- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 14 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will commission a comprehensive land use study of the entire area of the proposed Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.
Answer
A range of studies have been, and continue to be, conducted on aspects of land use in order to pave the way for a National Park in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. Scottish Natural Heritage, for example, have previously commissioned reviews into land use and economic activity in possible National Park areas in Scotland and the Loch Lomond and Trossachs Interim Committee are in the process of preparing a forest and woodland framework, through a steering group chaired by Sir Peter Hutchison. Also, once established we will expect the National Parks Authority to consider land use as part of the overall park plan.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 13 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what stipulations have been made in the tendering process and contracts for trunk road maintenance to ensure that the provision of high quality traffic information continues.
Answer
Traffic information will continue to be collected and analysed through the Scottish Executive's independent contracts for this work. The support required from the Operating Company for the National Driver Information and Control Systems and traffic counting duties are set out in the specification for the new Operating Company contracts.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 8 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has held with rail freight operating companies about any difficulties they are experiencing in accessing the rail system at appropriate times.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the rail freight operating companies with regard to national rail policy. The Government's Rail Recovery Action Group is committed to restoring the rail network to normal operations as soon as possible for all operators, including freight.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 5 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding will be allocated to (a) the Freight Facilities Grant Scheme, (b) the Track Access Grant Scheme, (c) the Public Transport Fund, (d) Rail Passenger Partnership Funding, (e) the Infrastructure Investment Fund and (f) the Rural Community Transport Grant Scheme in (i) 2001-02 and (ii) 2002-03.
Answer
Details of the allocations for these schemes for 2001-02 are as follows:
Freight Facilities Grant Scheme - £6.136 million
Track Access Grant Scheme - £1 million
Public Transport Fund - £40 million
The Rural Community Transport Grant Scheme is one of the three parts of the Rural Transport Fund. For 2001-02 the total allocation for the Fund is £5.5 million. The allocation for rural community transport projects has yet to be determined.
Final allocations for 2002-03 have yet to be determined.Rail Passenger Partnership Funding and the Infrastructure Investment Fund are matters for the Strategic Rail Authority.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the #7 billion allocated to the rail modernisation fund will be included in the Scottish assigned budget as a result of the operation of the Barnett formula and, if not, what process is in place to allow bids to be made from Scotland for assistance from this fund.
Answer
The Barnett formula will not apply to the Rail Modernisation Fund which will be distributed by the Strategic Rail Authority across the rail network of Great Britain. Bids for assistance from Scotland will be considered in the same way as bids from elsewhere in GB.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 25 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive where the responses it has received to its consultation on the proposals for the revision of the EU Directive on public access to environmental information can be viewed by the public and when the findings of this consultation exercise will be published.
Answer
The responses received can be viewed at the Scottish Executive Library, Saughton House, Edinburgh and a summary of the views expressed in the consultation has been published on the Internet.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 19 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, following the 1999 report by Dundee City Council into dioxin levels from the Baldovie incinerator at Dundee that found no excessive levels of dioxin, what plans it has to ensure that the Scottish Environment Protection Agency continues monitoring all areas of the site.
Answer
The 1999 report for Dundee City Council examined a range of pollutant levels around the site of the former incinerator at Baldovie, which closed in 1996. The report concluded that there was no evidence of gross pollution associated with the plant. The new incinerator at Baldovie, which began operating last year, is regulated by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).Monitoring of the site at and around the incinerator at Baldovie is carried out by a specialist firm for the plant operator. The Scottish Executive is satisfied that the Scottish Environment Protection Agency ensures that the correct methodology is used for taking these measurements and that the firm undertaking the work is suitably qualified. Monitoring at Baldovie shows that dioxin levels are well within the limits imposed in SEPA's authorisation.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 19 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken as a result of the 1995 report on dioxin levels from the Baldovie incinerator at Dundee.
Answer
I am not aware of any specific report in 1995 on dioxin levels from the Baldovie incinerator. Routine measurements of dioxin levels would, however, have been taken by Her Majesty's Industrial Pollution Inspectorate during the period up to the plant's closure in 1996. The plant ceased to operate because it was unable to meet the new emission standards required by the EC Hazardous Waste Incineration Directive.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 18 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in the building of the M74 extension.
Answer
I have had three very useful meetings with council leaders from Glasgow City, South Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire Councils since I announced on 28 September that the Executive would fund the strategic link between Fullarton Road and west of the Kingston Bridge.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 3 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the remit is of the expert scientific group set up by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to examine the issue of radioactive particles found on the foreshore at Dounreay, when the group will conclude its examination and whether this work will be published.
Answer
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) formed the Dounreay Particles Advisory Group (DPAG) in May 2000. The remit of the group is to provide impartial scientific advice on the current United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) research programme in respect of particles in the Dounreay local environment.
No date has been determined for the completion of the group's work, although progress reports will be published at relevant intervals. The group intends to publish its first progress report in January 2001.
SEPA intends to commission two studies on the particles issue. These studies will consider the public health implications of fragments and the post-ingestion uptake of fragments by humans. The group will contribute to the outcome of this research.
