- Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 November 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 11 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation it has undertaken with stakeholders in the railway network with regard to access for disabled people.
Answer
Earlier this year the Strategic Rail Authority undertook a consultation on the use of the Access for All fund. The Scottish Executive is currently consulting on the priorities for rail in Scotland, including specific changes people would like to see to the rail network.
- Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 November 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 11 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has given to local authorities for railway station improvements, broken down by local authority.
Answer
Funding awarded by the Executive since 1999 to local authorities specifically for railway station improvements is set out in the following table:
| Local Authority | Railway Stations | Total Value of Award(s) (£ Million) |
| Aberdeenshire Council | Dyce, Inverurie, Stonehaven | £0.300 |
| Angus Council | Arbroath, Carnoustie, Montrose | £1.754 |
| Dumfries and Galloway Council | Lockerbie | £0.750 |
| East Lothian Council | Drem, Dunbar, Longniddry, Musselburgh, North Berwick, Prestonpans, Wallyford | £0.312 |
| East Renfrewshire Council | Barrhead, Clarkston, Giffnock, Neilston, Patterton, Thornliebank, Whitecraigs, Williamwood | £0.723 |
| Falkirk Council | Camelon, Falkirk Grahamston, Falkirk High, Larbert, Polmont | £2.350 |
| Fife Council | Aberdour, Burntisland, Cardenden, Cowdenbeath, Dalgety Bay, Dunfermline Queen Margaret Dunfermline Town, Glenrothes with Thornton, Inverkeithing, Kinghorn, Kirkcaldy, Lochgelly, Markinch, North Queensferry, Rosyth | £11.857 |
| Highland Council | Aviemore, Fort William | £0.942 |
| North Lanarkshire Council | Greenfaulds | £1.107 |
| South Ayrshire Council | Barrhill, Girvan, Maybole, Newton-on-Ayr, Prestwick Airport, Prestwick Town, Troon | £1.415 |
| South Lanarkshire Council | Hamilton Central, Hamilton West, Newton, Uddingston | £1.061 |
| Stirling Council | Bridge of Allan, Dunblane, Stirling | £3.741 |
| Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority | Partick | £6.300 |
| Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority | Croy | £5.000 |
| West Lothian Council | Bathgate, Livingston North, Livingston South | £1.586 |
Some local authorities have also been awarded funding for railway station enhancement works as part of a wider programme of public transport measures. As these measures were not individually priced in the relevant award, they have not been included in the above table.
- Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 November 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 11 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what the breakdown of responsibilities is between it and the UK Government for ensuring that railway stations in Scotland are accessible to disabled people.
Answer
Responsibility for the Disability Discrimination Act rest with the UK government. Discussions are currently taking place between the Scottish Executive and the Department for Transport on the management of the Access for All fund in Scotland.
- Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 November 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 11 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has allocated for railway station improvements for disabled people in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07 and (c) 2007-08.
Answer
The terms of the franchise agreement with First Scotrail include a “minor works budget” of £250,000 per annum, to be spent on small scale physical alterations or additions to improve accessibility of stations to disabled persons. The Scottish Executive has also awarded funding for footbridges allowing disabled access at Lockerbie, Rosyth and Montrose railway stations from its Public Transport Fund and Integrated Transport Fund. All three projects have yet to have a clear timetable for delivery, and the Executive is in discussion with the relevant local authorities to ensure funding can be allocated as appropriate.
- Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 November 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 11 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has spent since 2000 in making rural railway stations accessible to disabled people.
Answer
Funding has been awarded for improvement at several stations, however, we cannot identify how much of this was spent specifically on improving access for people with disabilities.
- Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 October 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 10 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-19408 by Tavish Scott on 5 October 2005 in which it is stated that there are no dedicated subsidies for the production of biofuels but that there are schemes that businesses who wish to invest in biofuel can apply to, whether it can give assurances that those businesses wishing to invest in biofuels and who apply to these schemes will be given priority, given that there are pressures on Scotland to conform to the standards set out in EU directive 2003/30/EC.
Answer
Regional Selective Assistance grants are available to all eligible businesses, and are not restricted to specific sectors, nor is priority given to specific sectors. In practice, all projects that the Scottish Executive considers meet in full the criteria of the scheme will be offered Regional Selective Assistance.
In general, prospective entrepreneurs can get advice on, and access to, public sector business support from the Business Gateway. Support is provided through four core programmes (business information; business start-up; business growth, and business high growth) to those who meet the eligibility criteria.
We are discussing with the Department for Transport the potential for other measures to deliver an increase in biofuels usage at a UK level. This includes consideration of a Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation as one potential measure to ensure the increased uptake of biofuels.
- Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 November 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 10 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken any consultations with Glaxosmithkline plc with regard to the production of antivirals.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has not consulted with Glaxosmithkine plc with regard to the production of antivirals. The Scottish Executive has taken action to make Tamiflu available in the event of an influenza pandemic - in line with guidance from the World Health Organisation.
- Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 October 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 9 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive in which (a) urban and (b) rural local authority areas there has been an increase in the number of Executive departmental jobs since 2000.
Answer
The local authority areas inwhich there has been an increase in the number of permanent jobs in ScottishExecutive core departments between April 2000 and October 2005 are as follows.
| (a) Urban* |
| City Of Edinburgh |
| East Lothian |
| Falkirk |
| Glasgow City |
| South Lanarkshire |
| (b) Rural |
| Aberdeenshire |
| Argyll and Bute |
| Eilean Siar |
| Moray |
| Perth And Kinross |
| Scottish Borders |
| Shetland |
Note: *Councilareas with a population density of one or more persons per hectare (at the 2001Census) are defined as urban.
- Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 October 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 7 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-19408 by Tavish Scott on 30 September 2005, how it plans to meet the EU Directive on biofuels, 2003/30/EC, which requires member states to set indicative targets for biofuel sales by 2010 with a reference value of 5.75% of all petrol and diesel sold for transport purposes and whether the Executive is planning to take a lead on this.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-19406 on 30 September 2005. 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.
- Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 October 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 3 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-19406 by Tavish Scott on 30 September 2005 which states that the United Kingdom has not set a target with regard to the use of biofuels, why the Executive is unable to act independently from the UK Government in setting these targets and in taking the necessary steps to ensure that Scotland meets the requirements of the EU directive on biofuels, 2003/30/EC.
Answer
While it would be possible for Scotland to adopt a different target to the rest of the UK for the use of biofuels, the measures to deliver an increase in biofuels usage in relation to taxation are best pursued at a UK level. In addition, we are currently discussing with the Department of Transport proposals for a Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation which would only be effective if undertaken at a UK level.
