- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-33168 by Fiona Hyslop on 22 January 2025, how it ensures that regular inspections of A90 overbridges and overpasses are carried out in compliance with relevant safety standards and best practices.
Answer
Transport Scotland officials oversee the work of our contractors. They collaborate across disciplines and contractual boundaries to ensure work is completed in the areas of most need and that it represents best value.
Officials are supported by the Performance Audit Group (PAG). PAG is employed by the Scottish Ministers to provide independent auditing of the Operating Companies’ performance to ensure that the requirements of the contract are met, that work is carried out to the required technical specification, and that financial valuations are correct.
Officials work in partnership with PAG to manage contract risks in accordance with Scottish Government policy. The most significant risks are transferred to Roads Directorate’s risk register for completeness.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-33161 by Fiona Hyslop on 22 January 2025, how much has been spent on maintaining the 2,297 street lights on the A90 in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
Please see the following table which provides the costs of maintaining the 2297 streetlights on the A90.
Activity | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 |
Maintenance | £2,713.53 | £8,884.67 | £850.77 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Transport Scotland does not hold the above information by local authority area, and these figures are for the full length of the A90.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how often emergency telephones on the A90, including the section north of Dundee, have been used in the past five years.
Answer
In the past five years 51 calls have been received on the emergency telephones on the A90 north of Dundee.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 11 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of investment and activity levels in the North Sea resulting from a “presumption against new exploration for oil and gas" as set out in its Draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, and whether it plans to remove language around a “presumption against” to encourage investment in the North Sea.
Answer
We support a just transition for Scotland’s valued oil and gas sector. The judgements and issues our view on future licencing of oil and gas are informed and influenced by recent developments in the UK Government’s energy policy and court decisions. This is a rapidly changing landscape, and we are taking time to reflect on those developments before drawing any conclusions and publishing a final strategy.
We continue to call on UK Government to also listen carefully to the concerns being expressed by businesses around risks to jobs and investment in the transition. We also continue to monitor evidence and information on the energy transition and fuel security from a range of sources.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been fined for parking on pavements in each local authority area since the introduction of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019.
Answer
The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 introduced a national ban on pavement parking, double parking, and parking at dropped kerbs, which came into effect on 11 December 2023. Enforcement of these prohibitions is the responsibility of local authorities.
Transport Scotland collates the number of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued annually, now including those for pavement parking. The most recent figures were published in December 2024 and can be accessed at the following link:
https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/decriminalised-parking-enforcement-dpe-report-2023-2024
Figures for the current year (2024-25) will be published in December 2025.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 11 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how much has been raised in Business Improvement District levies in each of the last five years.
Answer
Information on the amount raised through Business Improvement District (BID) levies are not held by the Scottish Government.
Local authorities are responsible for administering and collecting the levy on behalf of the BID and would be responsible for providing this information.
Scotland’s Improvement District (SIDs) have estimated that the annual levy for the combined 36 BIDs in Scotland is £6.4m. This figure is based on data from operational Scottish BID surveys and information provided in the BIDs Business Plans. The amount collected may, however, be lower depending on collection rates.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 11 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many Business Improvement Districts currently operate in Scotland.
Answer
There are currently 36 operational Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in Scotland. A full list can be found on the Scotland’s Improvement Districts (SIDs) website - Who they are - Scotland's Improvement Districts
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what the annual cost is of maintaining emergency telephones on (a) the A90 in the (i) section north of Dundee and (ii) other sections and (b) other trunk roads.
Answer
Transport Scotland’s Traffic Scotland Infrastructure Contractor, Amey Ltd, is paid a monthly Unitary Charge for the inspection, maintenance and repair of ITS (Intelligent Transport System) roadside infrastructure and individual costs specific to emergency telephones cannot be disaggregated.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how often emergency telephones are inspected and tested on (a) the A90 in the (i) section north of Dundee and (ii) other sections and (b) other trunk roads.
Answer
All emergency telephones on the Scottish Trunk Road Network, including on the A90, are inspected and tested every three months.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 February 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-33161 by Fiona Hyslop on 22 January 2025, how much has been spent on upgrading the 2,297 street lights on the A90 in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
Please see the following table which provides the costs of upgrading the 2297 streetlights on the A90.
Activity | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 |
Upgrading/Refurbishment | £152,661.01 | £472,649.31 | £153,868.18 | £208,247.81 | £11,355.70 |
Transport Scotland does not hold the above information by local authority area, and these figures are for the full length of the A90.