- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 4 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what ministerial or parliamentary approval was given prior to the establishment of Scottish Water Business Stream.
Answer
Parliament approved the principleof establishment by Scottish Water of a retail undertaking in the Water Servicesetc. (Scotland) Act 2005. In accordance with that act, ministers approvedthe establishment of Scottish Water Business Stream as a retail subsidiary of ScottishWater in October 2006.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 4 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected running costs are for Scottish Water Business Stream in each financial year to 2010-11.
Answer
This is a matter for Scottish Water and its retail subsidiary, Business Stream.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 4 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what costs were involved in the establishment and launch of Scottish Water Business Stream.
Answer
This is an operational matterfor Scottish Water and its retail subsidiary, Business Stream.
Costs associated with retaillicensing were accounted for by the Water Industry Commission as part of its determinationof water charges for 2006-10.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 4 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how much financial profit Scottish Water Business Stream is projected to make in each financial year to 2010-11.
Answer
This is an operational matterfor Scottish Water and its retail subsidiary, Business Stream. It will however besubject to the development of retail competition when the market generally openson 1 April 2008.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 4 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive which department is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the work of Scottish Water Business Stream.
Answer
The Water Industry and ClimateChange Directorate of the Scottish Government is responsible for monitoring ScottishWater’s delivery of ministers’ objectives for the water industry. This includesin relation to its retail subsidiary.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 4 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation took place with business water users before the establishment of Scottish Water Business Stream.
Answer
The planned creation by ScottishWater of a separate retail subsidiary, as part of the preparation for the introductionof retail competition in the non-household water sector, was included in the consultationon the draft Water Services etc. (Scotland) Bill in October 2003.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 18 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish a report on the first three years’ progress in implementation of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy for the purposes of section 2(7)(a) of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004.
Answer
I am today publishing
Scotland’s Biodiversity: It’s In Your Hands - A ProgressReport 2005-07 which outlinesprogress on implementation of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy over the last threeyears. Copies are available on the Scottish Government website.
This is the firstprogress report on implementation of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy since thestrategy was published in 2004.
It records activityon biodiversity conservation carried out by government, non-government and otherorganisations working in partnership. It addresses the Strategy objectives for Speciesand Habitats, People, Landscapes and Ecosystems, Integration and Co-ordination andKnowledge.
The report outlinesactivities which the Scottish Government and other public bodies have undertakento implement the Biodiversity Duty, which was imposed by the Nature Conservation(Scotland) Act 2004, which requires all public bodies in Scotland to “further theconservation of biodiversity” in carrying out their functions.
The publication of the progress report on implementation of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy satisfiesthe requirements of section 2(7)(a) of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act to publish such a report by the end of 2007.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 17 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the recommended design maximum is for (a) daily and (b) hourly peak traffic flows for dual (i) two-lane and (ii) three-lane motorways.
Answer
There are no recommendeddesign maxima for traffic flows for any category of road in either daily or hourlyterms. The Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) Volume 5, Advice Note TA 46/97“Traffic Flow Ranges for Use in the Assessment of New Rural Roads”,sets out opening year flow ranges for use only as starting points in the designand economic assessment of new rural road links. These are as follows:
| Carriageway Standard | Opening Year AADT |
| Minimum | Maximum |
| Dual 2 Lane Motorway | Up to 41,000 |
| Dual 3 Lane Motorway | 25,000 | 67,000 |
Note: AADT is Annual Average Daily Traffic in vehiclesper day.
These flows do not represent maximum throughputs whichdepend on vehicle type mix, driver behaviour, junction spacing, maintenance considerations,etc.
No hourly peak trafficflow ranges are given in the DMRB.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 13 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on motorway and trunk road construction in each of the last eight years.
Answer
The information requestedis given in table number 11.1 of
Scottish Transport Statistics No 25: 2006 Edition(updated version as at 8 November 2007) which is available on the Scottish Executive’s website at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Transport-Travel/TablesPublications/STSUPDChap11.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 13 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what aspirations it has for future traffic levels.
Answer
The recently publishedScottish budget set out our national performance framework. Fifteen national outcomessupport our plans to deliver a wealthier and fairer, smarter, healthier, safer andstronger and greener Scotland.
Working in partnershipwith local authorities, progress on these outcomes will be measured by nationaltargets and indicators including our commitments to “reduce the number of driverjourneys delayed due to traffic congestion” and to “increase the proportion of journeysto work made by public or active travel”.
