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-25212

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 April 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 12 May 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of First Scotrail’s operating budget is met by subsidy from public funds, and what proportion of the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport’s operating budget is met by revenue raised from collection of fares.

Financial informationrelating to First ScotRail’s operating costs is commercially confidential andcannot be released. However, the Scottish Executive will pay First ScotRail approximately£1.9 billion in ScotRail franchise payments over the seven year life of thefranchise, subject to variation according to performance.

None of StrathclydePartnership for Transport’s operating budget will be met from fares revenuecollected under the ScotRail franchise.

Question reference: S2W-24600

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 12 May 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23855 by Tavish Scott on 20 March 2006, why its planned on-line upgrade of the A80 to full motorway status is one lane smaller than that recommended by consultants in 2002.

Ministers opted for less carriagewayprovision than recommended by the study consultants as they did not wish to provideincreased capacity for undesirable long distance commuting. An important part ofthat was the undertaking that, should they be required, integral traffic managementmeasures would be implemented to maintain an acceptable level of service on theimproved route. These measures could include ramp metering to assist joining trafficto take advantage of gaps in the mainline traffic and upstream ramp availabilityconstraints and online metering to give priority to high occupancy vehicles andother economically important traffic.

Transport Scotland hasthe operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more informationif required.

Question reference: S2W-25297

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 April 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 11 May 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23157 by Cathy Jamieson on 8 March 2006, whether it will now list all the experts referred to who have reached different conclusions about the ownership of the mark and what their conclusions were.

Question reference: S2W-25244

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 11 May 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-24270 by Cathy Jamieson on 3 April 2006, why it does not hold such a record given that such records would have been required to defend the civil action brought by Shirley McKie that led to the settlement with her.

Question reference: S2W-25240

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 11 May 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23970 by Cathy Jamieson on 3 April 2006, whether the two McLeod reports should have been included in the list of investigations and inquiries requested; what remit given to Mr McLeod in respect of his reports, and whether it will outline their conclusions.

The MacLeod reports were notincluded in the response to S2W-23970 as these were commissioned for use indefence of a civil action. As such, they were neither an investigation nor aninquiry. Their remits were consistent with the purpose for which they werecommissioned. It would be inappropriate to comment further, for the reasonsgiven in my answer to question S2W-23155 on 20 March 2006and in my letter of 13 April 2006 to the Convenor of the Justice 1 Committee.All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.A copy of my letter of 13 April 2006 isavailable at www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/committees/justice1/papers-06/j1p06-12.pdf.

Question reference: S2W-24682

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 11 May 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements it currently has planned for Scotland’s rail network and what its rationale is for each project.

Transport Scotland is investingin improvements across the rail network both in infrastructure enhancements andservice improvements to promote sustainable travel choices, support growth in the Scottish economy and improve access to jobs, training and services. This investmentincludes:

Waverley Station: to providefour more train paths per hour in the station and provide better access for passengersfrom Princes Street with escalators and lifts up Waverley Steps.

Edinburgh Airport Rail Link (EARL): to stimulate economic growth in theEdinburgh city region and provide sustainable transport options for travel to Edinburgh Airport.

Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL): to contribute to the continued and sustainable growth of Glasgow Airport, whichis a major employer and is one of the biggest wealth generators in the west of Scotland.

Airdrie – Bathgate: to improve direct access to labour markets in Glasgow, Edinburghand West Lothian for people living in the Airdrie to Uphall corridor.

Stirling – Alloa – Kincardine: to reconnect Alloa to the railnetwork attracting business and increasing access to jobs, education and services.

Borders Railway: to transform travel opportunities from Midlothian andthe Borders, making a real contribution to sustainable travel and provide a realboost to the economy of the Borders, of Midlothian and of South East Scotland as a whole.

Transport Scotland is investingin a strong franchise that has delivered improved performance and includes commitmentsto £40 million of enhancements throughout the franchise period to improve passengersatisfaction and to continue to encourage growth in rail passengers.

Future improvements will be identifiedthrough the rail strategy and the Strategic Projects Review.

The Scottish Executive is alsofunding a number of local authority and regional transport partnership projectswhich improve interchange and access to the rail network.

Transport Scotland hasthe operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more informationif required.

Question reference: S2W-25199

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 April 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 10 May 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will extend the remit of the Commissioner for Public Appointments and the Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies in Scotland to cover bodies set up by local authorities.

Under the Public Appointmentsand Public Bodies etc. (Scotland) Act 2003, the commissioner’s remit only extendsto appointments made (or recommended by) ministers to the boards of the specifiedauthorities listed in schedule 2 to the act. The bodies listed in the schedule areregularly reviewed but, as a matter of general policy, we have no plans at presentto extend its coverage to bodies set up by local authorities.

Question reference: S2W-25210

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 April 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 8 May 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the decision of the Scottish Information Commissioner that some monthly performance statistics on prisoner escort by Reliance should be disclosed, whether the Executive will take steps with Reliance to vary the confidentiality clause in the contract between them to enable the release of the information that I requested in written questions S2W-20530, S2W-20531, S2W-20532, S2W-20533, S2W-20534, S2W-20535, S2W-20536 and S2W-20537 that was either “not available” or “not releasable under the terms of agreement with the Company”.

Question reference: S2W-25070

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 April 2006
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 5 May 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23902 by Nicol Stephen on 31 March 2006, whether its statement that it was “not aware specifically” of the contents of file SEP 10/556 prior to its being opened to public view on 8 September 2005 indicates that it was aware of the file’s contents generally prior to this date.

Question reference: S2W-25068

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 April 2006
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 5 May 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23934 by Nicol Stephen on 31 March 2006, whether file SEP 10/556 was reviewed by Executive officials prior to its opening for public view on 8 September 2005 or subsequent to its opening.

Priorto its opening for public view the file was reviewed by a records appraisalofficer in the National Archives of Scotland to check for data protectionissues and clear it for public access. Subsequent to its opening the papershave been read by Executive officials.

The Executive have supplied the following corrected answer:

Nicol Stephen: The file was reviewed by aRecords Appraisal Officer in the Scottish Executive to check for dataprotection issues and clear it for public access.