry. It is for the Competition Commission to determine the conditions, if any, to be imposed on First Group to protect users of public transport from abuse of a monopoly situation. First Group will be required to comply with these conditions as a matter of competition law. There is no direct role for the Scottish Executive. However, should the Scottish Executive obtain evidence that an abuse of a monopoly situation was occurring, it would have no hesitation in drawing this to the attention of the competition authorities.

Investment from the Scottish Executive’s Route Development Fund, in any single route, cannot be disclosed because of commercial confidentiality. However investment from the fund is only provided for the actual number of passengers carried. VisitScotland has focussed on Sweden with marketing support of £222,000: £93,000 of this was specifically targeted on the Inverness to Stockholm service. The Highlands of Scottish Tourist Board and Inverness and Nairn Enterprise have also contributed marketing support of £10,000 each.

The current franchise agreement, with elements removed as set out in section 71(2) of the Railways Act 1993, can be viewed at the Strategic Rail Authority’s (SRA) offices in either London or Glasgow on application to the SRA Secretariat.

The SRA Secretariat may be contacted at the following address:

Strategic Rail Authority

55 Victoria Street

London

SW1H 0EU

A copy of this document will also be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

When the franchise agreement for the next franchise has been finalised and signed it will be placed on the SRA’s public register as required by section 73 of the Railways Act 1993. A copy of it will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre at that time.

We are not aware of any evidence that suggests difficulties are arising because of the absence of a national pay scale. Where there are shortages, it is in areas where demand outstrips supply, but there are more social workers in Scotland now than ever before. Pay and terms and conditions of employment are matters for the local authorities, the representing trade unions and for COSLA to consider and the Executive has no plans to introduce national pay scales.

With regard to enhancing services, most of our activities aimed at increasing the overall size of the labour pool, at training the workforce and at addressing recruitment and retention difficulties are clearly helping significantly. Our activities include the Care in Scotland Recruitment and Awareness Campaign, a Front Line Staff initiative, an extended fast-track scheme, which will add 450 people to the workforce, provision of £2 million to local authorities and voluntary organisations to help meet the costs of student practice placements, an incentive scheme to encourage newly-qualified graduates to fill jobs in qualifying posts in areas of significant shortage, a new Framework for Social Work Education including the introduction of a new four-year honours degree-level qualification, the establishment of the National Workforce Group which I chair, provision of an additional £9 million specific grant over three years for training, establishment of the Scottish Social Services Council and Institutefor Excellence in Social Work Education, a Leadership Development Programme anda £3 million Voluntary Sector Development Fund to help meet training demands inthat sector. Raising the quality and the quantity of staff and enhancing thesupport available to them will, in turn, enhance the services.

To some extent, authorities are in competition for staff, and so will continue to recruit from each other, though our activities to grow the labour market are having an impact. In addition, Officials at the Executive have been in discussion with COSLA with a view to discouraging the “golden hello” incentives that have recently been in evidence. Also the Executive will have a fundamental look at social work. We will report to the Parliament with details of this before the summer recess.

This information is not available. Statistics for listed building consent casework notified by planning authorities to Scottish ministers under the requirements of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 are compiled by Historic Scotland. Cases are recorded by planning authority and by the address of the application site but do not distinguish between alteration and demolition. Historic Scotland are currently reviewing the data they collect and intend to keep demolition statistics for the current and future years.