Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S2W-24145

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 11 May 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its target to double cycle use between 2002 and 2012, how it will respond to research findings by the Lothian Cycle campaign, Spokes, suggesting that cycle project expenditure in Scotland on current trends is likely to fall from 1.4% of total transport expenditure in 2004-05 to 0.6% in 2006-07.

The Executive will continue tosupport cycling through funding to local authorities and cycling organisations toassist them in delivering the facilities and infrastructure needed to encouragecycling. Local authorities were granted £8.65 million for cycling, walking and saferstreets projects in 2005-06 and this will increase by 2.5% to £8.87 million in 2006-07and by another 2.5% to £9.09 million in 2007-08. It is, of course, a matter forindividual authorities as how they choose to spend this money.

In addition, funding will beprovided to Regional Transport Partnerships (RTPs) across Scotland of £35million in 2006-07 and 2007-08. RTPs are likely to consider regionally strategiccycle projects as part of their Regional Transport Strategies.

Question reference: S2W-25355

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 April 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 2 May 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what predictions it has made about the impact on climate change of the policy options set out in its new consultation on Scotland's national transport strategy and when such predictions will be published.

Question reference: S2W-25376

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 April 2006
Current Status: Answered by George Lyon on 28 April 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether existing local government finance legislation would allow Scottish local authorities to introduce a council tax rebate scheme for householders who invest in energy efficiency measures, along the lines of the scheme introduced in England and Wales in partnership with local authorities and energy companies.

Question reference: S2O-09545

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 April 2006
Current Status: Answered by Robert Brown on 20 April 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what changes it will make to schools¿ procurement guidelines to ensure that they contribute to the Executive¿s Climate Change Programme objectives.

The Executive’s Scottish ProcurementDirectorate provides advice on best practice procurement to local authorities inScotland, including guidance on sustainability. It is expected that local authorities,who are responsible for the procurement of schools, would reflect best practiceand ministerial objectives in their own policy and procedures.

In addition, Changing OurWays: Scotland’s Climate Change Programme includes a commitment to publish aScottish Sustainable Procurement Action Plan by the end of 2006, which will furtherassist local authorities in ensuring that their procurement policy contributes tothe objectives of the Climate Change Programme.

Question reference: S2W-24148

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-9677 by Nicol Stephen on 9 August 2004, which local authorities have approached it to discuss funding for cycle infrastructure projects and what the outcomes were.

No local authorities have approachedExecutive officials to discuss possible funding for major cycle infrastructure projectssince question S2W-9677, which was answered on 3 November 2005. The developmentand funding of such projects is now a matter for the statutory regional transportpartnerships.

Discussions have beenon-going with the south-east Scotland transport partnership (SESTRAN), through Falkirk Council,regarding support funding in relation to the Round the Forth Cycle Route since October2004. In May 2005 the Scottish Executive agreed to match-fund 50% of the £120,000requested by SESTRAN, for a period of three years, ending in 2007-08.

Question reference: S2W-24147

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers guidance to local authorities and transport partnerships for applications for funding or match-funding for large-scale cycle infrastructure projects to be adequate, in light of the abolition of the Public Transport Fund.

Funding allocations for the sevenregional transport partnerships were announced on 15 December 2005, andstatutory guidance on regional transport strategies was published on 10 March 2006. Theregional transport partnerships will be responsible for determining their ownpriorities, which may include support for large-scale cycle infrastructureprojects. Regional transport partnerships are well placed to make informeddecisions over such projects.

Question reference: S2W-24146

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, following a reduction in Sustrans funding from £3.5 million in 2004-05 to £2 million for 2005-06, it considers that Sustrans is still able to complete 50 cycle project schemes in six months to a high standard and delivered on budget and in tight timescales.

Question reference: S2W-24150

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the £17 million scheme by the Department for Transport for six experimental cycle-friendly towns, it will implement a similar scheme in Scotland or use reward mechanisms to encourage partnerships to undertake similar projects.

Executive funding for cyclinginfrastructure projects within towns in Scotland is being provided through Cycling, Walking and SaferStreets allocations to local authorities as well as financial allocations to theRegional Transport Partnerships which can be used for cycling projects. It willbe for local authorities and Regional Transport Partnerships to prioritise and implementany cycling schemes or initiatives.

Question reference: S2W-24157

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by George Lyon on 21 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to follow the initiative of Elliot Morley MP, UK Minister of State for Climate Change and Environment, in offering householders council tax rebates of up to £100 if they take up energy efficiency measures.

Question reference: S2W-23277

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2006
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 14 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to complement the £6 million Climate Challenge Fund which was established by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to support local-level projects in England aimed at raising awareness and changing attitudes to climate change.

We will be reviewing our climate change communications in the light of Scotland’s Climate Change Programme, due to be published soon, and in the context of the sustainable development communications plan, due to be published this spring. As part of the review process we will be considering how our communications can complement existing and forthcoming climate change awareness raising initiatives such as Defra’s Climate Challenge Fund.